WST, §1A diff (2016 → 2017)

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS The statements in this section describe major risks to our business and should be considered carefully. In addition, these statements constitute our cautionary statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Our disclosure and analysis in this Form 10-K contains some forward-looking statements that are based on management's beliefs and assumptions, current expectations, estimates and forecasts. We also provide forward- looking statements in other materials we release to the public as well as oral forward-looking statements. Such statements give our current expectations or forecasts of future events. They do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. We have attempted, wherever possible, to identify forward-looking statements by using words such as “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “believe,” “plan,” “anticipate” and other words and terms of similar meaning. In particular, these include statements relating to future actions, business plans and prospects, new products, future performance or results of current or anticipated products, sales efforts, expenses, interest rates, foreign-exchange rates, economic effects, the outcome of contingencies, such as legal proceedings, and financial results. Many of the factors that will determine our future results are beyond our ability to control or predict. Achievement of future results is subject to known or unknown risks or uncertainties, including, without limitation, the risks set forth below. Therefore, actual results could differ materially from past results and those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement. You should bear this in mind as you consider forward-looking statements. Unless required by applicable securities law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. We also refer you to further disclosures we make on related subjects in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K to the SEC. Our operating results may be adversely affected by unfavorable economic and market conditions. The current uncertainty in the global economy, including the effects of recession or slow economic growth in the U.S., Europe, and emerging markets in Asia and South America, may negatively affect our operating results. Examples of the effects of these global economic challenges include: our suppliers' and our customers' inability to access the credit markets at commercially reasonable rates; reduction in sales due to customers decreasing their inventories in the near-term or long-term or due to liquidity difficulties; reduction in sales due to shortages of materials we purchase from our suppliers; reduction in research and development efforts and expenditures by our customers; our inability to hedge our currency and raw material risks sufficiently or at commercially reasonable prices; insolvency of suppliers or customers; inflationary pressures on our supplies or our products; and increased expenses due to growing global taxation of corporate profits or revenues, including the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “2017 Tax Act”). Our operating results in one or more geographic regions may also be affected by uncertain or changing economic conditions within that region. If economic and market conditions in the U.S. or Europe, or in emerging markets, weaken further, we may experience material adverse impacts on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our sales and profitability are largely dependent on the sale of drug products delivered by injection and the packaging of drug products. If the products developed by our customers in the future use another delivery system, our sales and profitability could suffer. Our business depends to a substantial extent on customers' continued sales and development of products that are delivered by injection. If our customers fail to continue to sell, develop and deploy injectable products or we are unable to develop new products that assist in the delivery of drugs by alternative methods, our sales and profitability may suffer. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our business and/or results of operations. Our business is subject to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Sales outside of the U.S. accounted for 54.1% of our consolidated net sales in 2017 and we anticipate that sales from international operations will continue to represent a significant portion of our total sales in the future. In addition, many of our manufacturing facilities and suppliers are located outside of the U.S. Further, we intend to continue our expansion into emerging and/or faster-growing markets outside of the U.S. in the future. Virtually all of our international sales, assets and related operating costs and expenses are earned, valued or incurred in the currency of the local country, primarily the Euro, the Singapore Dollar (“SGD”), and the Danish Krone. In addition, we are exposed to Japanese Yen (“Yen”), as we maintain a 25% ownership interest in, and we purchase finished goods and other materials from, Daikyo. We are also exposed to currencies in emerging market countries, such as the Chinese Yuan, the Indian Rupee, and various South American currencies. Our consolidated financial statements are presented in USD, and, therefore, we must translate the reported values of our foreign assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses into USD, which can result in significant fluctuations in the amount of those assets, liabilities, revenues or expenses. The exchange rates between these foreign currencies and USD in recent years have fluctuated significantly and may continue to do so in the future. Increases or decreases in the value of USD compared to these foreign currencies may negatively affect the value of these items in our consolidated financial statements, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results. In addition to translation risks, we incur currency transaction risk when we or one of our subsidiaries enters into a purchase or sales transaction in a currency other than that entity's local currency. In order to reduce our exposure to fluctuations in certain exchange rates, we have entered, and expect to continue to enter, into hedging arrangements, including the use of financial derivatives. There can be no certainty that we will be able to enter into or maintain hedges of these currency risks, or that our hedges will be effective, which could have a significant effect on our financial condition and operating results. If we are unable to provide comparative value