UFP Technologies Inc: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2023

The Company is a designer and custom manufacturer of comprehensive solutions for medical devices, sterile packaging, and other highly engineered custom products. The Company believes it is an important link in the medical device supply chain and a valued outsource partner to many of the top medical device manufacturers in the world. The Company’s single-use and single-patient devices and components are used in a wide range of medical devices and packaging for minimally invasive surgery, infection prevention, surfaces and support, wound care, wearables, orthopedic soft goods, and orthopedic implants.

The Company is diversified by also providing highly engineered products and components to customers in the automotive, aerospace and defense, and industrial/other markets. Typical applications of its products include military uniform and gear components, automotive interior trim, air filtration, and protective cases and inserts.

The Company was incorporated in the State of Delaware in 1993.

The consolidated financial statements of the Company include the accounts and results of operations of UFP Technologies, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Available Information

The Company’s Internet website address is http://www.ufpt.com. Through its website, the Company makes available, free of charge, its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files such material with, or furnishes it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). These SEC reports can be accessed through the investor relations section of the Company’s website. The information found on the Company’s website is not incorporated by reference in this or any other report filed with or furnished to the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding the Company and other issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The SEC’s Internet website address is http://www.sec.gov.

Market Overview

The applications for the Company’s products are numerous and diverse. The Company sells its products into distinct markets with its primary focus on the MedTech market:

• MedTech – The global medical market is large, growing, and varied but the Company targets and operates in specific segments where its design and manufacturing expertise and access to highly specialized materials helps customers differentiate products, improve patient outcomes, and increase their client’s speed to market. The product segments we target, and within which we operate, include minimally invasive surgery, infection control, orthopedics, interventional & surgical, surfaces & support, therapeutics, diagnostics, wound care, and biopharma.
• Automotive – Automotive companies are challenged with creating quieter, safer and more efficient vehicles. The Company partners with OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and its own material manufacturers to develop customized solutions designed to solve automakers’ biggest challenges.
• Aerospace & Defense – With regard to the aerospace market, the Company primarily targets commercial aircraft manufacturers to address the need for improved safety, better fuel economy, lower emissions, and overall passenger comfort. With regard to the defense market, as a long-time supplier to military defense contractors and law enforcement, the Company provides highly innovative solutions to enhance soldier safety, improve comfort, and protect mission critical equipment.
• Industrial/Other – The applications for the Company's industrial and other products are highly diverse. Examples include air and liquid filters, thermal and acoustic insulation, seals and gaskets, and comfort gear for sports equipment.

Products

The Company’s custom products are targeted at macro market trends and create specific opportunities in niche segments where the Company’s access to specialty materials, engineering know-how, and processing expertise can be leveraged to create value for its customers. Examples of its custom products targeted to specific markets include:

• MedTech – Protective drapes for robotic surgery, single patient use surfaces, advanced wound care, infection prevention, disposables for surgical and endoscopic procedures, packaging for medical devices, orthopedic implants, biopharma drug manufacturing, and dispenser coils for catheters. In general, the Company’s solutions are all aimed at improving treatment outcomes while reducing risk and cost.
• Automotive – Molded components designed to make cars lighter (therefore more fuel efficient), quieter, and safer. Applications include acoustic insulation, interior trim, load floors, sunshades, SUV cargo cover handles, driveshaft damping, engine & manifold covers, quarter panels and wheel liners.
• Aerospace & Defense – With regard to the aerospace market, molded composites for commercial aviation make planes lighter and safer. With regard to the defense market, molded composites for military gear improve the safety and comfort of soldiers. Applications include backpack components, knee and elbow pads, eyewear, and helmets. In addition, the Company supplies reusable cases and custom inserts to quickly and safely transport, store, and deploy mission-critical equipment. Applications include military ballistics panels, virtual training systems, drones, communications equipment, and rugged portable computers.

Regulatory Climate and Environmental Considerations

The Company’s medical customers typically require FDA approval for their products and therefore sometimes require their suppliers to manufacture in facilities that are FDA registered and comply with the ISO 13485 quality standard for medical devices. The Company has eleven manufacturing locations that are ISO 13485 certified and eight that are FDA registered. The Company’s automotive customers sometimes require their suppliers to certify their manufacturing locations to the IATF 16949 automotive quality standard. The Company’s Grand Rapids, MI facility meets this requirement. The Company designs products to provide optimum performance with minimum material. In addition, the Company bales and disposes of certain of its urethane and cross-linked foam scrap for use in various recycled products. The Company’s Newburyport, MA facility utilizes solar power to provide approximately 6% of its electricity, with plans to increase capacity in the future. The Company is aware of public support for environmentally responsible packaging and products. Future government action may impose restrictions affecting the industry in which the Company operates. There can be no assurance that any such action will not adversely impact the Company’s products and business.

Marketing and Sales

The Company markets to the target industries it serves by promoting specific solutions, materials, and manufacturing capabilities and services. The Company markets through websites, trade shows and expositions, social media, online advertising, emails, and press releases. Its relationships with key material suppliers are also an important part of its marketing and sales efforts. The Company markets and sells its products principally through a direct sales force. The Company’s commercial sales force, in conjunction with Company engineers, collaborate with customers and in-house design and manufacturing experts to develop custom-engineered solutions on a cost-effective basis. For the year ended December 31, 2023, one customer’s sales were approximately 28% of total sales; no other customer’s sales exceeded 10% of total sales. For additional information, see “Risk Factors— We depend on a small number of customers for a large percentage of our revenues. The loss of any such customer, a reduction in sales to any such customer, or the decline in the financial condition of any such customer could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.”

Seasonality is not a major factor in the Company’s sales. See the Company’s consolidated financial statements contained in Part IV, Item 15, of this Report for net sales by market.

Manufacturing

The Company’s manufacturing operations consist primarily of cutting, routing, compression and injection, molding, vacuum-forming, laminating, radio frequency and impulse welding and assembling. For medical custom-molded foam products and thermoplastic welded devices, the Company’s skilled engineering personnel analyze specific customer requirements to design and build prototype products to determine product functionality. Upon customer approval, prototypes are converted to final designs for commercial production runs. Molded cross-linked foam products are produced in a thermoforming process using heat, pressure, and precision metal tooling. Thin films and other materials are sealed using radio frequency and impulse welding. Reticulated polyurethane foam is also used for many high-performance medical products requiring precision fluid or air management. These products are typically fabricated using high speed die-cutting or waterjet cutting. Laminated products for medical, military, and personal comfort and protection are produced through a process whereby the foam medium is heated to the melting point and the heated foam is typically bonded to a non-foam material through the application of mechanical pressure.

