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BHE US Equity

Benchmark Electronics IncInformation Technology · Printed Circuit Boards · CIK 863436 · FY ends Dec 31
$72.64
-0.72 (-0.98%)
USD · as of 2026-08-21 · marketstack

BHE · 10-K · period ended 2023-12-31

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filed 2024-02-27 · EDGAR original ↗

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and Notes thereto in Part II, Item 8 of this Report. You should also bear in mind the Risk Factors set forth in Part I, Item 1A, any of which could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, operating results, financial condition and the actual results of the matters addressed by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion.

For discussion and analysis regarding our financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, refer to Part II, Item 7 in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on February 24, 2023.

2023 OVERVIEW

Sales for 2023 were $2.8 billion, a 2% decrease from sales of $2.9 billion in 2022. During 2023, sales to customers in our various industry sectors fluctuated from 2022 as follows:

Complex Industrials increased by 1%

A&D increased by 4%

Medical decreased by 6%

Semi-Cap decreased by 11%

Advanced Computing increased by 9%

Next-Generation Communications increased by 6%

The overall revenue decrease was primarily due to lower semi-cap revenue, as a result of lower demand from existing customers, and lower medical revenue, as a result of general softness across the industry and lower demand from existing customers, which were mostly offset by an increase in A&D revenue, as a result of strength in both defense and commercial aerospace and improved supply availability, and an increase in next-generation communications revenue, as a result of growth in broadband infrastructure programs.

Our sales depend on the success of our customers, some of which operate in businesses associated with rapid technological change and consequent product obsolescence. Developments adverse to our major customers or their products, the availability of electronic component supply, or the failure of a major customer to pay for components or services have adversely affected us by not allowing us to fulfill our total customer demand. A substantial percentage of our sales are made to a small number of customers, and the loss of a major customer, if not replaced, would adversely affect us. Sales to our ten largest customers represented 52% of our total sales in 2023 and in 2022. Sales to Applied Materials, Inc. and subsidiaries, our largest customer in 2023 and 2022 represented 12% and 15% of our total sales in 2023 and 2022, respectively. After a period of unprecedented global labor and supply disruptions, we have seen a general easing of certain material constraints across commodity categories, with the exception of older technologies where semiconductor original equipment manufacturers are not adding incremental capacity. The lack of capacity regarding these older technologies could constrain our ability to produce the full demand forecasts we are receiving from customers needing those parts. Lead times are also improving from the previous highs that prompted many suppliers to categorize some of their constrained components with non-cancellable and non-returnable business terms. Until recently, these constraints led to last-minute allocations and created inefficiencies in our operations, as well as increased costs to us and our customers.

We experience fluctuations in gross profit from period to period. Different programs contribute different gross profits depending on the type of services involved, location of production, size of the program, complexity of the product and level of material costs associated with the various products. Moreover, new programs can contribute relatively less to our gross profit in their early stages when manufacturing volumes are usually lower, resulting in inefficiencies and unabsorbed manufacturing overhead costs. During periods of low production volume, we generally have unabsorbed manufacturing overhead costs and reduced gross profit. Gross profit can also be impacted by higher costs associated with other situations, such as supply chain constraints. This includes supply chain premiums for excess component costs paid to secure available supply resulting in revenue with cost recovery only with no margin. In addition, a number of our new program ramps require incremental investment during the launch and ramp phase, which can exert downward pressure on our gross profit.

We have undertaken initiatives to restructure our business operations with the intention of improving utilization and reducing costs. During 2023, we recognized $7.3 million of restructuring charges primarily related to the previously announced closure of our site in Moorpark, California in the Americas, and other smaller activities involving capacity reductions and reductions in workforce in certain facilities across various regions. Moorpark, California operations ceased as of March 31, 2023 with restructuring activity substantially completed in 2023.

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During 2022, we recognized $5.7 million of restructuring charges primarily due to expenses associated with announced site closures or exits, reductions in workforce and other restructuring activities primarily in the Americas. During 2022, we also incurred a $2.0 million loss on assets held for sale related to certain manufacturing capabilities in the Americas that the Company made the decision in 2021 to no longer continue and a gain on assets held for sale of $2.4 million related to the sale of the Angleton, Texas facility. Additionally, during 2022, the Company agreed to $3.3 million in legal settlements. See Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report for additional information on our restructuring charges.

Inflation, interest rates, disruption in the global economy and financial markets, and geopolitical events continue to create uncertainty. However, we are not aware of any specific event or circumstance that would require updates to our estimates or judgments or require us to revise the carrying value of our assets or liabilities as of the date we filed this Report. These estimates may change as new events occur and additional information is obtained. Actual results could differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The financial information and the discussion below should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in Part II, Item 8 of this Report. The following table presents the percentage relationship that certain items in our consolidated statements of income bear to sales for the periods indicated:

Year EndedDecember 31,

Gross profit 9.5% 8.8%

Selling, general and administrative expenses 5.1% 5.2%

Amortization of intangible assets 0.2% 0.2%

Restructuring charges and other costs 0.3% 0.3%

Income from operations 3.9% 3.1%

Other expense, net (1.0)% (0.1)%

Income before income taxes 2.9% 3.0%

Income tax expense 0.6% 0.6%

2023 Compared With 2022

Sales

As noted above, sales decreased 2% in 2023. The percentages of our sales by market sector were as follows:

Year EndedDecember 31,

Complex Industrials 21% 21%

Advanced Computing 12% 10%

Next-Generation Communications 11% 11%

Complex Industrials. 2023 sales increased 1% to $596.5 million from $593.6 in 2022 as a result of strength with existing customers.

