Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc.: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2024

Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, the “Company,” “Cooper Standard,” “we,” “our” or “us”) is a leading manufacturer of sealing and fluid handling systems (consisting of fuel and brake delivery systems and fluid transfer systems). Our products are primarily designed for passenger vehicles and light trucks that are manufactured by global automotive original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) and replacement markets. Nearly all of our activities are conducted through our subsidiaries.

Cooper Standard is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the ticker symbol “CPS.” The Company has approximately 22,000 employees, including 2,500 contingent workers, across 124 facilities in 20 countries. We believe we are the largest global producer of sealing systems, the second largest global producer of the types of fuel and brake delivery products we manufacture, and the third largest global producer of the types of fluid transfer systems we manufacture. We design and manufacture our products in each major region of the world through a disciplined and sustained approach to engineering and operational excellence. We operate in 75 manufacturing locations and 49 design, engineering, administrative and logistics locations.

Approximately 86% of our sales in 2024 were to OEMs. Our largest customers are Ford Motor Company (“Ford”), General Motors Company (“GM”), Stellantis, Volkswagen Group, Mercedes-Benz, and Renault-Nissan. Our other customers include BMW, Jaguar/Land Rover, Hyundai, Toyota, and Rivian. Our OEMs in China include BYD, Geely, and Chery. The remaining 14% of our 2024 sales were primarily to Tier I and Tier II automotive suppliers, non-automotive customers, and replacement market distributors. The Company’s products are featured on more than 430 nameplates globally.

Prior to January 1, 2024, our organizational structure primarily consisted of a global automotive business (“Automotive”) and the Industrial and Specialty Group (“ISG”). Effective January 1, 2024, the Company changed its management reporting structure with the launch of global product line-focused business segments. This resulted in the realignment of its reportable segments, which are determined based on how the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) manages the business, allocates resources, makes operating decisions and evaluates operating performance. As a result, the Company established two reportable segments: Sealing Systems and Fluid Handling Systems. All other business activities are reported in Corporate, eliminations and other. The segment realignment had no impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. All segment information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is reflective of this new structure and prior period information has been revised to conform to the Company’s current period presentation. On an ongoing basis, we undertake restructuring, expansion and cost reduction initiatives to improve competitiveness.

Corporate History and Business Developments

Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. was established in 2004 as a Delaware corporation and began operating on December 23, 2004 when it acquired the automotive segment of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. operates the business primarily through its principal operating subsidiary, Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc. (“CSA U.S.”). Since the 2004 acquisition, the Company has expanded and diversified its customer base through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions.

Our ISG business is a dedicated team that leverages Cooper Standard’s decades of engineering and manufacturing expertise to deliver OEM-quality solutions across diverse transportation and industrial markets. We furthered the expansion of our ISG business through the acquisition of Lauren Manufacturing and Lauren Plastics in 2018.

Cooper Standard signed multiple joint development agreements for its Fortrex™ chemistry platform throughout 2018 to 2021. In 2021, the Company reached a long-term commercial agreement to license its Fortrex™ technology to NIKE, Inc., with the footwear manufacturer launching the first related mass production programs in 2023. Since its initial launch, NIKE has expanded the adoption of this technology across multiple footwear products.

In 2023, we finalized the divestiture of our European technical rubber products business and sold the Company’s entire controlling equity interest in a joint venture in the Asia Pacific region.

Business Strategy

Cooper Standard’s Purpose statement - Creating Sustainable Solutions Together - reflects the Company’s focus on creating solutions that ensure the long-term health of the business and the sustained value that we work each day to deliver to our stakeholders (customers, investors, employees, suppliers and communities). Our key strategic imperatives are defined as:

Cooper Standard’s global alignment around these imperatives continues to drive further value in many areas of the business.

Operational and Strategic Initiatives

As part of Cooper Standard’s world-class operations, the Company leverages its CSOS (Cooper Standard Operating System) to drive growth and maintain global consistency across engineering design, program management, manufacturing process, purchasing and IT systems. Standardization across all regions is particularly crucial to supporting customers’ global platforms that require the same design, quality and delivery standards worldwide. Through these initiatives, the Company has successfully utilized CSOS to achieve an average annual savings of approximately $50 million each of the past five years by enhancing operational efficiency.

In addition, as part of our continued focus on sustainability and corporate responsibility, the Company’s Global Sustainability Council provides executive-level oversight for our sustainability strategy to help ensure alignment and integration with business goals and stakeholder priorities. The council maintains a holistic look at the Company’s environmental, social and governance initiatives, tracking rapidly-evolving best practices and regulations to further support our long-term strategic goals.

Cooper Standard continues to advance its diversification strategy through its ISG business, which is charged with accelerating and maximizing expertise in the Company’s core product types for applications in the industrial and specialty markets. The Company also drives growth and diversification through its applied materials science offerings, which include the Fortrex™ chemistry platform that provides performance advantages over many other materials while also significantly reducing carbon footprint.

Leveraging Technology and Materials Science for Innovative Solutions

We use our technical and materials science expertise to provide customers with innovative and sustainable product solutions. Our engineers use the results of advanced computational simulations and incorporate a broad understanding of materials science to design products which meet or exceed our customers’ stringent requirements. We believe our reputation for successful innovation in product design and materials is the reason our customers consult us early in the development and design process of their next-generation vehicles or products.

Cooper Standard uses its i3 Innovation Process (Imagine, Initiate and Innovate) as a key mechanism to capture novel ideas while promoting a culture of innovation. Our global product line teams and Global Technology Council carefully evaluate these ideas, selecting the most promising ones for accelerated development. We are continuously cultivating innovative technologies based on materials expertise, process know-how, and application vision, which may drive future product direction. An example is Fortrex™, the Company’s synthetic elastomer chemistry platform, offering reduced weight while delivering superior material performance and aesthetics. We have also developed several other significant technologies, especially related to advanced materials, processing and weight reduction. These include: FlexiCore™, a thermoplastic body seal that replaces traditional metal carriers in vehicle on-body seals with a more eco-friendly, lightweight plastic; FlushSeal™, an advanced integrated solution for frame-under-glass static sealing systems offering better appearance, improved aerodynamics, quieter ride and reduced weight; TPE body seal, a next generation body seal that replaces traditionally less sustainable EPDM and metal with recyclable thermoplastic materials which save significant component weight; eCoFlow™ switch pump, a solution that offers features of both an electric water pump and electronically driven valve in a single integrated coolant control module; plastic coolant hub, a solution that combines many fluid handling components and a uniquely integrated pressure balancing feature into a sophisticated centralized compact plastic manifold; MagAlloy™, a processing technology for brake lines that increases long term durability through superior corrosion resistance; and Easy-Lock™, a small package coolant and fuel vapor quick connect. Given the trajectory and anticipated future growth of electric vehicles, Cooper Standard has developed innovations to provide lightweight plastic tubing with our PlastiCool® 2000 multilayer tubing, smooth and convoluted mid-temperature multilayer tubing, and our next-generation Ergo-Lock™ and Ergo-Lock™ + VDA quick connectors for glycol thermal management needs.

Cooper Standard is strategically integrating digital tools and advanced analysis to help deliver the best solutions. We offer advanced computer-aided engineering and digital simulations for engineered solutions. In addition, our team of experts has developed digital tools that enable them to conduct prototype testing without the need for physical samples, resulting in sustainability benefits. For certain products, we can provide up to 100% virtual testing.

We continue to adopt proprietary artificial intelligence (“A.I.”) based solutions where they deliver business value. These solutions include Formulink, which enables guided development of superior polymer compounds in less time; and A.I. based tools for virtual validation of product performance, which reduces requirements for physical testing.

Our solutions also include A.I. tools for automated process control, enabling the full automation of polymer extrusion and other complex continuous processes. This advanced technology reduces process variation (a top driver of scrap), increases product quality, improves operational metrics, and reduces our carbon footprint. To promote adoption of these solutions within Cooper Standard and explore potential external sales opportunities, the Company established Liveline Technologies as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cooper Standard.

The Company continues to assess the latest advancements in A.I. and looks for opportunities to drive improved business results through its continued adoption.

Our innovations are receiving industry recognition. Cooper Standard earned an Environment + Energy Leader Award in 2022 for our Fortrex™ chemistry platform, in addition to being named a General Motors Overdrive Award winner in the category of ‘Sustainability’ in 2021, a 2018 Automotive News PACE Award winner, and a 2018, 2019, and 2023 Society of Plastics Engineers Innovation Award finalist. Cooper Standard’s A.I.-enhanced development cycle for polymer compound development was named a finalist for the 2019 Automotive News PACE Awards. Also, our FlexiCore™ Thermoplastic Body Seal received the SAA Innovations in Lightweighting Award in 2024 and was named an Automotive News PACE Pilot Finalist.

Cooper Standard’s fluid handling products were also selected as the Society of Plastics Engineers 2022 Automotive Innovation Award winner for the Material category for our innovative battery electric vehicle thermoplastic thermal management solution utilizing PlastiCool® 2000 multilayer tube and Ergo-Lock® connectors. In addition, our Plastic Coolant Hub Technology was selected as a 2024 Automotive Innovation Award winner for the Powertrain category and our eCoFlow Switch Pump™ was named as an Automotive News PACE Pilot award finalist.

Industry

The automotive industry is one of the world’s largest and most competitive markets. Consumer demand for new vehicles largely determines sales and production volumes of global OEMs. The business and commercial environment in each region also plays a role in vehicle demand as it relates to fleet vehicle sales and industrial-use vehicles such as light and heavy trucks.

OEMs compete for market share in a variety of ways including pricing and incentives, the development of new, more attractive models, branding and advertising, and the ability to customize vehicle features and options to meet specific consumer needs or demands. They rely heavily on thousands of specialized suppliers to provide the many distinct components and systems that comprise the modern vehicle. They also rely on these automotive suppliers to develop technological innovations that will help them meet internal and consumer demands as well as regulatory requirements.

The supplier industry is a highly competitive industry and is generally characterized by high barriers to entry, significant start-up costs and long-standing customer relationships. The criteria by which OEMs judge automotive suppliers include quality, price, service, launch performance, design and engineering capabilities, innovation, timely delivery, financial stability, global footprint and sustainability. Over the last decade, the most successful suppliers have been able to achieve manufacturing scale globally, reduce structural costs, diversify their customer base and provide innovative, value-added technologies.

The technology of today’s vehicles is evolving rapidly. This evolution is being driven by many factors including consumer preferences and social behaviors, a competitive drive for differentiation, regulatory requirements and environmental impact and safety. Cooper Standard supports these trends by providing innovations that reduce weight, increase life-cycle and durability, reduce interior noise, enhance exterior appearance, simplify the manufacturing and assembly process, and help reduce a vehicle’s environmental impact. These are innovations that can be applicable and valuable to virtually any vehicle (including internal combustion, hybrid or battery electric powertrains) or vehicle manufacturer and, in many cases, can also be transferred to non-automotive applications in adjacent markets. Cooper Standard remains closely aligned with our customers and is prepared to meet their evolving needs as they shift their fleets and offer more electric vehicle (“EV”) and hybrid options. We are focused on growing our business in the EV segment by leveraging our technology and innovation to provide value-add solutions for increasingly specialized technical requirements.

Markets Served

Our automotive business is focused on the passenger car and light truck market, up to and including Class 3 full-size, full-frame trucks, better known as the global light vehicle market. This is our largest market and accounts for approximately 95% of our global sales.

Customers

We are a leading supplier to the following OEMs and are increasing our presence with major OEMs throughout the world. The following charts show the percentage of sales to our top customers for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022:

Our other customers include OEMs such as BMW, Jaguar/Land Rover, Hyundai, Toyota, and Rivian. Our OEMs in China include BYD, Geely, and Chery. Our business with any given customer is typically split among several contracts for different parts on a number of platforms.

Products

Our product lines include sealing systems and fluid handling systems (consisting of fuel and brake delivery systems and fluid transfer systems). These products are produced and supplied globally to a broad range of customers in multiple markets.

In addition to these product lines, we also sell our core products into other adjacent markets. The percentage of sales by product line and other markets for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 are as follows:

Competition

We believe that the principal competitive factors in our industry are quality, price, service, launch performance, design and engineering capabilities, innovation, timely delivery, financial stability, global footprint and sustainability. We believe that our capabilities in these core competencies are integral to our position as a market leader in each of our product lines. Our sealing systems products compete with Toyoda Gosei, Henniges, Hutchinson, Standard Profil, HSR&A, SaarGummi and JianXin, among others. Our fuel and brake delivery systems products compete with TI Automotive, Sanoh, Martinrea, Maruyasu and SeAH, among others. Our fluid transfer systems products compete with Conti-Tech, Hutchinson, Teklas, Tristone, Akwel and Fränkische, among others.

Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances

Joint ventures represent an important part of our business, both operationally and strategically. We have utilized joint ventures to enter and expand in geographic markets such as China, India and Thailand, to acquire new customers and to develop new technologies. When entering new geographic markets, teaming with a local partner can reduce capital investment by leveraging pre-existing infrastructure. In addition, local partners in these markets can provide knowledge and insight into local practices and access to local suppliers of raw materials and components.

The following table shows our significant unconsolidated joint ventures as of December 31, 2024:

Research and Development

We have a dedicated team of technical and engineering resources for each product line, some of which are located at our customers’ facilities. We utilize simulation, digital tools, best practices, standardization and track key process indicators to drive efficiency in execution with an emphasis on manufacturability and quality. Our development teams work closely with our customers to design and deliver innovative solutions, unique for their applications. Amounts spent on engineering, research and development, and program management were as follows:

(Dollar amounts in millions)

Intellectual Property

We believe that one of our key competitive advantages is our ability to translate customer needs and our ideas into innovation through the development of intellectual property. We hold a significant number of patents and trademarks worldwide.

Our patents are grouped into two major categories: (1) specific product invention claims and (2) specific manufacturing processes that are used for producing products. The vast majority of our patents fall within the product invention category. We consider these patents to be of value and seek to protect our rights throughout the world against infringement. While in the aggregate these patents are important to our business, we do not believe that the loss or expiration of any one patent would materially affect our Company. We continue to seek patent protection for our new products and we develop significant technologies that we treat as trade secrets and choose not to disclose to the public through the patent process. These technologies nonetheless provide significant competitive advantages and contribute to our global leadership position in various markets. We believe that our trademarks, including FlexiCore™, eCoFlow™, FlushSeal™, Gen III Posi-Lock®, Easy-Lock®, MagAlloy®, Ergo-Lock® +, PlastiCool® and Fortrex™, help differentiate us and lead customers to seek our partnership.

We also have technology sharing and licensing agreements with various third parties, including Nishikawa Rubber Company, one of our joint venture partners in sealing products. We have mutual agreements with Nishikawa Rubber Company for sales, marketing and engineering services on certain sealing products. Under those agreements, each party pays for services provided by the other and royalties on certain products for which the other party provides design or development services. We also have licensing and joint development agreements for commercial applications of our Fortrex™ chemistry platform in non-automotive industries. A joint development agreement with Salari Group has been put in place for the collaborative creation of novel dynamic fluid control products and systems.

Innovation, Materials, and Product Lifecycle

The international response to risks and opportunities of climate change is transforming our global economy. Our most significant opportunity to contribute to this low-carbon and circular economy is through reducing the environmental impact of our products and manufacturing processes. We purposefully apply sustainable principles in the design and production of our products, reducing the environmental impact from sourcing through end-of-life. These efforts also enable our customers to reduce their environmental impacts.

When obtaining or innovating materials for our products, we seek to sustainably source raw materials, increase the use of recycled content or recyclable material where feasible, decrease our use of hazardous chemicals where possible, and properly disclose restricted materials to customers and regulators. We believe our culture of innovation is a key differentiator, allowing us to compete and succeed within our dynamic global markets.

Supplies and Raw Materials

Cooper Standard is committed to building strong relationships with our supply partners. We recognize the importance of engaging with suppliers to create value for our customers.

The principal raw materials for our business include synthetic rubber, carbon black, process oils, and plastic resins. Principal procured components are primarily made from plastic, carbon steel, aluminum and stainless steel. We manage the procurement of our direct and indirect materials to assure supply continuity and to obtain the most favorable total cost. Procurement arrangements include short-term and long-term supply agreements that may contain formula-based pricing tied to commodity indices. These arrangements provide quantities needed to satisfy normal manufacturing demands. We believe we have adequate sources for the supply of raw materials and components for our products with suppliers located around the world.

Our business is susceptible to inflationary pressures with respect to raw materials. Abrupt changes in the market prices or availability of certain key raw materials may result in operational and profitability challenges for the Company and the industry as a whole. Since 2020, market prices for key raw materials, such as steel, aluminum, and oil-derived commodities, experienced a period of extreme volatility, which led to significant cost increases for our business. In response, we worked with our customers to implement or expand index-based commercial agreements that have enabled us to partially recover incremental material costs incurred and significantly reduce our exposure and risk related to commodity price fluctuations going forward.

Seasonality

Within the automotive industry, sales to OEMs are typically lowest during the months prior to model changeovers or during assembly plant shutdowns. Automotive production is traditionally reduced during July, August and year-end holidays, and our quarterly results may reflect these trends. However, economic conditions and consumer demand may change the traditional seasonality of the industry. In recent years, for example, global light vehicle production, inventory and consumer demand all experienced extreme dislocations from historic norms due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions on production and consumer activity. Post-pandemic, global light vehicle production continued to be negatively impacted by widespread supply chain disruptions, limiting the global automotive OEM’s ability to rebuild inventory and meet pent-up consumer demand. By 2023, these disruptions had been largely resolved and production and inventory returned to a more normal balance. While total production volume since 2023 has remained below pre-pandemic levels, seasonality of production has normalized.

Backlog

Our OEM sales are generally based upon purchase orders issued by the OEMs, with updated releases for volume adjustments. As such, we typically do not have a firm and definitive backlog of orders at any point in time. Once selected to supply products for a particular platform, we typically supply those products for the platform life, which is normally five to eight years, though this term is not guaranteed. In addition, when we are the incumbent supplier for a given platform, we believe we have a competitive advantage in winning the redesign or replacement platform, although, future awards are not guaranteed.

Human Capital and Safety

As of December 31, 2024, we had approximately 22,000 employees, including 2,500 contingent workers. We believe that we maintain good relations with both our union and non-union employees and, in the past ten years, have not experienced any major work stoppages.

Our people have always been the driving force of value at Cooper Standard. We continue to embrace new ways of working, a growing international movement for civil rights, and our unwavering dedication to keeping our employees healthy and safe has only made them more critical to our success. We accomplish this by developing the capabilities of our employees through continuous learning and performance management processes. Additionally, building an internal talent pipeline supports the achievement of this priority. In 2024, our internal fill rate was approximately 85%. This metric, which is based on salaried, director-level positions and above, helps us to understand where employees are advancing in their careers and the effectiveness of our internal development programs. For 2024, our voluntary employee turnover rate was approximately 13%. We believe that our culture and continued effort to provide our employees with growth opportunities contributes to retaining our strong talent.

In addition, we aim to diversify our workforce because we recognize the value of engaging different opinions and backgrounds in a global company. We are committed to recruiting, developing and retaining a high-performing and diverse workforce. A global measurement for our diversity is women in the company and women in leadership. In 2024, women made up approximately 40% of our workforce. Of our leadership positions, defined as vice president positions and above, women held approximately 21% of such roles.

Safety remains a top priority and primary focus of management. An emphasis on reducing workplace incidents helps Cooper Standard to maintain a safe workforce and continue to deliver world class results for product quality. In 2024, our total incident rate (“TIR”) was 0.30, which represents an Occupational Safety and Health Administration measurement of recordable injuries x 200,000 / total hours worked. Based on our review of industry peer sustainability reports, we have a lower TIR relative to our peer group and better than our world-class benchmark.

Community Involvement

Supported by the Cooper Standard Foundation, our employees are highly engaged in their local communities. The Foundation’s mission is to strengthen the communities where Cooper Standard employees work and live through the passionate support of children’s charities, education, health and wellness, and community revitalization. The Cooper Standard Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization with oversight by its Board of Directors, Board of Trustees and Philanthropic Committee. For more information on the Company’s community involvement, please visit our Corporate Responsibility Report located on the Cooper Standard website.

Sustainability

In 2024, the Company was named to Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies for the sixth consecutive year and achieved Ecovadis Silver Status for sustainability efforts that also earned the Company recognition from Nissan for sustainability and social responsible practices. In addition, the Company was named to the USA TODAY America’s Best Climate Leaders 2024 list. These awards are a further testament to Cooper Standard’s commitment to driving value for all of our stakeholders including the communities we live and operate in.

Cooper Standard considers itself a steward of the environment, and we monitor the environmental impact of our business and products. We prioritize our environmental management as a means of driving and sustaining excellence. We are subject to a broad range of federal, state, and local environmental and occupational safety and health laws and regulations in the United States and other countries, including regulations governing: emissions to air, discharges to water, noise and odor emissions; the generation, handling, storage, transportation, treatment, reclamation and disposal of chemicals and waste materials; the cleanup of contaminated properties; and human health and safety. We have made, and will continue to make, expenditures to comply with environmental requirements. While our costs to defend and settle known claims arising under environmental laws have not been material in the past and are not currently estimated to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, such costs could be material to our financial statements in the future. Further details regarding our commitments and contingencies are provided in Note 20. “Contingent Liabilities” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Report”).

Market Data

Certain market data and other statistical information used throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K is based on data from independent firms such as S&P Global. Other data is based on good faith estimates, which are derived from our review of internal analyses, as well as third-party sources. Although we believe these third-party sources are reliable, we have not independently verified the information and cannot guarantee its accuracy and completeness. To the extent that we have been unable to obtain information from third-party sources, we have expressed our belief on the basis of our own internal analyses of our products and capabilities in comparison to our competitors.

Available Information

We make available free of charge on our website (www.cooperstandard.com (http://www.cooperstandard.com)) our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Exchange Act”), as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Our reports filed with the SEC also may be found on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov (http://www.sec.gov). We may also use our website as a distribution channel of material company information. Neither the information on our website nor the information on the SEC’s website is incorporated by reference into this Report unless expressly noted.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws, and we intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbor created thereby. Our use of words “estimate,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “believe,” “outlook,” “guidance,” “forecast,” or future or conditional verbs, such as “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” or “may,” and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and various assumptions. Our expectations, beliefs, and projections are expressed in good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, we cannot assure you that these expectations, beliefs and projections will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or achievements to be materially different from the future results or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Among other items, such factors may include: volatility or decline of the Company’s stock price, or absence of stock price appreciation; impacts and disruptions related to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East; our ability to achieve commercial recoveries and to offset the adverse impact of higher commodity and other costs through pricing and other negotiations with our customers; work stoppages or other labor disruptions with our employees or our customers’ employees; prolonged or material contractions in automotive sales and production volumes; our inability to realize sales represented by awarded business; escalating pricing pressures; loss of large customers or significant platforms; our ability to successfully compete in the automotive parts industry; availability and increasing volatility in costs of manufactured components and raw materials; disruption in our supply base; competitive threats and commercial risks associated with our diversification strategy; possible variability of our working capital requirements; risks associated with our international operations, including changes in laws, regulations, and policies governing the terms of foreign trade such as increased trade restrictions and tariffs; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; our ability to control the operations of our joint ventures for our sole benefit; our substantial amount of indebtedness and rates of interest; our ability to obtain adequate financing sources in the future; operating and financial restrictions imposed on us under our debt instruments; the underfunding of our pension plans; significant changes in discount rates and the actual return on pension assets; effectiveness of continuous improvement programs and other cost savings plans; significant costs related to manufacturing facility closings or consolidation; our ability to execute new program launches; our ability to meet customers’ needs for new and improved products; the possibility that our acquisitions and divestitures may not be successful; product liability, warranty and recall claims brought against us; laws and regulations, including environmental, health and safety laws and regulations; legal and regulatory proceedings, claims or investigations against us; the potential impact of any future public health events on our financial condition and results of operations; the ability of our intellectual property to withstand legal challenges; cyber-attacks, data privacy concerns, other disruptions in, or the inability to implement upgrades to, our information technology systems; the possible volatility of our annual effective tax rate; the possibility of a failure to maintain effective controls and procedures; the possibility of future impairment charges to our goodwill and long-lived assets; our ability to identify, attract, develop and retain a skilled, engaged and diverse workforce; our ability to procure insurance at reasonable rates; and our dependence on our subsidiaries for cash to satisfy our obligations.

You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except where we are expressly required to do so by law.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K also contains estimates and other information that is based on industry publications, surveys and forecasts. This information involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and we have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information.

We have listed below (not necessarily in order of importance or probability of occurrence) the most significant risk factors that could cause our actual results to vary materially from recent or anticipated results and could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Operational Risks

Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely impacted by the effects of inflation.

Inflation has the potential to adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations by increasing our overall cost structure. Other inflationary pressures could affect wages, the cost and availability of components and raw materials and other inputs and our ability to meet customer demand. Inflation may further exacerbate other risk factors, including supply chain disruptions, risks related to international operations and the recruitment and retention of qualified employees. If we are unsuccessful in negotiating pricing adjustments with our customers to raise the prices of our products sufficiently to keep up with the rate of inflation, our profit margins and cash flows may be adversely affected.

