belfb20241231_10k.htm
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
_____________________
FORM 10-K
(MARK ONE)
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2024
or
For the transition period from ___________ to ____________
Commission File No. 000-11676
_____________________
BEL FUSE INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(State of incorporation) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
300 Executive Drive, Suite 300
West Orange, NJ07052
(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (201) 432-0463
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class Trading Symbol Name of Each Exchange on which Registered
Class A Common Stock ($0.10 par value) BELFA NASDAQ Global Select Market
Class B Common Stock ($0.10 par value) BELFB NASDAQ Global Select Market
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
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The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity of the registrant held by non-affiliates (for this purpose, persons and entities other than executive officers and directors) of the registrant, as of the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter (June 30, 2024) was $807.4 million based on the closing sale price as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:
Portions of Bel Fuse Inc.'s Definitive Proxy Statement for the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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BEL FUSE INC.
FORM 10-K INDEX
Page
Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information 1
Part I
Item 1. Business 1
Item 1A. Risk Factors 7
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 17
Item 1C. Cybersecurity 20
Item 2. Properties 18
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 18
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 18
Part II
Item 6. [Reserved] 20
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 31
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 32
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 69
Item 9B. Other Information 69
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 69
Part III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 70
Item 11. Executive Compensation 70
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 70
Part IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 71
Signatures 74
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CAUTIONARY NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
The terms the "Company," "Bel," "we," "us," and "our" as used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this "Form 10-K"or this "Annual Report on Form 10-K") refer to Bel Fuse Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise specified.
The Company's consolidated operating results are affected by a wide variety of factors that could materially and adversely affect revenues and profitability, including the risk factors described in Item 1A of this Form 10-K, and the risk factors described in our other reports and documents filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). As a result of these and other factors, the Company may experience material fluctuations in future operating results on a quarterly or annual basis, which could materially and adversely affect its business, consolidated financial condition, operating results, and common stock prices. Furthermore, this document and other reports and documents filed by the Company with the SEC contain certain forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ("Forward-Looking Statements") with respect to the business of the Company. Forward-Looking Statements are necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements. Forward-Looking Statements can be identified by such words as "anticipates," "believes," "plan," "assumes," "forecasts," "could," "should," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "potential," "seek," "predict," "may," "will" and similar references to future periods. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this report regarding our strategies, prospects, financial condition, operations, costs, plans and objectives are Forward-Looking Statements.
These Forward-Looking Statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in Item 1A of this Form 10-K, and the risk factors described in our other reports and documents filed from time to time with the SEC, which could cause actual results to differ materially from these Forward-Looking Statements. Any Forward-Looking Statements are qualified in the entirety by reference to such risk factors discussed throughout this Form 10-K and as described in our other reports and documents filed from time to time with the SEC. Some of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates or projections contained in the Forward-Looking Statements include but are not limited to:
● the continuing viability of sectors that rely on our products;
● product development, commercialization or technological difficulties;
● the regulatory and trade environment;
● uncertainties associated with legal proceedings;
The foregoing list sets forth some, but not all, of the factors that could affect our ability to achieve results described in any Forward-Looking Statements, which speak only as of the date of this Form 10-K or the date of the document incorporated by reference into this report. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation and expressly disclaim any duty to publicly release the results of any revisions to these Forward-Looking Statements or otherwise update any Forward-Looking Statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Form 10-K or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any Forward-Looking Statements contained in this Form 10-K. Any Forward-Looking Statement made by the Company is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. All Forward-Looking Statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained in this section.
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PART I
Item 1. Business
Bel Fuse Inc. designs, manufactures and markets a broad array of products that power, protect and connect electronic circuits. These products are primarily used in the defense, commercial aerospace, networking, telecommunications, computing, general industrial, high-speed data transmission, transportation and eMobility industries. Bel's portfolio of products also finds application in the automotive, medical, broadcasting and consumer electronics markets. Bel's product groups include Power Solutions and Protection (front-end, board-mount, industrial and transportation power products, module products and circuit protection), Connectivity Solutions (expanded beam fiber optic, copper-based, RF and RJ connectors and cable assemblies), and Magnetic Solutions (integrated connector modules, power transformers, power inductors and discrete components).
With more than 75 years in operation, Bel has reliably demonstrated the ability to participate in a variety of product areas across a global platform. The Company has a strong track record of technical innovation working with the engineering teams of market leaders. Bel has proven itself a valuable supplier to world-class companies by developing new products with cost effective solutions.
The Company was incorporated in 1949 and is organized under New Jersey law. Bel's principal executive offices are located at 300 Executive Drive, Suite 300, West Orange, New Jersey 07052, and Bel's telephone number is (201) 432-0463. The Company operates facilities in North America, Europe and the Middle East (referred to as the "EMEA" region throughout), and Asia and trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (ticker symbols BELFA and BELFB). For information regarding Bel's operating segments, see Note 14, "Segments", of the notes to our consolidated financial statements. Hereinafter, all references to "Note" will refer to the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8. "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
On February 3, 2025, the Company announced that Bel's current President and Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Bernstein, would be stepping down from his executive officer positions effective immediately following the Company's 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, currently scheduled to be held on May 27, 2025 (the "2025 Annual Meeting"). Subject to Mr. Bernstein's reelection at the 2025 Annual Meeting, Bel's Board of Directors (the "Board") has approved Mr. Bernstein's appointment as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board, effective on the date of the 2025 Annual Meeting. Also on February 3, 2025, the Board appointed Farouq Tuweiq as the successor President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective immediately following the 2025 Annual Meeting. The Board additionally approved the expansion of the Board to ten directors and the appointment of Mr. Tuweiq as a director on the Board, effective as of the date of the 2025 Annual Meeting. Mr. Tuweiq is expected to be nominated by the Board for election as a director for a full three-year term at the 2025 Annual Meeting.
Acquisitions have played a critical role in the growth of Bel and the expansion of both our product portfolio and our customer base and continue to be an important element in our growth strategy. We frequently evaluate possible acquisition candidates that would expand our product and technology offerings to our customers and/or optimize our overall cost structure.
On November 14, 2024, the Company closed on the acquisition of its majority 80% stake in Enercon Technologies, Ltd. (“Enercon”) pursuant to the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 19, 2024 (the “Purchase Agreement”), by and among the Company, Enercon, and FF3 Holdings, L.P., for itself and as Sellers’ Representative (“FF3”), and each of the other seller parties signatory thereto (collectively with FF3, the “Sellers”). Enercon is a leading supplier of highly customized power conversion and networking solutions to aerospace and defense markets globally, providing robust and reliable solutions across air, land and sea applications. Enercon is based in Netanya, Israel with additional facilities in New Hampshire, U.S. and Haryana, India. The Enercon business is part of Bel’s Power Solutions and Protection group. At the closing, Bel paid an aggregate of approximately $325.6 million in cash in respect of the cash purchase price (after giving effect to estimated adjustments taken at closing including for Enercon’s cash, indebtedness, net working capital and unpaid transaction costs, and subject to further adjustment post-closing). Bel funded the closing of the transaction through cash on hand of approximately $85.6 million and with approximately $240 million provided through incremental borrowings under the Company’s revolving credit facility. Pursuant to the transaction documents, Bel may acquire the remaining 20% stake in Enercon and has the current intention to so purchase such remaining interest by early 2027 in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions of a shareholders’ agreement, which was also entered into on November 14, 2024. The preceding statement regarding Bel’s intention to purchase the remaining interest in Enercon represents a Forward-Looking Statement. See "Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information." See Note 3, “Acquisition and Divestiture” for further details about the Enercon acquisition.
On February 1, 2023, Bel closed on an €8.0 million (approximately $8.8 million as of the February 2023 closing) noncontrolling (one-third) investment in innolectric AG ("innolectric"), a Germany-based business in the field of on-board charging for eMobility applications. This passive investment creates a strategic alliance that is focused on Electric Vehicles (“EV”) on-board power electronics, and in particular next generation fast-charging technology. With no product overlap, this relationship expanded the Bel eMobility Power portfolio, and further enhanced Bel's competitive position in this emerging field. The innolectric investment is part of Bel's Power Solutions and Protection group.
On March 31, 2021, the Company completed the acquisition of EOS Power ("EOS") through a stock purchase agreement for $7.8 million, net of cash acquired, including a working capital adjustment. EOS, located in Mumbai, India, enhanced Bel's position related to certain industrial and medical markets historically served by EOS, with a strong line of high-power density and low-profile products with high convection ratings. In addition to new products and customers acquired, this acquisition diversified Bel's manufacturing footprint in Asia. The EOS business is part of Bel's Power Solutions and Protection group.
On January 8, 2021, the Company acquired rms Connectors, Inc. (“rms Connectors” or "rms"), from rms Company Inc., a division of Cretex Companies, Inc., for $9.0 million in cash, including a working capital adjustment. rms Connectors is a highly regarded connector manufacturer with over 30 years of experience producing harsh environment circular connectors used in a variety of military and aerospace applications. This acquisition complemented Bel's existing military and aerospace product portfolio and enabled us to expand key customer relationships within these end markets and leverage the combined manufacturing resources to improve our operational efficiency. Originally based in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, the rms Connectors business was relocated into Bel's existing facilities during 2021 and is part of Bel's Connectivity Solutions group.
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Products
The Company primarily generates revenue through the sale of its products. Bel offers a broad array of product offerings, which are grouped as follows: Power Solutions & Protection (46% of net sales in 2024), Connectivity Solutions (41% of net sales in 2024) and Magnetic Solutions (13% of net sales in 2024). While there are key customers and end markets within each of the three product groups, there were no direct customers who accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated net sales in 2024. Our diverse product mix and customer base minimizes our dependence on any one customer or end market.
Power Solutions and Protection
Bel's power conversion products include internal and external AC/DC power supplies, DC/DC converters and DC/AC inverters. Bel circuit protection products include a board offering of surface mount and through-hole level fuses as well as Polymeric PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) devices. The Power and Protection products are primarily used in Aerospace, Defense, Servers, Storage, Networking, Transportation, Harsh Environment, Consumer, Medical and Industrial markets.
Product Line Function Applications Brands Sold Under
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Connectivity Solutions
Bel offers a comprehensive line of high speed and harsh environment copper and optical fiber connectors and integrated assemblies, which provide connectivity for a wide range of applications across multiple industries including commercial aerospace, military communications, defense, network infrastructure, structured building cabling and several industrial applications.
Product Line Function Applications Brands Sold Under
Magnetic Solutions
Bel's Magnetics offers industry-leading products. The Company's ICM products integrate RJ45 connectors with discrete magnetic components to provide better performance and a more robust device that allows customers to substantially reduce board space and optimize performance. Power Transformers include standard and custom designs for use in a wide array of applications, including industrial instrumentation, alarm and security systems, motion control, elevators, and medical products.
Product Line Function Applications Brands Sold Under
Sales and Marketing
We sell our products to customers throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Sales are made through one of three channels: strategic account managers or in some cases, regional sales managers, working directly with our customers; regional sales managers working with independent sales representative organizations; or authorized distributors. Bel's strategic account managers are assigned to handle major accounts requiring global coordination.
Independent sales representatives and authorized distributors are overseen by the Company's sales management personnel located throughout the world. As of December 31, 2024, we had a sales and support staff of approximately 240 people that supported a network of sales representative organizations and non-exclusive distributors. We have written agreements with all our sales representative organizations and most of our major distributors. These written agreements, terminable on short notice by either party, are standard in the industry.
Sales support functions have also been established and located in our international facilities to provide timely, efficient support for customers. This supplemental level of service, in addition to first-line sales support, enables us to be more responsive to customers' needs on a global level. Our marketing capabilities include product management which drives new product development, application engineering for technical support and marketing communications.
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Market Factors
Competition
We operate in a variety of markets, all of which are highly competitive. There are numerous independent companies and divisions of major companies that manufacture products that are competitive with one or more of our products.
Our ability to compete is dependent upon several factors including product performance, quality, reliability, depth of product line, customer service, technological innovation, design, delivery time and price. Overall financial stability and global presence also give us a favorable position in relation to some of our competitors. Management intends to maintain a strong competitive posture in the markets we serve by continued expansion of our product lines and ongoing investment in research, development and manufacturing resources. The preceding sentence represents a Forward-Looking Statement. See "Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information."
Trends in Market Demand
Product orders, or bookings, received during 2024 amounted to $416.8 million, a 7% decrease from 2023. By product group, orders received for our Power Solutions and Protection products amounted to $139.7 million in 2024, a 24% decrease from 2023, largely due, we believe, to our networking and distribution customers working through their existing levels of inventory on hand. Orders received for our Connectivity Solutions products were $212.1 million in 2024, 1% lower than in 2023, as a result of decreased demand from our distribution partners largely offset by a rebound in demand from our direct and aftermarket commercial aerospace and military customers. Bookings for our Magnetic Solutions products decreased by 24% from 2023 to $65.0 million in 2024, largely due to reduced demand from our networking customers.