advantages, timely fulfill customer orders, or resist pricing pressure, we will have to reduce our prices, which may reduce our profit margins. We compete with several companies across our major product lines. Because of the special nature of these products, competition is based primarily on product design and performance, although total cost is becoming increasingly important as pharmaceutical companies continue with aggressive cost-control programs across their operations. Companies often compete on the basis of price. We aim to differentiate ourselves from our competition by being a “full-service, value-added” global supplier that is able to provide pre-sale compatibility studies, engineering support, and other services and sophisticated post-sale technical support on a global basis. However, we face continued pricing pressure from our customers and competitors. If we are unable to resist or to offset the effects of continued pricing pressure through our value-added services, improved operating efficiencies and reduced expenditures, or if we have to reduce our prices, our sales and profitability may suffer. Consolidation in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries could adversely affect our future revenues and operating income. The pharmaceutical and healthcare industries have experienced a significant amount of consolidation. As a result of this consolidation, competition to provide goods and services to customers has increased. In addition, group purchasing organizations and integrated health delivery networks have served to concentrate purchasing decisions for some customers, which has placed pricing pressure on suppliers. Further consolidation within the industries we serve could exert additional pressure on the prices of our products. We are subject to regulation by governments around the world, and if these regulations are not complied with, existing and future operations may be curtailed, and we could be subject to liability. The design, development, manufacturing, marketing and labeling of certain of our products and our customers' products that incorporate our products are subject to regulation by governmental authorities in the U.S., Europe and other countries, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and the European Medicines Agency. Complying with governmental regulation can be costly and can result in required modification or withdrawal of existing products and a substantial delay in the introduction of new products. Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements or failure to obtain regulatory approval for a new product could result in expenses and actions that could adversely affect our business and financial performance. Products incorporating our technologies are subject to regulations and extensive approval or clearance processes, which make the timing and success of new-product commercialization difficult to predict. The process of obtaining FDA and other required regulatory approvals is expensive and time-consuming. Historically, most medical devices incorporating our technologies have been subject to the FDA's 510(k) marketing approval process, which typically lasts from six to nine months. Supplemental or full pre-market approval reviews require a significantly longer period, delaying commercialization. Pharmaceutical products incorporating our technologies are subject to the FDA's New Drug Application process, which typically takes a number of years to complete. Additionally, biotechnology products incorporating our technologies are subject to the FDA's Biologics License Application process, which also typically takes a number of years to complete. Outside of the U.S., sales of medical devices and pharmaceutical or biotechnology products are subject to international regulatory requirements that vary from country to country. The time required to obtain approval for sale internationally may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval. Changes in the regulation of drug products and devices may increase competitive pressure and adversely affect our business. An effect of the governmental regulation of our customers' drug products, devices, and manufacturing processes is that compliance with regulations makes it difficult to change components and devices produced by one supplier with those from another supplier, due to the large amount of data and information that customers must generate to demonstrate that the components and devices are equivalent and pose no additional risk to the patient. The regulation of our customers' products that incorporate our components and devices has increased over time. If the applicable regulations were to be modified in a way that reduced the level of data and information needed to prove equivalency for a change from one supplier's components or devices to those made by another, it is likely that the competitive pressure would increase and adversely affect our sales and profitability. If we are not successful in protecting our intellectual property rights, our ability to compete may be affected. Our patents, trademarks and other intellectual property are important to our business. We rely on patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws, as well as nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements and other methods, to protect our proprietary information, technologies and processes. We also have obligations with respect to the non-use and non-disclosure of third party intellectual property. We may need to engage in litigation or similar activities to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights of others. Any such litigation could require us to expend significant resources and divert the efforts and attention of our management and other personnel from our business operations. There can be no assurance that the steps we will take to prevent misappropriation, infringement or other violation of our intellectual property or the intellectual property of others will be successful. In addition, effective patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited for some of our intellectual property in some countries. Failure to protect our intellectual property could harm our business and results of operations. In addition, if relevant and effective patent protection is not available or has expired, we may not be able to prevent competitors from independently developing products and services similar or duplicative to ours. Disruption in our manufacturing facilities could have a material adverse effect on our ability to make and sell products and have a negative impact on our reputation, performance or financial condition. We