Increases in the costs, or reduced availability, of raw materials and manufactured components may adversely affect our profitability.

Raw material costs can be volatile. The principal raw materials to produce our products include synthetic rubber, carbon black, process oils, and plastic resins. Principal procured components are primarily made from plastic, carbon steel, aluminum and stainless steel. Material costs represented approximately 51% of our total cost of products sold in 2024. The costs and availability of raw materials and manufactured components can fluctuate due to factors beyond our control, including as a result of existing and potential changes to U.S. policies related to global trade and increased tariffs and trade restrictions. Further, climate change may have an adverse impact on global temperatures, weather patterns, and the frequency and severity of extreme weather and natural disasters, which may adversely affect the availability or pricing for certain raw materials including natural rubber. A significant increase in the price of raw materials, or a restriction in their availability, could materially increase our operating costs and adversely affect our profitability because it is generally difficult to pass through these increased costs to our customers. While we entered into index pricing agreements with some of our customers which provide for a price adjustment based on quoted market prices to attempt to address some of these risks (primarily with respect to steel and rubber), there can be no assurance that commodity price fluctuations will not adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. In addition, while the use of index pricing adjustments may provide us with some protection from adverse fluctuations in commodity prices, by utilizing these instruments, we potentially forego the benefits that might result from favorable fluctuations in price.

Disruptions in the supply chain could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We obtain components and other products and services from numerous suppliers and other vendors throughout the world. We are responsible for managing our supply chain, including suppliers that may be the sole sources of products that we require, that our customers direct us to use or that have unique capabilities that would make it difficult and/or expensive to re-source. In certain instances, entire industries may experience short-term capacity constraints. Any significant disruptions in the automotive industry due to industry-wide parts shortages, global supply chain constraints and price volatility due to increased tariffs and trade restrictions could adversely affect our operations and financial performance. Uncertain economic or industry conditions resulting from such supply chain constraints and trade disputes could result in financial distress within our supply base, thereby further increasing the risk of supply disruption. Furthermore, any economic downturn or other unfavorable conditions in one or more of the regions in which we operate could cause supply disruptions and thereby adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Work stoppages or other disruptions to our operations could negatively affect our operations and financial performance.

We may experience work stoppages caused by labor disputes under existing collective bargaining agreements or in connection with the negotiation of new agreements given that we have a number of agreements that expire in any given year. Further, there is no certainty that we will be successful in negotiating new collective bargaining agreements that extend beyond the current expiration dates or that new agreements will be on terms as favorable to us as past labor agreements. In addition, it is possible that our workforce will become more unionized in the future. Unionization activities could increase our costs, which could negatively affect our results of operations.

Our operations may also be disrupted by other labor issues, including absenteeism, public health events and government restrictions; major equipment failure with prolonged downtime or a complete loss of critical equipment where either no other comparable equipment exists or the remaining equipment does not have enough capacity to pick up the demand; or natural disaster-related plant closures or disruptions.

Regardless of the cause, any significant disruption to our production could negatively affect our operations, customer relationships and financial performance. Similar disruptions at one or more of our suppliers or our customers’ suppliers could adversely affect our operations if an alternative source of supply were not readily available. Additionally, similar disruptions at our customers’ facilities could result in reduced demand for our products causing us to delay or cancel production and could have an adverse effect on our business.

A disruption in, or the inability to successfully implement upgrades to, our information technology systems, including disruptions relating to cybersecurity as well as data privacy concerns, could adversely affect our business and financial performance.

We rely upon information technology networks, systems and processes, including the information technology networks of third parties such as suppliers and joint venture partners, to manage and support our business. We have implemented a number of procedures and practices designed to protect against breaches or failures of our systems. Despite the security measures that we have implemented, including those measures to prevent cyber-attacks, our systems could be breached or damaged by computer viruses or unauthorized physical or electronic access. Like other public companies, our computer systems and those of our third-party vendors, partners and service providers are regularly subject to, and will continue to be the target of, computer viruses, malware or other malicious codes (including ransomware), unauthorized access, cyber-attacks or other computer-related penetrations (including through the use of A.I.) which may cause disruptions to our operations. While we have experienced threats to our data and systems, to date, we are not aware that we have experienced a cybersecurity incident that has materially affected our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. Over time, however, the sophistication of these threats continues to increase. The preventative actions we take to reduce the risk of cyber incidents and protect our information may be insufficient. A breach of our information technology systems, or those of the third parties on whom we rely, could result in theft of our intellectual property, disruption to business or unauthorized access to customer or personal information. Such a breach could adversely impact our operations and or our reputation and may cause us to incur significant time and expense to cure or remediate the breach.

Further, we continually update and expand our information technology systems to enable us to run our business more efficiently, including the potential incorporation of traditional and generative A.I. solutions into our information systems and processes. The increasing use and evolution of this technology creates potential risks for loss or misuse of sensitive Company data that forms part of any data set that was collected, used, stored, or transferred to run our business, and unintentional dissemination or intentional destruction of confidential information stored in our or our third party providers' systems, portable media or storage devices. All of these risks have the potential to result in significantly increased business and security costs, a damaged reputation, administrative penalties, or costs related to defending legal claims. In addition, if the content, analyses, or recommendations that A.I. programs assist in producing are or are alleged to be deficient, inaccurate, or biased, our business, financial condition, and results of operations and our reputation may be adversely affected. If these systems are not implemented successfully and in a timely, cost-effective, compliant and responsible manner, our operations and business could be disrupted and our ability to report accurate and timely financial results could be adversely affected.

An inability to effectively manage the timing, quality and costs of new program launches could adversely affect our financial performance.

In connection with the award of new business, we may obligate ourselves to deliver new products that are subject to our customers’ timing, performance and quality standards. Given the number and complexity of new program launches, we may experience difficulties managing product quality, timeliness and associated costs. In addition, new program launches require a significant ramp up of costs. Our sales related to these new programs generally are dependent upon the timing and success of our customers’ introduction of new vehicles. An inability to effectively manage the timing, quality and costs of these new program launches could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Our success depends in part on our development of improved products, and our efforts may fail to meet the needs of customers on a timely or cost-effective basis.

Our continued success depends on our ability to maintain advanced technological capabilities and knowledge necessary to adapt to changing market demands, as well as to develop and commercialize innovative products. We may be unable to develop new products successfully or to keep pace with technological developments by our competitors and the industry in general, which in recent years includes the rapid development and rising use of digital, A.I. and machine learning technologies. In addition, we may develop specific technologies and capabilities in anticipation of customers’ demands for new innovations and technologies. If such demand does not materialize, we may be unable to recover the costs incurred in the development of such technologies and capabilities. If we are unable to recover these costs or if any such programs do not progress as expected, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

We may incur material losses and costs as a result of product liability and warranty and recall claims that may be brought against us.

We may be exposed to product liability and warranty claims in the event that our products actually or allegedly fail to perform as specified or expected or the use of our products results, or is alleged to result, in bodily injury and/or property damage. Accordingly, we could experience material warranty or product liability expenses in the future and incur significant costs to defend against these claims. In addition, if any of our products are, or are alleged to be, defective, we may be required to participate in a recall of that product if the defect or the alleged defect relates to automotive safety. Product recalls could cause us to incur material costs and could harm our reputation or cause us to lose customers, particularly if any such recall causes customers to question the safety or reliability of our products. Also, while we possess considerable historical warranty and recall data with respect to the products we currently produce, we do not have such data relating to new products, assembly programs or technologies, including any new fuel and emissions technology and systems being brought into production, to allow us to accurately estimate future warranty or recall costs.

In addition, the increased focus on systems integration platforms utilizing fuel and emissions technology with more sophisticated components from multiple sources could result in an increased risk of component warranty costs over which we have little or no control and for which we may be subject to an increasing share of liability to the extent any of the other component suppliers are in financial distress or are otherwise incapable of fulfilling their warranty or product recall obligations. Our costs associated with providing product warranties and responding to product recall claims could be material. Product liability, warranty and recall costs may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our commitment to drive value through culture, innovation and results is dependent on our ability to identify, attract, develop and retain a skilled, engaged and diverse workforce.

Our people are the driving force behind our success at Cooper Standard. Our ability to pursue breakthrough technology innovations, implement cutting-edge manufacturing and business processes, and achieve our operating and strategic goals is dependent on the engagement, skills, experience and knowledge of our employees. Any failure or delay in attracting, retaining and developing such a workforce, including the loss of key technological and leadership personnel, could adversely impact our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our financial condition and results of operations have been previously, and may in the future be, adversely affected by public health events.

We could face risks related to public health events, including epidemics and pandemics like the COVID-19 pandemic. Preventative measures taken to contain or mitigate public health events (including, but not limited to, vaccination, social distancing policies, restrictions on travel and reduced operations and extended closures of many businesses and institutions) may materially impact our financial condition and operations results due to shutdowns of our and our customers’ and suppliers’ facilities; increased operating and production costs; disruptions and financial distress in the supply chain; disruptions in our production cycle; lost or absent members of the workforce; a decline in demand due to an economic downturn; and inability to access capital due to disruptions in the global financial markets.

The full impact of a public health event on our financial condition and operations results will depend on various factors, such as the ultimate duration and scope of the crisis, its impact on our customers, suppliers and logistics partners, how quickly normal operations can resume and the duration and magnitude of the economic downturn caused by the health crisis in our key markets. A public health event may also exacerbate the other risks disclosed in this Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Strategic Risks

We are highly dependent on the automotive industry. A prolonged or material contraction in automotive sales and production volumes could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Automotive sales and production are cyclical and depend on, among other things, general economic conditions and consumer spending, vehicle demand and preferences (which can be affected by a number of factors, including fuel costs, employment levels and the availability of consumer financing). These factors could make it difficult for us, our suppliers and our customers to forecast accurately and plan future business activities. As the volume of automotive production and the mix of vehicles produced fluctuate, the demand for our products also fluctuates. Prolonged or material contraction in automotive sales and production volumes, or significant changes in the mix of vehicles produced, could cause our customers to reduce orders of our products, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to provide accurate forecasts and guidance.

We may not realize sales represented by awarded business, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The realization of future sales from awarded business is subject to risks and uncertainties inherent in the cyclicality of vehicle production. In addition, our customers generally have the right to resource awarded business without penalty. Therefore, the ultimate amount of our sales is not guaranteed. If actual production orders from our customers are not consistent with the projections we use in calculating the amount of awarded business, we could realize substantially less sales and profit over the life of these awards than currently projected.

Pricing pressures and other commercial adjustments may adversely affect our business.

Upfront and ongoing pricing strategies and demands could result in either unsatisfactory profitability, loss of replacement or targeted business, and/or exposure to competitive challenges and resourcing. Further, the automotive industry continues to experience aggressive pricing pressure from customers. Vehicle manufacturers often seek price reductions in both the initial bidding process and during the term of the contract and may seek other commercial adjustments, including but not limited to new or adjusted demands relating to annual commercial productivity, quality standards, research and development funding, packaging and materials and demands for the Company to share in productivity and efficiency savings in excess of our cost reduction targets. Price reductions historically have adversely impacted our sales and profit margins and may do so in the future. If we are not able to offset price reductions through improved operating efficiencies and reduced expenditures, those price reductions may have a negative impact on our financial condition.

Our business could be adversely affected if we lose any of our largest customers or significant platforms.

While we provide parts to virtually every major global OEM for use on a wide range of different platforms, sales to our three largest customers, Ford, GM, and Stellantis, on a worldwide basis represented approximately 56% of our sales for the year ended December 31, 2024. Our ability to reduce the risks inherent in certain concentrations of business will depend, in part, on our ability to continue to diversify our sales on a customer, product, platform and geographic basis. Although business with each customer is typically split among numerous contracts, the loss of a major customer, significant reduction in purchases of our products by such customer, or any discontinuance or resourcing of a significant platform could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We operate in a highly competitive industry and efforts by our competitors to gain market share could adversely affect our financial performance.

The automotive parts industry is highly competitive. We face numerous competitors in each of our product lines. In general, there are three or more significant competitors and numerous smaller competitors for most of the products we offer. We also face competition for certain of our products from suppliers producing in lower-cost regions such as Asia and Eastern Europe. Our competitors’ efforts to grow market share could exert downward pressure on the pricing of our products and our margins, or result in the resourcing of platforms by our customers.

The benefits of our continuous improvement programs and other cost savings plans may not be fully realized.

Our operations strategy includes continuous improvement programs and implementation of lean manufacturing tools across all facilities to achieve cost savings and increased performance. Further, we have and may continue to initiate restructuring actions designed to improve future profitability and competitiveness. The cost savings that we anticipate from these initiatives may not be achieved on schedule or at the level we anticipate, and could be negatively impacted by lower-than-expected production volumes. If we are unable to realize these anticipated savings, our operating results and financial condition may be adversely affected.