Aerospace and Defense. 2023 sales increased 4% to $361.5 million from $347.6 million in 2022 primarily due to strength in both defense and commercial aerospace and improved supply availability.

Medical. 2023 sales decreased 6% to $556.6 million from $592.9 million in 2022 primarily due to general softness across the industry resulting in lower demand from existing customers.

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Semi-Conductor Capital Equipment. 2023 sales decreased 11% to $646.3 million from $722.1 million in 2022 primarily due to slower overall market recovery.

Advanced Computing. 2023 sales increased 9% to $337.7 million from $310.5 million in 2022 primarily due to the contribution from multiple high performance computing programs completed during the period.

Next-Generation Communications. 2023 sales increased 6% to $340.4 million from $319.6 million in 2022 primarily due to growth in broadband infrastructure programs.

Our international operations are subject to the risks of doing business abroad. See Part I, Item 1A of this Report for risk factors pertaining to international sales, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and a discussion of potential adverse effects in operating results associated with the risks of doing business abroad. During 2023 and 2022, 58% and 61%, respectively, of our sales were from international operations.

Sales by geographical segment were as follows:

Year EndedDecember 31,

Sales:

Americas. 2023 sales increased 9% to $1.6 billion from $1.5 billion in 2022 primarily due to increases in sales in our advanced computing, complex industrials and next-generation communications sectors.

Asia. 2023 sales decreased 16% to $1.1 billion from $1.3 billion in 2022 primarily due to a decrease in existing customer demand of our semi-cap and medical sectors.

Europe. 2023 sales increased 6% to $299.8 million from $284.1 million in 2022 primarily due to an increase in sales in our semi-cap and A&D sectors.

Gross Profit

Gross profit increased 6% to $271.1 million in 2023 from $255.2 million in 2022 primarily due to our mix of revenue and expense discipline. Gross profit margin increased to 9.5% in 2023 from 8.8% in 2022 primarily due to improved operational efficiencies and the proactive cost reduction actions taken by our manufacturing sites.

Income from Operations

2023 income from operations increased 22% to $109.7 million from $90.1 million in 2022. The increase was primarily due to improved gross margin and cost actions taken to reduce selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses.

Income from operations by reportable segment was as follows:

Year EndedDecember 31,

Income from operations:

Corporate and intersegment eliminations (95,479 ) (116,671 )

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Americas. 2023 operating income increased 15% to $63.5 million from $55.2 million in 2022. The increase was primarily due to higher revenue and expense control.

Asia. 2023 operating income decreased 8% to $124.3 million from $134.6 million in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to lower revenue partially offset by expense control.

Europe. 2023 operating income increased 3% to $17.4 million from $16.9 million in 2022. The increase was primarily due to higher revenue and expense control.

Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) Expenses

SG&A expense decreased to $147.0 million in 2023 from $150.2 million in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to cost actions taken, coupled with lower variable compensation expense.

Amortization of Intangible Assets

Amortization of intangible assets was $6.0 million in 2023 and $6.4 million in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to certain assets becoming fully amortized in 2023.

Restructuring Charges and Other Costs

During 2023, we recognized $7.3 million of restructuring charges primarily due to expenses associated with announced site closures or exits, reductions in work force and other restructuring activities primarily in the Americas. During 2023, we made the decision to no longer continue certain manufacturing capabilities in the Americas. In connection with that decision, we assessed the facility and equipment assets used in those manufacturing capabilities and recorded $1.1 million of impairment charges as a result of that assessment. The asset impairment charges are included in restructuring charges and other costs in the consolidated statement of income.

During 2022, we recognized $5.7 million of restructuring charges primarily due to expenses associated with announced site closures or exits, reductions in workforce and other restructuring activities primarily in the Americas. During 2022, we also incurred a $2.0 million loss on assets held for sale related to certain manufacturing capabilities in the Americas that the Company made the decision in 2021 to no longer continue and a gain on assets held for sale of $2.4 million related to the sale of the Angleton, Texas facility. Additionally, during 2022, the Company agreed to $3.3 million in legal settlements.

See Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report for additional information on our restructuring charges.

Interest Expense

Interest expense increased to $31.9 million in 2023 from $12.9 million in 2022 primarily due to additional borrowings to support our operations as well as the higher interest rate environment.

Interest Income

Interest income increased to $6.3 million in 2023 from $1.7 million in 2022 primarily due to higher interest rates.

Other (Expense) Income, Net

Other expense, net, was $2.8 million in 2023 primarily consisting of foreign exchange losses. Other income, net, was $5.4 million in 2022 primarily consisting of gain on litigation settlements, partially offset by foreign exchange losses.

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Income Tax Expense

Income tax expense in 2023 was $16.9 million representing an effective tax rate of 20.8% compared with $16.1 million of income tax expense in 2022 representing an effective tax rate of 19.1%. The higher effective tax rate in 2023 is the result of the mix of profits in our foreign and U.S. jurisdictions and higher tax rates for our locations in Asia.