The Company also engineers components for automotive use as interior trim and structural applications. These components are produced using a compression molding process to create highly functional composites consisting of various materials such as polypropylene/fiberglass panels, nonwovens, and fabrics. Highly specialized polypropylene based nonwoven material is used for automotive interior noise reduction and is fabricated using a die cut process. Foam for filtration, acoustical, and thermal insulation products that do not utilize cross-linked foam are fabricated by cutting shapes from blocks of foam, using specialized cutting tools, routers, water jets, and hot wire equipment, and assembling these shapes into the final product using a variety of foam welding or gluing techniques. Products can be used on a stand-alone basis or bonded to another foam product or other material such as a corrugated medium.

The Company does not manufacture any of the raw materials used in its products. With the exception of certain grades of cross-linked foam and technical polyurethane foams, these raw materials are available from multiple supply sources. Although the Company relies upon a limited number of suppliers for cross-linked and technical polyurethane foams, the Company’s relationships with its suppliers are good, and the Company expects that these suppliers will be able to meet its requirements for these foams. Any delay or interruption in the supply of raw materials could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business.

Research and Development

The Company’s engineering personnel continuously explore new design and manufacturing techniques, as well as new and innovative materials to meet the unique demands and specifications of its customers. Research and development is an integral part of the Company’s ongoing cost structure.

Competition

The medical design and contract manufacturing industry is highly competitive as is the foam and plastics converting industry as a whole. While there are several national companies that convert foam and plastics, the Company’s primary competition is from smaller independent regional manufacturing companies. These companies generally market their products in specific geographic areas from neighboring facilities. The Company’s custom engineered products face competition primarily from smaller companies that typically concentrate on production of products for specific industries. The Company expects to compete effectively in the engineered products market due to its ability to address its customers' primary vendor selection criteria, including inclusion on their preferred supplier lists, price, product performance, product reliability, and customer service, as well as its access to a wide variety of materials, its engineering expertise, its ability to combine foams with other materials such as plastics and laminates, and its ability to manufacture products in a clean room environment.

Patents and Other Proprietary Rights

The Company relies upon trade secrets, patents, and trademarks to protect its technology and proprietary rights. The Company believes the improvement of existing products, reliance upon trade secrets and unpatented proprietary know-how, and the development of new products are generally as important as patent protection in establishing and maintaining a competitive advantage. Nevertheless, the Company has obtained patents and may continue to make efforts to obtain patents, when available, although there can be no assurance that any patent obtained will provide substantial protection or be of commercial benefit to the Company, or that its validity will be upheld if challenged. The Company has a total of 19 active patents relating to technologies including foam, packaging, tool control technologies, radio frequency welding, automotive superforming processes and certain nail file technologies. The Company also has patent applications in process. There can be no assurance that any patent or patent application will provide significant protection for the Company’s products and technology or will not be challenged or circumvented by others. The expiration dates for the Company’s patents range from 2024 through 2040. FlexShield®, FirmaLite®, BioShell®, T-Tubes®, Tri-Covers®, Design Nail®, Pro-Sticks®, Cryoshell® Case Fit®, Alloshell®, Flash Shiner®, Mambo®, and EZ Card® are the Company’s U.S. registered trademarks. Each trademark, trade name, or service mark of any other company appearing in this Report belongs to its respective holder.

Human Capital Management

As of January 27, 2024, the Company had a total of 3,093 full-time employees (compared to 2,665 full-time employees as of January 28, 2023) and 200 temporary employees (compared to 303 temporary employees at January 28, 2023). The Company is not a party to any collective bargaining agreements. The Company considers its employee relations to be good.

The Company strives to promote a workplace that is professional, provides opportunity for career growth and treats all workers with dignity and respect. The Company will not tolerate unlawful discrimination and harassment in the workplace; it expressly prohibits any form of unlawful discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, or any other legally protected status under applicable federal, state, or local law.

The Company’s employees are tasked with upholding our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, which we view as an important component of our operating strategy. This policy covers the conduct of the Company's employees in their work-related dealings with each other, as well as interactions with our customers, vendors, and other business partners. The Company’s compliance hotline is maintained for the confidential reporting of any suspected policy violations or unethical business conduct.

The Company’s commitment to its employees starts at the top with an executive-level officer – Senior Vice President of Human Resources (“SVP of HR”) – reporting to the CEO, attending all board meetings, and having significant involvement with the board’s compensation committee. This commitment is reflected in our efforts to attract, engage, and retain the best people possible.

Compensation and Benefits

The Company’s compensation and benefits offerings are supported by regular third-party benchmarking surveys. In addition to competitive compensation practices, the Company offers annual stock award bonus programs to reward and retain executives and key employees. Access to company subsidized health, life and disability insurance; a matching 401(k) plan; and paid time off for vacation, illness and personal reasons, are the highlights of the Company’s benefits available to all eligible full-time employees. For those employees struggling with life’s challenges, the Company offers employee assistance programs.

Growth and Development

The Company supports every employee’s opportunity for career growth. It offers tuition reimbursement for employees to further their industry-related formal education; access to virtual training and education platforms; reimbursement to attend work-related seminars; and on-the-job training and cross-training to improve job skills. Its talent management program provides feedback on performance, identifies employees with potential for advancement, and allows for personalized career development plans. Its summer internship program provides the opportunity for college and technical school students to demonstrate and develop the skills to become valuable members of our team.

The Company’s commitment to its employees has resulted in several national, regional, and local “Best in Class” awards.

Safety

As an essential manufacturing company, the Company takes its responsibility to our essential employees’ health and safety seriously. Its corporate safety officer reports directly to the SVP of HR and works with dedicated safety officers at each of our plants to implement safety programs and training. Safety audits are conducted regularly to ensure compliance.

The risks factors described below could materially impact our business, including our results of operations and financial results. These are the risks and uncertainties we believe are most important for you to consider. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, which we currently deem immaterial, or which are similar to those faced by other companies in our industry or business in general, may also impair our business operations. If any of the following risks or uncertainties occurs, our business, financial condition and operating results would likely suffer.

Risks Related to our Business

Our business, operating results, and cash flows have been affected and may continue to be adversely affected by inflation.

Inflationary pressures have increased due to general macroeconomic factors as well as the global supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. Although inflation rates have somewhat normalized, rates could again rise in the foreseeable future. These inflationary pressures have affected our manufacturing costs, operating expenses (including wages) and other expenses. We may not be able to pass these cost increases on to our customers in a timely manner, which could have an impact on our gross margins and profitability. In addition, inflation has resulted in higher interest rates and could otherwise adversely impact the macroeconomic environment, which in turn could adversely impact our customers and their ability or willingness to purchase our products. Our inability to successfully manage the effects of inflation could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows.