We may continue to incur significant costs related to manufacturing facility closings or consolidation which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition.

If we close or consolidate manufacturing locations, the exit costs associated with such closures or consolidation, including employee termination costs, may be significant. Such costs could negatively affect our cash flows, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to other risks associated with our international operations.

We have significant manufacturing operations outside the United States, including joint ventures and other alliances. Our operations are located in 20 countries, and we export to several other countries. In 2024, approximately 78% of our sales were attributable to products manufactured outside the United States. Risks inherent in our international operations include:

• currency exchange rate fluctuations, currency controls and restrictions, and the ability to hedge currencies;
• changes in local economic conditions;
• repatriation restrictions or requirements, including tax increases on remittances and other payments by our foreign subsidiaries;
• global sovereign fiscal uncertainty and hyperinflation in certain foreign countries;
• changes in laws and regulations, including laws or policies governing the terms of foreign trade, and in particular increased trade restrictions, tariffs, or taxes or the imposition of embargoes on imports from countries where we manufacture products;
• operating in foreign jurisdictions where the ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights is limited as a statutory or practical matter;
• exposure to possible expropriation or other government actions;
• disease, pandemics or other severe public health events; and
• exposure to local political or social unrest including resultant acts of war, terrorism, or similar events, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and the related sanctions imposed on Russia.

The occurrence of any of these risks may adversely affect the results of operations and financial condition of our international operations and our business as a whole.

In addition, we are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) and other laws which prohibit improper payments to foreign governments and their officials by U.S. and other business entities. Certain of the countries in which we operate present heightened corruption risks, which therefore increases the risks of our exposure under the FCPA and other applicable anti-bribery and corruption laws and regulations.

A portion of our operations are conducted by joint ventures which have unique risks.

Certain of our operations are carried out by joint ventures. In joint ventures, we share the management of the company with one or more partners who may not have the same goals, resources or priorities as we do. The operations of our joint ventures are subject to agreements with our partners, which typically include additional organizational formalities as well as requirements to share information and decision making and may also limit our ability to sell our interest. Additional risks include one or more partners failing to satisfy contractual obligations, a change in ownership of any of our partners and our limited ability to control our partners’ compliance with applicable laws, including the FCPA. Any such occurrences could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results, cash flow or reputation.

Any acquisitions or divestitures we make may be unsuccessful, may take longer than anticipated or may negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We may pursue acquisitions or divestitures in the future as part of our strategy. Acquisitions and divestitures involve numerous risks, including identifying attractive target acquisitions, undisclosed risks affecting the target, difficulties integrating acquired businesses, the assumption of unknown liabilities, potential adverse effects on existing customer or supplier relationships, and the diversion of management’s attention from day-to-day business. We may not have, or be able to raise on acceptable terms, sufficient financial resources to make acquisitions. Our ability to make investments may also be limited by the terms of our existing or future financing arrangements. Any acquisitions or divestitures we pursue may not be successful or prove to be beneficial to our operations and cash flow.

Financial Risks

Global, market and economic conditions could impact our ability to access liquidity sources.

Our continued access to sources of liquidity depends on multiple factors, including global economic conditions, public health events and any global supply chain disruptions on our customers and their production rates, the costs of raw materials, the state of the overall automotive industry, the condition of global financial markets, the availability of sufficient amounts of financing, our operating performance and cash flows and our credit ratings. In particular, the global automotive industry is susceptible to uncertain economic conditions that could adversely impact new vehicle demand and production, and business conditions may vary significantly from period to period or region to region. In recent years, global automotive production was negatively impacted by lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and broad supply chain challenges stemming, in part, from a sharp rebound in overall industrial demand. Further, rising inflation, interest rates and supply chain challenges contributed to global economic uncertainty. In addition, continuing military actions in Eastern Europe and the Middle East are having broad negative impacts on key sectors of the global economy. Our business is also directly affected by the automotive vehicle production rates in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and South America which have been adversely impacted by a series of events in recent years.

Our ability to borrow against our senior asset-based revolving credit facility (the “ABL Facility”) is limited to our borrowing base, which consists primarily of our U.S. and Canadian accounts receivable and inventory. Production shutdowns or disruptions in both the United States and Canada could lead to significant reductions in these working capital balances and significantly decrease our ability to borrow under our ABL Facility.

In addition, if the Company has borrowing availability under its ABL Facility less than the greater of (i) $15.0 million and (ii) 10% of the Borrowing Base (as defined in the ABL Facility), it must be in compliance with a springing Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio maintenance covenant of 1.00:1.00. Any adverse effects on the Company’s business due to global, market and economic conditions may adversely impact the Company’s ability to satisfy such covenant. As of December 31, 2024, there were no obligations outstanding under the ABL Facility, the Company’s borrowing base was $176.7 million and the monthly fixed charge coverage ratio was at a level that provided the Company full access to the borrowing base. Net of $7.6 million of outstanding letters of credit, the Company effectively had $169.2 million available for borrowing under its ABL Facility.

Furthermore, production shutdowns or disruptions will result in working capital swings which could result in increased outflows. As a result of current ecomonic conditions and global supply chain disruptions, we may be required to raise additional capital, and our access to and cost of financing will depend on, among other things, our performance, changing global economic conditions, conditions in the global financing markets, the availability of sufficient amounts of financing, our prospects and our credit ratings. Such capital may not be available on favorable terms or at all.

Developments in new or ongoing conflicts around the world and related disruptions could adversely affect our liquidity, business, and results of operations.

Developments in new or ongoing conflicts or civil unrest around the world, such as the military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Hamas, and other conflicts and escalating tensions in the Middle East and other regions of the world, may cause significant disruptions to the global financial system, international trade, and the transportation and energy sectors, among others, potentially impacting supply chain and commodity prices which may result in substantial inflation. These disruptions together with the uncertainty created by these conflicts could have recessionary effects on the global economy. Prolonged inflationary conditions and periods of high interest rates could further negatively affect U.S. and international commerce and exacerbate or further extend the period of high energy prices and supply chain constraints. These and other issues resulting from a global economic slowdown and turmoil in the financial markets may continue to adversely affect the automotive industry, which may lead to a decline in the general demand for our products, our profitability or both. We do not have operations in Ukraine, Russia or the Middle East, nor do we sell into these markets. Nonetheless, if there is further global economic slowdown and a continuation of these conflicts, our liquidity, business, and results of operations may continue to be adversely affected.

We have a substantial amount of indebtedness, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and our ability to obtain financing in the future and to react to changes in our business.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness. As of December 31, 2024, we had total indebtedness of $1,100.3 million. Our substantial amount of debt and our debt service obligations could limit our ability to satisfy our obligations, limit our ability to operate our business and impair our competitive position. For example, it could:

• make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations;
• increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions, including interest rate fluctuations, because a portion of our borrowings accrues interest at variable rates;
• require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to payments on our debt and debt service obligations, which would reduce the availability of cash to fund working capital, capital expenditures, research and development efforts, acquisitions or other general corporate purposes;
• limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the markets in which we compete;
• place us at a disadvantage compared to competitors that may have less debt; and
• limit our ability to obtain additional debt or equity financing for working capital, capital expenditures, research and development efforts, debt service requirements, acquisitions and general corporate purposes.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on our debt or to refinance these obligations depends on our financial condition, operating performance and our ability to generate cash in the future. If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, sell material assets, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, we may not be able to effect any of these actions, if necessary, on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Our ability to restructure or refinance our indebtedness will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. The terms of existing or future debt instruments, including the credit agreement governing the ABL Facility and the indentures governing the 13.50% Cash Pay / PIK Toggle Senior Secured First Lien Notes due 2027 (the “First Lien Notes”) and the 5.625% Cash Pay / 10.625% PIK Toggle Senior Secured Third Lien Notes due 2027 (the “Third Lien Notes”), may limit or prevent us from taking any of these actions. In addition, a reduction of our credit rating could harm our ability to incur additional indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all. An inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt service obligations, or to refinance or restructure our obligations on commercially reasonable terms or at all, would have an adverse effect, which could be material, on our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as on our ability to satisfy our obligations in respect of the 5.625% Senior Notes due 2026 (the “2026 Senior Notes”), the First Lien Notes, the Third Lien Notes, or the ABL Facility.

In addition, we and our subsidiaries may be able to incur other substantial additional indebtedness in the future. Although the credit agreement governing the ABL Facility and the indentures governing the First Lien Notes and the Third Lien Notes contain certain limitations on our ability to incur additional indebtedness, such restrictions are subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions, and the indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. To the extent that we incur additional indebtedness or incur such other obligations that may be permitted under our debt instruments, the risks associated with our substantial indebtedness described above, including our potential inability to service our debt, will increase.

Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our indebtedness service obligations to increase significantly.

The borrowings under the ABL Facility are at variable rates of interest and expose us to interest rate risk. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, would correspondingly decrease.

Secured overnight financing rate (“SOFR”) and other interest rates that are indices deemed to be “benchmarks” are the subject of recent and ongoing national, international and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. Some of these reforms are already effective, while others are still to be implemented. These reforms may cause such benchmarks to perform differently than in the past, to be replaced or disappear entirely, or have other consequences that cannot be predicted. Any such consequence could have a material adverse effect on our existing facilities or our future debt linked to such a “benchmark” and our ability to service debt that bears interest at floating rates of interest.

Our debt instruments impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and our subsidiaries.

The credit agreements governing the ABL Facility and the indentures governing the First Lien Notes and the Third Lien Notes impose significant operating and financial restrictions and limit our ability, among other things, to:

• incur, assume or permit to exist additional indebtedness (including guarantees thereof);
• pay dividends or certain other distributions on our capital stock or repurchase our capital stock;
• prepay, redeem or repurchase indebtedness;
• incur liens on assets;
• make certain investments or other restricted payments;
• allow to exist certain restrictions on the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other payments to us;
• engage in transactions with affiliates; and
• sell certain assets or merge or consolidate with or into other companies.

Moreover, our ABL Facility provides the agent considerable discretion to impose reserves, which could materially reduce the amount of borrowings that would otherwise be available to us.

As a result of these covenants and restrictions (including borrowing base availability), we are limited in how we conduct our business, and we may be unable to raise additional debt or equity financing to compete effectively or to take advantage of new business opportunities or acquisitions. The terms of any future indebtedness we may incur could include more restrictive covenants. We may not be able to maintain compliance with these covenants in the future and, if we fail to do so, we may not be able to obtain waivers from the lenders and/or amend the covenants in such agreements. Our failure to comply with the restrictive covenants described above as well as others contained in our future debt instruments from time to time could result in an event of default, which, if not cured or waived, could result in our being required to repay these borrowings before their due date. If we are forced to refinance these borrowings on less favorable terms or if we are unable to refinance such borrowings at all, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.

If there were an event of default under any of the agreements relating to our outstanding indebtedness whether as a result of a payment default, covenant breach or otherwise, the holders of the defaulted debt could cause all amounts outstanding with respect to that debt to be due and payable immediately. Our assets or cash flow may not be sufficient to fully repay borrowings under our outstanding debt instruments if accelerated upon occurrence of an event of default. Further, if we are unable to repay, refinance or restructure our indebtedness under our secured debt, the holders of such debt could exercise remedies against the collateral securing that indebtedness with the holders of the First Lien Notes receiving full recovery on applicable collateral before the holders of the Third Lien Notes. In addition, any event of default or declaration of acceleration under one debt instrument could also result in an event of default under one or more of our other debt instruments. As a result, any default by us on our indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

Our expected annual effective tax rate and cash tax liability could be volatile and could materially change as a result of changes in many items including mix of earnings, debt and capital structure and other factors.

Many items could impact our effective tax rate and cash tax liability including changes in our debt and capital structure, mix of earnings and many other factors. Our overall effective tax rate is based upon the consolidated tax expense as a percentage of consolidated earnings before tax. However, tax expenses and benefits are not recognized on a consolidated or global basis, but rather on a jurisdictional, legal entity basis. Further, certain jurisdictions in which we operate generate losses where no current financial statement tax benefit is realized. In addition, certain jurisdictions have statutory rates greater than or less than the United States statutory rate. As such, changes in the mix and source of earnings between jurisdictions could have a significant impact on our overall effective tax rate and cash tax liability in future years. Changes in rules related to accounting for income taxes, changes in tax laws and rates or adverse outcomes from tax audits that occur regularly in any of our jurisdictions could also have a significant impact on our overall effective tax rate and cash tax liability in future periods.

Our working capital requirements may negatively affect our liquidity and capital resources.