Backlog of Orders
We typically manufacture products against firm orders and projected usage by customers. Cancellation and return arrangements are either negotiated by us on a transactional basis or contractually determined. We estimate the value of the backlog of orders as of January 31, 2025 to be approximately $388.1 million as compared with a backlog of $358.3 million as of January 31, 2024. The backlog of orders at January 31, 2025 includes $132.5 million from Enercon (acquired in November 2024). Management estimates that approximately 80%-85% of the Company's backlog as of January 31, 2025 will be shipped by December 31, 2025. Factors that could cause the Company to fail to ship all such orders by year-end include unanticipated supply difficulties, changes in customer demand and new customer designs. Due to these factors, backlog may not be a reliable indicator of the timing of future sales. The preceding statements regarding the Company’s backlog, including but not limited to estimates and anticipated timing of shipping, represent Forward-Looking Statements. See "Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information."
Research and Development ("R&D")
Our engineering groups are strategically located around the world to facilitate communication with and access to customers' engineering personnel. This collaborative approach enables partnerships with customers for technical development efforts. The global capabilities and collaborative approach allows Bel to develop leading edge technological products that support highly complex and evolving markets such as defense, commercial aerospace, eMobility, cloud computing, and others. On occasion, we execute non-disclosure agreements with customers to help develop proprietary, next generation products intended for rapid deployment. We also sponsor membership in technical organizations that allow our engineers to participate in developing standards for emerging technologies. It is management's opinion that this participation is critical in establishing credibility and a reputable level of expertise in the marketplace, as well as positioning the Company as an industry leader in new product development.
R&D costs are expensed as incurred. Generally, R&D is performed internally for the benefit of the Company. R&D costs include salaries, building maintenance and utilities, rents, materials, administrative costs and miscellaneous other items.
Resources
Raw Materials and Sourcing
We have multiple suppliers for most of the raw materials that we purchase. Where possible, we have contractual agreements with suppliers to assure a continuing supply of critical components.
With respect to those items which are purchased from single sources, we believe that comparable items would be available in the event that there were a termination of our existing business relationships with any such supplier. While such a termination could produce a disruption in production, we believe that the termination of business with any one of our suppliers would not have a material adverse effect on our long-term operations. Actual experience could differ materially from this belief as a result of a number of factors, including the time required to locate an alternative supplier, and the nature of the demand for our products.Sharp increases in metal commodity prices, particularly Copper (Cu) and Gold (Au) over the past few years continue to impact cost structures and supplier pricing. Even though we may have more than one supplier for certain materials, it is possible that these materials may not be available to us in sufficient quantities or at the times desired by us. In the event that economic conditions have a negative impact on the financial condition of our suppliers, this may impact the availability and cost of our raw materials.
Intellectual Property
We have acquired or been granted a number of patents in the U.S., Europe and Asia and have additional patent applications pending relating to our products. Our U.S. design patents have a life of 14 years and our U.S. utility patents have a life of 17 years from the date of issue or 20 years from filing of patent applications. Our existing patents expire on various dates through July 2041. It is management's opinion that the successful continuation and operation of our business does not depend upon the ownership of patents or the granting of pending patent applications, but upon the innovative skills, technical competence and marketing and managerial abilities of our personnel.
We utilize registered trademarks in the U.S., Europe and Asia to identify various products that we manufacture. The trademarks survive as long as they are in use and the registrations of these trademarks are renewed.
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Government Contracts
We must comply with and are affected by laws and regulations relating to the award, administration, and performance of U.S. Government contracts. Government contract laws and regulations affect how we do business with our customers and, in some instances, impose added costs on our business. A violation of specific laws and regulations could result in the imposition of fines and penalties or the termination of our contracts or debarment from bidding on contracts. These fines and penalties could be imposed for failing to follow procurement integrity and bidding rules, employing improper billing practices or otherwise failing to follow cost accounting standards, receiving or paying kickbacks, or filing false claims. We have been, and expect to continue to be, subjected to audits and investigations by government agencies. The failure to comply with the terms of our government contracts could harm our business reputation. It could also result in our progress payments being withheld.
In some instances, these laws and regulations impose terms or rights that are more favorable to the government than those typically available to commercial parties in negotiated transactions. For example, the U.S. Government may terminate any of our government contracts and, in general, subcontracts, at its convenience as well as for default based on performance. Upon termination for convenience of a fixed-price type contract, we normally are entitled to receive the purchase price for delivered items, reimbursement for allowable costs for work-in-process, and an allowance for profit on work actually completed on the contract or adjustment for loss if completion of performance would have resulted in a loss. Upon termination for convenience of a Federal Government cost reimbursement contract, we normally are entitled to reimbursement of allowable costs plus a portion of the fee. Such allowable costs would normally include our cost to terminate agreements with our suppliers and subcontractors. The amount of the fee recovered, if any, is related to the portion of the work accomplished prior to termination and is determined by negotiation.
Seasonality
In the PRC, the availability of labor is cyclical and is significantly affected by the migration of workers in relation to the annual Lunar New Year holiday. Each year following the Lunar New Year holiday, we must assess the worker return rate and whether it is adequate to meet the needs of current demand from our customers. Accordingly, we must continually recruit and train new workers to replace those lost to attrition each year and to address peaks in demand that may occur from time to time. This temporary setback in production has historically resulted in our first quarter sales being the lowest sales quarter of the year. Further, recruiting and training efforts and related inefficiencies, as well as overtime required in order to meet demand, can add volatility to the costs incurred by the Company for labor in the PRC, primarily during the first quarter of the year.
Government Regulations
The Company is subject to various government regulations in the United States as well as various jurisdictions where it operates. These regulations cover several diverse areas including trade compliance, anti-bribery, anti-corruption, money laundering, and data and privacy protection. Regulatory or government authorities where the Company operates may have enforcement powers that can subject the company to legal penalties or other measures and can impose changes or conditions in the way it conducts business.
Human Capital Resources, Strategy and Management
At Bel, our values guide everything we do. We are committed to the highest standards of ethical and legal conduct and have created an environment where open and honest communication is the expectation, not the exception. Failing to do so puts Bel’s name, reputation for integrity and business at risk. We hold all employees of Bel (our associates) to this standard and offer the same in return. Our Code of Ethics was created to ensure that our associates, officers, directors, partners, contractors, and suppliers follow our commitment to customer satisfaction in accordance with ethical and legal standards, guided by the basic, unchanging principle of integrity.
Our Human Capital Strategy is built around four areas:
Extraordinary Performance
Our associates are a critical driver of Bel’s global business results. On December 31, 2024, Bel employed approximately 5,370 associates, almost all of which are full-time, across 15 countries, with 31.0% located within North America. Outside of the United States, our largest employee populations were located within the PRC, Mexico, Slovakia, the Dominican Republic, Israel, India and the United Kingdom. We regularly monitor various key performance indicators around the key human capital priorities of attracting, retaining, and engaging our global talent. In addition, we enable the execution of our strategic priorities by providing all associates with access to training and development opportunities to improve critical skill sets.
Great Associates
Bel is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that respects and encourages individual differences, diversity of thought, and talent. We strive to create a workplace where associates feel that their contributions are welcomed and valued, allowing them to fully utilize their talents while achieving personal satisfaction in their respective roles within Bel.
Across the organization, we invest in our people to learn in a variety of ways - on the job, in the classroom, through self-directed learning, and through leadership programs. We have expanded our learning management system to make new content and training available to our associates. The Company has advanced its leadership development programs and continues to enhance internship and apprenticeship programs to develop new talent.
Health and Safety
Bel offers a variety of programs globally to protect the health and safety of our associates. While we maintain targets for year-over-year reduction of the total recordable incident rate and serious injuries, our goal is always zero.
Culture
In an increasingly competitive global marketplace, Bel succeeds when we attract and retain the best talent in the communities in which we operate, without regard to race, sex, religion, national origin, disability status, veteran status, or any other protected category. We support this commitment by participating in networking and community events and actively recruiting a broad group of qualified candidates.
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As a global leader in delivering reliable solutions, Bel has signed a Statement of Support Program declaration to show support for National Guard and Reserve member associates coordinated by the Department of Defense's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) program. The intent of the program is to increase employer support by encouraging employers to act as advocates for associate participation in the military.
The global human resources team members are strategically placed, primarily in manufacturing facilities, to provide support to all our associates. The mission of human resources is to attract, retain and engage the best people. We create a positive work environment where associates can make a difference.
As a company that has been in business for over 75 years, Bel understands the importance of trust, integrity and accountability of all levels of the organization. Our policies, practices and priorities are continually reviewed to align with the best interests of our associates, shareholders and other stakeholders.
Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Matters
Bel is committed to creating a better tomorrow by understanding how our actions impact the world around us. We aim to accomplish this by making tangible steps, big and small, to invest in our communities, to seek to minimize environmental impact and to promote alignment of interest among stakeholders. As an organization that thrives on learning and continuous improvement, Bel welcomes and embraces change. Over the last few years, we have worked to drive continuous improvements in these areas. Oversight of Bel’s compliance with government-mandated ESG disclosures and reporting requirements and other internal initiatives starts at the Board level, through its Nominating and ESG Committee. Bel also has an internal ESG Committee whose purpose is to support the Company’s ongoing commitment to ESG matters including environmental stewardship, health and safety, corporate social responsibility, corporate governance, sustainability, and other related issues of significance to the Company. Bel’s internal ESG Committee provides updates to either the Nominating and ESG Committee or to the full Board on a quarterly basis.
Environmental
At Bel, we understand the impact of climate change upon so many aspects of our lives and our future, and we are committed to reducing environmental impact for a more sustainable tomorrow. We consistently look for alternatives and approaches to consider in Bel’s business and strategies at multiple levels, from improving the efficiency ratings of our products and factories to better managing our consumption habits of electricity and water.
Bel has started the process of measuring the impact of its operations on the environment and intends to utilize these measurements to establish reduction goals and related initiatives throughout the global organization. Today we have 22 manufacturing facilities of various sizes and five of them are ISO 14001 certified and represent 63% of our manufacturing footprint. These five sites have been measuring their consumption levels of natural gas, electricity and water and have targets in place for reducing consumption and waste and improving recycling efforts. For the rest of our manufacturing sites, we intend to follow an approach comparable to the template laid out with these five as we begin the process of better understanding our impact.
Social
Associates are the cornerstone of our business and key to our success. At Bel, we believe in the need for diversity and inclusion that reflects the communities in which we work and live. Associates are encouraged to bring with them their unique perspectives, opinions and experiences as they work for the betterment of Bel, its customers and the locations in which we operate. Bel recognizes its role in the global community and giving back is a priority. From coaching their local sports team to raising funds for local charities of choice, Bel supports and encourages our associates’ participation in these types of activities.
2024 Charitable Contribution Program:
In 2022, Bel launched a Company-wide Charitable Contribution Program to ensure consistency and drive our corporate values across the organization. The social program is also in alignment with our Core Value of Community Engagement and directly reflects the ambitions of our ESG initiative to support the global communities within which we operate. In 2024, the program resulted in contributions of $168,975 to 48 local charities across 13 countries. There was a matching program for the organizations selected and associates who donated. In addition, associates volunteered 6,007 hours to support their local communities, an increase from the 3,181 volunteer hours in 2023.
Governance
As a company that has been in business for more than 75 years, Bel understands the importance of trust, integrity and accountability at all levels of the organization. Recent additions to our Board and executive management team have brought greater diversity and new perspectives to Bel. We intend that our policies, practices and priorities will be periodically and continually reviewed as appropriate to better align with the best interests of our shareholders, associates and other stakeholders.
In addition to the Board-level ESG oversight, the Company adheres to Bel’s Corporate Governance Guidelines which are available at https://ir.belfuse.com/corporate-governance. These guidelines, which are designed to enhance the Company’s corporate governance, serve as a framework within which the Board will conduct its business, subject to applicable laws, regulations, listing requirements, and the Company’s organizational documents and Board committee charters.
The foregoing discussion of ESG matters contains Forward-Looking Statements. See "Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information."
Available Information
We maintain a website at www.belfuse.com where we make available free of charge the proxy statements, press releases, registration statements and reports on Forms 3, 4, 5, 8-K, 10-K and 10-Q, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that we (and in the case of Section 16 reports, our insiders) file with the SEC. These forms are made available as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Press releases are also issued via electronic transmission to provide access to our financial and product news, and we provide notification of and access to voice and internet broadcasts of our quarterly and annual results. Our website also includes investor presentations and corporate governance materials. The information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
The risks described below should be carefully considered before making an investment decision. These are the risk factors that we consider to be material, but they are not the only risk factors that should be considered in making an investment decision. This Form 10-K also contains Forward-Looking Statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See the "Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information," above. Our business, consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any of the risk factors described below, under "Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information" or with respect to specific Forward-Looking Statements presented herein. The trading price of our securities could decline due to any of these risks, and investors in our securities may lose all or part of their investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also materially adversely affect our business in the future. Except as required by the federal securities law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any risk factor, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
STRATEGIC RISKS
We conduct business in a highly competitive industry.