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the related implications could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

As a result of the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the United States and other countries have imposed significant sanctions on Russia and could impose even wider sanctions. The military conflict and related sanctions could damage or disrupt international commerce and the global economy. We cannot predict the broader or longer-term consequences of the conflict or of the sanctions imposed to date or in the future, which could include embargoes, regional instability, geopolitical shifts, exchange rate fluctuations, financial market disruptions and economic recession. Further, the conflict could exacerbate supply chain challenges, lead to an increase in cyberattacks from Russia, affect the global price and availability of key commodities, reduce our sales and earnings or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

In addition, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine may have the effect of heightening other risks disclosed in this Form 10-K, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. Such risks include but are not limited to interruptions in the transportation channels for the manufacture and global distribution of our products, heightened inflation, depressed levels of consumer and commercial spending, adverse changes in international trade policies and relations, and the inability to implement and execute our business strategy. We are currently unable to predict the extent, nature or duration of any of these occurrences.

We depend on a small number of customers for a large percentage of our revenues. The loss of any such customer, a reduction in sales to any such customer, or the decline in the financial condition of any such customer could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

A limited number of customers typically represent a significant percentage of our revenues in any given year. Our top ten customers represented approximately 59%, 47%, and 34% of our total revenues in 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. One customer comprised approximately 28% of our total sales for the year ended December 31, 2023; that same customer comprised approximately 21% of our total sales for the year ended December 31, 2022. No one customer’s sales exceeded 10% of total sales for the year ended December 31, 2021. The loss of a significant portion of our expected future sales to any of our large customers would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Likewise, a material adverse change in the financial condition of any of these customers could have a material adverse effect on our ability to collect accounts receivable from any such customer. Two customers represented approximately 17% and 12%, respectively, of gross accounts receivable for the year ended December 31, 2023, and one customer represented approximately 10% of gross accounts receivable for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Our business could be harmed if our products contain undetected errors or defects or do not meet applicable specifications.

Based on customer specifications, we are continuously developing new products and improving existing products. Our existing and newly introduced products can contain undetected errors or defects. In addition, these products may not meet their performance specifications under all conditions or for all applications. If, despite internal testing and testing by customers, any of our products contain errors or defects or fail to meet applicable specifications, then we may be required to enhance or improve those products or technologies. We may not be able to do so on a timely basis, if at all, and may only be able to do so at considerable expense. If a particular error or defect is repeated throughout our production process, the cost of repairing such defect may be highly disproportionate to the original cost of the product or component. In addition, any significant errors, defects, or other performance failures could render our existing and/or future products unreliable or ineffective and could lead to decreased confidence in our products, adverse customer reaction, negative publicity, mandatory or voluntary recalls, or legal claims, the occurrence of any of which could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Further, if our products are defectively designed, manufactured, or labeled, contain defective components or are misused, we may become subject to costly litigation by our customers or be expected to fund product recalls. Product liability claims could divert management's attention from our core business, be expensive to defend and result in sizable damage awards against us.

New technologies could result in the development of new products by our competitors and a decrease in demand for our products, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our failure to develop new technologies, or anticipate or react to changes in existing technologies, could result in a decrease in our sales and a loss of market share to our competitors. Our financial performance depends on our ability to design, develop, and manufacture new products and product enhancements on a timely and cost-effective basis. We may not be able to successfully identify new product opportunities or develop and bring new products to market in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Products or technologies developed by other companies may render our products or technologies obsolete or noncompetitive. Our failure to identify or capitalize on any fundamental shifts in technologies, relative to our competitors, could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position within our industry and harm our relationships with our customers.

If we fail to comply with specific provisions of our customer contracts or Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, our business could be materially adversely affected.

Our customer contracts, particularly with respect to contracts for which the government is a direct or indirect customer, may include unique and specialized requirements. This may also include contracts with customers that manufacture goods subject to FDA regulations. Failure to comply with the specific provisions in our customer contracts, or any violation of government or FDA contracting regulations, could result in termination of the contracts, increased costs to us, suspension of payments, imposition of fines, and suspension from future government contracting. Further, any negative publicity related to our failure to comply with the provisions in our customer contracts could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Increased focus on our environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") responsibilities have and will likely continue to result in additional costs and risks, and may adversely impact our reputation, employee retention, and willingness of customers and partners to do business with us.

Institutional, individual, and other investors, proxy advisory services, regulatory authorities, consumers and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on ESG practices of companies. Some investors may use these non-financial performance factors to guide their investment strategies and, in some cases, may choose not to invest in us if they believe our policies and actions relating to ESG are inadequate. Our disclosures on these matters, or a failure to meet evolving stakeholder expectations for ESG practices and reporting, may potentially harm our reputation and customer relationships.

As ESG best practices and reporting standards continue to develop, we may incur increasing costs relating to ESG monitoring and reporting and complying with ESG initiatives. The standards for tracking and reporting on ESG matters and disclosure frameworks are relatively new, have not been harmonized, and continue to evolve. Ensuring there are systems and processes in place to comply with the various ESG tracking and reporting obligations may require management time and expense. As we look to respond to evolving standards for identifying, measuring, and reporting ESG metrics, our efforts may result in a significant increase in costs and may nonetheless not meet investor or other stakeholder expectations and evolving standards or regulatory requirements, which may negatively impact our financial results, our reputation, our ability to attract or retain employees, our attractiveness as a supplier, investment, or business partner, or expose us to government enforcement actions, private litigation, and actions by stockholders or stakeholders. In addition, if our competitors’ ESG performance is perceived to be better than ours, potential or current investors may elect to invest with our competitors.

Increased focus and evolving views of lawmakers on climate change and other ESG issues could have a long-term impact on our business and result of operations.

Increased public awareness and concern regarding global climate change and other ESG matters may result in more international, regional, and/or federal regulatory or other stakeholder requirements or expectations that could mandate more restrictive or expansive standards, such as more prescriptive reporting of ESG metrics, practices, and targets, or require such changes on a more accelerated time frame. There continues to be a lack of consistent climate and other ESG legislation, which creates economic and regulatory uncertainty; however, there has been an increasing amount of legislative and regulatory activity, particularly in the European Union, United Kingdom, and U.S. In addition, there is also an increasing number of state-level anti-ESG initiatives in the U.S. that may conflict with other regulatory requirements, resulting in regulatory uncertainty. New or revised legal and regulatory requirements could impose significant operational restrictions and compliance requirements upon the Company or its products, and could negatively impact the Company’s business, capital expenditures, results of operations, financial condition, and competitive position.

Global climate change and related regulations and changes in customer demand could negatively affect our operations and our business.

The effects of climate change could create financial risks to our business. For example, the effects of physical impacts of climate change could disrupt our operations by impacting the availability and cost of materials needed for manufacturing, exacerbate existing risks to our supply chain, disrupt our operations, and increase insurance and other operating costs. These factors may impact our decisions to construct new facilities or maintain existing facilities in areas more prone to physical climate risks. We could also face indirect financial risks passed through the supply chain and disruptions that could result in increased prices for our products and the resources needed to produce them.

The growing focus on addressing global climate change has resulted in more regulations designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and more customer demand for products and services that have a lower carbon footprint or that help businesses and consumers reduce carbon emissions throughout their value chains. We may be required to further increase research and development and other capital expenditures in order to develop offerings that meet these new regulations, standards, and customer demands. There can be no assurance that our new product development efforts will be successful, that our products will be accepted by the market, or that economic returns will reflect our investments in new product development.