Our working capital requirements can vary significantly, depending in part on the level, variability and timing of our customers’ worldwide vehicle production and the payment terms with our customers and suppliers. If our working capital needs exceed our cash provided by operating activities, we would look to our cash balances and availability under our borrowing arrangements to satisfy those needs, as well as potential sources of additional capital, which may not be available on satisfactory terms and in adequate amounts, if at all.

Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations could materially impact our operating results.

Our sales and manufacturing operations outside the United States expose us to currency risks. For our consolidated financial statements, our sales and earnings denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars. This translation is calculated based on average exchange rates during the reporting period. Accordingly, our reported international sales and earnings could be adversely impacted in periods of a strengthening U.S. dollar.

Although we generally produce in the same geographic region as our products are sold, we also produce in countries that predominately sell in another currency. Further, some of our commodities are purchased in or tied to the U.S. dollar; therefore our earnings could be adversely impacted during the periods of a strengthening U.S. dollar relative to other foreign currencies. While we employ financial instruments to hedge certain portions of our foreign currency exposures, our efforts to manage these risks may not be successful and may not completely insulate us from the effects of currency fluctuations.

Impairment charges relating to our goodwill, long-lived assets or intangible assets could adversely affect our results.

We regularly monitor our goodwill, long-lived assets and intangible assets for impairment indicators. In conducting a quantitative goodwill impairment testing, we compare the fair value of our reporting units to their related net book value. If we instead perform a qualitative goodwill impairment test, we assess whether there are any events or circumstances that indicate it is more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting units is less than their related book value. In conducting our impairment analysis of long-lived and intangible assets, we compare the undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated from the long-lived or intangible assets to the related net book values if indicators of impairment are identified. Changes in economic or operating conditions impacting our estimates and assumptions could result in the impairment of our goodwill, long-lived assets or intangible assets. In the event that we determine that our goodwill, long-lived assets or intangible assets are impaired, we may be required to record a significant charge to earnings, which could adversely affect our results.

Certain of our pension plans are currently underfunded, and we may have to make cash contributions to the plans, reducing the cash available for our business.

We sponsor various pension plans worldwide that are underfunded and will require cash contributions. Additionally, if the performance of the assets in our pension plans does not meet our expectations, or if other actuarial assumptions are modified, our required contributions may be higher than we expect. As of December 31, 2024, our U.S. supplemental employee retirement plan was underfunded by $9.8 million and our non-U.S. pension plans (which typically are pay-as-you-go plans) were underfunded by $81.1 million. If our cash flow from operations is insufficient to fund our worldwide pension liabilities, it could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

As further described in Note 12. “Pensions” to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report, on April 3, 2024, the Company irrevocably transferred approximately $137.0 million of remaining pension benefit obligations and associated plan assets related to the U.S. Pension Plan to a highly rated insurance company, thereby reducing the Company’s pension obligations and assets by the same amount.

Significant changes in discount rates, the actual return on pension assets and other factors could adversely affect our liquidity, results of operations and financial condition.

Our earnings may be positively or negatively impacted by the amount of income or expense recorded related to our pension plans. Generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) require that income or expense related to the pension plans be calculated at the annual measurement date using actuarial calculations which reflect certain assumptions. Because these assumptions have fluctuated and will continue to fluctuate in response to changing market conditions, the amount of gains or losses that will be recognized in subsequent periods, the impact on the funded status of the pension plans and the future minimum required contributions, if any, could adversely affect our liquidity, results of operations and financial condition.

Failure to maintain effective controls and procedures could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Regulatory provisions governing the financial reporting of U.S. public companies require that we establish and maintain disclosure controls and internal controls over financial reporting across our operations in 20 countries. Any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives; as such, they can be susceptible to human error, circumvention or override, and fraud. Failure to maintain adequate, effective controls and procedures could result in potential financial misstatements or other forms of noncompliance that could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition or organizational reputation.

We operate as a holding company and depend on our subsidiaries for cash to satisfy the obligations of the holding company.

Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. is a holding company. Our subsidiaries conduct all of our operations and own substantially all of our assets. Our cash flow and our ability to meet our obligations depend on the cash flow of our subsidiaries. In addition, the payment of funds in the form of dividends, intercompany payments, tax sharing payments and other payments may be subject to restrictions under the laws of the countries of incorporation of our subsidiaries or their governing documents.

We may not be able to procure insurance at reasonable rates to fully meet our needs.

Integral to our risk management strategy and due to requirements under certain of our contracts, we procure insurance coverage from third-party insurers. There can be no assurance that any of our existing insurance coverage will be renewable upon the expiration of the coverage period or that future coverage will be affordable at needed limits. Such circumstances will lead to an increase in both our overall risk exposure and our operational expenses, disrupt the management of our business, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of our operations.

Legal and Compliance Risks

We are involved from time to time in legal and regulatory proceedings, claims or investigations which could have an adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

We are involved in legal and regulatory proceedings, claims or investigations that, from time to time, may be significant. These matters typically arise in the normal course of business including, without limitation, commercial or contractual disputes, including warranty claims and other disputes with customers and suppliers; intellectual property matters; personal injury claims; environmental issues; tax matters; employment matters; antitrust matters; anti-corruption matters; or allegations relating to legal compliance by us or our employees.

For further information regarding our legal matters, see Item 3. “Legal Proceedings.” The industries in which we operate are also periodically reviewed or investigated by regulators, which could lead to enforcement actions, fines and penalties or the assertion of private litigation claims. It is not possible to predict with certainty the outcome of claims, investigations and lawsuits, and we could in the future incur judgments, fines or penalties or enter into settlements of lawsuits and claims that could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition in any particular period.

If we are unable to protect our intellectual property or if a third party challenges our intellectual property rights, our business could be adversely affected.

We own or have rights to proprietary technology that is important to our business. We rely on intellectual property laws, patents, trademarks and trade secrets to protect such technology. Such protections, however, vary among the countries in which we market and sell our products, and as a result, we may be unable to prevent third parties from using our intellectual property without authorization. Any infringement or misappropriation of our technology could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. We also face exposure to claims by others for infringement of intellectual property rights and could incur significant costs or losses related to such claims. In addition, many of our supply agreements require us to indemnify our customers from third-party infringement claims. These claims, regardless of their merit or resolution, are frequently costly to prosecute, defend or settle and divert the efforts and attention of our management and employees. If any such claim were to result in an adverse outcome, we could be required to take actions which may include: ceasing the manufacture, use or sale of the infringing products; paying substantial damages to third parties, including to customers, to compensate them for the discontinued use of a product or to replace infringing technology with non-infringing technology; or expending significant resources to develop or license non-infringing products, any of which could adversely affect our operations, business and financial condition.

We may be adversely affected by laws and regulations, including environmental, health and safety laws and regulations.

We are subject to various U.S. federal, state and local, and non-U.S. laws and regulations, including those related to environmental, health and safety, financial, tax, customs and other matters. We cannot predict the substance or impact of pending or future legislation or regulations, or the application thereof. The introduction of new laws or regulations or changes in existing laws or regulations, or the interpretations thereof, could increase the costs of doing business for us or our customers or suppliers or restrict our actions and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

In particular, we are subject to a broad range of laws and regulations governing emissions to air; discharges to water; noise and odor emissions; the generation, handling, storage, transportation, treatment, reclamation and disposal of chemicals and waste materials; the cleanup of contaminated properties; and health and safety. We may incur substantial costs in complying with these laws and regulations. Many of our current and former facilities have been subject to certain environmental investigations and remediation activities, and we maintain environmental reserves for certain of these sites. Through various acquisitions, we have acquired a number of manufacturing facilities, and we cannot assure that we will not incur material costs or liabilities relating to activities that predate our ownership. Material future expenditures may be necessary if compliance standards change or material unknown conditions that require remediation are discovered. Environmental laws could also restrict our ability to expand our facilities or could require us to acquire costly equipment or to incur other significant expenses. In addition, climate change poses regulatory risks that could harm our results of operations or affect the way we conduct our businesses. For example, new or modified regulations could require us to spend substantial funds to enhance our environmental compliance efforts. If we fail to comply with present and future environmental laws and regulations, we could be subject to future liabilities, which could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Risk Management and Strategy

One of our top priorities is protecting Cooper Standard’s digital assets, and we increasingly rely on data and digital transactions to operate efficiently and effectively. We take action to prevent potential impacts related to system outages, data breaches, cyber-attacks and other threats to avoid disruption to our daily operations. Cooper Standard prioritizes increasing efficiency and efficacy as we design and refresh prescriptive incident response procedures to minimize impacts of potential cyber-attacks or outages. From time to time, the Company engages in table-top exercises, which involve cross-functional business leaders. Our information technology (“IT”) professionals focus on improving existing controls as outlined by ISO/IEC 27001:2022 (an internationally recognized information security framework), which is the foundation of our cybersecurity program. In recent years, we have made advancements in this space by conducting a risk assessment carried out by an independent third-party and continued engagement with cyber advisory services as described further below.

We annually contract with a well-known third-party to conduct a comprehensive, enterprise-wide risk assessment. In addition to other mandates, this assessment evaluates Cooper Standard’s cybersecurity program from a risk perspective and assesses our IT controls for alignment with the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 information security framework. Based on the assessment results, we refresh the roadmap for our cybersecurity program, focusing on the highest-risk vulnerabilities first and monitoring for significant changes and emerging risks, continuously adjusting the roadmap as needed.

Our cybersecurity program is built on a collection of fundamental security controls, focused on the overall protection of company and stakeholder data. Company leadership has defined the following objectives for information security:

• Governance: Establish proper governance for the cybersecurity program.
• Security Operations & Data Protection: Create a secure digital operating environment (apps, networks, systems, etc.) designed to protect critical data and to prevent business disruption.
• Response and Recovery: Develop and practice incident response, business continuity and disaster recovery processes to minimize the impact of a major incident.
• Compliance & Effectiveness: Meet all compliance requirements and develop program metrics to ensure effectiveness.

To achieve these objectives, we emphasize fundamental security measures, such as access controls, cyber hygiene (e.g., patching and malware protection) and employee awareness training.

Third-party risk management is an important focus of the Cooper Standard cybersecurity program. Cybersecurity is evaluated and considered throughout the lifecycle (onboarding, ongoing operations, offboarding) of third-party relationships as we conduct business with them. We review the security posture of each third-party prior to initiation of the relationship, and periodically throughout the relationship. We evaluate several aspects of information security, utilizing guidance from globally recognized frameworks (e.g., ISO/IEC 27001:2022). In addition to these point-in-time reviews, we continuously monitor the security posture of critical third parties through a third-party service. Critical service providers are also required to submit independently certified assurance of their security controls based on internationally recognized standards (e.g., ISEA 3402, SOC 1, SOC 2, etc.). Finally, upon relationship termination, we ensure each third party is properly offboarded, addressing critical cybersecurity concerns such as eliminating access and obtaining and/or deleting Company data.

Cooper Standard continuously works to update and strengthen our Incident Response (“IR”) program, which defines response procedures and prescriptive controls designed to streamline response to incidents, when and if they occur. Our designated cross-functional Incident Response Team (“IRT”) consists of leaders from human resources, global communications, legal, internal audit and information technology. Cooper Standard’s IRT is dedicated to maintaining a culture of continuous improvement, taking into consideration lessons learned from table-top exercises and feedback from the third-party expert with whom we annually contract.

While we have experienced threats to our data and systems, to date, we have not experienced a cybersecurity incident that has materially affected our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. That said, a significant cybersecurity incident may materially impact the Company’s business strategy, results of operations and financial condition in the future. For further information regarding cybersecurity risks to the Company, see Part 1, Item 1A, Risk Factors, “A disruption in, or the inability to successfully implement upgrades to, our information technology systems, including disruptions relating to cybersecurity as well as data privacy concerns, could adversely affect our business and financial performance.”

Governance

We align our cybersecurity and IT compliance programs to take advantage of natural synergies and our IT controls environment. Our Senior Vice President, Chief Information Technology Officer, who has more than 25 years of experience in technology and information security risk management in our industry and across a number of organizations, is responsible for overseeing the risks related to cybersecurity. Our cybersecurity team holds several cybersecurity industry certifications such as ISC2 CISSP, ISACA CISM and EC-Council CEH.

The Cooper Standard IT leadership team manages the global cybersecurity and IT compliance organization, and the Senior Vice President, Chief Information Technology Officer directly reports updates to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors at least twice annually and the full Board of Directors at least annually. Further, our cybersecurity team periodically reports to our Global Leadership Team (“GLT”). Data privacy, cybersecurity and digitization is also managed as a material topic as a part of our Enterprise Risk Management (“ERM”) Committee which ensures cybersecurity risks are integrated into our overall risk management. From an accountability perspective, our internal audit team independently assesses the cybersecurity program by evaluating the design and effectiveness of our controls. We have an Architecture Review Board (“ARB”) which reviews new IT initiatives to ensure they align with our digital strategy. Similarly, our Project Management Office (“PMO”) monitors those initiatives throughout implementation to ensure proper communication and seamless transition. The ARB and PMO processes include cybersecurity requirements designed to ensure this topic is considered from the beginning.