Our business operates in a globally competitive industry, with relatively low barriers to entry. We compete principally on the basis of product performance, quality, reliability, depth of product line, customer service, technological innovation, design, delivery time and price. The industry in which we operate has become increasingly concentrated and globalized in recent years and our major competitors, many of which are larger than Bel, have significant financial resources and technological capabilities.
Our intellectual property rights may not be adequately protected under the current state of the law.
Our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights through patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws in the United States and in other countries may not prevent misappropriation, and our failure or inability to protect our proprietary rights could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and future prospects. A third party could, without authorization, copy or otherwise appropriate our proprietary information. Our agreements with employees and others who participate in development activities could be breached, we may not have adequate remedies for any breach, and our trade secrets may otherwise become known or independently developed by competitors.
Our acquisitions may not produce the anticipated results.
A significant portion of our growth has been attributable to acquisitions. We cannot assure that we will identify or successfully complete transactions with suitable acquisition candidates in the future. If an acquired business fails to operate as anticipated or cannot be successfully integrated with our other businesses, our results of operations, enterprise value, market value and prospects could all be materially and adversely affected. Integration of new acquisitions into our consolidated operations may result in lower average operating results for the group as a whole, and may divert management's focus from the ongoing operations of the Company during the integration period.
Our strategy also focuses on the reduction of selling, general and administrative expenses through the integration or elimination of redundant sales facilities and administrative functions at acquired companies. If we are unable to achieve our expectations with respect to our acquisitions, such inability could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations. If the acquisitions fail to perform up to our expectations, or if there is a weakening of economic conditions, we could be required to record impairment charges on the goodwill and/or other assets associated with our acquisitions.
We may encounter unanticipated difficulties following our November 2024 acquisition of our 80%-owned Enercon subsidiary, including if we are unable to integrate the Enercon business successfully, or if we fail to realize the expected benefits and synergies of the acquisition within the expected time period (if at all). In addition, our business may be disrupted if our intended acquisition of the remaining 20% stake in Enercon is not completed for any reason.
In November 2024, we completed our acquisition of our 80% interest in Enercon. The success of our recently-closed Enercon acquisition will depend, in significant part, on our ability to successfully integrate the acquired business, establish and maintain good relationships with new and existing customers, suppliers, and other business partners, grow the revenue of the consolidated company and realize the anticipated strategic benefits and synergies. The combination of businesses is a complex, costly and time-consuming process. As a result, while we have devoted significant management attention and resources prior to closing in preparation for integration, we expect to continue to devote significant management attention and resources now that the acquisition has closed in order to complete the integration of business practices and operations. We may encounter unanticipated difficulties or delays with the integration process, or may incur unexpected or higher than expected expenditures associated with the integration process and matters related to the acquisition. The integration process may disrupt Bel's legacy and acquired businesses and, if implemented ineffectively, would impair the realization of the full expected benefits. The anticipated opportunities in terms of potential growth and expansion offered by, and the anticipated benefits of, the Enercon acquisition may not be realized fully or at all, or may take longer to realize than we expect. Actual operating, strategic and revenue opportunities, if achieved at all, may be less significant than we expect or may take longer to achieve than anticipated. If we are not able to achieve these objectives and realize the anticipated benefits and synergies expected from the Enercon acquisition within a reasonable time, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected.
Pursuant to the transaction documents governing the Enercon acquisition, Bel may acquire the remaining 20% stake in Enercon and has the current intention to so purchase such remaining interest by early 2027 in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions of the shareholders’ agreement, which was entered into at the November 14, 2024 closing on the initial 80% interest. The purchase of the remaining 20% interest in Enercon is subject to the put-call mechanism set forth in the shareholders’ agreement and the other terms and conditions thereof. There can be no assurances that we will complete the acquisition of the remaining 20% interest in Enercon by early 2027 as intended, or at all. Any failure to complete our intended acquisition of the remaining 20% interest may disrupt our plans, operations, and relationships with customers, suppliers, distributors, business partners and regulators, can cause potential difficulties in employee retention, and can have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We are dependent on our ability to develop new products.
Our future operating results are dependent, in part, on our ability to develop, produce and market new and more technologically advanced products. There are numerous risks inherent in this process, including the risks that we will be unable to anticipate the direction of technological change or that we will be unable to timely develop and bring to market new products and applications to meet customers' changing needs.
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OPERATIONAL RISKS
Our global operations and demand for our products face risks related to public health crises, including potential future outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics.
Any outbreaks of contagious diseases and other adverse public health developments in countries where we operate could have a material and adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations. In the past, our business was impacted by temporary facility closures, shelter-in-place orders and challenges related to travel restrictions imposed by the local governmental authorities as a result of a health epidemic, including precautionary measures during the coronavirus pandemic. Our suppliers, customers and our customers’ contract manufacturers have experienced similar challenges from time to time. Any future outbreaks, health epidemics or pandemics could result in similar measures, which may materially adversely affect our financial results.
We may experience labor unrest.
As we periodically implement transfers of certain of our operations, we may experience strikes or other types of labor unrest as a result of lay-offs or termination of employees in higher labor cost countries. Our manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom and Mexico are represented by labor unions and substantially all of our factory workers in the PRC are represented by government-sponsored unions.
We may experience labor shortages.
Government, economic, social and labor policies in the PRC may cause shortages of factory labor in areas where we have some of our products manufactured. Further, availability of labor in the PRC is cyclical and is significantly affected by the migration of workers in relation to the annual Lunar New Year holiday. If we are required to manufacture more of these products outside of the PRC as a result of such shortages, our margins will likely be materially adversely affected.
A shortage of availability or an increase in the cost of raw materials, components and other resources may adversely impact our ability to procure these items at cost effective prices and thus may negatively impact profit margins. Our access to parts or materials, and our ability to contract with suppliers, may be limited or prohibited from time to time by trade restrictions or other legal or regulatory enactments. Additionally, inflationary pressures could result in higher input costs and materially adversely affect our financial results.
Our results of operations may be materially adversely impacted by difficulties in obtaining raw materials, supplies, power, labor, natural resources and any other items needed for the production of our products, as well as by the effects of quality deviations in raw materials and the effects of significant fluctuations in the prices of existing inventories and purchase commitments for these materials. Many of these materials and components are produced by a limited number of suppliers and their availability to us may be constrained by supplier capacity. Any material disruption could materially adversely affect our financial results.
Additionally, our access to parts or materials, and our ability to contract with suppliers utilized previously, may be limited or prohibited from time to time by trade restrictions or other legal or regulatory enactments. We anticipate continued downward pressure on our Power sales given trade restrictions on one of our former suppliers previously utilized for this segment, which had historically supported approximately $3 to $4 million per quarter of our sales into the consumer end market. We are currently evaluating alternative manufacturing options for the components previously supplied by this manufacturer. To the extent our suppliers in the PRC are negatively impacted by new or amended regulations, any such negative implications could adversely impact our supply chain, including in the form of increased costs, disruptions, shortages or unavailability of product or component parts, and/or other deleterious consequences, which could materially adversely affect our business and operating results.
In addition, inflationary pressures could result in higher input costs, including those related to our raw materials, labor, freight, utilities, healthcare and other expenses. Our future operating results will depend, in part, on our continued ability to manage these fluctuations through pricing actions, cost savings initiatives and sourcing decisions, and any negative impact of inflation could materially adversely affect our financial results.
See “Overview - Key Factors Affecting our Business" in Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of how pricing and availability of materials is currently impacting our business.
Demand in Enercon’s end markets can be cyclical, impacting the demand for its products, and Enercon’s business could be materially adversely affected by reductions in defense spending.
Our majority 80%-owned subsidiary Enercon is a leading supplier of highly customized power conversion and networking solutions to aerospace and defense markets globally. For full fiscal year 2024, approximately 93% and 7% of Enercon’s revenue was attributable to the defense and aerospace end markets, respectively. Demand in Enercon’s end-use markets can be sensitive to general economic conditions, competitive influences, and fluctuations in inventory levels throughout the supply chain. Enercon’s sales are sensitive to the market conditions present in the industries in which the ultimate consumers of its products operate, which in some cases have been highly cyclical and subject to substantial downturns.
As a result of the high correlation to government spending on defense and budgeting, Enercon has experienced, and in the future, it may experience, significant fluctuations in sales and results of operations with respect to a substantial portion of our total product offering, and such fluctuations could be material and adverse to our overall financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Because certain of Enercon’s products are used in a variety of land, air and sea defense applications, Enercon derives a substantial portion of its revenue from the defense industry. For full fiscal year 2024, approximately 93% of Enercon’s revenue was derived from customers in the defense industry. Although many of the programs under which Enercon sells products to prime U.S. and Israeli government contractors extend several years, they are subject to annual funding through governmental appropriations. While spending authorizations for defense-related programs by the U.S. and Israeli governments have increased in recent years, these spending levels may not be sustainable and could significantly decline. Future levels of expenditures, authorizations, and appropriations for programs Enercon supports may decrease or shift to programs in areas where Enercon does not currently provide services. Changes in spending authorizations, appropriations, and budgetary priorities could also occur due to a shift in the number, and intensity, of potential and ongoing conflicts, shifts in spending priorities from national defense as a result of competing demands for government funds, or other factors. Enercon’s business prospects, financial condition or operating results could be materially harmed among other causes by the following: (1) budgetary constraints affecting U.S. and/or Israeli government spending generally, or specific departments or agencies in particular, and changes in available funding; (2) changes in government programs or requirements; and (3) a prolonged government shutdown and other potential delays in the appropriations process.
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We have substantial manufacturing operations located in the PRC, which exposes us to significant risks that could materially and adversely affect our business, operations, consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations.
The majority of Bel's Magnetic Solutions manufacturing capacity and supplier base is located in the PRC, as is a portion of Bel's Power Solutions and Protection group. As of December 31, 2024, 41% of our associates, 62% of our owned or leased manufacturing facilities (by square footage) and 7.3% of our Company’s tangible assets were all located in the PRC. Our Company’s presence and operations in the PRC expose us to significant risks that could materially and adversely affect our Company and our business, operations, financial position and results of operations.
For example, our significant operational presence in the PRC exposes us to foreign currency exchange risk. Our PRC-based manufacturing associates’ salaries, and other labor and overhead costs, associated with our PRC operations are paid in the Chinese renminbi. As a result, the cost of our operations and our consolidated operating results may be adversely impacted by the effects of fluctuations in the applicable exchange rate for the renminbi as compared to the U.S dollar.
Our significant labor force based within the PRC subjects us to risks associated with staffing and managing this substantial complement of factory workers and other associates who are important to our Company’s operations and success. As noted above, factory workers in the PRC are represented by government-sponsored unions, and are participants in a cyclical labor market that may become subject to shortages including as a result of PRC government policies. See “We may experience labor unrest” and “We may experience labor shortages” above. Wage rates in the PRC have been increasing in recent years as PRC government-mandated increases in the minimum wage rate have caused an increase in our overall pay scale for our PRC workers.
The PRC government has broad authority and discretion to regulate the economy, manufacturing, industry, and the technology sector, among other areas generally. As a result, our activities and operations in the PRC as well as those of our PRC-based suppliers are subject to extensive local government regulation. Additionally, the PRC government has implemented policies from time to time to regulate economic expansion. It exercises significant control over its economic growth through the allocation of resources, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Any additional new regulations or the amendment of previously implemented regulations could require us to change our business plans, increase our costs, or limit our ability to manufacture and sell products domestically and/or otherwise restrict or curtail our operations in the PRC. To the extent our suppliers in the PRC are negatively impacted by new or amended regulations, any such negative implications could adversely impact our supply chain, including in the form of increased costs, disruptions, shortages or unavailability of product or component parts, and/or other deleterious consequences, which could materially adversely affect our business and operating results.
Our significant manufacturing operations in the PRC may expose us to other risks. Risks inherent in our PRC operations include the following:
● transportation delays and other supply chain issues;
● economic, social and political instability;
In addition to the risks associated with our PRC operations described above, the global nature of our operations generally subjects us to additional risks. We conduct operations in 15 countries, and outside of the United States (and the PRC), our largest manufacturing operations and associate populations are located within Mexico, Slovakia, the Dominican Republic, Israel, India and the United Kingdom. Please see the Risk Factors appearing below under the captions, "We may face risks related to conducting business in Israel" and "The global nature of our operations exposes us to numerous risks that could materially adversely affect our consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations.”
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We may face risks related to conducting business in Israel.
Following our November 2024 acquisition of Enercon, we may be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, risks related to conducting business in Israel. Enercon, in which we acquired an 80% stake at the November 2024 closing and intend to acquire the remaining 20% interest by early 2027, is based in Netanya, Israel with additional facilities in New Hampshire, U.S. and Haryana, India. Enercon has approximately 300 employees located in Israel.