The Company has been granted certain tax incentives, including tax holidays, for its subsidiaries in Thailand, China and Malaysia that expire at various dates, unless extended or otherwise renegotiated, and are subject to certain conditions with which the Company expects to comply. The tax incentives in Thailand will expire on December 31, 2030. The tax incentives in China expired on December 31, 2023 and the tax incentives in Malaysia expired on March 31, 2021. The Company has applied for a continuation of the Malaysia tax holiday, which will extend the tax incentive period for five to ten years if approved. The Company will also apply for a China tax holiday in 2024. There is no guarantee of being awarded these tax incentives in the future. See Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report.

Net Income

We reported net income of $64.3 million, or $1.79 per diluted share, for 2023, compared with net income of $68.2 million, or $1.91 per diluted share, for 2022. The decrease of $3.9 million in 2023 is primarily the result of items discussed above.

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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

We have historically financed our organic growth and operations through funds generated from operations and occasional borrowings under our Credit Agreement (as defined below). Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $283.2 million at December 31, 2023 and $207.4 million at December 31, 2022, of which $269.6 million and $167.7 million, respectively, was held outside the United States in various foreign subsidiaries.

Our operations, and the operations of businesses we acquire, are subject to certain foreign, federal, state and local regulatory requirements relating to environmental, waste management, health and safety matters. We believe we operate in substantial compliance with all applicable requirements, and we seek to ensure that newly acquired businesses comply or will comply substantially with applicable requirements. To date, the costs of compliance and workplace and environmental remediation have not been material to us. However, material costs and liabilities may arise from these requirements or from new, modified or more stringent requirements in the future. In addition, our past, current and future operations, and the operations of businesses we have or may acquire, may give rise to claims of exposure by employees or the public, or to other claims or liabilities relating to environmental, waste management or health and safety concerns.

Management believes that our existing cash balances, funds generated from operations, and borrowing availability under our revolving credit facility will be sufficient to permit us to meet our liquidity requirements over the next 12 months. Management further believes that our ongoing cash flows from operations and any borrowings we may incur under our revolving credit facility will enable us to meet operating cash requirements in future years. If we consummated significant acquisitions in the future, our capital needs would increase and could possibly result in our need to increase available borrowings under our Credit Agreement or access public or private debt and equity markets. There can be no assurance, however, that we would be successful in raising additional debt or equity on acceptable terms.

2023 Cash Flows

Cash provided from operating activities was $174.3 million in 2023 and primarily consisted of $64.3 million of net income, adjusted for $45.4 million of depreciation and amortization, $15.3 million of stock-based compensation expense, a $42.1 million decrease in accounts receivable, and a $45.1 million decrease in inventories partially offset by a $35.3 million decrease in accounts payable. Working capital was $0.9 billion as of December 31, 2023.

We primarily purchase components only after customer orders or forecasts are received, which mitigates, but does not eliminate, the risk of loss on inventories. Supplies of electronic components and other materials used in operations are subject to industry-wide shortages. In certain instances, suppliers may allocate available quantities to us. When shortages of these components and other material supplies used in operations have occurred, vendors have at times been unable to ship the quantities we need for production, forcing us to delay shipments, which can increase backorders and impact cash flows. Vendors also may increase the costs of components based on the market conditions including these shortages. In certain instances, we request and receive advance payments from customers as prepayments of inventory to meet working capital demands of a contract, offset inventory risks such as inventory purchased in advance of current needs and protect the Company from the failure of other parties to fulfill obligations under a contract. For example, we have been impacted by supply chain constraints, including shortages, longer lead times and increased transit times.

Cash used in investing activities was $77.1 million in 2023 primarily due to capital expenditures for property, plant and equipment of $73.5 million and purchased software of $4.3 million. The purchases of property, plant and equipment were primarily for machinery and equipment in the Americas.

Cash used in financing activities was $23.6 million in 2023. Borrowings under the Credit Agreement were $749.5 million and principal payments under the Credit Agreement were $743.6 million. In addition, we paid $23.5 million of dividends during 2023 and $5.8 million for employee taxes paid to settle stock-based awards exercised during the year.

Credit Agreement

On December 21, 2021, the Company amended and restated the Company’s prior $650 million credit agreement by entering into a $381 million amended and restated credit agreement (the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement). Under the terms of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, in addition to the $131.3 million term loan facility, we have a $250.0 million five-year revolving credit facility to be used for general corporate purposes, both with a maturity date of December 21, 2026.

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On May 20, 2022, the Company entered into Amendment No. 1 (the Amendment) to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (as amended, the Credit Agreement). The Amendment increased the revolving credit facility commitments from $250 million to $450 million. The Amendment also established that the interest on outstanding borrowings starting on the next reset date and any new borrowings under the Amendment (other than swingline loans) will accrue, at the Company’s option, at (a) Bloomberg Short Term Bank Yield Index (BSBY) plus the Applicable Rate (as defined in the Credit Agreement, approximately 1.00% to 2.00% per annum depending on various factors) or (b) for U.S. dollar denominated loans, the base rate (which is the highest of (i) the federal funds rate plus 0.50%, (ii) the Bank of America, N.A. prime rate, (iii) the one-month BSBY adjusted daily rate plus 1.00% and (iv) 1.00%).