have manufacturing sites throughout the world. In some instances, however, the manufacturing of certain product lines is concentrated in one or only a few of our plants. The functioning of our manufacturing and distribution assets and systems could be disrupted for reasons either within or beyond our control, including, without limitation: extreme weather or longer-term climatic changes; natural disasters; pandemic; war; accidental damage; disruption to the supply of material or services; product quality and safety issues; systems failure; workforce actions; or environmental contamination. There is a risk that incident management systems in place may prove inadequate and that any disruption may materially adversely affect our ability to make and sell products and, therefore, materially adversely affect our reputation, performance or financial condition. The medical technology industry is very competitive and customer demands and/or new products in the marketplace could cause a reduction in demand. The medical technology industry is subject to rapid technological changes, and we face significant competition across our product lines and in each market in which our products are sold. We face this competition from a wide range of companies, including large medical device companies, some of which have greater financial and marketing resources than we do. We also face competition from firms that are more specialized than we are with respect to particular markets. In some instances, competitors, including pharmaceutical companies, also offer, or are attempting to develop, alternative therapies for diseases that may be delivered via their own, or without, a medical device. The development of new or improved products, processes or technologies by other companies (such as needle-free injection technology) may reduce customer demand for our products or render some of our products or proposed products obsolete or less competitive. In addition, any failure or inability to meet increased customer quality expectations could cause a reduction in demand. Significant developments in U.S. policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and/or results of operations. Changes in U.S. social, political, regulatory, and economic conditions, including the impact of the 2017 Tax Act, or in laws and policies governing foreign trade, manufacturing, development, immigration, and investment could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Our international sales and operations are subject to risks and uncertainties that vary by country and which could have a material adverse effect on our business and/or results of operations. We conduct business in most of the major pharmaceutical markets in the world. Our international operations and our ability to implement our overall business strategy (including our plan to continue expanding into emerging and/or faster-growing markets outside of the U.S.) are subject to risks and uncertainties that can vary by country, and include: transportation delays and interruptions; political and economic instability and disruptions, including the United Kingdom's referendum on withdrawal from the European Union; imposition of duties and tariffs; import and export controls; the risks of divergent business expectations or cultural incompatibility inherent in establishing and maintaining operations in foreign countries; difficulties in staffing and managing multi-national operations; labor strikes and/or disputes; and potentially adverse tax consequences. Limitations on our ability to enforce legal rights and remedies with third parties or our joint venture partners outside of the U.S. could also create exposure. In addition, we may not be able to operate in compliance with foreign laws and regulations, or comply with applicable customs, currency exchange control regulations, transfer pricing regulations or any other laws or regulations to which we may be subject, in the event that these laws or regulations change. Any of these events could have an adverse effect on our international operations in the future by reducing the demand for our products or decreasing the prices at which we can sell our products, or otherwise have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Disruptions in the supply of key raw materials could adversely impact our operations. We generally purchase our raw materials and supplies required for the production of our products in the open market. For reasons of quality assurance, sole source availability or cost effectiveness, many components and raw materials are available and/or purchased only from a single supplier. Due to the stringent regulations and requirements of the FDA and other regulatory authorities regarding the manufacture of our products, we may not be able to quickly establish additional or replacement sources for these components or materials or do so without excessive cost. As a result, a reduction or interruption in supply, or an inability to secure alternative sources of raw materials or components, could have a material adverse effect on our business and/or results of operations. Raw material and energy prices have a significant impact on our profitability. If raw material and/or energy prices increase, and we cannot pass those price increases on to our customers, our profitability and financial condition may suffer. We use three basic raw materials in the manufacture of our products: elastomers (which include synthetic and natural material), aluminum and plastic. In addition, our manufacturing facilities consume a wide variety of energy products to fuel, heat and cool our operations. Supply and demand factors, which are beyond our control, generally affect the price of our raw materials and utility costs. If we are unable to pass along increased raw material prices and energy costs to our customers, our profitability, and thus our financial condition, may be adversely affected. The prices of many of these raw materials and utilities are cyclical and volatile. For example, the prices of certain commodities, particularly petroleum-based raw materials, have in the recent past exhibited rapid changes, affecting the cost of synthetic elastomers and plastic. While we generally attempt to pass along increased costs to our customers in the form of sales price increases, historically there has been a time delay between raw material and/or energy price increases and our ability to increase the prices of our products. In some circumstances, we may not be able to increase the prices of our products due to competitive pressure and other factors. If we are not timely or successful in new-product innovation