Companies based in or operating in, or having a significant number of employees located in Israel, may be more susceptible to political and economic instability. Political, economic and military conditions in Israel may directly affect their business. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, a number of armed conflicts have occurred between Israel and its neighbors. In October 2023, Hamas conducted several terrorist attacks in Israel resulting in ongoing war across the country, forcing the closure of many businesses in Israel for several days. In addition, there continues to be hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, both of which resulted in rockets being fired into Israel, causing casualties and disruption of economic activities. In early 2023, there were a number of changes proposed to the political system in Israel by the current government which, if implemented as planned, could lead to large-scale protests and additional uncertainty, negatively impacting the operating environment in Israel. Uprisings in various countries in the Middle East over the last few years have also affected the political stability of those countries and have led to a decline in the regional security situation. Such instability may also lead to deterioration in the political and trade relationships that exist between Israel and these countries. Any armed conflicts, terrorist activities or political instability involving Israel or other countries in the region, as well as any interruption or curtailment of trade between Israel and its present trading partners, could adversely affect the business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and prospects of Enercon, and thus of consolidated Bel. In addition, any of these events or circumstances involving Israel or the region prior to the completion of our intended acquisition of the remaining 20% stake in Enercon may delay or prevent the completion of our purchase of the remaining 20% interest.
A number of countries, principally in the Middle East, still restrict doing business with Israel and Israeli companies, and additional countries may impose restrictions on doing business with Israel and Israeli companies if hostilities in Israel or political instability in the region continue or intensify. In addition, there have been increased efforts by activists to cause companies and consumers to boycott Israeli goods based on policies promulgated by the Israeli Government. Such boycotts, particularly if they become more widespread, may adversely impact the business of our Enercon subsidiary or Bel’s broader business.
The operations of our Enercon subsidiary could also be disrupted by the absence for significant periods of one or more key employees or a significant number of other employees because of military service. Enercon’s employees in Israel may be obligated to perform military reserve duty, and in certain emergency circumstances, employees may be called to immediate and unlimited active duty in the Israeli armed forces.
The loss of certain substantial customers could materially and adversely affect us.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, there were no direct customers or ultimate end customers whose sales exceeded 10% of our 2024 consolidated net sales. While there were no customers who exceeded 10% of our net sales in 2024, we have experienced significant concentrations of customers in prior years (see Note 14, "Segments"). Furthermore, factors that negatively impact the businesses of our major customers could materially and adversely affect us even if the customer represents less than 10% of our 2024 consolidated net sales.
We may not achieve all of the expected benefits from our restructuring programs.
Over the past three years, the Company has undertaken a series of facility consolidations around the world, as further described in "Overview - Key Factors Affecting our Business - Restructuring" in Item 7 of this Annual Report. We make certain assumptions in estimating the anticipated savings we expect to achieve related to these initiatives, which include the estimated savings from the elimination of certain headcount and the consolidation of facilities. These assumptions may turn out to be incorrect due to a variety of factors. In addition, our ability to realize the expected benefits from these programs is subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. If we are unsuccessful in implementing these programs or if we do not achieve our expected results, our results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected or our business operations could be disrupted.
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FINANCIAL RISKS
There are several factors which can cause our margins to suffer.
Our margins could be substantially impacted by the following factors:
Profit margins will be materially and adversely impacted if we are not able to reduce our costs of production, introduce technological innovations as sales prices decline, or pass through cost increases to customers.
Changes in trade policies and tariffs and other factors beyond our control remain uncertain and may materially adversely impact our results. The imposition of new or increased tariffs and trade restrictions, particularly with respect to the PRC and Mexico, may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
A significant portion of our electronic components, sub-assemblies, and finished products are manufactured in or sourced from the PRC and Mexico. We currently estimate that approximately 12-13% of our sales relate to product shipped from the PRC into the U.S., with an additional approximately 4% of our sales relating to product shipped from Mexico into the U.S. Additionally, as a global organization our business involves a material volume of shipments into and out of the U.S. to and from a number of other countries, including India and throughout Europe. The ongoing implementation and modification of tariffs, trade restrictions, and changes in trade agreements involving the aforementioned countries, together with general uncertainty about future changes in policy (including any new regulations, increased tariff rates, new tariffs or trade restrictions that may be implemented), could substantially increase our operating costs, reduce demand for our products and disrupt our supply chain. At this time, it remains unclear what further measures will be implemented or if additional countries may impose retaliatory tariffs. Any new or continued trade disputes or increased tensions between the U.S. and other countries, and any governmental actions, including further increases of existing tariffs or the imposition of new tariffs, may further exacerbate any increases to our operating costs, decreases in demand for our products, and disruptions to our supply chain. While we continue to implement strategies to mitigate these impacts, including diversifying our manufacturing footprint and seeking alternative suppliers, these efforts may not be fully successful and could result in increased costs, delayed shipments, and reduced margins.
Specifically regarding the PRC, recent actions by the U.S. government to impose and potentially expand tariffs on Chinese-origin goods, particularly in the electronics and semiconductor sectors, have increased our production and procurement costs. These tariffs, combined with potential retaliatory measures by Chinese authorities, could further increase the cost of our products and components or limit our ability to source critical materials and parts. Additionally, ongoing geopolitical tensions and potential expansion of export controls or restrictions on technology transfers could further complicate our supply chain operations and impact our ability to maintain competitive pricing.
With respect to our Mexican manufacturing operations and sourcing activities, changes in trade policies, including potential modifications to or withdrawal from existing trade agreements, could result in increased tariffs and other trade barriers. Such changes could necessitate significant modifications to our regional manufacturing strategy and supply chain organization, potentially resulting in supply chain disruptions and inventory management challenges leading to higher input costs, increased manufacturing costs and a potential loss of customers.
Our efforts to mitigate these risks through supply chain diversification, pricing adjustments, and operational restructuring may not be successful and could result in:
● Reduced profit margins if we are unable to pass increased costs to customers
● Loss of market share to competitors with different supply chain structures
● Increased operating costs from maintaining redundant supply sources
● Potential quality control challenges from new or alternate suppliers
● Increased complexity in regulatory compliance and trade documentation
The continuation or escalation of trade tensions, particularly with the PRC and Mexico, could result in material adverse effects on our business that may not be fully mitigated by our ongoing adaptation efforts. Additionally, the uncertainty surrounding future trade policies and potential regulatory changes complicates our long-term planning and investment decisions, potentially affecting our competitive position in the global electronics market.
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Our backlog figures may not be reliable indicators.
Many of the orders that comprise our backlog may be delayed, accelerated or canceled by customers without penalty. Customers may on occasion double order from multiple sources to ensure timely delivery when lead times are particularly long. Customers often cancel orders when business is weak and inventories are excessive. Additional factors that could cause the Company to fail to ship orders comprising our backlog include unanticipated supply difficulties, changes in customer demand and new customer designs. Due to the foregoing factors, we cannot be certain that the amount of our backlog equals or exceeds the level of orders that will ultimately be delivered, and backlog may not be a reliable indicator of the timing of future sales. Our results of operations could be adversely impacted if customers cancel a material portion of orders in our backlog.
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.
Our ability to make scheduled payments on or refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which are subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business, legislative, regulatory and other factors beyond our control. We may be unable to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness.
If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to reduce or delay acquisitions, investments and capital expenditures or to dispose of material assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to effect any such alternative measures on commercially reasonable terms or at all and, even if successful, those alternative actions may not allow us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. Our credit agreement restricts our ability to dispose of assets and use the proceeds from those dispositions and may also restrict our ability to raise debt or equity capital to be used to repay other indebtedness when it becomes due. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain proceeds in an amount sufficient to meet any debt service obligations then due.
Our inability to generate sufficient cash flows to satisfy our debt obligations, or to refinance our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all, would materially and adversely affect our consolidated financial position and consolidated results of operations. If we cannot make scheduled payments on our debt, we will be in default, the lenders under the credit agreement could terminate their commitments to loan money, the lenders could foreclose against the assets securing their borrowings and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.
Our level of indebtedness could negatively impact our access to the capital markets and our ability to satisfy financial covenants under our existing credit agreement.
We have incurred substantial amounts of indebtedness to fund the acquisition of Enercon in 2024, and we may need to incur additional indebtedness to finance operations or for other general corporate purposes. Our consolidated principal amount of outstanding indebtedness was $287.5 million at December 31, 2024, resulting in a Leverage Ratio of 2.1x Consolidated EBITDA, each as defined and calculated in accordance with our credit agreement. Accordingly, our U.S. debt service requirements are significant in relation to our U.S. revenue and cash flow. This leverage exposes us to risk in the event of downturns in our business, in our industry or in the economy generally, and may impair our operating flexibility and our ability to compete effectively. Our current credit agreement requires us to maintain certain covenant ratios. For example, the applicable credit agreement covenant pertaining to the Leverage Ratio referenced above provides, subject to certain exceptions, that our Leverage Ratio must not exceed 3.50 to 1.00. Additionally, the interest rate that we pay under our credit agreement increases as our Leverage Ratio increases. If we do not continue to satisfy the required ratios including the Leverage Ratio or receive waivers from our lenders, we will be in default under the credit agreement, which could result in an accelerated maturity of our debt obligations. We cannot assure investors that we will be able to access private or public debt or equity on satisfactory terms, or at all. Any equity financing that could be arranged may dilute existing shareholders and any debt financing that could be arranged may result in the imposition of more stringent financial and operating covenants.
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LEGAL, TAX AND REGULATORY RISKS
We may be sued by third parties for alleged infringement of their proprietary rights and we may incur defense costs and possibly royalty obligations or lose the right to use technology important to our business.
From time to time, we receive claims by third parties asserting that our products violate their intellectual property rights. Any intellectual property claims, with or without merit, could be time consuming and expensive to litigate or settle and could divert management attention from administering our business. A third party asserting infringement claims against us or our customers with respect to our current or future products may materially and adversely affect us by, for example, causing us to enter into costly royalty arrangements or forcing us to incur settlement or litigation costs.
We are subject to taxation in multiple jurisdictions. As a result, any adverse development in the tax laws of any of these jurisdictions or any disagreement with our tax positions could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition or consolidated results of operations.
We are subject to taxation in, and to the tax laws and regulations of, multiple jurisdictions as a result of the international scope of our operations and our corporate and financing structure. We are also subject to transfer pricing laws with respect to our intercompany transactions, including those relating to the flow of funds among our companies. Adverse developments in fiscal or tax laws, regulations or policies, or any change in position regarding the application, administration or interpretation thereof, in any applicable jurisdiction, could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition or consolidated results of our operations. In addition, the tax authorities in any applicable jurisdiction, including the United States, may disagree with the positions we have taken or intend to take regarding the tax treatment or characterization of any of our transactions. If any applicable tax authorities, including U.S. tax authorities, were to successfully challenge the tax treatment or characterization of any of our transactions, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition or consolidated results of our operations.
Our results of operations may be materially and adversely impacted by environmental and other regulations.
Our manufacturing operations, products and/or product packaging are subject to environmental laws and regulations governing air emissions; wastewater discharges; the handling, disposal and remediation of hazardous substances, wastes and certain chemicals used or generated in our manufacturing processes; employee health and safety labeling or other notifications with respect to the content or other aspects of our processes, products or packaging; restrictions on the use of certain materials in or on design aspects of our products or product packaging; and, responsibility for disposal of products or product packaging. Discussions and proposals related to gas emissions and climate change have increasingly become the subject of substantial attention; additional regulation in this area could have the effect of restricting our business operations or increasing our operating costs. More stringent environmental regulations may be enacted in the future, and we cannot presently determine the modifications, if any, in our operations that any such future regulations might require, or the cost of compliance with these regulations.
We are subject to, and may continue to be subject to, incremental costs, risks, and regulations associated with global environmental and sustainability initiatives. Evolving expectations relating to environmental, social and governance considerations expose us to potential liabilities, increased costs, reputational harm and other adverse effects on our business.
There is heightened public and regulatory scrutiny regarding environmental sustainability and climate impact. This increased focus has resulted in numerous international frameworks, regulatory requirements, and industry standards. In addition to general environmental risks whereby we may be adversely affected by severe weather patterns and environmental events, we face evolving compliance obligations related to sustainability reporting, carbon footprint reduction, and environmental impact mitigation. Moreover, our key customers and partners are implementing increasingly stringent environmental performance criteria within their value chains. Any actual or perceived deficiency in meeting these standards could materially impact our market position, customer relationships, and overall business performance.
Given our extensive operational presence across multiple jurisdictions, emerging environmental regulations beyond our current compliance programs could impose significant additional burdens. These may include enhanced monitoring requirements, technology upgrades, operational modifications, and expanded reporting obligations. The associated costs could materially affect our operating expenses, capital allocation decisions, and competitive position.