As of December 31, 2024, our operations were conducted through 124 wholly-owned, leased and consolidated joint venture facilities in 20 countries (North America: Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, United States; Asia Pacific: China, India, Japan, South Korea, Thailand; Europe: Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Spain, United Kingdom; South America: Brazil), of which 75 are predominantly manufacturing facilities and 49 have design, engineering, administrative or logistics designations. Our corporate headquarters are located in Northville, Michigan. Our manufacturing facilities are located in North America, Europe, Asia and South America. We believe that substantially all of our properties are in generally good condition and there is sufficient capacity to meet current and projected manufacturing, product development and logistics requirements. The following table summarizes our key property holdings by segment:

(a) Includes multi-activity sites which are predominantly manufacturing.

(b) Includes design, engineering, R&D, administrative and logistics locations.

(*) Excludes 2 unutilized facilities in North America.

The litigation process is subject to many uncertainties, and the outcome of individual matters is not predictable with assurance. See Note 20. “Contingent Liabilities” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for discussion of loss contingencies.

This management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is intended to assist in understanding and assessing the trends and significant changes in our results of operations and financial condition. Our historical results may not indicate, and should not be relied upon as an indication of, our future performance. Our forward-looking statements reflect our current views about future events, are based on assumptions and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. See Item 1. “Business—Forward-Looking Statements” for a discussion of risks associated with reliance on forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause differences between actual results and those contemplated by forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those discussed below and in Item 1A. “Risk Factors.” Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the notes to those statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report. References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Report”) to “we”, “our”, or the “Company” refer to Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc., together with its consolidated subsidiaries.

Executive Overview

Our Business

We design, manufacture and sell sealing and fluid handling systems (consisting of fuel and brake delivery systems and fluid transfer systems) for use primarily in passenger vehicles and light trucks manufactured by global OEMs. In 2024, approximately 86% of our sales consisted of original equipment sold directly to OEMs for installation on new vehicles. The remaining 14% of our sales were primarily to Tier I and Tier II suppliers and non-automotive manufacturers. Accordingly, sales of our products are directly affected by the annual vehicle production of OEMs, particularly the production levels of the vehicles for which we provide specific parts. Most of our products are custom designed and engineered for a specific vehicle platform. Our sales and product development personnel frequently work directly with OEM engineering departments in the design and development of our various products.

Although each OEM may emphasize different requirements as the primary criteria for judging its suppliers, we believe success as an automotive supplier generally requires outstanding performance with respect to quality, price, service, new program launches, design and engineering capabilities, innovation, timely delivery, financial stability, an extensive global footprint, and sustainability. Also, we believe our continued commitment to invest in global common processes is an important factor in servicing global customers with the same quality and consistency of product wherever we produce in the world. This is especially important when supplying products for global platforms.

In addition, to remain competitive and offset continued customer pricing pressure, we must also consistently achieve and sustain cost savings. In an ongoing effort to reduce our cost structure, we run a global continuous improvement program which includes training for our employees, as well as implementation of lean tools, structured problem solving, best business practices, standardized processes and change management. We also continually evaluate opportunities to optimize our manufacturing footprint by consolidating facilities and relocating production as appropriate. We believe we will continue to be successful in our efforts to improve our design and engineering capabilities and manufacturing processes while achieving cost savings, including through our continuous improvement initiatives.

Our OEM sales are generally based upon purchase orders issued by the OEMs, with updated releases for volume adjustments. As such, we typically do not have a defined backlog of orders at any point in time. Once selected to supply products for a particular platform, we typically supply those products for the platform life, which is normally five to eight years, though this term is not guaranteed. In addition, when we are the incumbent supplier to a given platform, we believe we have a competitive advantage in winning the redesign or replacement platform, although future awards are not guaranteed.

In 2024, approximately 59% of our sales were generated in North America. Because of our significant international operations, we are subject to the risks associated with doing business in other countries, such as currency volatility, high interest and inflation rates, and the general political and economic risk that are associated with some of these markets.

Recent Trends and Conditions

General Economic Conditions and Outlook

The global automotive industry is susceptible to uncertain economic conditions that could adversely impact new vehicle demand and production. Business conditions may vary significantly from period to period or region to region. In 2022, global automotive production was negatively impacted by broad supply chain challenges, labor market disruptions and other lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, light vehicle production showed resilience and strong growth, supported by sustained consumer demand and OEM efforts to replenish depleted inventory levels. This resilience and growth was despite continued uncertainty in the global economy created by continued inflation, rising interest rates and increased geopolitical tension in key regions of the world. In 2024, light vehicle production slowed modestly due to rising inventory levels, relatively high interest rates and affordability concerns, and sustained geopolitical tensions throughout the world. Global commodity markets and pricing have stabilized to a large degree in 2024 and into the beginning of 2025. In 2025, we expect global production will slow further as inventory levels remain high, affordability concerns continue and global economic uncertainty persists. The potential for changes in U.S. trade policy, including the possible imposition of significant tariffs on imported goods, is adding to economic risks and uncertainty globally, and could represent near-term challenges to the automotive industry.

In North America, U.S. consumer confidence has improved from 2023 levels but remains well below pre-pandemic historical averages. The conclusion of recent elections, slowing inflation, the Federal Reserve Board’s recent policy rate actions, and a robust jobs market have been key drivers of improved consumer sentiment. However, uncertainty around U.S. trade policy, including the possible imposition of significant tariffs on imported goods, the timing and magnitude of further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, and increasing consumer debt continue to weigh on economic activity. Economists at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are expecting the economies of the United States, Canada and Mexico to grow by 2.7 percent, 2.0 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively, in 2025.

In Europe, lower inflation and more stable energy costs are contributing to stronger household consumption. However, economic momentum slowed in the second half of 2024, especially in the manufacturing sector. Ongoing geopolitical tensions and the war in Ukraine continue to pose significant challenges to overall economic growth. Amid this uncertain environment, economists at the IMF are expecting the economy in the Eurozone region to grow by 1.0 percent in 2025.

In the Asia Pacific region, China’s post-COVID-19 economy has been burdened by a protracted property crisis, weak consumer and business confidence, and mounting local government debts. However, China’s economy has shown resilience, supported by a new round of government stimulus actions, a rebound in private consumption and strong exports. Net of these factors, economists at the IMF are expecting the Chinese economy to grow at a rate of 4.6 percent in 2025.

In South America, the risks for the Brazilian economy worsened in the second half of 2024 as increased fiscal spending fueled higher than expected inflation. Brazil’s central bank has raised interest rates to stem inflation but the value of the national currency has fallen rapidly in recent months. In addition, the outlook for exports has softened due to moderating global demand. In view of this uncertain and volatile landscape, economists at the IMF are expecting the growth rate of the Brazilian economy to slow modestly to 2.2 percent in 2025.

Production Levels

Our business is directly affected by the automotive vehicle production rates in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. These production rates can be impacted periodically by changing macro and micro-economic conditions, geopolitical actions, regional consumer sentiment, labor disruptions and changing regulatory requirements, among other factors.

According to estimates of S&P Global (formerly IHS Markit), global light vehicle production was approximately 89.4 million units in 2024. This reflects a decline of approximately 1.2% globally compared to 2023.

Light vehicle production in certain regions for 2024 and 2023, as well as projections for 2025, are provided in the following table:

(in millions of units)

(1) Production data based on S&P Global, January 2025.

Industry Overview

Competition in the automotive supplier industry is intense and has increased in recent years as OEMs have demonstrated a preference for stronger relationships with fewer suppliers. Because of a growing emphasis on global vehicle platforms, automotive suppliers with a global manufacturing footprint capable of fully servicing customers around the world will typically have a competitive advantage over smaller, regional competitors. This dynamic is likely to result in further consolidation of competing suppliers within our industry over time.

OEMs have shifted some research and development, design and testing responsibility to suppliers, while simultaneously shortening new product cycle times. To remain competitive, suppliers must have state-of-the-art engineering and design capabilities and continuously improve their engineering, design and manufacturing processes to effectively service the customer. Suppliers are increasingly expected to collaborate on, or assume the product design and development of, key automotive components. This shift requires suppliers to provide innovative solutions to meet evolving technologies aimed at improved emissions and fuel economy.

Increased competitiveness in the industry, as well as customer focus on costs, has resulted in continued pressure on suppliers for price reductions, even in an inflationary environment, which reduces the overall profitability of the supply industry. Consolidations and market share shifts among vehicle manufacturers continue to put additional pressures on the supply chain. These pricing and market pressures will continue to drive our focus on reducing our overall cost structure through continuous improvement initiatives, capital redeployment, restructuring and other cost management processes. In response to ongoing inflationary cost pressures, we have implemented aggressive lean and cost optimization initiatives to help mitigate their impact. In addition, we continue to actively pursue pricing adjustments from our customers to offset higher costs on our existing business, particularly where such costs are market driven and beyond our immediate control.

In addition to the above, other factors will present opportunities for automotive suppliers who are positioned to meet the demands of evolving automotive markets and operating environment, including autonomous and connected vehicles, government regulation, and consumer preferences for environmentally friendly products and technology, such as hybrid and electric vehicle (“EV”) architectures.

Raw Materials

Our business is susceptible to inflationary pressures with respect to raw materials. Abrupt changes in the market prices or availability of certain key raw materials may result in operational and profitability challenges for the Company and the industry as a whole. Since 2020, market prices for key raw materials, such as steel, aluminum, and oil-derived commodities, experienced a period of extreme volatility, which led to significant cost increases for our business. In response, we worked with our customers to implement or expand index-based commercial agreements that have enabled us to partially recover incremental material costs incurred and significantly reduce our exposure and risk related to commodity price fluctuations going forward. Although global commodity markets and pricing largely stabilized in 2024, we will continue working with our customers and suppliers to mitigate ongoing inflationary pressures and material-related cost exposures through a combination of expanded index-based agreements and other commercial enhancements.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2. “Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report. Certain of our accounting policies require the application of significant judgment by management in selecting the appropriate assumptions for calculating financial estimates. These policies require the most difficult, subjective or complex judgments that management makes in the preparation of the financial statements and accompanying notes. We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if (i) it requires us to make assumptions about matters that were uncertain at the time we were making the estimate, and (ii) changes in the estimate or different estimates that we could have selected could have had a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. Such critical accounting estimates are discussed below. For these, materially different amounts could be reported under varied conditions and assumptions. While other items in our consolidated financial statements require estimation, however, in our judgment, they are not as critical as those discussed below.

Goodwill. Goodwill is tested for impairment by reporting unit as of October 1 of each year and more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that an impairment may exist. We test goodwill for impairment by performing a qualitative assessment or using a quantitative test. If we elect to perform a qualitative assessment and determine it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s carrying value is more than its fair value, the quantitative test is then performed. Otherwise, no further testing is required. For a quantitative goodwill analysis, fair value is based on the cash flows projected in the reporting units’ strategic plans and long-range planning forecasts, discounted at a risk-adjusted rate of return. Our long-range planning forecasts are based on our assessment of revenue growth rates generally based on industry specific data, external vehicle build assumptions published by widely used external sources, and customer market share data based on known and targeted awards over a three-year period. The projected profit margin assumptions included in the plans are based on the current cost structure and adjustments for anticipated cost reductions or increases. If different assumptions were used in these plans, the related cash flows used in measuring fair value could be different and impairment of goodwill might be recorded. For the 2024 annual goodwill impairment test, we performed a qualitative assessment and determined that it is more likely than not that the fair values of our Sealing Systems, Fluid Handling Systems, and Industrial Specialty Group reporting units exceeded their carrying values. See Note 9. “Goodwill and Intangible Assets” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.

Long-Lived Assets. We monitor our long-lived assets for impairment indicators on an ongoing basis. If impairment indicators exist, we analyze the undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated from the long-lived asset group compared to the related net book values. If the net book value exceeds the undiscounted cash flows, an impairment loss is measured and recognized. An impairment loss is measured as the difference between the net book value and the fair value of the long-lived assets. Fair value is determined using various valuation approaches depending on the asset type. Fair value of machinery and equipment is based upon either estimated salvage value or estimated orderly liquidation value. Fair value of leased buildings is based on a discounted cash flow approach. Fair value of owned buildings is based on a sales comparison approach or cost approach. When determining fair value, cash flows are estimated using internal budgets based on recent sales data, independent automotive production volume estimates, and customer commitments. If applicable, discount rates are used in fair value calculations where required. Changes in economic or operating conditions impacting these estimates and assumptions could result in the impairment of long-lived assets. In 2024, 2023 and 2022, we recorded impairment charges related to buildings and machinery and equipment. The 2024 impairments were related solely to idle assets and were based on internal assessments. In contrast, for the 2023 and 2022, we engaged a third-party valuation firm to determine fair values in order to calculate impairment charges. See Note 8. “Property, Plant and Equipment” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.