We may pursue acquisitions or other strategic relationships that involve inherent risks, any of which may cause us to not realize anticipated benefits.

Our business strategy includes the acquisition of businesses and other business combinations that we expect will complement and expand our business. In addition, we may also pursue other strategic relationships or opportunities. We may not be able to success‐fully identify suitable acquisition or other strategic opportunities or complete any particular acquisition, combina‐tion, or other transaction on acceptable terms. Our identification of suitable acquisition candidates and strategic opportunities involves risks inherent in assessing the values, strengths, weaknesses, risks, and profitability of these opportunities including their effects on our business, diversion of our management’s attention and risks associated with unanticipated problems or unforeseen liabilities. Our failure to identify suitable acquisition or other strategic opportunities may restrict our ability to grow our business. If we are successful in pursuing future acquisitions or strategic opportunities, we may be required to expend significant funds, incur additional debt, or issue additional securities, which may materially and adversely affect our results of operations and be dilutive to our stockholders. If we spend significant funds or incur additional debt, our ability to obtain financing for working capital or other purposes could decline and we may be more vulnerable to economic downturns and competitive pressures. In addition, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to finance additional acquisi‐tions or that we will realize any anticipated benefits from acquisitions or other strategic opportunities that we complete. When and if we successfully acquire another business, the process of successfully integrating the acquired operations into our existing operations may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and may require significant financial re‐sources that would otherwise be available for the ongoing development or expansion of our existing business. Decreases in customer loyalty or product orders, failure to retain and develop the acquired workforce, failure to integrate financial reporting systems, failure to establish and maintain appropriate controls or unknown or contingent liabilities could adversely affect our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of an acquisition. The integration of an acquired business whether or not successful, requires significant efforts which may result in additional expenses and divert the attention of our management and technical personnel from other projects. These transactions are inherently risky, and there can be no assurance that any past or future transaction will be successful.

Failure to retain key personnel could impair our ability to execute our business strategy.

The continuing service of our executive officers and essential sales, engineering, technical and management personnel, together with our ability to attract and retain such personnel, is an important factor in our continuing ability to execute our strategy. There is substantial competition to attract such employees, and the loss of any such key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results. The same could be true if we were to experience a high turnover rate among sales, engineering and technical personnel and we were unable to replace them.

We operate in highly competitive industries, and we may be unable to compete successfully, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face intense competition in all markets and in each area of our business, in some cases from our own customers bringing programs in-house. Our current competitors may increase their participation in, or new competitors may enter into, the markets in which we compete. In addition, our suppliers may acquire or develop the capability and desire to compete with us. If our suppliers choose to expand their own operations, through acquisitions or otherwise, and begin manufacturing and selling products directly to our customers, it could reduce our pricing or sales volume and overall profitability. If we are unable to compete successfully with new or existing competitors, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Further, technological innovation by any of our existing competitors, or new competitors entering any of the markets in which we do business, could put us at a competitive disadvantage and could cause us to lose market share. Increased competition for the sales of our products could result in price reductions, reduced margins, and loss of market share, which could materially adversely affect our prospects, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Security breaches, including cybersecurity incidents and other disruptions could compromise our information, expose us to liability and harm our reputation and business.

In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual property, personal information, our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, and personally identifiable information of our customers and employees in our data centers and on our networks. The secure maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. We rely on commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide security for processing, transmission, and storage of confidential information. Computer hackers may attempt to penetrate our computer systems and, if successful, misappropriate personal or confidential business information. In addition, an employee, contractor, or other third-party with whom we do business may attempt to circumvent our security measures in order to obtain such information and may purposefully or inadvertently cause a breach involving such information. Despite the security measures we have in place and any additional measures we may implement in the future to safeguard our systems and to mitigate potential security risks, our facilities and systems, and those of our third-party service providers, could be vulnerable to security breaches. Any such compromise of our data security and access, public disclosure, or loss of personal or confidential business information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, regulatory penalties, disruption of our operations, damage to our reputation, loss of our customers’ willingness to transact business with us, and subject us to additional costs and liabilities which could materially adversely affect our business. While we maintain insurance for cyber events, our insurance may not be sufficient to cover us against all losses that could potentially result from a breach of our systems or loss of sensitive data.

Disruptions in the supply of components and raw materials we use in manufacturing our products could cause production delays or reductions in the number of products we manufacture, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our business is subject to the risk of periodic shortages of raw materials. We purchase raw materials pursuant to purchase orders placed from time to time in the ordinary course of business. Failure or delay by such suppliers in supplying us necessary raw materials could adversely affect our ability to manufacture and deliver products on a timely and competitive basis.

While we believe that we may, in certain circumstances, secure alternative sources of these materials, we may incur substantial delays and significant expense in doing so, the quality and reliability of alternative sources may not be the same and our operating results may be materially adversely affected. Alternative suppliers might charge significantly higher prices for materials than we currently pay. Under such circumstances, the disruption to our business could have a material adverse impact on our customer relationships, business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, we are dependent on a relatively small number of suppliers for cross-linked foam, thermoformed plastic urethane and technical polyurethane foams. While we believe that we have developed strong relationships with these suppliers, any failure or delay by such suppliers in supplying us these necessary products could adversely affect our ability to manufacture and deliver products on a timely and competitive basis.

We may be unable to protect our proprietary technology from infringement.

We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, and unpatented proprietary know-how and trade secrets to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. We enter into confidentiality agreements with suppliers, customers, employees, consultants, and potential acquisition candidates as necessary to protect our know-how, trade secrets and other proprietary information. However, these measures and our patents and trademarks may not afford complete protection of our intellectual property, and it is possible that third parties may copy or otherwise obtain and use our proprietary information and technology without authorization or otherwise infringe on our intellectual property rights. We cannot assure that our competitors will not independently develop equivalent or superior know-how, trade secrets or production methods. Significant impairment of our intellectual property rights could harm our business or our ability to compete. For example, if we are unable to maintain the proprietary nature of our technologies, our profit margins could be reduced as competitors could more easily imitate our products, possibly resulting in lower prices or lost sales for certain products. In such a case, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our products could infringe the intellectual property rights of others, which may lead to litigation that could itself be costly, result in the payment of substantial damages or royalties, and prevent us from using technology that is essential to our products.

We cannot guarantee that our products, manufacturing processes or other methods do not infringe the patents or other intellectual property rights of third parties. Infringement and other intellectual property claims and proceedings brought against us, whether successful or not, could result in substantial costs and harm our reputation. Such claims and proceedings can also distract and divert our management and key personnel from other tasks important to the success of our business. In addition, intellectual property litigation or claims could force us to do one or more of the following:

• Cease selling or using any of our products that incorporate the asserted intellectual property, which would adversely affect our revenues;
• Pay substantial damages for past use of the asserted intellectual property;
• Obtain a license from the holder of the asserted intellectual property, which license may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all; and/or
• Redesign or rename, in the case of trademark claims, our products to avoid infringing the intellectual property rights of third parties, which may be costly and time-consuming, even if possible.