Regulatory frameworks continue to evolve rapidly across our key markets. The European Union's enhanced environmental reporting framework introduces comprehensive sustainability disclosure requirements affecting both domestic and international operators. In the United States, recent federal initiatives have established new environmental disclosure standards for public companies, though implementation timelines remain subject to ongoing legal review. We are actively developing compliance frameworks for these requirements, which may require substantial operational adjustments and resources.
At the state level, several jurisdictions have enacted or proposed environmental accountability legislation with varying requirements and enforcement mechanisms. These regional variations create additional complexity in maintaining comprehensive compliance programs. We anticipate increased administrative burden and compliance costs as these requirements come into effect.
Beyond regulatory compliance, we face several emerging environmental and sustainability risks, including but not limited to:
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Our ability to effectively navigate these evolving environmental requirements while maintaining operational efficiency and market competitiveness may have material impacts on our financial condition, operational results, and strategic positioning.
Many governments, regulators, investors, employees, customers and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) considerations relating to businesses. At the same time, there are efforts by some stakeholders and policymakers to reduce companies’ attention to certain ESG-related matters. Advocates and opponents of ESG matters are increasingly resorting to a range of activism to promote their viewpoints, which may require us to incur additional costs or otherwise adversely impact our business. Some stakeholders may disagree with our goals and initiatives and the focus of stakeholders may change and evolve over time. Stakeholders also may have very different views on where ESG focus should be placed, including differing views of regulators in various jurisdictions in which we operate. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to achieve any goals that we may set, further our initiatives, adhere to our public statements, comply with federal, state or international ESG laws and regulations, or meet evolving and varied stakeholder expectations and standards could result in legal and regulatory proceedings against us and materially adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition and stock price.
Expanding and evolving data privacy laws and regulations could impact our business and expose us to increased liability.
Our global business is subject to complex and changing laws and regulations including but not limited to privacy, data security and data localization. Evolving foreign events may adversely affect our revenues and could subject us to new regulatory costs and challenges (such as the transfer of personal data between the EU and the United Kingdom), in addition to other adverse effects that we are unable to effectively anticipate. This may impose significant requirements on how we collect, process and transfer personal data, as well as significant financial penalties for non-compliance. Any inability to adequately address privacy concerns, even if unfounded, or to comply with the more complex privacy or data protection laws, regulations and privacy standards, could lead to significant financial penalties, which may result in a material and adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations.
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RISKS RELATED TO OUR COMMON STOCK
As a result of protective provisions in the Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, the voting power of holders of Class A common shares whose voting rights are not suspended (including officers, directors and principal shareholders) may be increased at future meetings of the Company's shareholders.
The Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, provides that if a shareholder, other than shareholders subject to specific exceptions, acquires (after the date of the Company's 1998 recapitalization) 10% or more of the outstanding Class A common stock and does not own an equal or greater percentage of all then outstanding shares of both Class A and Class B common stock (all of which common stock must have been acquired after the date of the 1998 recapitalization), such shareholder must, within 90 days of the trigger date, purchase Class B common shares, in an amount and at a price determined in accordance with a formula described in the Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, or forfeit its right to vote its Class A common shares. To the extent that the voting rights of particular holders of Class A common stock are suspended as of times when the Company's shareholders vote due to the above-mentioned provisions, such suspension would have the effect of increasing the voting power of those holders of Class A common shares whose voting rights are not suspended.
Our stock price, like that of many companies, has been and may continue to be volatile.
The market price of our common stock may fluctuate as a result of variations in our quarterly operating results and other factors beyond our control. These fluctuations may be exaggerated if the trading volume of our common stock is low. The market price of our common stock may rise and fall in response to a variety of other factors, including:
● announcements of technological or competitive developments;
● general market or economic conditions;
● acquisitions or strategic alliances by us or our competitors;
● the gain or loss of a significant customer or order;
In addition, equity securities of many companies have experienced significant price and volume fluctuations even in periods when the capital markets generally are not distressed. These price and volume fluctuations often have been unrelated to the operating performance of the affected companies.
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GENERAL RISKS
The global nature of our operations exposes us to numerous risks that could materially adversely affect our consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations.
We manufacture in 8 countries, and our products are distributed in those countries as well as in other parts of the world. A large portion of our manufacturing operations are located outside of the United States and a large portion of our sales are generated outside of the United States. Operations outside of the United States, particularly operations in developing regions, are subject to various risks that may not be present or as significant for our U.S. operations. Economic uncertainty in some of the geographic regions in which we operate, including developing regions, could result in the disruption of commerce and negatively impact cash flows from our operations in those areas.
Risks inherent in our international operations include:
● Foreign exchange controls and tax rates;
● Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, including devaluations;
● Variations in protection of intellectual property and other legal rights;
● More expansive legal rights of foreign unions or works councils;
● The potential for nationalization of enterprises or facilities;
As a multi-national company, we are faced with increased complexities due to recent changes to the U.S. corporate tax code relating to our unremitted foreign earnings, potential revisions to international tax law treaties, and renegotiated trade deals. In addition, other events, such as the ongoing discussion and negotiations concerning varying levels of tariffs on product imported from the PRC, Mexico, India and throughout Europe also create a level of uncertainty. If we are unable to anticipate and effectively manage these and other risks, it could have a material and adverse effect on our business, our consolidated results of operations and consolidated financial condition.
For additional information regarding risks associated with our operations in the PRC, see the discussion set forth above under the caption, "We have substantial manufacturing operations located in the PRC, which exposes us to significant risks that could materially and adversely affect our business, operations, consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations." For additional information regarding risks associated with our operations in Israel, see the discussion set forth above under the caption, "We may face risks related to conducting business in Israel."
Cybersecurity risk and the failure to maintain the integrity of our operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of third parties with which we do business, could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations.
Cybersecurity threats, including but not limited to malware, phishing, credential harvesting, ransomware and other attacks, are rapidly evolving and are becoming increasingly sophisticated, making it difficult to detect and prevent such threats from impacting the Company. Our Company has seen an increased volume of cybersecurity threats and ransomware attempts in 2024 and expects to continue to experience cybersecurity threats from time to time, which pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data. Artificial intelligence ("AI") increases cybersecurity risks due to attacks crafted using AI including more effective phishing, false voice or image attacks. There are additional risks associated with utilization of technologies or applications the functionality of which relies upon externalizing data into public AI platforms, including the potential for unauthorized access or manipulation of sensitive information. Disruptions or failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support our businesses and customers, or cybersecurity attacks or security breaches of our networks, systems or applications, could result in the loss of customers and business opportunities, legal liability, regulatory fines, penalties or intervention, other litigation, regulatory and legal risks and the costs associated therewith, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensatory costs, remediation costs, increased cybersecurity protection costs, additional compliance costs, increased insurance premiums, and lost revenues, damage to the Company's competitiveness, stock price, and long-term shareholder value, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. While we attempt to mitigate these risks, our systems, networks, products, solutions and services remain potentially vulnerable to advanced and persistent threats. We also maintain and have access to sensitive, confidential or personal data or information in certain of our businesses that is subject to privacy and security laws and regulations. Despite our efforts to protect such sensitive, confidential or personal data or information, our facilities and systems and those of our customers and third-party service providers may be vulnerable to security breaches, theft, fraud, misplaced or lost data, “Acts of God”, programming and/or human errors that could lead to the compromising of sensitive, confidential or personal data or information, improper use of our systems, software solutions or networks, unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification or destruction of information, defective products, production downtimes and operational disruptions, which in turn could adversely affect our consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations.
A loss of the services of the Company's executive officers or other skilled associates could negatively impact our operations and results.
The success of the Company's operations is largely dependent upon the performance of its executive officers, managers, engineers and salespeople. Many of these individuals have a significant number of years of experience within the Company and/or the industry in which we compete and would be extremely difficult to replace. The loss of the services of any of these associates may materially and adversely impact our results of operations if we are unable to replace them in a timely manner.
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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 1C.Cybersecurity
Bel employs a full-time Cybersecurity Expert who reports directly into our Global Head of IT and Cybersecurity Services. During 2024, the Company worked with third-party cybersecurity specialists to continually enhance the programs Bel has in place. These relationships involve regular communication and collaboration between the Bel cybersecurity team and our third-party providers to share threat intelligence and implement proactive measures to safeguard our systems and data. The Company has continued to invest in IT security, including additional end-user training, using layered defenses, identifying, and protecting critical assets, strengthening monitoring and alerting, and engaging experts. Our cybersecurity team regularly monitors alerts and meets to discuss threat levels, trends, and remediation. Further, we conduct periodic external penetration tests. In addition to assessing our own cybersecurity preparedness, we also consider and evaluate cybersecurity risks associated with the use of third-party service providers that host our applications. The internal business owners of the hosted applications are required to document user access reviews at least annually and provide from the vendor a System and Organization Controls (SOC) 1 or SOC 2 report. Third-party contractors or vendors that require access to our network are given specific limited access to only the specific resource. The access provided expires automatically after a period determined by the project and must follow all Company security measures.
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the management of cybersecurity risks. The Audit Committee is informed about cybersecurity risks through quarterly reports from the Global Head of IT and Cybersecurity Services and, as necessary, to the full Board. The Audit Committee also reviews and approves the company’s cybersecurity policies and the Company’s Global Head of IT and Cybersecurity Services is responsible for developing and implementing our information security program and reporting on cybersecurity matters to the Board. This includes our overall information security strategy, policy, security engineering, operations and cyber incident detection and response reporting in alignment with Company policies.The current Global Head of IT and Cybersecurity Services has more than 16 years of information technology and program management experience which includes information security, and others on our IT security team have extensive cybersecurity experience and certifications.
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Item 2. Properties
The Company is headquartered in West Orange, New Jersey. The Company occupies 304,000 square feet ofnon-manufacturing space, which is used primarily for management, financial accounting, engineering, sales and administrative support. Of this space, the Company leases 197,000 square feet and owns properties of 107,000 square feet.
The Company also operated manufacturing facilities in 8 countries as of December 31, 2024, as detailed below. Approximately 14% of the 2.3 million square feet the Company occupies is owned while the remainder is leased. See Note 19, "Commitments and Contingencies", for additional information pertaining to leases.
The following is a list of the locations of the Company's principal manufacturing facilities at December 31, 2024:
Dongguan, PRC 661,000 Magnetic Solutions Leased 36 %
Pingguo, PRC 27,000 Magnetic Solutions Leased 39 %
Shenzhen, PRC 227,000 Power Solutions & Protection Leased 100 %
Zhongshan, PRC 153,000 All three product groups Leased 39 %
Zhongshan, PRC 118,000 All three product groups Owned 100 %
Zhongshan, PRC 78,000 All three product groups Owned 100 %
Guangxi, PRC 243,000 Magnetic Solutions Leased 54 %
Mumbai, India 53,000 Power Solutions & Protection Leased 66 %
Dubnica nad Vahom, Slovakia 35,000 Power Solutions & Protection Owned 100 %
Dubnica nad Vahom, Slovakia 70,000 Power Solutions & Protection Leased 100 %
Worksop, United Kingdom 51,000 Connectivity Solutions Leased 83 %
Chelmsford, United Kingdom 17,000 Connectivity Solutions Leased 80 %
Dominican Republic 33,000 Magnetic Solutions Leased 85 %
Cananea, Mexico 30,000 Connectivity Solutions Leased 60 %
Reynosa, Mexico 88,000 Connectivity Solutions Leased 56 %
Glen Rock, Pennsylvania 74,000 Connectivity Solutions Owned 60 %
Waseca, Minnesota 128,000 Connectivity Solutions Leased 83 %
McAllen, Texas 40,000 Connectivity Solutions Leased 56 %
Melbourne, Florida 13,000 Connectivity Solutions Leased 64 %
Belmont, New Hampshire 16,000 Power Solutions & Protection Leased 90 %
Haryana, India 36,000 Power Solutions & Protection Leased 90 %
Netanya, Israel 60,000 Power Solutions & Protection Leased 70 %
Of the space described above, 428,000 square feet is used for engineering, warehousing, sales and administrative support functions at various locations and 406,000 square feet is designated for dormitories, canteen and other employee related facilities in the PRC.
The Territory of Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region ("SAR") of the PRC during 1997. The territory of Macao became a SAR of the PRC at the end of 1999. Management cannot presently predict what future impact the current status of these territories, along with evolving political landscape in the region, will have on the Company, if any, or how the political climate in the PRC will affect the Company's contractual arrangements in the PRC (including risks arising out of any changes in governmental and economic policy, such as increased or new tariffs, and current or additional trade restrictions, and the potential for adverse developments arising out of any political or economic instability related to Hong Kong or Taiwan). A significant portion of the Company's manufacturing operations and approximately 30.8% of its identifiable assets are located in Asia.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
The information called for by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the caption "Legal Proceedings" in Note 19, "Commitments and Contingencies."