On February 3, 2023, the Company entered into Amendment No. 2 to the Credit Agreement, which increased the maximum amount of trade accounts that the Company may elect to sell at any one time to $200.0 million.

On May 1, 2023, the Company entered into Amendment No. 3 to the Credit Agreement (Amendment No. 3), which increased the revolving credit facility commitments from $450 million to $550 million. Amendment No. 3 also established that the interest on outstanding borrowings starting on the next reset date and any new borrowings under Amendment No. 3 (other than swingline loans) will accrue, at the Company’s option, at (a) Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus 0.10% plus the Applicable Rate (as defined in the Credit Agreement, approximately 1.00% to 2.00% per annum depending on various factors) or (b) for U.S. dollar denominated loans, the base rate (which is the highest of (i) the federal funds rate plus 0.50%, (ii) the Bank of America, N.A. prime rate, (iii) Term SOFR plus 1.00% and (iv) 1.00%).

As of December 31, 2023, we had $127.1 million in borrowings outstanding under the term loan facility and $205.0 million outstanding under our revolving credit facility and $4.4 million in letters of credit outstanding under our revolving credit facility. See Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report for more information regarding the terms of our Credit Agreement.

The Credit Agreement contains certain financial covenants related to interest coverage and debt leverage, and certain customary affirmative and negative covenants, including restrictions on our ability to incur additional debt and liens, pay dividends, repurchase shares, sell assets and merge or consolidate with other persons. Amounts due under the Credit Agreement could be accelerated upon specified events of default, including a failure to pay amounts due, breach of a covenant, material inaccuracy of a representation, or occurrence of bankruptcy or insolvency, subject, in some cases, to cure periods. As of December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with all of these covenants and restrictions.

As of December 31, 2023, we had $340.6 million available for borrowings under the Credit Agreement. During the next 12 months, we believe our capital expenditures will approximate $60 million to $70 million, principally for machinery and equipment to help increase our production capacity to support anticipated revenue growth and our ongoing business around the globe.

Share Repurchase Authorization

On March 6, 2018, the Board of Directors approved an expanded share repurchase authorization granting the Company authority to repurchase up to $250 million in common stock in addition to the $100 million previously approved on December 7, 2015. On October 26, 2018 and February 19, 2020, the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $100 million and $150 million of the Company’s common stock, respectively.

Share purchases may be made in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions or block transactions, at the discretion of the Company’s management and as market conditions warrant. Purchases will be funded from available cash and may be commenced, suspended or discontinued at any time without prior notice. Shares repurchased under the program are retired. The Company did not repurchase shares in 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $154.6 million remaining under the share repurchase authorization.

Dividends

During 2023, 2022 and 2021, cash dividends paid totaled $23.5 million, $23.2 million and $23.3 million, respectively. On December 13, 2023, the Company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.165 per share of the Company’s common stock to shareholders of record as of December 29, 2023. The dividend of $5.9 million was paid on January 12, 2024.

The Board of Directors currently intends to continue paying quarterly dividends. However, the Company’s future dividend policy is subject to the Company’s compliance with applicable law, and depending on, among other things, the Company’s results of operations, financial condition, level of indebtedness, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, restrictions in the Company’s debt agreements, and other factors that the Board of Directors may deem relevant. Dividend payments are not mandatory or guaranteed; there can be no assurance that the Company will continue to pay a dividend in the future.

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CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Our significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to accounts receivable, inventories, revenue recognition, income taxes, long-lived assets, stock-based compensation and contingencies and litigation. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates. We believe the following critical accounting policies affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue Recognition

Our revenue is recognized when a contract exists and when, or as, we satisfy a performance obligation by transferring control of a product or service to the customer. A contract exists when it has approval and commitment from both parties, the rights of the parties are identified, payment terms are identified, the contract has commercial substance and collectability of consideration is probable. A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer. For the Company, the arrangement with the customer is generally documented through a master agreement which outlines the general terms and conditions of the arrangement and a specific purchase commitment from the customer.

Our performance obligations are satisfied over time as work progresses or at a point in time. The determination of how our performance obligations are satisfied requires judgment and is assessed on a contract by contract basis. Under the majority of our contracts, our performance obligations are satisfied over time as work progresses since the customer controls all of the work-in-progress as products are being built. For these contracts, the selection of the method to measure progress towards completion requires judgment and is based on the nature of the products or services to be provided. We use a cost-based input measurement of progress because it best represents the transfer of assets to the customer. For our other contracts, revenue is recognized upon transfer of control of the product or service, which is generally upon shipment or delivery depending on the terms of the underlying contract. Revenue from design, development and engineering services is generally recognized over time as the services are performed.

Generally, there are no subjective customer acceptance requirements or further obligations related to goods or services provided. Our contracts with customers do not allow for a general right of return.

Income Taxes

We estimate our income tax provision in each of the jurisdictions where we operate, including estimating exposures related to uncertain tax positions. We must also make judgments regarding our ability to realize the future tax benefit from our deferred tax assets. We record a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets to the amount that we believe is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2023, our valuation allowance was $18.5 million and primarily relates to the deferred tax assets of our foreign locations.