In the event of an adverse determination in an intellectual property suit or proceeding, or our failure to license essential technology, our sales could be harmed, and our costs could increase, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Reductions in the availability of energy supplies or an increase in energy costs may increase our operating costs.

We primarily use electricity and natural gas at our manufacturing facilities to operate our equipment. Over the past several years, prices for electricity and natural gas have fluctuated significantly. An outbreak or escalation of hostilities between the United States and any foreign power, or between foreign powers, or a natural disaster, could result in a real or perceived shortage of petroleum and/or natural gas, which could result in an increase in the cost of electricity or energy generally as well as an increase in the cost of our raw materials, of which many are petroleum-based. In addition, increased energy costs negatively impact our freight costs due to higher fuel prices. Future limitations on the availability or consumption of petroleum products and/or an increase in energy costs, particularly electricity for plant operations, could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Consolidation in the healthcare industry could result in greater competition and reduce our revenues and harm our business.

Many healthcare industry companies are consolidating to create new companies with greater market power. As the healthcare industry consolidates, competition to provide products and services to industry participants will become more intense. These industry participants may try to use their market power to negotiate price reductions for our products or may undertake additional vertical integration or supplier diversification initiatives. If we are forced to reduce our prices, our revenues would decrease and our operating results would suffer.

Expansion of our operations into markets outside of the U.S. subjects us to political, economic, legal, operational, and other risks that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and reputation.

We have recently added manufacturing facilities in the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Costa Rica, and Mexico. We may continue to expand our operations by offering our services and entering new lines of business in other markets outside of the U.S. This expansion increases our exposure to the inherent risks of doing business in international markets. Depending on the market, these risks include those relating to:

• Changes in the local economic environment including, among other things, labor cost increases and other general inflationary pressures;
• Political instability, armed conflicts, or terrorism;
• Public health crises, such as pandemics or epidemics;
• Social changes;
• Intellectual property legal protections and remedies;
• Trade regulations;
• Procedures and actions affecting approval, production, pricing, reimbursement and marketing of products and services;
• Foreign currency;
• Additional U.S. and foreign taxes;
• Export controls;
• Antitrust and competition laws and regulations;
• Lack of reliable legal systems which may affect our ability to enforce contractual rights;
• Changes in local laws or regulations, or interpretation or enforcement thereof;
• Potentially longer ramp-up times for starting up new operations, and for payment and collection cycles;
• Financial, operational and information technology systems integration;
• Failure to comply with U.S. laws, such as the foreign corrupt practices act, or local laws that prohibit us, our partners, or our partners’ or our agents or intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign officials or any third party for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business; and
• Data and privacy restrictions.
• Foreign currency fluctuations

Issues relating to the failure to comply with applicable non-U.S. laws, requirements or restrictions may also impact our domestic business and increase scrutiny of our domestic practices.

Additionally, some factors that will be critical to the success of our international business and operations will be different than those affecting our domestic business and operations. For example, conducting international operations requires us to devote significant management resources to implement our controls and systems in new markets, to comply with local laws and regulations, including fulfilling financial reporting and records retention requirements, and overcoming the numerous new challenges inherent in managing international operations, such as challenges based on differing languages and cultures, as well as differing regulatory and compliance environments, and challenges related to the timely hiring, integration and retention of a sufficient number of skilled personnel to carry out operations in an environment with which we are not familiar.

Any additional expansion of our international operations through acquisitions or through organic growth could increase these risks. Additionally, while we may invest material amounts of capital and incur significant costs in connection with the growth and development of our international operations, including the costs of starting up or acquiring new operations, we may not be able to operate them profitably on the anticipated timeline, or at all.

These risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows, and could materially harm our reputation.

Risks Related to our Share Ownership and our Capital Structure

Restrictions in our credit facilities may limit our business and financial activities, including our ability to obtain additional capital in the future.

In December 2021, we entered into a secured $130 million Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with Bank of America, N.A., which provided for a $90 million revolving credit facility and a $40 million term loan facility. This Credit Agreement contains covenants imposing various restrictions on our business and financial activities. These restrictions may affect our ability to operate our business and undertake certain financial activities and may limit our ability to take advantage of potential business or financial opportunities as they arise. The restrictions these covenants place on us include limitations on our ability to incur liens, incur indebtedness, make investments, dissolve or merge or consolidate with or into another entity, dispose of certain property, and make restricted payments. The Credit Agreement also requires us to meet certain financial ratios, including a minimum fixed-charge coverage ratio and a maximum total funded debt to EBITDA ratio. The breach of any of these covenants or restrictions could result in a default under the Credit Agreement, which could have a material adverse impact to our business, financial condition, and results of operation.

We are also exposed to the risk of increasing interest rates as our revolving credit and term loan facilities are both at a variable interest rate. Any material changes in interest rates could result in higher interest expense and related payments for us.

Provisions of our corporate charter documents and Delaware law, may dissuade potential acquirers, prevent the replacement or removal of our current management, and may thereby affect the price of our common stock.

The board of directors has the authority to issue up to 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock and to determine the price, rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions, including voting rights of those shares without any further vote or action by the stockholders. The rights of the holders of common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be issued in the future. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible financings, acquisitions, and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting stock. We currently have no plans to issue shares of preferred stock.

Further, certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation, bylaws, and Delaware law could delay or make a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving us or, for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting common stock more difficult. These include provisions that limit the ability of stockholders to take action by written consent, call special meetings, remove a director for cause, amend the bylaws, or approve a merger with another company. In addition, our bylaws set forth advance notice procedures for stockholders to nominate candidates for election as directors or to bring matters before an annual meeting of stockholders.

We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law which prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stock‐holder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. For purposes of Section 203, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder, and an “interested stockholder” is a person who, either alone or together with affiliates and associates, owns (or within the past three years did own) 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock.

Financial Risks

Our operating results may fluctuate, which may make it difficult to forecast our future performance and may result in volatility in our stock price.

Our operating results could fluctuate from quarter to quarter, making forecasting future performance difficult and resulting in volatility in our stock price. These fluctuations are due to a variety of factors, including the following:

• timing of orders placed by our customers;
• our customers’ approach to inventory management;
• changes in the mix of our revenue represented by our various products and customers could result in reductions in our profits if the mix of our revenue represented by lower margin products increases;
• a portion of our costs are fixed in nature, which results in our operations being particularly sensitive to fluctuations in production volumes;
• increased costs and decreased availability of raw materials or supplies; and
• our ability to effectively execute on operational initiatives to drive manufacturing efficiencies.

Our international sales and operations are subject to a variety of market and financial risks and costs that could affect our profitability and operating results.