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
The Company's voting Class A Common Stock, par value $0.10 per share, and non-voting Class B Common Stock, par value $0.10 per share ("Class A" and "Class B," respectively), are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbols BELFA and BELFB, respectively.
Holders
As of January 31, 2025, there were 29 registered shareholders of the Company's Class A Common Stock and 217 registered shareholders of the Company's Class B Common Stock. We believe that the number of beneficial owners is substantially greater than the number of record holders because a large portion of our Class A and Class B Common Stock is held in "street name" by brokers.
Dividends
During the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, the Company declared dividends on a quarterly basis at a rate of $0.06 per Class A share of common stock and $0.07 per Class B share of common stock totaling $3.5 million in 2024, $3.5 million in 2023 and $3.4 million in 2022. On February 1, 2025, the Company paid a dividend to all shareholders of record at January 15, 2025 of Class A and Class B Common Stock in the total amount of $0.1 million ($0.06 per share) and $0.7 million ($0.07 per share), respectively. On February 12, 2025, Bel's Board of Directors declared a dividend in the amount of $0.06 per Class A common share and $0.07 per Class B common share which is scheduled to be paid on May 1, 2025 to all shareholders of record at April 15, 2025.
There are no contractual restrictions on the Company's ability to pay dividends provided the Company is not in default under its credit agreement immediately before such payment and after giving effect to such payment. Cash dividends are payable to the holders of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock only as and when declared by the Board of Directors. Subject to the foregoing, cash dividends declared on shares of Class B Common Stock in any calendar year cannot be less than 5% higher per share than the annual amount of cash dividends per share declared in such calendar year on shares of Class A Common Stock. No cash dividends may be paid on shares of Class A Common Stock unless, at the same time, cash dividends are paid on shares of Class B Common Stock, subject to the annual 5% provision described above. Cash dividends may be paid at any time or from time to time on shares of Class B Common Stock without corresponding cash dividends being paid on shares of Class A Common Stock. Nevertheless, as in the past, the respective amounts of future dividends, if any, to be declared on each class of Common Stock depends on circumstances existing at the time, including the Company's financial condition, capital requirements, earnings, legally available funds for the payment of dividends and other relevant factors and are declared at the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors.
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Stock Performance Graph
The following shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or incorporated by reference into any of our other filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Securities Act.
The following graph shows, for the five years ended December 31, 2024, the cumulative total return on an investment of $100 assumed to have been made on December 31, 2019 in Bel Fuse Inc. Class B common stock. The graph compares this return ("Bel") with that of comparable investments assumed to have been made on the same date in: (a) Russell 2000 Index and (b) a group of companies in our industry, consisting of Nasdaq listed stocks (U.S. and foreign) with SIC codes 3670-3679, Electronic Components & Accessories. Total return for each assumed investment assumes the reinvestment of all dividends on December 31 of the year in which the dividends were paid.
Comparison of 5 Year Cumulative Total Return
Assumes Initial Investment of $100
December 2024
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
On February 21, 2024, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized and the Company publicly announced a $25.0 million share repurchase program (the “Repurchase Program”). The Repurchase Program authorizes the repurchase of up to $25.0 million of shares of outstanding Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock. The aggregate $25.0 million available for repurchases under the Repurchase Program has been sub-allocated for purchases of Class A shares and Class B shares in portions of $4.0 million and $21.0 million, respectively, prorated to take into account the number of outstanding shares of each respective class. Shares of Common Stock may be repurchased pursuant to the Repurchase Program in open market, privately negotiated or block transactions or otherwise from time to time, depending upon market conditions and other factors, and in accordance with applicable law and regulations. The Repurchase Program has no expiration date. The Repurchase Program does not obligate the Company to repurchase any dollar amount or number of shares, and the Repurchase Program may be suspended or terminated at any time. As of December 31, 2024, the program-to-date repurchases amounted to 26,326 Class A shares at an aggregate purchase price of $1.9 million and 235,821 Class B shares at an aggregate purchase price of $14.1 million. There were no repurchases of our equity securities during the three months ended December 31, 2024. Approximately $2.1 million of Class A shares and $6.9 million of Class B shares are yet to be purchased under this plan.
Item 6. [Reserved]
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Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The information in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A") should be read in conjunction with the Company's consolidated financial statements and the notes related thereto. The discussion of results, causes and trends should not be construed to imply any conclusion that such results, causes or trends will necessarily continue in the future. See "Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information" above for further information. Also, when we cross reference to a "Note," we are referring to our "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements," unless the context indicates otherwise. All amounts and percentages are approximate due to rounding.
Overview
Our Company
We design, manufacture and market a broad array of products that power, protect and connect electronic circuits. These products are primarily used in the defense, commercial aerospace, networking, telecommunications, computing, general industrial, high-speed data transmission, transportation and eMobility industries. Bel's portfolio of products also finds application in the automotive, medical, broadcasting and consumer electronics markets.
We operate through three product group segments. In 2024, 46% of the Company's revenues were derived from Power Solutions and Protection, 41% from Connectivity Solutions and 13% from our Magnetic Solutions operating segment.
Our operating expenses are driven principally by the cost of labor where the factories that Bel uses are located, the cost of the materials that we use and our ability to effectively and efficiently manage overhead costs. As labor and material costs vary by product line and region, any significant shift in product mix can have an associated impact on our costs of sales. Costs are recorded as incurred for all products manufactured. Such amounts are determined based upon the estimated stage of production and include labor cost and fringes and related allocations of factory overhead. Our products are manufactured at various facilities in the U.S., Mexico, Israel, India, the Dominican Republic, the United Kingdom, Slovakia and the PRC.
We have little visibility into the ordering habits of our customers and we can be subjected to large and unpredictable variations in demand for our products. Accordingly, we must continually recruit and train new workers to replace those lost to attrition and be able to address peaks in demand that may occur from time to time. These recruiting and training efforts and related inefficiencies, and overtime required in order to meet any increase in demand, can add volatility to the labor costs incurred by us.
Key Factors Affecting our Business
The Company believes the key factors affecting Bel's 2024 and/or future results include the following:
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Results of Operations - Summary by Operating Segment
Net Sales and Gross Margin
The Company's net sales and gross margin by major product line for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 were as follows (dollars in thousands):
Years Ended
December 31,
Net Sales Gross Margin
2024 as Compared to 2023
Power Solutions and Protection:
Sales of our Power Solutions and Protection products were lower by $68.6 million in 2024 as compared to 2023. This decrease was primarily due to lower sales of our front-end power products and board mount power products of $45.3 million and $9.5 million, respectively, both of which are used in networking and datacenter applications. Sales of our CUI products were down by $21.2 million in 2024 as compared to 2023 due to the loss of sales in connection with a trade restriction placed on one of our suppliers in the PRC. Further, sales of product into the eMobility end market decreased by $12.9 million as compared to 2023. These decreases were offset in part by an increase in sales of our rail products by $11.8 million as compared to 2023. Raw material expedite fee revenue for this segment totaled $0.1 million in 2024 as compared to $14.9 million in 2023. Enercon contributed $20.8 million of military, aerospace and defense applications sales in the last two months of 2024. Gross margin improved in 2024 as compared to 2023 as a result of the Enercon acquisition, favorable exchange rates with the Chinese renminbi versus the U.S. dollar, a lower volume of low-margin expedite fees and a favorable shift in product mix.
Connectivity Solutions:
Sales of our Connectivity Solutions products increased by $9.8 million (4.7%) in 2024 as compared to 2023. This increase was primarily due to an increase in sales into the commercial aerospace end market of $3.6 million (6.8%) in 2024 as compared to 2023. Sales into our military end market also grew by $2.3 million (5.2%) in 2024 as compared to 2023. We also experienced an increased volume of Connectivity Solutions products sold through our distribution channels in 2024 of $2.3 million (2.9%) compared to 2023. Gross margin for 2024 was favorably impacted by pricing actions on certain contract renewals, operational efficiencies from the facility consolidations completed in 2023 and a favorable fluctuation in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and Mexican peso in 2024 versus 2023. These factors were partially offset by higher wage rates in Mexico in 2024 as compared to 2023.
Magnetic Solutions:
Sales of our Magnetic Solutions products declined by $46.3 million during 2024 as compared to 2023. Reduced demand for our ICM products from our networking customers and through our distribution channels was the primary driver as we believe these customers continue to work through inventory on hand. Recent facility consolidations in the PRC, diligent cost management, product mix and a favorable exchange rate with the Chinese renminbi versus the U.S. dollar, were the primary drivers of gross margin expansion for this product group in 2024 as compared with 2023, despite the decline in revenue.
2023 as Compared to 2022
Power Solutions and Protection:
Sales of our Power Solutions and Protection products were higher by $25.7 million in 2023 as compared to 2022. This increase was primarily due to higher sales of our front-end power products and board mount power products of $42.7 million and $6.9 million, respectively, both of which are used in networking and datacenter applications. Further, sales of product into the eMobility end market increased by more than $7.5 million (40%) and sales of product into the rail end market increased by $7.5 million (33%) in 2023 as compared to 2022. These increases were offset in part by a reduction in sales of our CUI products of $13.7 million and a decline in sales of our circuit protection products of $9.9 million, both of which were largely impacted by the lower demand from our distribution customers. Raw material expedite fee revenue for this segment totaled $14.9 million in 2023 as compared to $32.5 million in 2022. Gross margin improved in 2023 as compared to 2022 as pricing actions, higher sales volume, favorable exchange rates with the Chinese renminbi versus the U.S. dollar, a lower volume of low-margin expedite fees and a favorable shift in product mix offset the impact of increased material costs.
Connectivity Solutions:
Sales of our Connectivity Solutions products increased by $23.5 million (12.6%) in 2023 as compared to 2022. These increases were primarily due to an increase in sales into the commercial aerospace end market of $22.2 million (71%) in 2023 as compared to 2022. Sales into our military end market also grew by $8.8 million (24%) in 2023 as compared to 2022. We also experienced an increased volume of Connectivity Solutions products sold through our distribution channels in 2023 compared to 2022. These sales increases were offset in part by a decline in sales of passive connector and cabling products used in the industrial premise wiring and 5G/IoT markets of $11.0 million (29.0%) for 2023 as compared to 2022. Gross margins for the 2023 periods presented above were favorably impacted by the higher overall sales volume, pricing actions and operational efficiencies implemented during 2023, partially offset by higher wage rates in Mexico and an unfavorable fluctuation in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and Mexican peso in 2023 as compared to 2022.
Magnetic Solutions:
Sales of our Magnetic Solutions products declined by $63.6 million during 2023 as compared to 2022. Reduced demand for our Magnetic Solutions products from our networking customers and through our distribution channels has been the primary driver as we believe these customers continue to work through inventory on hand. The lower sales volume and favorable exchange rates with the Chinese renminbi versus the U.S. dollar, were the primary drivers of gross margin reduction for this product group in 2023 compared with 2022.
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Cost of Sales
Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 consisted of the following:
Years Ended
December 31,
2024 as Compared to 2023
Material costs as a percentage of sales during 2024 were lower compared to 2023, due to a shift in product mix, the stabilization of raw material pricing, shorter lead times, and better procurement efforts. Labor costs in 2024 as a percentage of sales have increased compared to 2023 due to lower sales volume, a shift in product mix in 2024 compared to the previous year, and the increase in statutory minimum wage rate in Mexico. This increase in labor cost was partially offset by lower labor costs in the PRC due to the favorable fluctuation in the Chinese renminbi exchange rate versus the U.S. dollar.
The other expenses noted in the table above include fixed cost items such as support labor and fringe, depreciation and amortization, and facility costs (i.e. rent, utilities, insurance). In total, these other expenses within cost of sales have decreased by $1.5 million in 2024 as compared to 2023. As a percentage of sales, other expenses increased due to the lower sales volume in 2024 as compared to 2023.
2023 as Compared to 2022
Material costs as a percentage of sales during 2023 came down compared to 2022, as pricing actions helped to offset the continued heightened cost of certain raw materials. Labor costs in 2023 as a percentage of sales decreased significantly from 2022 due to a variety of factors, including the shift in product mix resulting in a lower consolidated percentage of sales from of our labor-intensive Magnetic products, lower labor costs in the PRC due to the favorable fluctuation in the Chinese renminbi exchange rate versus the U.S. dollar, and the restructuring and efficiency programs implemented throughout 2023 in our Connectivity Solutions segment. The reduction in labor costs were partially offset by the unfavorable fluctuation of the Mexican Peso exchange rate versus the U.S. dollar in 2023 versus 2022.
The other expenses noted in the table above include fixed cost items such as support labor and fringe, depreciation and amortization, and facility costs (i.e. rent, utilities, insurance). In total, these other expenses were largely the same in 2023 as compared to 2022 as the benefits realized on cost savings initiatives were offset by higher costs from the redundant operations in the PRC that were in place while our facility consolidation project was underway for much of 2023.