Differences in our future operating results as compared to the estimates utilized in the determination of the valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets could result in adjustments to the respective valuation allowances in future periods. For example, a significant increase in the operations of our foreign locations or future accretive acquisitions of our foreign locations would result in a reduction in our valuation allowance in the period of occurrence and would increase our income in the period such determination was made. Alternatively, significant economic downturns in our U.S. or foreign locations generating additional operating loss carryforwards could possibly result in an increase in our valuation allowance and would decrease our income in the period such determination was made.

The OECD and the G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting have published the Pillar Two model rules designed to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalization of the global economy. The Pillar Two model rules adopt a global corporate minimum tax of 15% for multinational enterprises with average revenue in excess of €750 million on their global consolidated financial statements. The Council of the European Union has adopted the Pillar Two model rules and has directed EU member states to implement legislation enacting the Pillar Two model rules. Many countries, including non-EU member states, have implemented laws based on the Pillar Two model rules to be effective as of January 1, 2024.

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The Company has manufacturing operations in several of the foreign jurisdictions that have implemented the Pillar Two model rules. The Company is still in the process of assessing the potential impact of the Pillar Two model rules on the Company’s provision for income taxes, net income and cash flows for the calendar year of 2024 and future years. The potential impact, if any, of the Pillar Two model rules to the Company’s provision for income taxes, net income and cash flows is currently not known or reasonably estimable. The Company expects to be in a position to report the potential impact, if any, in its interim financial statements for the quarterly period ending March 31, 2024.

We are subject to examination by tax authorities for different periods in various U.S. and foreign tax jurisdictions. During the course of such examinations, disputes may occur as to matters of fact and/or law. In most tax jurisdictions, the passage of time without examination will result in the expiration of applicable statutes of limitations, thereby precluding the taxing authority from examining the relevant tax period(s). We believe that we have adequately provided for our tax liabilities.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Goodwill

Long-lived assets, such as property, plant, and equipment and purchased intangible assets, subject to amortization, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. The recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount that the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset.

Goodwill is tested for impairment on an annual basis, at a minimum, and whenever events and circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may be impaired. Circumstances that may lead to impairment include unforeseen decreases in future performance or industry demand or the restructuring of our operations as a result of a change in our business strategy. We perform a qualitative assessment to determine if goodwill is potentially impaired. If the qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, or if we elect not to perform a qualitative assessment, then we would be required to perform a quantitative impairment test for goodwill. This process involves determining the fair values of the reporting units and comparing those fair values to the carrying values, including goodwill, of the reporting units. An impairment loss would be recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds the fair value. For purposes of performing our goodwill impairment assessment, our reporting units are the same as our operating segments as defined in Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had $154.0 million of goodwill related to our Americas reporting unit and $38.1 million of goodwill related to our Asia reporting unit.

Based on our qualitative assessments of goodwill as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we concluded that it was more likely than not that the fair value of our Americas and Asia reporting units were greater than their carrying amounts, and therefore no further testing was required.

Changes in economic and operating conditions that occur after the annual impairment analysis or an interim impairment analysis, and that impact these assumptions, may result in a future goodwill impairment charge.

Recently Enacted Accounting Principles

See Note 1(s) to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report for a discussion of recently enacted accounting principles.

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CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

We have certain contractual obligations that extend beyond 2023 under lease obligations and debt arrangements. Non-cancellable purchase commitments do not typically extend beyond normal lead-times of 4 to 20 weeks; however, some electronic component manufacturers now have lead-times in excess of 52 weeks. Most purchase orders beyond this time frame are normally cancellable; however, as a result of the recent constrained environment some manufacturers have looked to limit their liability by adding non-cancellable, non-renewable (NCNR) terms. We do not use off-balance sheet financing techniques and we have not guaranteed the obligations of any entity that is not one of our wholly owned subsidiaries.

A summary of our operating lease obligations as of December 31, 2023 can be found in Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report.

A summary of our long-term debt obligations as of December 31, 2023 can be found in Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report.

U.S. federal income tax on deemed mandatory repatriation is payable over four years pursuant to the U.S. Tax Reform. See Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report.

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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Our international sales comprise a significant portion of our business. We are exposed to risks associated with operating internationally, including:

Foreign currency exchange risk;

Import and export duties, taxes and regulatory changes;

Inflationary economies or currencies; and

Economic and political instability.

Additionally, some of our operations are in developing countries. Certain events, including natural disasters, can impact the infrastructure of a developing country more severely than they would impact the infrastructure of a developed country. A developing country can also take longer to recover from such events, which could lead to delays in our ability to resume full operations.

We transact business in various foreign countries and are subject to foreign currency fluctuation risks. We use natural hedging and forward contracts to economically hedge transactional exposure primarily associated with trade accounts receivable, other receivables and trade accounts payable that are denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the respective operating entity. We do not use derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes. Certain forward currency exchange contracts in place as of December 31, 2023 have not been designated as accounting hedges and, therefore, changes in fair value are recorded within our consolidated statement of income in Part II, Item 8 of this Report.

The Company enters into forward currency exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges of forecasted foreign currency expenses. Changes in the fair value of the derivatives are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss on the consolidated balance sheet until earnings are affected by the variability of the cash flows.

Our sales are substantially denominated in U.S. dollars. Our foreign currency cash flows are generated in certain European and Asian countries and Mexico.