Our sales outside the U.S., which accounted for approximately 20.8% of sales for 2023, and our operations in Europe, Mexico, South America and the Caribbean are and could be subject to a number of risks and potential costs, including:

• changes in foreign economic conditions or regulatory requirements;
• changes in foreign currency exchange rates;
• local product preferences and product requirements;
• difficulties in enforcing agreements through foreign legal systems;
• less protection of intellectual property in some countries outside of the U.S.;
• trade protection measures and import and export licensing requirements;
• work force instability;
• political and economic instability;
• transportation delays or interruptions; and
• complex tax and cash management issues.

These risks are also present in connection with our entry into new geographic markets.

Additionally, as a result of our international operations, we are subject to exposure from currency exchange rate fluctuations. Historically, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations have not had a material effect on our net financial results. However, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could have a significant impact on our financial results in the future.

We have a complex tax profile due to the global nature of our operations and may experience increases and variability in our quarterly and annual effective tax rate due to several factors, including changes in the mix of pre-tax income and the jurisdictions to which it relates, business acquisitions, settlements with taxing authorities, and changes in tax rates.

Our global operations encompass multiple taxing jurisdictions. Variability in the mix and profitability of domestic and international activities, identification and resolution of various tax uncertainties, changes in tax laws and rates, and the extent to which we are able to realize deferred tax assets and avoid potential adverse outcomes included in deferred tax liabilities, among other matters, may significantly affect our effective income tax rate in the future.

Our effective income tax rate is the result of the income tax rates in the various countries in which we do business. Our mix of income and losses in these jurisdictions affects our effective tax rate. For example, relatively more income in higher tax rate jurisdictions would increase our effective tax rate and thus lower our net income. Similarly, if we generate losses in tax jurisdictions for which no benefits are available, our effective income tax rate will increase. Our effective income tax rate may also be impacted by the recognition of discrete income tax items, such as required adjustments to our liabilities for uncertain tax positions or our deferred tax asset valuation allowance.

We have recorded deferred tax assets based on our assessment that we will be able to realize the benefits of our net operating losses and other favorable tax attributes. Realization of deferred tax assets involve significant judgments and estimates which are subject to change and ultimately depends on generating sufficient taxable income of the appropriate character during the appropriate periods. Changes in circumstances may affect the likelihood of such realization, which in turn may trigger a write-down of our deferred tax assets, the amount of which would depend on a number of factors. A write-down would reduce our reported net income, which may adversely impact our financial condition or results of operations or cash flows. In addition, we are potentially subject to ongoing and periodic tax examinations and audits in various jurisdictions. An adjustment from a taxing authority, could result in higher tax costs, penalties and interest, thereby adversely impacting our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We may never realize the full value of our intangible assets, which represent a significant portion of our total assets.

At December 31, 2023, we had $177.4 million of goodwill and other intangible assets, representing approximately 44% of our total assets. These intangible assets consist primarily of goodwill, trade names, customer lists and non-compete agreements arising from our acquisitions. Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized but are tested annually or upon the occurrence of certain events that indicate that the assets may be impaired. Definite lived intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives and are tested for impairment upon the occurrence of certain events that indicate that the assets may not be recoverable. We may not receive the recorded value for our intangible assets if we sell or liquidate our business or assets. In addition, our significant amount of intangible assets increases the risk of a large charge to earnings in the event that the recoverability of these intangible assets is impaired. In the event of a significant charge to earnings, the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected. In addition, intangible assets with definite lives, which represent $64.1 million of our net intangible assets at December 31, 2023, will continue to be amortized. These expenses will continue to reduce our future earnings or increase our future losses. The accounting for intangible assets requires reliance on forward-looking estimates of sales and/or earnings. Estimating the future performance of our business is extremely challenging and the range of deviation from internal estimates could be more significant in this environment.

General Risks

We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local laws and regulations, including health and safety laws and regulations, and the cost of complying, or our failure to comply, with such requirements could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local laws and regulations, including health and safety laws and regulations. The risks of substantial costs and liabilities related to compliance with these laws and regulations are an inherent part of our business. Despite our intention to comply with these laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee that we will at all times comply with all such requirements. Compliance with health and safety legislation and other regulatory requirements may prove to be more limiting and costly than we anticipate and may also increase substantially in future years. If we violate, or fail to comply with these requirements, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned by regulators. In addition, these requirements are complex, change frequently and may become more stringent over time, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our operations could be disrupted by natural or human causes beyond our control.

Our operations are subject to the risk of disruption by hurricanes, severe storms, floods and other forms of severe weather, earthquakes and other natural disasters, accidents, fire, power shortages, geopolitical unrest, war and other military action, terrorist attacks and other hostile acts, public health issues, epidemics or pandemics, and other events, such as raw material or supply scarcity, that are beyond our control and the control of the third parties on which we depend. Any of these catastrophic events, whether in the United States or abroad, may have a strong negative impact on the global economy, our employees, facilities, suppliers, or customers, and could decrease demand for our products or our customers’ products, create delays and inefficiencies in our supply chain and make it difficult or impossible for us to deliver products to our customers in a timely manner. If there is a natural disaster or other serious disruption at any of our facilities, we may experience plant shutdowns or periods of reduced production as a result of equipment failures, loss of power, delays in delivery of raw materials or supplies, personnel absences, or extensive damage to any of our facilities, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations. In addition, our insurance coverage may not adequately compensate us for losses incurred as a direct or indirect result of natural or other disasters.

Risk management and strategy

The Company employs a multi-faceted approach to assess, identify, and manage material risks from cybersecurity threats. Components of our approach include the following:

• The use of a cyber risk matrix that assesses the likelihood and impact of threats and risks identified in the Company’s hardware, software, and data systems.
• Threats are ranked by potential severity and mitigation / remediation efforts are tracked.
• Matrix is updated on a semi-annual basis and as new risks are identified.
• System penetration testing is performed by rotating third-party service providers at least every 18 months.
• System vulnerability testing is performed by the Company monthly.
• Network assessments are performed at least annually by qualified third-party service providers.
• Monitoring of Federal government alerts (CISA, FBI) and industry threat information is performed to stay current on the newest cybersecurity threats bad actor tactics.
• Multifactor authentication is required for all authorized users to access network resources which adds a second layer of protection from unauthorized entry to our systems.
• The cybersecurity practices and controls are derived from multiple recognized cybersecurity frameworks to meet the evolving needs of our organizations.

The cybersecurity risk assessment process is part of the Company’s overall risk management process. As noted above, the Company utilizes third-party consultants and services in our process of assessing and managing cybersecurity risk. To mitigate the risk of cybersecurity threats related to the use of third-party service providers, the Company obtains and reviews System of Organization Controls (SOC) reports from third parties when available, to provide assurance that the third-party has appropriate controls in place and has not identified any significant cyber issues. The Company does not believe that any risks from cybersecurity threats have materially affected or are reasonably likely to affect our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. See Item 1A “Risk Factors” for a summary of certain cybersecurity risks.