Research and Development ("R&D")
R&D expenses were $23.6 million, $22.5 million and $20.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. The increase noted in R&D expenses during 2024 compared to 2023 is largely due to higher salaries, benefits, product development costs and R&D expense of the 2024 Enercon acquisition, which have been included in Bel's results since its acquisition date. The increase noted in R&D expenses during 2023 compared to 2022 is largely due to higher salaries, benefits, and product development costs.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses ("SG&A")
2024 as Compared to 2023
SG&A expenses were $110.6 million in 2024 as compared with $99.1 million in 2023. The primary drivers for the increase in SG&A during 2024 related to acquisition-related costs within SG&A of $10.9 million in connection with the acquisition of Enercon, and $2.5 million of SG&A expenses attributable to the acquired business for the two months of 2024 under Bel ownership. Excluding these items related to Enercon, legacy-Bel SG&A expenses declined due to lower legal fees, as well as lower incentive compensation, commissions and business promotion expenses in 2024, as compared to 2023 due to the lower sales base in the 2024 period.
2023 as Compared to 2022
SG&A expenses were $99.1 million in 2023 as compared with $92.3 million in 2022. Within SG&A, increases in salaries and fringe benefits of $6.1 million, legal and professional fees of $2.4 million, and travel of $1.0 million were partially offset by a $1.3 million reduction in commissions to outside sales representatives, and a $1.2 million reduction in depreciation and amortization as compared to 2022.
Restructuring Charges
The Company recorded $3.5 million of restructuring charges in 2024 largely in connection with the Glen Rock initiative and the Fuse initiative, as further described in "Overview - Key Factors Affecting our Business - Restructuring" above. In 2023, the Company recorded $10.1 million of restructuring charges largely in connection with the four facility consolidation projects in the U.S., UK and PRC. In 2022, the Company recorded $7.3 million of restructuring charges related to these same four facility consolidation projects in the U.S., UK and PRC.
Gain on Sale of Properties
During 2023, the Company recorded a gain of $3.8 million related to the sale of one of its properties in Jersey City, New Jersey. In 2022, a gain of $1.6 million was recorded in connection with the sale of a separate property in Jersey City.
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Interest Expense
2024 as Compared to 2023
The Company incurred interest expense of $4.1 million in 2024 and $2.9 million in 2023 primarily due to its outstanding borrowings under the Company's credit agreement. The increase in interest expense during 2024 related to a increase in debt balance in the fourth quarter of 2024 due to Enercon acquisition (see Note 3, “Acquisition and Divestiture” for additional details). See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" and Note 11, "Debt" for further information on the Company's outstanding debt.
2023 as Compared to 2022
The Company incurred interest expense of $2.9 million in 2023 and $3.4 million in 2022 primarily due to its outstanding borrowings under the Company's credit agreement. The lower interest expense during 2023 related to a lower debt balance throughout 2023 as compared to 2022.
Interest Income
The Company earned interest income of $4.8 million in 2024, $1.7 million in 2023, and $0.2 million in 2022, primarily related to its investments in U.S. Treasury Bills during the 2023 and 2024 periods.
Other Expense, Net
2024 as Compared to 2023
Other expense, net was a net expense of $3.2 million in 2024 compared to a net expense of $4.5 million in 2023. The net expense in 2024 was comprised of a foreign exchange loss of $1.9 million, $0.6 million of losses associated with Bel's investment in innolectric and $2.0 million of stamp duty fees related to Enercon; partially offset by a gain of $1.3 million related to the Company's SERP investments. The net expense in 2023 was comprised of a foreign exchange loss of $1.4 million, the loss on liquidation of a foreign subsidiary of $2.7 million, $0.8 million of losses associated with Bel's investment in innolectric and $0.8 million of other expense; partially offset by a gain of $1.2 million related to the Company's SERP investments.
2023 as Compared to 2022
Other expense, net was a net expense of $4.5 million in 2023 compared to a net expense of $2.9 million in 2022. The net expense in 2023 was comprised of a foreign exchange loss of $1.4 million, the loss on liquidation of a foreign subsidiary of $2.7 million, $0.8 million of losses associated with Bel's investment in innolectric and $0.8 million of other expense; partially offset by a gain of $1.2 million related to the Company's SERP investments. The net expense in 2022 was comprised of a foreign exchange loss of $2.2 million in 2022 related to the Company's SERP investments and $1.0 million of other expense; partially offset by foreign exchange gains of $0.3 million.
Income Taxes
The Company’s effective tax rate will fluctuate based on the geographic regions in which the pretax profits are earned. Of the jurisdictions in which the Company operates, the U.S. and Europe’s tax rates are generally equivalent; and Asia has the lowest tax rates of the Company’s three geographic regions. See Note 10, “Income Taxes.”
2024 as Compared to 2023
The provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was$12.6 million and $9.5 million, respectively. The Company’s earnings before income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2024 were approximately $21.5 million lower as compared with the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily attributable to a decrease in income in the Asia and North America regions. The Company’s effective tax rate was 20.5% and 11.4% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The change in the effective tax rate during the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023 is primarily attributable to an increase in tax expense relating to valuation allowances and prior period accruals, as well as a decrease in the tax benefit relating to the reversal of uncertain tax positions resulting from the expiration of certain statutes of limitations.
2023 as Compared to 2022
The provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $9.5 million and $6.4 million, respectively. The Company’s earnings before income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2023, were approximately $24.2 million higher as compared with the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily attributable to an increase in income in the Asia and North America regions. The Company’s effective tax rate was 11.4% and 10.8% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The change in the effective tax rate during the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to 2022 is primarily attributable to an increase in tax expense resulting from higher U.S. income, which was offset by a benefit resulting from the impact of permanent differences on U.S. activities, as well as an increase in the tax benefit relating to the reversal of uncertain tax positions resulting from the expiration of certain statutes of limitations.
Other Tax Matters
The Company has a portion of its products manufactured on the mainland of the PRC where Bel is not subject to corporate income tax on manufacturing services provided by third parties. Hong Kong has a territorial tax system which imposes corporate income tax at a rate of 16.5% on income from activities solely conducted in Hong Kong.
The Company holds an offshore business license from the government of Macao. With this license, a Macao offshore company named Bel Fuse (Macao Commercial Offshore) Limited ("Bel Fuse Macao") has been established to handle the Company’s sales to third-party customers in Asia. Sales by this company primarily consist of products manufactured in the PRC. Bel Fuse Macao is subject to Macao's corporate tax rate of 12% on income from activities solely conducted in Macao.
Due to the practicality of determining the deferred taxes on outside basis differences in our investments in our foreign subsidiaries, management has not provided for deferred taxes on outside basis differences at December 31, 2024 and deemed that these basis differences will be indefinitely reinvested.
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Inflation and Foreign Currency Exchange
During the past two years, we do not believe the effect of inflation was material to our consolidated financial position or our consolidated results of operations. We are exposed to market risk from changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Fluctuations of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies have not significantly affected our foreign operations as most sales continue to be denominated in U.S. dollars or currencies directly or indirectly linked to the U.S. dollar. Most significant expenses, including raw materials, labor and manufacturing expenses, are incurred primarily in U.S. dollars, Mexican pesos, the Chinese renminbi or the Israeli shekel, and to a lesser extent in British pounds, or Indian rupees. The Mexican pesos depreciated by 3%, the Euro was flat, the British pound appreciated by 2%, and the Indian rupee and the Chinese renminbi each depreciated by 2% versus the U.S. dollar in 2024 compared to 2023. To the extent the renminbi, peso or shekel appreciate in future periods, it could result in the Company's incurring higher costs for most expenses incurred in the PRC, Mexico and Israel. The Company periodically uses foreign currency forward contracts to manage its short-term exposures to fluctuations in operational cash flows resulting from changes in foreign currency exchange rates as further described in Note 13, "Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities". The Company's European entities, whose functional currencies are Euros and British pounds, enter into transactions which include sales that are denominated principally in Euros, British pounds and various other European currencies, and purchases that are denominated principally in U.S. dollars and British pounds. Such transactions, as well as those related to our multi-currency intercompany payable and receivable transactions, resulted in a net realized and unrealized currency exchangeloss of $1.9 million in 2024, a loss of $1.4 million in 2023 and a gain of $0.3 million in 2022 which were included in other expense, net on the consolidated statements of operations. Translation of subsidiaries' foreign currency financial statements into U.S. dollars resulted in translation adjustments, net of taxes, of ($5.5) million and $6.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which are included in accumulated other comprehensive loss on the consolidated balance sheets.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our principal sources of liquidity include $68.3 million of cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2024, $1.0 million of held to maturity investments in U.S. Treasury securities, cash provided by operating activities and borrowings available under our credit facility. We expect to use this liquidity for operating expenses, investments in working capital, capital expenditures, interest, taxes, dividends, debt obligations and other long-term liabilities. We believe that our current liquidity position and future cash flows from operations will enable us to fund our operations, both in the next twelve months and in the longer term.
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Cash Flow Summary
During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company's cash and cash equivalents decreased by $21.1 million. This decrease was primarily due to the following:
● payment for Enercon acquisition of $320.5 million;
● purchase of common stock of $16.1 million;
● repayment of long-term debt of $15 million;
● dividend payments of $3.5 million;
● deferred financing costs of $1.7 million;
● purchases of property, plant and equipment of $14.1 million; and
● net cash provided by operating activities of $74.1 million;
● proceeds of long-term debt of $242.5 million;
● proceeds from held to maturity securities of $167.9 million; and
● proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment of $0.9 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, accounts receivable decreased by $6.8 million primarily due to the lower sales volume in 2024 as compared to 2023. Days sales outstanding (DSO) increased to 68 days at December 31, 2024 from 55 days at December 31, 2023. Inventories increased by $24.8 million from the December 31, 2023 level primarily due to the inclusion of Enercon's inventory balance at December 31, 2024 of $42.7 million. Inventory turns were 2.1 times for the year ended December 31, 2024 and 3.1 times for the year ended December 31, 2023. Given the nature of Enercon’s manufacturing process and low unit quantity per order, a higher value of inventory is kept on hand for longer periods of time, with Enercon’s inventory turns being 1.6 times, bringing Bel’s consolidated inventory turn level down substantially.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company's cash and cash equivalents increased by $19.1 million. This increase was primarily due to cash provided by operating activities of $108.3 million, proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment of $6.0 million, proceeds from held to maturity securities of $19.9 million, and proceeds from the sale of our business in the Czech Republic of $5.1 million; partially offset by the purchases of held to maturity and marketable securities of $60.0 million, payments for our equity method investment in innolectric of $10.3 million, purchases of property, plant and equipment of $12.1 million, dividend payments of $3.5 million, and net repayments under our revolving credit line of $35.0 million. During the year ended December 31, 2023, accounts receivable decreased $22.5 million primarily due to the lower sales volume in the second half of 2023 as compared to the same period of 2022. DSO decreased to 55 days at December 31, 2023 from 58 days at December 31, 2022. Inventories decreased by $33.6 million from the December 31, 2022 level. Inventory turns were 3.1 times for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2.7 times for the year ended December 31, 2022.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company's cash and cash equivalents increased by $8.5 million. This increase was primarily due to cash provided by operating activities of $40.3 million, and proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment of $1.8 million; partially offset by the purchase of property, plant and equipment of $8.8 million, dividend payments of $3.4 million, and repayments under our revolving credit line of $17.5 million. During the year ended December 31, 2022, accounts receivable increased $20.7 million primarily due to the higher sales volume in 2022 as compared to 2021. DSO increased to 58 days at December 31, 2022 from 54 days at December 31, 2021. Inventories increased by $36.6 million from the December 31, 2021 level as raw material supply constraints hindered our ability, and our end customers' ability, to fully manufacture our respective finished goods. Inventory turns were 2.6 times for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 3.1 times for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Cash and cash equivalents, held to maturity U.S. Treasury securities and accounts receivable comprised approximately 19.0% and36.9% of the Company's total assets at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. The Company's current ratio (i.e., the ratio of current assets to current liabilities) was 2.9 to 1 and 3.4 to 1 at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, $48.4 million and $40.9 million, respectively (or 71% and 46%, respectively), of cash and cash equivalents was held by foreign subsidiaries of the Company. During 2024, the Company repatriated $48 million of funds from outside of the U.S., with minimal incremental tax liability. We continue to analyze our global working capital and cash requirements and the potential tax liabilities attributable to further repatriation, and we have yet to make any further determination regarding repatriation of funds from outside the U.S. to fund the Company's U.S. operations in the future. In the event these funds were needed for Bel's U.S. operations, the Company would be required to accrue and pay U.S. state taxes and any applicable foreign withholding taxes to repatriate these funds.