We are also exposed to market risk for changes in interest rates on our financial instruments, a portion of which relates to our invested cash balances. We do not use derivative financial instruments in our investing activities. We place cash and cash equivalents and investments with various major financial institutions. We protect our invested principal funds by limiting default risk, market risk and reinvestment risk. We mitigate default risk by generally investing in investment grade securities.

We are also exposed to interest rate risk on borrowings under our Credit Agreement. As of December 31, 2023, we had $127.1 million outstanding on the floating rate term loan facility, and we have an interest rate swap agreement with a notional amount of $127.1 million. Under this swap agreement, we receive variable rate interest rate payments and pay fixed rate interest payments. The effect of this swap is to convert our floating rate interest expense to fixed interest rate expense. The interest rate swap is designated as a cash flow hedge.

For additional information, see Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

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BENCHMARK ELECTRONICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Balance Sheets

December 31,

(in thousands, except par value) 2023 2022

Assets

Current assets:

Restricted cash 5,822 —

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

Current liabilities:

Current installments of long-term debt $ 4,283 $ 4,275

Deferred income taxes — 495

Commitments and contingencies

Shareholders’ equity:

Preferred stock, $0.10 par value; 5,000 shares authorized, none issued — —

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (13,860 ) (16,233 )

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

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BENCHMARK ELECTRONICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Income

Year Ended December 31,

Ransomware related incident recoveries — — (3,944 )

Earnings per share:

Weighted-average number of shares outstanding:

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

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BENCHMARK ELECTRONICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

Year Ended December 31,

Other comprehensive income (loss):

Foreign currency translation adjustments 2,964 (3,148 ) (4,354 )

Unrealized gain (loss) on derivatives, net of tax (628 ) 4,160 3,370

Total other comprehensive income (loss) 2,373 925 (507 )

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

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BENCHMARK ELECTRONICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity

Other comprehensive loss — — — — (507 ) (507 )

Stock-based compensation expense — — 15,262 — — 15,262

Vesting of restricted stock units 377 38 (38 ) — — —

Other comprehensive income — — — — 925 925

Stock-based compensation expense — — 18,485 — — 18,485

Vesting of restricted stock units 407 41 (41 ) — — —

Other comprehensive income — — — — 2,373 2,373

Stock-based compensation expense — — 15,286 — — 15,286

Shares repurchased and retired — — — — — —

Vesting of restricted stock units 732 73 (73 ) — — —

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

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BENCHMARK ELECTRONICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Year Ended December 31,

Cash flows from operating activities:

Provision for doubtful accounts 1,321 489 —

(Gain) loss on the sale of property, plant and equipment (101 ) (289 ) 148

Gain on assets held for sale — (393 ) —

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Cash flows from investing activities:

Additions to capitalized purchased software (4,260 ) (3,417 ) (3,383 )

Proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment 649 321 239

Proceeds from the sale of assets held for sale — 5,372 —

Cash flows from financing activities:

Employee taxes paid with shares withheld (5,761 ) (3,201 ) (3,174 )

Proceeds from stock options exercised 129 716 346

Principal payments on finance leases (173 ) (165 ) (873 )

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

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BENCHMARK ELECTRONICS, INC.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data, unless otherwise noted)

Note 1—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(a) Business

Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (the Company) is a Texas corporation that provides advanced manufacturing services, which include design and engineering services and technology solutions. From initial product concept to volume production, including direct order fulfillment and aftermarket services, the Company has been providing integrated services and solutions to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) since 1979. The Company serves the following market sectors: complex industrials, aerospace and defense (A&D), medical technologies, semiconductor capital equipment (semi-cap), advanced computing and next-generation communications. The Company has manufacturing operations located in the United States and Mexico (the Americas), Asia and Europe.

(b) Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP) and include the financial statements of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. and its wholly owned and majority owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

(c) Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity at the date of purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents of $121.2million and $88.9 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, consisted primarily of money-market funds and time deposits with an initial term of less than three months. Restricted cash represents cash received from customers to settle invoices sold under trade accounts receivable sale program purchase agreements that is contractually required to be set aside until the cash is remitted to the purchaser.

(d) Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

Accounts receivable are recorded net of allowances for amounts not expected to be collected. In estimating the allowance, management considers a specific customer’s financial condition, payment history, current conditions, and various information or disclosures by the customer or other publicly available information. Accounts receivable are charged against the allowance after all reasonable efforts to collect the full amount (including litigation, where appropriate) have been exhausted.

The following table summarizes the activity of the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts:

(1)

Deductions in the allowance for doubtful accounts represent write-offs, net of recoveries, of amounts determined to be uncollectible.

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(e) Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out method) and net realizable value. Costs included in inventories consist of materials, labor and overhead. The carrying amounts of inventories are adjusted for excess and obsolete inventory. Evaluation of excess inventory includes considering factors such as anticipated usage, inventory turnover, inventory levels and product demand levels. Evaluation for obsolete inventory includes considering factors such as the age of on-hand inventory, reduction in value due to damage and design changes. The Company also takes into consideration whether customer agreements specify for the customer to pay for such inventory.

(f) Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which include 5 to 40 years for buildings and building improvements, 2 to 15 years for machinery and equipment, 2 to 12 years for furniture and fixtures and 2 to 8 years for vehicles. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the useful life of the improvement or the remainder of the lease term.