or the development and commercialization of proprietary multi-component systems, our future revenues and operating income could be adversely affected. Our growth partly depends on new-product innovation and the development and commercialization of proprietary multi-component systems for injectable drug administration and other healthcare applications. Product development and commercialization is inherently uncertain and is subject to a number of factors outside of our control, including any necessary regulatory approvals and commercial acceptance for the products. The ultimate timing and successful commercialization of new products and systems requires substantial evaluations of the functional, operational, clinical and economic viability of our products. In addition, the timely and adequate availability of filling capacity is essential to both conducting definitive stability trials and the timing of commercialization of customers' products in CZ vials, syringes and cartridges. Delays, interruptions or failures in developing and commercializing new-product innovations or proprietary multi-component systems could adversely affect future revenues and operating income. In addition, adverse conditions may also result in future charges to recognize impairment in the carrying value of our goodwill and other intangible assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results. We may not succeed in finding and completing acquisition or other strategic transactions, if any, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. We have historically engaged in acquisition activity and we may in the future engage in acquisitions or other strategic transactions, such as joint ventures or investments in other entities. We may be unable to identify suitable targets, opportunistic or otherwise, for acquisitions or other strategic transactions in the future. If we identify a suitable candidate, our ability to successfully implement the strategic transaction would depend on a variety of factors including our ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms, and to comply with the restrictions contained in our debt agreements. Strategic transactions involve risks, including those associated with integrating the operations or maintaining the operations as separate (as applicable), financial reporting, disparate technologies and personnel of acquired companies, joint ventures or related companies; managing geographically dispersed operations or other strategic investments; the diversion of management's attention from other business concerns; the inherent risks in entering markets or lines of business in which we have either limited or no direct experience; unknown risks; and the potential loss of key employees, customers and strategic partners of acquired companies, joint ventures or companies in which we may make strategic investments. We may not successfully integrate any businesses or technologies we may acquire or strategically develop in the future and may not achieve anticipated revenue and cost benefits relating to any such strategic transactions. Strategic transactions may be expensive, time consuming and may strain our resources. Strategic transactions may not be accretive to our earnings and may negatively impact our results of operations as a result of, among other things, the incurrence of debt, one-time write-offs of goodwill and amortization expenses of other intangible assets. In addition, strategic transactions that we may pursue could result in dilutive issuances of equity securities. Product defects could adversely affect the results of our operations. The design, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceutical packaging and medical devices involve certain inherent risks. Manufacturing or design defects, unanticipated use of our products, or inadequate disclosure of risks relating to the use of our products can lead to injury or other adverse events. These events could lead to recalls or safety alerts relating to our products (either voluntary or required by the FDA or similar governmental authorities in other countries), and could result, in certain cases, in the removal of a product from the market. A recall could result in significant costs, as well as negative publicity and damage to our reputation that could reduce demand for our products. Personal injuries relating to the use of our products can also result in product liability claims being brought against us. In some circumstances, such adverse events could also cause delays in new product approvals. Our operations must comply with environmental statutes and regulations, and any failure to comply could result in extensive costs which would harm our business. The manufacture of some of our products involves the use, transportation, storage and disposal of hazardous or toxic materials and is subject to various environmental protection and occupational health and safety laws and regulations in the countries in which we operate. This has exposed us in the past, and could expose us in the future, to risks of accidental contamination and events of non-compliance with environmental laws. Any such occurrences could result in regulatory enforcement or personal injury and property damage claims or could lead to a shutdown of some of our operations, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. We currently incur costs to comply with environmental laws and regulations and these costs may become more significant. A loss of key personnel or highly skilled employees could disrupt our operations. Our executive officers are critical to the management and direction of our businesses. Our future success depends, in large part, on our ability to retain these officers and other key employees, including people in technical, marketing, sales and research positions. Competition for experienced employees, particularly for persons with specialized skills, can be intense. Our ability to recruit such talent will depend on a number of factors, including compensation and benefits, work location and work environment. If we cannot effectively recruit and retain qualified executives and employees, our business could be adversely affected. Although we believe that we will be able to attract and retain talented personnel and replace key personnel should the need arise, our inability to do so on a timely basis could disrupt the operations of the unit affected or our overall operations. In addition, because of the complex nature of many of our products and programs, we are generally dependent on an educated and highly skilled engineering staff and workforce. Our operations could be disrupted by a