Future Cash Requirements
The Company expects foreseeable liquidity and capital resource requirements to be met through its existing cash and cash equivalents, held to maturity investments in U.S. Treasury securities and anticipated cash flows from operations, as well as borrowings available under its revolving credit facility, if needed. The Company's material cash requirements arising in the normal course of business primarily include:
Debt Obligations and Interest Payments - The Company had $287.5 million outstanding under its revolving credit facility at December 31, 2024, as further described below and in Note 11, "Debt". There are no mandatory principal payments due on the credit facility borrowings during 2025. The current balance of $287.5 million is due upon expiration of the credit facility on September 1, 2026. Anticipated interest payments due amount to $28.7 million, of which $17.2 million is expected to be paid in 2025 based on our debt balance and interest rate in place at December 31, 2024.
Lease Obligations - The Company has operating leases for its facilities used for manufacturing, research and development, sales and administration. There are also operating and finance leases related to manufacturing equipment, office equipment and vehicles. As of December 31, 2024, the Company was contractually obligated to pay future operating lease payments of $29.0 million, of which $9.1 million is expected to be paid in 2025, and future financing lease obligations of $3.0 million, of which $0.8 million is expected to be paid in 2025. See Note 18, "Leases," for further information.
Purchase Obligations - The Company submits purchase orders for raw materials to various vendors throughout the year for current production requirements, as well as forecasted requirements. Certain of these purchase orders relate to special purpose material and, as such, the Company may incur penalties if an order is cancelled. The Company had outstanding purchase orders related to raw materials in the amount of $82.2 million at December 31, 2024, of which $75.1 million is expected to be paid in 2025. The Company also had outstanding purchase orders related to capital expenditures which totaled $4.7 million at December 31, 2024, all of which is expected to be paid in 2025.
Pension Benefit Obligations - As further described in Note 15, "Retirement Fund and Profit Sharing Plan", the Company maintains a Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan ("SERP"). At December 31, 2024, estimated future obligations under the plan amounted to $18 million. It is expected that the Company will pay $0.9 million in benefit payments in connection with the SERP during 2025. Included in other assets at December 31, 2024 is the cash surrender value of company-owned life insurance and marketable securities held in a rabbi trust with an aggregate value of $17.0 million, which has been designated by the Company to be utilized to fund the Company's SERP obligations.
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Dividends - The Company has historically paid quarterly dividends on its two classes of common stock, which amounted to $3.5 million in 2024 as compared to $3.5 million in 2023. Consistent with the dividend rates declared in prior years, Bel's Board of Directors declared dividends on November 1, 2024 and again on February 12, 2025 on each of our two classes of common stock. These two quarterly payments will be made in the first half of 2025 in the total anticipated amount of $1.7 million.
Share Repurchase Program - In February 2024, Bel's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $25 million of the Company's common stock. The Repurchase Program does not obligate the Company to repurchase any dollar amount or number of shares, and the Repurchase Program may be suspended or terminated at any time. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors including price, market conditions, corporate and regulatory requirements and the consideration of other uses of cash including other investment opportunities. At December 31, 2024, the Company had an aggregate amount of $9.0 million of authorized repurchases under the plan that had not yet been executed upon.
Tax Payments - At December 31, 2024, we had liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits and related interest and penalties of $18.1 million, all of which is included in other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet. At December 31, 2024, we cannot reasonably estimate the future period or periods of cash settlement of these liabilities. See Note 10, "Income Taxes", for further discussion. Also included on our consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2024 is $2.0 million of liabilities for transition tax associated with the 2017 U.S. tax reform, all of which is expected to be paid in 2025.
In addition to its cash requirements arising in the normal course of business described above, the Company has potential future cash requirements related to its acquisition of Enercon, whereby the Company has recorded earnout liabilities having a fair value as of December 31, 2024 in the amount of $3.5 million that would be paid over 2025 and 2026 in the event certain financial thresholds are achieved by the acquired business based on the Purchase Agreement provision which provides for potential earnout payments of up to $5 million for each of the fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026 earnout periods subject to the achievement of the financial thresholds. Further, there are put-call options associated with the redeemable noncontrolling interest in early 2027. As described elsewhere in this Annual Report, we have the current intention to purchase the remaining 20% interest in Enercon by early 2027 in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions of the shareholders' agreement. At December 31, 2024, the redemption value related to the redeemable noncontrolling interest was $80.6 million. See Note 3, "Acquisition and Divestiture" and Note 6, "Fair Value Measurements" for further information.
Contractual Obligations
The following table sets forth at December 31, 2024 the amounts of payments due under specific types of contractual obligations, aggregated by category of contractual obligation, for the time periods described below.
Payments due by period (dollars in thousands)
Capital expenditure obligations 4,693 4,693 - - -
First quarter 2025 quarterly cash dividend declared 880 880 - - -
Credit Facility
The Company is a party to a credit agreement, as further described in Note 11, "Debt". The credit agreement contains customary representations and warranties, covenants and events of default. In addition, the credit agreement contains financial covenants that measure (i) the ratio of the Company’s total funded indebtedness, on a consolidated basis, less the aggregate amount of all unencumbered cash and cash equivalents, to the amount of the Company’s consolidated EBITDA (“Leverage Ratio”) and (ii) the ratio of the amount of the Company’s consolidated EBITDA to the Company’s consolidated fixed charges (“Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio”). If an event of default occurs, the lenders under the credit agreement would be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of amounts due thereunder and all actions permitted to be taken by a secured creditor.
At December 31, 2024, the Company had $287.5 million outstanding under its credit agreement. The unused credit available under the credit facility at December 31, 2024 was $37.5 million, of which we had the ability to borrow the full amount without violating our Leverage Ratio covenant based on the Company's existing consolidated EBITDA. At December 31, 2024, the Company was in compliance with its debt covenants, including its most restrictive covenant, the Leverage Ratio.
At December 31, 2024, the Company was also a party to two pay-fixed, receive-variable interest rate swap agreements covering the full amount of its then variable interest exposure through August 2026. See Note 13,
"Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities" for further details.
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Critical Accounting Estimates
The Company's consolidated financial statements include certain amounts that are based on management's best estimates and judgments. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions, including in some cases future projections, that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Different assumptions and judgments could change the estimates used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements, which, in turn, could change the results from those reported. Management evaluates its estimates, assumptions and judgments on an ongoing basis.
Based on the above, we have determined that our most critical accounting estimates are those related to business combinations, inventory valuation, goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets, and those related to our pension benefit obligations.
Business Combinations
In a business combination, we allocate the fair value of purchase price consideration to the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed, and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree based on their estimated fair values. The excess of the fair value of purchase price consideration over the fair values of these identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. Such valuations require management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets. Significant estimates in valuing certain intangible assets include, but are not limited to, future expected cash flows from acquired customers or earned through the use of acquired trademarks, estimated royalty rates, acquired technology, useful lives and discount rates. Management’s estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.
Inventory Valuation
Inventories consist of raw materials and purchased components and are stated at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Material costs are principally determined by standard cost or the weighted moving average method, both of which approximate actual cost. The Company reduces the carrying value of its inventory for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventory by an amount equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based on the aforementioned assumptions. Our reserve calculations are based on historical experience related to slow-moving inventory in addition to specific known concerns in the case of products going end-of-life or customer cancellations. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company had reserves for excess or obsolete inventory of $14.5 million and $13.7 million, respectively. With the recent acquisition of Enercon our value of inventory on hand has increased by $24.8 million from December 31, 2023 to December 31, 2024. In the event of a sudden decrease in demand for our products, or a higher incidence of inventory obsolescence, the Company could be required to increase its inventory reserve, which would have an unfavorable impact on our gross margin.
Goodwill
We use a fair value approach to test goodwill for impairment. We must recognize a non-cash impairment charge for the amount, if any, by which the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds its implied fair value. We derive an estimate of fair values for each of our reporting units using a combination of an income approach and an appropriate market approach, each based on an applicable weighting. We assess the applicable weighting based on such factors as current market conditions and the quality and reliability of the data. Absent an indication of fair value from a potential buyer or similar specific transactions, we believe that the use of these methods provides a reasonable estimate of a reporting unit's fair value.
Fair value computed by these methods is arrived at using a number of factors, including projected future operating results, anticipated future cash flows, effective income tax rates, comparable marketplace data within a consistent industry grouping, and the cost of capital. There are inherent uncertainties, however, related to these factors and to our judgment in applying them to this analysis. Nonetheless, we believe that the combination of these methods provides a reasonable approach to estimate the fair value of our reporting units. Assumptions for sales, net earnings and cash flows for each reporting unit were consistent among these methods.
Income Approach Used to Determine Fair Values
The income approach is based upon the present value of expected cash flows. Expected cash flows are converted to present value using factors that consider the timing and risk of the future cash flows. The estimate of cash flows used is prepared on an unleveraged debt-free basis. We use a discount rate that reflects a market-derived weighted average cost of capital. We believe that this approach is appropriate because it provides a fair value estimate based upon the reporting unit's expected long-term operating and cash flow performance. The projections are based upon our best estimates of projected economic and market conditions over the related period including growth rates, estimates of future expected changes in operating margins and cash expenditures. Other significant estimates and assumptions include terminal value long-term growth rates, provisions for income taxes, future capital expenditures and changes in future cashless, debt-free working capital. We applied a combined weighting of 75% to the income approach when determining the fair value of our reporting units.
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Market Approach Used to Determine Fair Values
The market approach estimates the fair value of the reporting unit by applying multiples of operating performance measures to the reporting unit's operating performance (the "Guideline Publicly Traded Company Method"). These multiples are derived from comparable publicly traded companies with similar investment characteristics to the reporting unit, and such comparables are reviewed and updated as needed annually. We believe that this approach is appropriate because it provides a fair value estimate using multiples from entities with operations and economic characteristics comparable to our reporting units and the Company as a whole. The key estimates and assumptions that are used to determine fair value under this market approach include current and forward 12-month operating performance results and the selection of the relevant multiples to be applied. Under the Guideline Publicly Traded Company Method, a control premium, or an amount that a buyer is usually willing to pay over the current market price of a publicly traded company, is applied to the calculated equity values to adjust the public trading value upward for a 100% ownership interest, where applicable.
In order to assess the reasonableness of the calculated fair values of our reporting units, we also compare the sum of the reporting units' fair values to our market capitalization and calculate an implied control premium (the excess of the sum of the reporting units' fair values over the market capitalization). We evaluate the control premium by comparing it to control premiums of recent comparable market transactions. If the implied control premium is not reasonable in light of these recent transactions, we will reevaluate our fair value estimates of the reporting units by adjusting the discount rates and/or other assumptions.
We applied a combined weighting of 25% to the market approach when determining the fair value of our reporting units.
As indicated in Note 5, "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets", the fair value of each of our four reporting units exceeded their respective carrying values by a very large margin (ranging from 44% to 500%). If market factors change and the discount rate utilized in the fair value calculation changes, it would result in a higher or lower fair value of our reporting units. The discount rates utilized in our October 1, 2024 impairment test ranged from 10.0% to 14.5%. An increase in the discount rate assumption of 50 basis points would have impacted the fair values of our reporting units, and would have reduced the excess of fair value over carrying value to a revised range of 38% to 478%. Further, if we are unable to achieve the projected revenue growth rates or margins assumed in our projections, this would also impact the fair value of our reporting units. Effective with the October 1, 2024 testing date, we changed our reporting unit structure to align with how management is currently reviewing and managing the business. Based on the testing performed, no impairment existed either under the former reporting unit structure or under the new reporting unit structure. If we were to change our reporting unit structure again or if other events and circumstances change (such as a sustained decrease in the price of our common stock, a decline in current market multiples, a significant adverse change in legal factors or business climates, an adverse action or assessment by a regulator, heightened competition, strategic decisions made in response to economic or competitive conditions or a more-likely-than-not expectation that a reporting unit or a significant portion of a reporting unit will be sold or disposed of), we may be required to record impairment charges in future periods. Any impairment charges that we may take in the future could be material to our consolidated results of operations and consolidated financial condition.
The Company conducted its annual goodwill impairment test as of October 1, 2024, and no impairment was identified at that time. Management has also concluded that the fair value of its goodwill exceeded the associated carrying value at December 31, 2024 and that no impairment exists as of that date. See Note 5, "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets," for details of our goodwill balance and the goodwill review performed in 2024. We will continue to monitor goodwill on an annual basis and whenever events or changes in circumstances, such as significant adverse changes in business climate or operating results, changes in management's business strategy or significant declines in our stock price, indicate that there may be a potential indicator of impairment.
Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
The Company tests indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually on October 1, or upon a triggering event, using a fair value approach, the relief-from-royalty method (a form of the income approach). The Company conducted its annual impairment tests as of October 1, 2024 and in connection with its analysis, identified and recorded a $0.4 million impairment charge related to its CUI tradename. This charge is reflected in the accompanying statement of operations during the year ended December 31, 2024. No impairment was identified at the Company's October 1, 2023 testing date. Management has also concluded that the fair value of its trademarks exceeds the associated carrying values at December 31, 2024 and that no impairment existed as of that date. At December 31, 2024, the Company's indefinite-lived intangible assets related solely to trademarks.
Pension Benefit Obligations