(g) Leases

Lease assets and liabilities are initially recognized based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term calculated using the Company’s incremental borrowing rate unless the implicit rate is readily determinable. Our incremental borrowing rate represents the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term in a similar economic environment. Lease assets also include any upfront lease payments made and exclude lease incentives. Lease terms include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that those options will be exercised. Leases are classified as finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern and classification of expense recognition in the consolidated statement of income. Management elected the short-term lease recognition exemption for all of the Company’s leases that qualify, in addition to the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components.

(h) Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over fair value of net assets acquired. Goodwill and intangible assets acquired in a business combination and determined to have an indefinite useful life are not amortized, but instead assessed for impairment at least annually.

Other assets, net, primarily consist of acquired identifiable intangible assets and capitalized purchased software costs. Intangible assets, including those acquired in a business combination, with estimable useful lives are amortized over their respective estimated useful lives to their estimated residual values. Customer relationships are amortized on a straight-line basis over a period of 10 to 14 years. Capitalized purchased software costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the related software, which ranges from2 to 14 years. Technology licenses are amortized over their estimated useful lives in proportion to the economic benefits consumed.

(i) Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Goodwill

Long-lived assets, such as property, plant, and equipment, and purchased intangibles subject to amortization, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is evaluated by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset. Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or estimated fair value less costs to sell and are no longer depreciated.

The Company evaluates goodwill for impairment on an annual basis, during the fourth quarter, and whenever events and changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying amount may be impaired. Circumstances that may lead to the impairment of goodwill include unforeseen decreases in future performance or industry demand or the restructuring of our operations as a result of a change in our business strategy. A qualitative assessment is allowed to determine if goodwill is potentially impaired. Based on this qualitative assessment, if the Company determines that it is more likely than not that the reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying value, then it performs a quantitative assessment, otherwise no further analysis is required. In connection with its annual qualitative goodwill impairment assessments as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company concluded that goodwill was not impaired.

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(j) Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted-average number of shares outstanding adjusted for the incremental shares attributed to outstanding stock equivalents. Stock equivalents include common shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options and other equity instruments and are computed using the treasury stock method. Under the treasury stock method, the exercise price of a share and the amount of compensation cost, if any, for future service that the Company has not yet recognized are assumed to be used to repurchase shares in the current period.

The following table sets forth the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share:

Year Ended December 31,

Incremental common shares attributable to exercise of dilutive options 4 17 39

Earnings per share:

There were no anti-dilutive stock options excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share in 2023, 2022 and 2021. Restricted stock units totaling less than 0.1 million common share equivalents for 2023 and 2021 were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share because their effect would have been anti-dilutive. There were no anti-dilutive restricted stock units in 2022.

(k) Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue as the customer takes control of the manufactured products built to customer specifications. Under the majority of the Company’s manufacturing contracts with customers, the customer controls all of the work-in-progress as products are being built. Revenue under these contracts is recognized progressively based on the cost-to-cost method. For other manufacturing contracts, the customer does not take control of the product until it is completed. Under these contracts, the Company recognizes revenue upon transfer of control of the product to the customer, which is generally when the goods are shipped. Revenue from design, development and engineering services is generally recognized over time as the services are performed.

The Company’s performance obligations generally have an expected duration of one year or less. The Company applies the practical expedient related to short-term performance obligations and does not disclose information about remaining performance obligations that have original expected durations of one year or less or any significant financing components in the contracts.

The Company recognizes the incremental costs, if any, of obtaining contracts as an expense when incurred since the amortization period of the assets that the Company otherwise would have recognized is one year or less.

(l) Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred income taxes are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce its deferred tax assets to the amounts that are more likely than not to be realized in the future. The Company considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in assessing the need for a valuation allowance.

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(m) Stock-Based Compensation

All share-based payments to employees of the Company, including grants of employee stock options (last awarded in 2015), are recognized in the consolidated financial statements based on their grant date fair values. The total compensation costs recognized for stock-based awards were $15.3 million, $18.5 million and $15.3 million for 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The future tax benefit of these stock-based awards as of the grant date was $3.5 million, $4.4 million and $3.6 million for 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The fair value of stock option grants is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The fair values of restricted stock units and performance-based restricted stock units are determined based on the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. For performance-based restricted stock units, compensation cost is calculated taking into consideration the probability that the underlying performance goals will be achieved, which is monitored by management throughout the requisite service period. When it becomes probable, based on management's expectation of the Company's performance during the measurement period, that more or less than the previous estimate of the awarded shares will vest, an adjustment to compensation cost is recognized as a change in accounting estimate in the period the change is determined.

As of December 31, 2023, the unrecognized compensation costs and remaining weighted-average amortization periods related to stock-based awards were as follows:

(in thousands) RestrictedStock Units Performance-BasedStock Units

Unrecognized compensation cost $ 21,869 $ 4,813

Remaining weighted-average amortization period 2.5 years 1.8 years

(1)

Based on the probable achievement of the performance goals identified in each award.