Income Taxes. In determining the provision for income taxes for financial statement purposes, we make estimates and judgments which affect our evaluation of the carrying value of our deferred tax assets as well as our calculation of certain tax liabilities. We evaluate the carrying value of our deferred tax assets on a quarterly basis. In completing this evaluation, we consider all available positive and negative evidence. Such evidence includes historical operating results, the existence of cumulative earnings and losses in the most recent fiscal years, taxable income in prior carryback year(s) if permitted under the tax law, expectations for future pretax operating income which considers forecasted revenue trends within the automotive industry, the time period over which our temporary differences will reverse, and the implementation of feasible and prudent tax planning strategies. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if, based on the weight of this evidence, it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the recorded deferred tax assets will not be realized in future periods.

Concluding that a valuation allowance is not required is difficult when there is significant negative evidence which is objective and verifiable, such as cumulative losses in recent years. We utilize three years’ cumulative pre-tax book results adjusted for significant permanent book to tax differences as a measure of cumulative results in recent years. In certain jurisdictions, our analysis indicates that we have cumulative three-year historical losses on this basis. This is considered significant negative evidence which is difficult to overcome. However, the three-year loss position is not solely determinative, and, accordingly, management considers all other available positive and negative evidence in its analysis. In the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions, we concluded that it is more likely than not that the net deferred tax assets may not be realized in the future. Accordingly, we continue to maintain and adjust as appropriate the valuation allowance related to those net deferred tax assets. However, since future financial results may differ from previous estimates, periodic adjustments to our valuation allowances may be necessary.

In addition, the calculation of our tax benefits and liabilities includes uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations in a multitude of jurisdictions across our global operations. We recognize tax benefits and liabilities based on our estimate of whether, and the extent to which, additional taxes will be due. We adjust these liabilities based on changing facts and circumstances; however, due to the complexity of some of these uncertainties and the impact of any tax audits, the ultimate resolutions may be materially different from our estimated liabilities. See Note 15. “Income Taxes” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.

Pensions and Postretirement Benefits Other Than Pensions. Included in our results of operations are significant pension and postretirement benefit costs, which are measured using actuarial valuations. Inherent in these valuations are key assumptions, including discount rates, mortality rates, expected returns on plan assets and health care cost trend rates. These assumptions are determined as of the current year measurement date. We consider current market conditions, including changes in interest rates, in making these assumptions. Changes in pension and postretirement benefit costs may occur in the future due to changes in these assumptions. Experience gains and losses as well as the effects of changes in actuarial assumptions are recognized in other comprehensive income. Cumulative actuarial gains and losses in excess of 10% of the projected benefit obligations or the fair value of plan assets for a particular plan are amortized over the average future service period of the employees in that plan. Our net pension and postretirement benefit costs (income), which included a net one-time, non-cash pension settlement charge of $44.6 million ($46.0 million net of tax), were approximately $51.8 million and $(1.4) million, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2024. Note that the pension settlement charge resulted from the termination of a certain U.S. pension plan and the related accelerated recognition of accumulated actuarial losses included within AOCI in our consolidated balance sheets. See Note 12. “Pensions” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.

To develop the discount rate for each pension plan, the expected cash flows underlying the plan’s benefit obligations were discounted using a December 31, 2024 pension index to determine a single equivalent rate. To develop our expected return on plan assets, we considered historical long-term asset return experience, the expected investment portfolio mix of plan assets and an estimate of long-term investment returns.

Weighted average assumptions used to determine pension benefit obligations as of December 31, 2024 were as follows:

* As the U.S. plans are frozen, the rate of compensation increase is not applicable.

Weighted average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit costs for the year ended December 31, 2024 were as follows:

* There were no U.S. plan assets as of December 31, 2024, therefore the expected return on plan assets is not applicable.

** As the U.S. plans are frozen, the rate of compensation increase is not applicable.

The sensitivity of our pension cost and obligations to changes in key assumptions, holding all other assumptions constant, is as follows:

Aggregate pension net periodic benefit cost is forecasted to be approximately $6.7 million in 2025.

Health care cost trend rates are assumed to reflect market trend, actual experience and future expectations. Health care cost trend rate assumptions used to determine the postretirement benefit obligations as of December 31, 2024 were as follows:

Aggregate other postretirement net periodic benefit income is forecasted to be approximately $1.0 million in 2025.

The Company’s policy is to fund pension plans such that sufficient assets will be available to meet future benefit requirements and contribute amounts deductible for United States federal income tax purposes or amounts required by local statute. The Company does not anticipate making cash contributions to its U.S. supplemental employee retirement plan in 2025, but estimates cash contributions of approximately $0.4 million to its non-U.S. pension plans in 2025.

The Company does not prefund its postretirement benefit obligations. Rather, payments are made as costs are incurred by covered retirees. We expect net other postretirement benefit payments to be approximately $2.1 million in 2025.

Historical Periods

Refer to Part II - Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 for discussion of the Results of Operations, Segment Results of Operations, and Liquidity and Capital Resources for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, which is incorporated by reference herein.

Results of Operations

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

Year Ended December 31, 2024 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2023.

Sales

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

* Net of customer price adjustments, including recoveries and the impact of work stoppages initiated by certain labor unions in North America in 2023.

Sales for the year ended December 31, 2024 decreased 3.0%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in sales was driven by unfavorable volume and mix, net of customer price adjustments including recoveries, the divestitures of our European technical rubber products business and a joint venture in the Asia Pacific region in the prior year, and the negative impact of foreign exchange.

Gross Profit

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

* Net of customer price adjustments, including recoveries and the impact of work stoppages initiated by certain labor unions in North America in 2023.

** Net of divestitures and restructuring savings.

Cost of products sold is primarily comprised of materials, labor, manufacturing overhead, freight, depreciation, and other direct operating expenses. Among these, materials represent the largest component, accounting for approximately 51% of total cost of products sold for each of the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023. The change in cost of products sold was impacted by favorable manufacturing and purchasing savings through lean initiatives, the divestiture of our European technical rubber products business and a joint venture in the Asia Pacific region in the prior year, the impact of savings from our restructuring initiative in the current year, lower volume and mix, net of recoveries, and lower material input costs, partially offset by higher inflation of labor and overhead, and unfavorable foreign exchange.

Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased 4.2% compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. As a percentage of sales, gross profit was 11.1% and 10.3% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. The change was driven by manufacturing and purchasing savings through lean initiatives, the impact of savings from our restructuring initiative in the current year and lower material input costs, partially offset by unfavorable foreign exchange, higher inflation of labor and overhead, unfavorable volume and mix, net of customer price adjustments including recoveries and the divestiture of our European technical rubber products business and a joint venture in the Asia Pacific region in the prior year.

Selling, Administration and Engineering Expenses. Selling, administration and engineering expenses include administrative expenses as well as product engineering and design and development costs. Selling, administration and engineering expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $207.6 million, or 7.6% of sales, compared to $215.7 million, or 7.7% of sales, for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease as a percentage of sales was primarily due to lower compensation-related costs driven by savings from our restructuring initiative, partially offset by foreign exchange.

Gain on Sale of Businesses, Net. Gain on sale of businesses, net for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $2.0 million, resulting from the net effect of the sale of our Canadian tooling business. Gain on sale of businesses, net for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $0.6 million, resulting from the net effect of our 2023 divestitures, which included the sale of our European technical rubber products business and the sale of our entire controlling equity interest of a joint venture in the Asia Pacific region. See Note 4. “Divestitures and Deconsolidation” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.

Gain on Sale of Buildings and Land, Net. Gain on sale of buildings and land, net for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $3.3 million, resulting from the sale of a building and land related to one of our Canadian facilities. See Note 8. “Property, Plant and Equipment” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.

Impairment Charges. Non-cash asset impairment charges of $0.7 million and $4.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, related to property, plant and equipment impairment charges.

Restructuring Charges. Restructuring charges for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased $5.6 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. Our restructuring actions, which include plant and facility closures as well as workforce reductions, are initiated to maintain a competitive footprint or in response to changes in global and regional automotive markets. The increase was primarily driven by a cost optimization restructuring plan that was implemented in the second quarter of 2024. See Note 6. “Restructuring” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.

Interest Expense, Net of Interest Income. Net interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 decreased $14.4 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to a decrease in payment-in-kind interest on our Third Lien Notes. We elected to pay the third and fourth interest payments, due June 15, 2024 and December 15, 2024, respectively, in cash at the lower 5.625% Cash Pay interest rate as opposed to accruing for interest at the higher 10.625% PIK rate.

Loss on Refinancing and Extinguishment of Debt. Loss on refinancing and extinguishment of debt for the year

ended December 31, 2023 was $81.9 million, which resulted from certain fees and the partial write off of new and unamortized

debt issuance costs and unamortized original issue discount related to refinancing transactions that occurred in 2023.

Pension Settlement and Curtailment Charges. Non-cash settlement and curtailment charges of $44.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 primarily related to the termination of a certain U.S. pension plan. Non-cash settlement charges of $16.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily related to lump sum payments paid to eligible participants from plan assets as part of the approved termination of the aforementioned U.S. pension plan. See Note 12. “Pensions” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.

Other Expense, Net. Other expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased $2.2 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange, partially offset by a decrease in periodic benefit cost other than service cost.

Income Tax (Benefit) Expense. Income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $23.3 million on losses before taxes of $101.5 million. This compared to an income tax expense of $8.9 million on losses before taxes of $194.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The tax expense in 2024 and 2023 differed from the statutory rate primarily due to incremental valuation allowances recorded on tax losses generated in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions, the mix of income between the U.S. and foreign sources, tax credits and incentives, and other nonrecurring discrete items. Additionally, the year ended December 31, 2024 includes a $41.5 million benefit for valuation allowance reversals in Brazil, Poland, and a Chinese location.

Segment Results of Operations

Effective January 1, 2024, the Company changed its management reporting structure with the launch of global product line-focused business segments. This resulted in the realignment of its reportable segments, which are determined based on how the CODM manages the business, allocates resources, makes operating decisions and evaluates operating performance. As a result, the Company established two reportable segments: Sealing Systems and Fluid Handling Systems. All other business activities are reported in Corporate, eliminations and other. The segment realignment had no impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. All segment information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is reflective of this new structure and prior period information has been revised to conform to the Company’s current period presentation.

The Company uses segment adjusted EBITDA as the measure of earnings to assess the performance of each segment and determines the resources to be allocated to the segments. We have defined adjusted EBITDA as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, restructuring expense, and special items.

The following tables present sales and segment adjusted EBITDA for each of the reportable segments.

Year Ended December 31, 2024 Compared with Year Ended December 31, 2023

Sales

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

* Net of customer price adjustments, including recoveries and the impact of work stoppages initiated by certain labor unions in North America in 2023.

Sealing Systems. The sales variance due to volume and mix, including customer price adjustments, was primarily driven by lower customer recoveries. The unfavorable foreign currency exchange impact was driven by a $7.7 million impact of the Brazilian Real, $3.1 million impact of the Chinese Renminbi, $2.1 million impact of the Canadian Dollar, and $0.4 million unfavorable impact of all other currencies.

Fluid Handling Systems. The sales variance due to volume and mix, including customer price adjustments, was primarily driven by lower customer volumes. The unfavorable foreign currency exchange impact was driven by a $3.5 million impact of the Korean Won, $2.8 million impact of the Brazilian Real, and $1.0 million unfavorable impact of all other currencies.

Segment adjusted EBITDA

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

* Net of customer price adjustments, including recoveries and the impact of work stoppages initiated by certain labor unions in North America in 2023.

** Net of restructuring savings.

Sealing Systems. The adjusted EBITDA variance due to volume and mix, including customer price adjustments, was primarily driven by lower customer recoveries. The unfavorable foreign currency exchange impact was driven by a $9.6 million impact of the Brazilian Real, $6.6 million impact of the Polish Zloty, $4.2 million impact of the Mexican Peso, and $0.2 million unfavorable impact of all other currencies. The cost decreases were primarily driven by $42.9 million of favorable manufacturing and purchasing savings through lean initiatives, and $18.3 million of all other operational costs primarily driven by restructuring savings and income from unconsolidated joint ventures, partially offset by $14.0 million of unfavorable inflationary costs (including salary and fringes, occupancy, and other costs).