shortage of available skilled employees. The uncertain effects of potential climate change legislation could lead to significantly increased costs. If legislation or regulations are enacted or promulgated in the U.S., Europe or Asia or any other jurisdictions in which we do business that limit or reduce allowable greenhouse gas emissions and other emissions, such restrictions could have a significant effect on our operating and financial decisions, including those involving capital expenditures to reduce emissions, and our results of operations. Our manufacturing operations may not be able to operate as planned if we are not able to comply with new legal and regulatory legislation around climate change, or it may become too costly to operate in a profitable manner. Additionally, suppliers' added expenses could be passed on to us in the form of higher prices and we may not be able to pass on such expenses to our customers through price increases. Healthcare reform may adversely affect our results of operations. Changes in the U.S. or international healthcare systems, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “PPACA”), could result in reduced demand for our products, as our sales depend, in part, on the extent to which pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers and facilities are reimbursed by government authorities, private insurers and other third-party payers for the costs of our products. The coverage policies and reimbursement levels of third-party payers, which can vary among public and private sources, may affect which products customers purchase and the prices they are willing to pay for these products in a particular jurisdiction. Legislative or administrative reforms to reimbursement systems in the U.S. (including the possible termination of the PPACA and potential replacement thereafter with a different system) or abroad (for example, those under consideration in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom) could significantly reduce reimbursement for our customers' products, which could in turn reduce the demand for our products. Moreover, in the coming years, additional changes could be made to global governmental healthcare programs that could significantly impact the success of our products. We will continue to evaluate the PPACA, as amended, the implementation of regulations or guidance related to various provisions of the PPACA by federal agencies, the potential repeal and replacement of the PPACA, as well as trends and changes that may be encouraged by the legislation and other healthcare legislation globally and that may potentially impact our business over time. No assurance can be given that we will continue to pay or declare dividends. We have historically paid dividends. However, there can be no assurance that we will pay or declare dividends in the future. The actual declaration and payment of future dividends, the amount of any such dividends, and the establishment of record and payment dates, if any, are subject to determination by our Board of Directors each quarter after its review of our then-current strategy, applicable debt covenants and financial performance and position, among other things. Our declaration and payment of future dividends is subject to risks and uncertainties, including: deterioration of our financial performance or position; inability to declare a dividend in compliance with applicable laws or debt covenants; an increase in our cash needs or decrease in available cash; and the business judgment of the Board of Directors that a declaration of a dividend is not in our best interest. Our results of operations and earnings may not meet guidance or expectations. We provide public guidance on our expected results of operations for future periods. This guidance is comprised of forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties described in this Form 10-K and in our other public filings and public statements, and is based necessarily on assumptions we make at the time we provide such guidance. Our guidance may not always be accurate. If, in the future, our results of operations for a particular period do not meet our guidance or the expectations of investment analysts or if we reduce our guidance for future periods, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly. We are exposed to credit risk on accounts receivable and certain prepayments made in the normal course of business. This risk is heightened during periods when economic conditions worsen. A substantial majority of our outstanding trade receivables are not covered by collateral or credit insurance. In addition, we have made prepayments associated with insurance premiums and other advances in the normal course of business. While we have procedures to monitor and limit exposure to credit risk on trade receivables and other current assets, there can be no assurance such procedures will effectively limit our credit risk and avoid losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results. Unauthorized access to our or our customers' information and systems could negatively impact our business. We may face certain security threats, including threats to the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data and systems. We maintain an extensive network of technical security controls, policy enforcement mechanisms and monitoring systems in order to address these threats. While these measures are designed to prevent, detect and respond to unauthorized activity in our systems, certain types of attacks could result in financial or information losses and/or reputational harm. If we cannot prevent the unauthorized access, release and/or corruption of our or our customers' confidential, classified or personally identifiable information, our reputation could be damaged, and/or we could face financial losses. If we fail to comply with our obligations under our distributorship or license agreements with Daikyo, the agreements are terminated early or we are unable to renew these agreements on the same or substantially similar terms, we could lose license rights that are important to our business. Key value-added and proprietary products and processes are licensed from our affiliate, Daikyo, including but not limited to, CZ, FluroTec® and B2-coating technologies. Our rights to these products and processes are licensed pursuant to agreements that expire in 2027. However, if the agreements are terminated early, our business could be adversely impacted. ITEM IB. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS As of the filing of this Form 10-K, there were no unresolved comments from the Staff of the SEC. ITEM 2.