Governance

While general risk assessment and management oversight resides with the Company’s Audit Committee, oversight of risks from cybersecurity threats resides with our Board of Directors. The Company’s Audit Committee is in charge of reviewing the Company’s information security disclosures and incident reporting related to cybersecurity. The Company’s Board of Directors is in charge of reviewing the Company’s information security procedures and evaluating management’s assessment of materiality for cyber incidents. The Board of Directors is formally updated on cybersecurity risks by the VP of Information Technology no less than annually. Management is responsible for assessing and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats. This responsibility primarily resides with the VP of Information Technology and his qualified team, including dedicated cyber security personnel. The qualifications of the Information Technology team include a combination of formal education (e.g. degrees in Information Assurance, Computer Information Systems, Computer Networking, and current enrollment in a Cyber Security degree program); current trainings and certifications in systems, network and cybersecurity; and, over 100 years of combined Information Technology experience. Management’s process for monitoring prevention, detection, mitigation, and remediation of cybersecurity incidents is summarized above in the Risk management and strategy section.

The following table presents certain information relating to each of the Company’s design and manufacturing properties:

18

From time to time, the Company may be a party to various suits, claims and complaints arising in the ordinary course of business and is currently a party to a single employee claim. In the opinion of management of the Company, this active claim should not result in final judgments or settlements that, in the aggregate, would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.

Overview

The Company is a designer and custom manufacturer of comprehensive solutions for medical devices, sterile packaging, and other highly engineered custom products. The Company is an important link in the medical device supply chain and a valued outsource partner to many of the top medical device manufacturers in the world. The Company’s single-use and single-patient devices and components are used in a wide range of medical devices and packaging for minimally invasive surgery, infection prevention, surfaces and support, wound care, wearables, orthopedic soft goods, and orthopedic implants.

The Company is diversified by also providing highly engineered products and components to customers in the automotive, aerospace and defense, and industrial/other markets. Typical applications of its products include military uniform and gear components, automotive interior trim, air filtration, and protective cases and inserts.

The Company’s current strategy includes further organic growth and growth through strategic acquisitions.

Net sales for the Company for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased 13.1% to $400.1 million from $353.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to an increase in organic sales of approximately 15.7%. The organic growth was driven by strong MedTech sales led by the Company’s robotic surgery products in response to increased surgical procedures. Gross profit as a percentage of sales (“gross margin”) for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased to 28.1% from 25.5% in the same period last year, largely due to improved operating efficiencies and strong organic sales growth primarily attributable to the Company’s great progress strengthening its platform and further integrating its three most recent acquisitions. The Company captured synergies by sharing best practices, moving business to best-fit manufacturing locations, and standardizing systems for information technology, quality, and safety.

The Company experienced some softening in demand in the latter part of the year due to excess inventory held by some of our customers. The Company believes this is short-term in nature and will soon return to normal levels.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth, for the years indicated, the percentage of revenues represented by the items as shown in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income:

2023 Compared to 2022

Sales

Net sales increased 13.1% to $400.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from net sales of $353.8 million in 2022. The increase in sales was primarily due to increased sales to customers in the Medical market of 21.0%, primarily as a result of strong organic sales led by the Company’s robotic surgery products in response to increased surgical procedures . Sales to customers in all other markets decreased 20.6%, largely due to the Company’s disposition of its Molded Fiber business in July 2022.

Gross Profit

Gross profit as a percentage of sales (“Gross Margin”) increased to 28.1% for the year ended December 31, 2023, from 25.5% in 2022. As a percentage of sales, material and labor costs collectively decreased 0.7%, while overhead decreased 1.9%. The increase in Gross Margin is primarily due to the leverage of organic sales growth over the fixed portion of overhead, as well as improved operating efficiencies, as described above under “Overview.”

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”) increased approximately 11.1% to $50.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $45.8 million in 2022, largely due to increased performance based compensation, benefits and payroll tax expenses and the additional SG&A expenses from the Advant acquisition (Refer to Note 2, “Acquisitions and Divestiture – Advant Medical,” in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of the acquisition of Advant Medical). As a percentage of sales, SG&A decreased to 12.7% in 2023 from 12.9% in 2022.

Change in fair value of contingent consideration

In connection with the acquisition of DAS Medical in 2021, the Company is required to make contingent payments, subject to the acquired entities achieving certain financial performance thresholds. The contingent consideration payments for the DAS Medical acquisition are four, $5 million payments for a total of up to $20 million. The Company paid $5 million during the second quarter of 2023. The fair value of the liability for the contingent consideration payments recognized upon the acquisition as part of the purchase accounting opening balance sheets totaled approximately $9.7 million and was estimated by discounting to present value the probability-weighted contingent payments expected to be made. Assumptions used in the initial calculation were management’s financial forecasts, discount rate and various volatility factors. The ultimate settlement of contingent consideration could deviate from current estimates based on the actual results of these financial measures. This liability is considered to be a Level 3 financial liability that is re-measured each reporting period. The fair value of the liabilities for the contingent consideration payments recognized at December 31, 2023 totaled approximately $13.1 million for the remaining $15 million of potential earnout. The change in fair value of contingent consideration for the DAS Medical acquisition for the year ended December 31, 2023, resulted in an expense of approximately $3.5 million, and was included in change in fair value of contingent consideration in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

Interest expense, net

The Company had net interest expense of approximately $3.6 million and $2.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in net interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily due to higher average interest rates in 2023. Interest income was immaterial.

Other Expense (Income)

Other expense was approximately $117 thousand and other income was approximately $81 thousand for years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The changes in other income/expense in both periods are primarily generated by foreign currency transaction gains/losses and, in 2022, changes in the fair value of the swap liability.

Income Taxes

The Company recorded income tax expense, as a percentage of income before income tax expense, of 16.7% for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 20.7% for the same period in 2022. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the current period as compared to the prior period is largely due to higher earnings in low-tax jurisdictions in 2023.

The effective tax rate for the year differs from the federal statutory rate of 21% due to favorable rates in foreign countries, federal deductions available for certain exported goods and federal credits, offset by state income taxes and disallowed compensation under section 162M of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Company notes the potential for volatility in its effective tax rate, as any windfall or shortfall tax benefits related to its share-based compensation plans will be recorded directly into income tax expense.

For more information about the Company’s results of operations of 2022 compared to 2021, see the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Results of Operations — 2022 Compared to 2021” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company generally funds its operating expenses, capital requirements, and growth plan through internally generated cash and bank credit facilities.