Fluid Handling Systems. The adjusted EBITDA variance due to volume and mix, including customer price adjustments, was driven by lower customer volumes. The unfavorable foreign currency exchange impact was driven by a $10.8 million impact of the Mexican Peso, $4.5 million impact of the Costa Rican Colon, $3.4 million impact of the Brazilian Real, and $0.3 million unfavorable impact of all other currencies. The cost decreases were primarily driven by $37.6 million of favorable manufacturing and purchasing savings through lean initiatives, $4.4 million of favorable material input cost, and $10.6 million of all other operational costs primarily driven by restructuring savings, partially offset by $18.3 million of unfavorable inflationary costs (including salary and fringes, occupancy, and other costs).

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Short and Long-Term Liquidity Considerations and Risks

The sources to fund our ongoing working capital, capital expenditures, debt service and other funding requirements are a combination of cash flows from operations, cash on hand, borrowings under our senior asset-based revolving credit facility (“ABL Facility”) and receivables factoring. We utilize intercompany loans and equity contributions to fund our worldwide operations. However, certain country-specific regulations may impose restrictions or result in increased costs when repatriating funds. See Note 10. “Debt and Other Financing” to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.

We continue to actively preserve cash and enhance liquidity, including proactively managing our capital expenditures. We continuously monitor and forecast our liquidity situation in light of automotive industry, customer and economic factors, and take the necessary actions to preserve our liquidity and evaluate other financial alternatives that may be available to us should the need arise. Our ability to fund our working capital needs, debt payments and other obligations, and to comply with the financial covenants, including borrowing base limitations under our ABL Facility, depend on our future operating performance and cash flows and many factors outside of our control, including industry production levels, the costs of raw materials, the state of the overall automotive industry and financial and economic conditions, including work stoppages and the continued impact of public health events, and other factors. Based on those actions and current projections of light vehicle production and customer demand for our products, we believe that our cash flows from operations, cash on hand, availability under our ABL Facility and receivables factoring will enable us to meet our ongoing working capital requirements, capital expenditures, debt service and other funding requirements for the foreseeable future, despite the challenges facing the industry.

Cash Flows

Operating Activities. Net cash provided by operating activities was $76.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $117.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The net change was primarily due to changes in net working capital balances.

Investing Activities. Net cash used in investing activities was $45.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to net cash used in investing activities of $65.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The net change was primarily due to lower capital expenditures, partially offset by net proceeds of $15.4 million related to our 2023 divestitures which were received in the year ended December 31, 2023. We expect capital expenditures in 2025 to be relatively consistent with 2024, primarily as part of initiatives to consistently lower overall capital spending. We anticipate that we will spend approximately $45.0 to $55.0 million on capital expenditures in 2025.

Financing Activities. Net cash used in financing activities totaled $9.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to net cash used in financing activities of $81.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The change was primarily due to refinancing transactions that occurred in 2023.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As a part of our working capital management, we sell accounts receivable from certain European customers through a third-party financial institution in off-balance sheet arrangements. The amount sold varies each month based on the amount of underlying receivables and cash flow needs. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had $53.4 million and $47.9 million, respectively, of receivables outstanding under receivable transfer agreements entered into by various locations. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, total accounts receivable factored were $497.4 million and $420.1 million, respectively. Costs incurred on the sale of receivables were $2.9 million, $2.2 million and $0.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. These amounts are recorded in other expense, net in the consolidated statements of operations. These are permitted transactions under the credit agreements governing the ABL Facility and the indentures governing the First Lien Notes, Third Lien Notes, and 2026 Senior Notes.

Other Capital Transactions Impacting Liquidity

Share Repurchase Program

In June 2018, our Board of Directors approved a common stock repurchase program (the “2018 Program”) authorizing us to repurchase, in the aggregate, up to $150.0 million of our outstanding common stock. Under the 2018 Program, repurchases may be made on the open market, through private transactions, accelerated share repurchases, round lot or block transactions on the New York Stock Exchange or otherwise, as determined by management and in accordance with prevailing market conditions and federal securities laws and regulations. We expect to fund any future repurchases from cash on hand and future cash flows from operations. We are not obligated to acquire a particular amount of securities, and the 2018 Program may be discontinued at any time at our discretion. The 2018 Program was effective beginning November 2018. As of December 31, 2024, we had approximately $98.7 million of repurchase authorization under the 2018 Program.

We did not make any repurchases under the 2018 Program during the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 or 2022.

Contractual Obligations

Our contractual obligations consist of legal commitments requiring us to make fixed or determinable cash payments, regardless of the contractual requirements of the vendor to provide future goods or services. Except as otherwise disclosed, this table does not include information on our recurring purchase of materials for use in production because our raw materials purchase contracts typically do not require fixed or minimum quantities.

The following table summarizes the total amounts due in future periods under all debt agreements at nominal value, undiscounted finance lease commitments and other contractual obligations as of December 31, 2024:

(Dollar amounts in millions)

In addition to our contractual obligations and commitments set forth in the table above, we have employment arrangements with certain key executives that provide for continuity of management. These arrangements include payments of multiples of annual salary, certain incentives and continuation of benefits upon the occurrence of specified events in a manner believed to be consistent with comparable companies. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had additional operating leases, primarily for real estate, that have not yet commenced with undiscounted lease payments of approximately $4.0 million.

We also have funding requirements with respect to our pension obligations. We do not expect to make cash contributions to our U.S. supplemental employee retirement plan in 2025, but we do expect to make cash contributions of $0.4 million to our foreign pension plans in 2025. Our minimum funding requirements after 2025 will depend on several factors, including the investment performance of our retirement plans and prevailing interest rates. Our funding obligations may also be affected by changes in applicable legal requirements. We also have payments due with respect to our postretirement benefit obligations. Unlike our pension obligations, we do not prefund our postretirement benefit obligations; instead, payments are made as costs are incurred by covered retirees. We expect net other postretirement benefit payments to be approximately $2.1 million in 2025.

We may be required to make significant cash outlays due to our unrecognized tax benefits. However, due to the uncertainty of the timing of future cash flows associated with our unrecognized tax benefits, we are unable to make reasonably reliable estimates of the period of cash settlement, if any, with the respective taxing authorities. Accordingly, unrecognized tax benefits of $10.6 million as of December 31, 2024 have been excluded from the contractual obligations table above. See Note 15. “Income Taxes” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.

Excluded from the contractual obligations table above are open purchase orders as of December 31, 2024 for raw materials, supplies and capital expenditures in the normal course of business, supply contracts with customers, distribution agreements, joint venture agreements and other contracts without express funding requirements.

Other Matters

We may, from time to time, seek to purchase our outstanding debt securities or loans, including the First Lien Notes, Third Lien Notes, and 2026 Senior Notes. Such transactions could be privately negotiated or open market transactions, pursuant to tender offers or otherwise. Any such purchases will be made in our sole discretion in light of market conditions, applicable limitations contained in the agreements governing our indebtedness and other relevant factors. The amounts involved in any such purchase transactions, individually or in the aggregate, may be material. Any such purchases may equate to a substantial amount of a particular class or series of debt, which may reduce the trading liquidity of such class or series.

In the third quarter of 2023, we designated Liveline Technologies, Inc. (“Liveline”) as an unrestricted subsidiary under the terms of certain of its debt agreements. Despite this designation, Liveline remains a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc. Liveline recognized a net loss of $2.5 million and $0.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, Liveline had less than $0.5 million and less than $0.1 million of gross assets, respectively, and will rely on Cooper Standard for necessary funding until it is able to sustain itself through sales of its products and services.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In evaluating our business, management considers EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to be key indicators of our operating performance. Our management also uses EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA:

• because similar measures are utilized in the calculation of the financial covenants and ratios contained in our financing arrangements;
• in developing our internal budgets and forecasts;
• as a significant factor in evaluating our management for compensation purposes;
• in evaluating potential acquisitions;
• in comparing our current operating results with corresponding historical periods and with the operational performance of other companies in our industry; and
• in presentations to the members of our board of directors to enable our board of directors to have the same measurement basis of operating performance as is used by management in their assessments of performance and in forecasting and budgeting for our company.

In addition, we believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA and similar measures are widely used by investors, securities analysts and other interested parties in evaluating our performance. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) plus income tax expense (benefit), interest expense, net of interest income, depreciation and amortization or EBITDA, as adjusted for items that management does not consider to be reflective of our core operating performance. These adjustments include, but are not limited to, restructuring costs, certain impairment charges, non-cash fair value adjustments and acquisition-related costs.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not financial measurements recognized under U.S. GAAP, and when analyzing our operating performance, investors should use EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as a supplement to, and not as alternatives for, net income (loss), operating income, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with U.S. GAAP, nor as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities as a measure of our liquidity. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA have limitations as analytical tools, and they should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of our results of operations as reported under U.S. GAAP. These limitations include the following:

• they do not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditure or contractual commitments;
• they do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;
• they do not reflect interest expense or cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments under our ABL Facility, First Lien Notes, Third Lien Notes, and 2026 Senior Notes;
• they do not reflect certain tax payments that may represent a reduction in cash available to us;
• although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated or amortized may have to be replaced in the future, and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect cash requirements for such replacements; and
• other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate these measures differently and, as the number of differences in the way companies calculate these measures increases, the degree of their usefulness as a comparative measure correspondingly decreases.

In addition, in evaluating Adjusted EBITDA, it should be noted that in the future, we may incur expenses similar to the adjustments in the below presentation. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by special items.

The following table provides a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA from net loss, which is the most comparable financial measure in accordance with U.S. GAAP:

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

(1) Loss attributable to deconsolidation of a joint venture in the Asia Pacific region, which required adjustment to fair value.

(2) Non-cash impairment charges in 2024 related to idle assets in certain locations in Asia Pacific. Non-cash impairment charges in 2023 related to certain assets in Europe and Asia Pacific. Non-cash impairment charges in 2022 related to operating performance and idle assets in certain locations in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

(3) Gain on sale of businesses related to divestitures in 2024 and 2023.

(4) In 2024, the Company recognized a gain on the sale of building and land related to a Canadian facility. In 2022, the Company recognized a gain on a sale-leaseback agreement on one of its European facilities.

(5) Impact of indirect tax adjustments in 2022.

(6) Loss on refinancing and extinguishment of debt related to refinancing transactions in 2023.

(7) Non-cash net pension settlement and curtailment charges and administrative fees incurred related to certain of our U.S. and non-U.S. pension plans.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 3. “New Accounting Pronouncements” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.

We are exposed to fluctuations in interest rates, currency exchange rates and commodity prices. We actively manage our exposure to risk from changes in foreign currency exchange rates through the use of derivative financial instruments in accordance with management’s guidelines. We do not enter into derivative instruments for trading or speculative purposes. See Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” specifically Note 11. “Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments” to the consolidated financial statements.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk. We use forward foreign exchange contracts to reduce the effect of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates on a portion of forecasted sales, material purchases, operating expenses and certain assets and liabilities. As of December 31, 2024, the notional amount of these contracts was $188.1 million. As of December 31, 2024, the fair value of the Company’s forward foreign exchange contracts was a liability of $3.8 million. The potential fair value of the forward foreign exchange contracts from a hypothetical 10% adverse or favorable movement in the foreign currency exchange rates in relation to the U.S. Dollar is as follows:

These estimates assume a parallel shift in all currency exchange rates and, as a result, may overstate the potential impact to earnings because currency exchange rates do not typically move all in the same direction.

In addition to transactional exposures, our operating results are impacted by the translation of our foreign operating income into U.S. dollars. In 2024, net sales outside of the United States accounted for 78% of our consolidated net sales, although certain non-U.S. sales are U.S. dollar denominated. We do not enter into foreign exchange contracts to mitigate this exposure.

Interest Rates. The Company historically used interest rate swap contracts to create fixed interest payments on variable rate debt instruments in order to manage exposure to fluctuations in interest rates. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we did not have any outstanding debt at variable interest rates, and therefore did not enter into any interest rate swap contracts in 2024 or 2023.

Commodity Prices. We have commodity price risk with respect to purchases of certain raw materials, including natural gas and carbon black. Raw material, energy and commodity costs have been extremely volatile over the past several years, though global commodity markets have stabilized to a large degree in 2024. We did not enter into any commodity derivative instruments in 2024 or 2023. We will continue to evaluate, and may use, derivative financial instruments to manage our exposure to raw material, energy and commodity price fluctuations in the future.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company has evaluated, under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of December 31, 2024. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. However, based on that evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer along with the Chief Financial Officer have concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable assurance level as of December 31, 2024.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the Company conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in 2013. Based on the evaluation under the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework, management concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2024.

The attestation report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting is set forth in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report under the caption “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Internal Control over Financial Reporting” and incorporated herein by reference.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There was no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2024 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.