Cash Flows

Net cash provided by operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 was approximately $41.3 million and was primarily a result of net income generated of approximately $44.9 million, depreciation and amortization of approximately $11.4 million, a loss on disposal of fixed assets of approximately $0.2 million, share-based compensation of approximately $4.6 million, a change in the fair value of contingent consideration of approximately $3.5 million, a decrease in deferred taxes of approximately $0.8 million, an increase in deferred revenue of approximately $ 1.9 million primarily due to increased customer deposits on tooling and machinery, an increase in accounts payable of approximately $1.6 million due to the building of inventory to meet demand and the timing of vendor payments in the ordinary course of business, a decrease in other assets of approximately $1.6 million due primarily to the current reclassification of a deposit receivable, and an increase in other long-term liabilities of approximately $0.4 million.

These cash inflows and adjustments to income were partially offset by an increase in inventory of approximately $16.6 million due to inventory build for upcoming demand, an increase in accounts receivable of approximately $9.1 million due to higher sales in the last two months of the fourth quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period in the fourth quarter of 2022, an increase in refundable income taxes of approximately $3.0 million due to higher anticipated tax credits in 2023 compared to 2022, and a decrease in accrued expenses of approximately $0.9 million.

Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2023 was approximately $10.5 million and was primarily the result of additions of manufacturing machinery and equipment and various building improvements across the Company.

Net cash used for financing activities was approximately $30.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 and was primarily the result of payments on the revolving line of credit of approximately $28.0 million, payment of contingent consideration of approximately $5.0 million, principal payments of long-term debt of approximately $4.0 million, and payments of statutory withholding for stock options exercised and restricted stock units vested of approximately $2.7 million. These payments were partially offset by borrowings under our credit facility to fund acquisitions of approximately $9.0 million and proceeds from the exercise of stock options of approximately $0.7 million.

Outstanding and Available Debt

On December 22, 2021, the Company, as the borrower, entered into a secured $130 million Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”) with certain of the Company’s subsidiaries (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”) and Bank of America, N.A., in its capacity as the initial lender, Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender and L/C Issuer, and certain other lenders from time-to-time party thereto. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement amends and restates the Company’s prior credit agreement, originally dated as of February 1, 2018.

The credit facilities under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement consist of a $40 million secured term loan to the Company and a secured revolving credit facility, under which the Company may borrow up to $90 million. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement matures on December 21, 2026. The secured term loan requires quarterly principal payments of $1 million that commenced on March 31, 2022. The proceeds of the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement may be used for general corporate purposes, including funding the acquisition of DAS Medical, as well as certain other permitted acquisitions. The Company’s obligations under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are guaranteed by the Subsidiary Guarantors and secured by substantially all assets of the Company.

The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement calls for interest determined by the Bloomberg Short-Term Bank Yield Index rate (“BSBY”) plus a margin that ranges from 1.25% to 2.0% or, at the discretion of the Company, the bank’s prime rate less a margin that ranges from 0.25% to zero. In both cases the applicable margin is dependent upon Company performance. Under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, the Company is subject to a minimum fixed-charge coverage financial covenant as well as a maximum total funded debt to EBITDA financial covenant. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains other covenants customary for transactions of this type, including restrictions on certain payments, permitted indebtedness, and permitted investments.

At December 31, 2023, the Company had approximately $32 million in borrowings outstanding under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, which were used as partial consideration for the DAS Medical and Advant Medical acquisitions, and also had approximately $0.7 million in standby letters of credit outstanding, drawable as a financial guarantee on worker’s compensation insurance policies. At December 31, 2023, the applicable interest rate was approximately 6.7% and the Company was in compliance with all covenants under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.

Long-term debt consists of the following (in thousands):

Future maturities of long-term debt at December 31, 2023 are as follows (in thousands):

Future Liquidity

The Company requires cash to pay its operating expenses, purchase capital equipment, and to service its contractual obligations. The Company’s principal sources of funds are its operations and its Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The Company generated cash of approximately $41.3 million from operations during the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company cannot guarantee that its operations will generate cash in future periods. The Company’s longer-term liquidity is contingent upon future operating performance and availability of draws on its revolving credit facility. Further, the economic uncertainty resulting from events including inflation, bank failures, and other factors beyond the control of the Company could affect the Company’s long-term ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue operations.

The Company plans to continue to add capacity to enhance operating efficiencies in its manufacturing plants and accommodate anticipated growth in demand. The Company may consider additional acquisitions of companies, technologies, or products that are complementary to its business. The Company believes that its existing resources, including its revolving credit facility, together with cash expected to be generated from operations, will be sufficient to fund its cash flow requirements, including capital asset acquisitions, through the next twelve months.

The Company may also require additional capital in the future to fund capital expenditures, acquisitions, or other investments. These capital requirements could be substantial. The Company anticipates that any future expansion of its business will be financed through existing resources, cash flow from operations, the Company's revolving credit facility, or other new financing. The Company cannot guarantee that it will be able to meet existing financial covenants or obtain other new financing on favorable terms, if at all.

Stock Repurchase Program

The Company accounts for treasury stock under the cost method, using the first-in, first-out cost flow assumption, and includes treasury stock as a component of stockholders’ equity. On June 16, 2015, the Company announced that its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $10.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Under the program, the Company is authorized to repurchase shares through Rule 10b5-1 plans, open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block purchases or otherwise in accordance with applicable federal securities laws, including Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The stock repurchase program will end upon the earlier of the date on which the plan is terminated by the Board or when all authorized repurchases are completed. The timing and amount of stock repurchases, if any, will be determined based upon our evaluation of market conditions and other factors. The stock repurchase program may be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time, and the Company has no obligation to repurchase any amount of its common stock under the program. There were no share repurchases during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021. At December 31, 2023, approximately $9.4 million was available for future repurchases of the Company’s common stock under this authorization.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The Company evaluates its estimates, including those listed below, on an ongoing basis. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, including current and anticipated worldwide economic conditions, both in general and specifically in relation to the packaging and component product industries, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Report. The Company does not believe that any of the significant accounting policies required significant judgement and estimates in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements.

The following discussion of the Company’s market risk includes “forward-looking statements” that involve risk and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

Market risk represents the risk of changes in value of a financial instrument caused by fluctuations in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and equity prices. At December 31, 2023, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents consisted primarily of bank accounts in U.S. dollars, and their valuation would not be affected by market risk. Interest under the Company’s credit facility with Bank of America, N.A. calls for interest of BSBY plus a margin that ranges from 1.25% to 2.00% or, at the discretion of the Company, the bank’s prime rate less a margin that ranges from 0.25% to zero. Therefore, future operations could be affected by interest rate changes. As of December 31, 2023, the applicable interest rate was approximately 6.7%.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of its management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) as of the end of the period covered by this Report (the “Evaluation Date”). Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that the Company files or submits under the Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining an adequate system of internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance, as opposed to absolute assurance, of achieving their internal control objectives.

Management conducted an assessment of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control – Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on the assessment, management concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective.

There was no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the Company’s most recently completed fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 has been audited by Grant Thornton LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in its report which is included under Part IV, Item 15, in this Report.