The total cash received as a result of stock option exercises in 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $0.1 million, $0.7 million and $0.3 million, respectively. The actual tax benefit realized as a result of stock option exercises and the vesting of other share-based awards during 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $2.7 million, $2.5 million and $2.7 million, respectively. For 2023, 2022 and 2021, the total intrinsic value of stock options exercised was $0.1 million, $0.5 million and $0.5 million, respectively.

The Company awarded performance-based restricted stock units to employees during 2023, 2022 and 2021. The number of performance-based restricted stock units that will ultimately be earned will not be determined until the end of the corresponding performance periods and may vary from as low as zero to as high as 2.5 times the target number depending on the level of achievement of certain performance goals. The level of achievement of these goals is based upon the financial results of the Company for the last full calendar year within the performance period. The performance goals consist of certain levels of achievement using the following financial metrics: revenue, operating income margin, and return on invested capital. If the performance goals are not met based on the Company’s financial results, the applicable performance-based restricted stock units will not vest and will be forfeited. Shares subject to forfeited performance-based restricted stock units will become available for issuance under the Company’s 2019 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan (the 2019 Plan).

(n) Use of Estimates

Management of the Company has made a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities to prepare these consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. However, actual results could differ materially from these estimates. On an ongoing basis, management evaluates these estimates, including those related to accounts receivable, inventories, income taxes, long-lived assets, leases, goodwill, stock-based compensation expense, contingencies and litigation. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

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(o) Fair Values of Financial Instruments

Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date.

A three-tier fair value hierarchy of inputs is employed to determine fair value measurements as follows:

Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets and liabilities;

Level 2 inputs are observable prices that are not quoted on active exchanges, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations in which inputs are observable or in which significant value drivers are observable; and

Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs employed for measuring the fair value of assets or liabilities.

This hierarchy requires the Company to use observable market data, when available, and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs when determining fair value.

The Company’s financial instruments include cash equivalents, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable, accrued liabilities, long-term debt, interest rate swaps and foreign currency hedges. For cash equivalents, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, the Company believes that the carrying values of its financial instruments approximate the fair values because of their short-term nature. For borrowings under the credit facility in long-term debt, the Company believes that the fair value approximates the carrying value because the interest rates are variable. As of December 31, 2023, the fair value estimates for the Company's interest rate swap agreement and were based on Level 2 inputs of the fair value hierarchy. See Note 10.

(p) Foreign Currency

For foreign subsidiaries of the Company using the local currency as their functional currency, assets and liabilities are translated at exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date and income and expenses are translated at average exchange rates. The effects of these translation adjustments are recognized in other comprehensive income (loss). Exchange gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the entity involved are included in other (expense) income, net. For 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized a loss of $3.4 million, a gain of $0.6 million and a loss of $0.3 million, respectively. These amounts include the gain (loss) recognized due to forward currency exchange contracts.

(q) Derivative Instruments

All derivative instruments are recorded on the balance sheet at fair value. The Company uses derivative instruments to manage the variability of foreign currency obligations and interest rates. The Company does not enter into derivative arrangements for speculative purposes. Generally, if a derivative instrument is designated as a cash flow hedge, the change in fair value of the derivative is recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) to the extent the derivative is effective and recognized in the consolidated statement of income when the hedged item affects earnings. Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are not designated as cash flow hedges are recognized in the consolidated statement of income. Cash receipts and cash payments related to derivative instruments are recorded in the same category as the cash flows from the items being hedged on the consolidated statement of cash flows.

(r) Government Assistance Programs and Incentives

The operation of our business is impacted by various government programs, incentives, and other arrangements. Government incentives are recorded in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with their purpose as a reduction of expense or an offset to the related capital asset. The benefit is generally recognized when all conditions attached to the incentive have been met or are expected to be met and there is reasonable assurance of their receipt. For 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized government incentives of $1.7 million, $0.9 million and $0.5 million. These amounts are included in cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expense in the consolidated statement of income.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had government incentives of $0.9 million recognized in prepaid expenses and other assets. There were no unpaid government incentives as of December 31, 2022.

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(s) New Accounting Pronouncements

In September 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2022-04: Disclosure of Supplier Finance Program Obligations (Subtopic 405-50), which requires a buyer in a supplier finance program to disclose sufficient information about the program to allow a user of financial statements to understand the program's nature, activity during the period, changes from period to period, and potential magnitude. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years, except for the amendment on rollforward information, which is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of ASU 2022-04 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

The Company has determined that other recently issued accounting standards will either not have a material impact on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows, or will not apply to its operations.

Not Yet Adopted

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures (Topic 740) (ASU 2023-09), which improves the transparency of income tax disclosures by requiring consistent categories and greater disaggregation of information in the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. The ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the guidance and its impact to the financial statements.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures (ASU 2023-07), which requires public entities to disclose information about their reportable segments' oversight and significant expenses on an interim and annual basis. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the guidance and its impact to the financial statements.

In October 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-06, Disclosure Improvements: Codification Amendments in Response to SEC's Disclosure Update and Simplification Initiative (ASU 2023-06), which amends a variety of disclosure requirements in the Accounting Standards Codification. The effective date for each amendment will be the date on with the SEC's removal of that related disclosure from Regulation S-X or Regulation S-K becomes effective. Early adoption is prohibited. Upon adoption, this ASU is not expected to have a material impact to the Company's financial statements and related disclosures.

Note 2—Inventories

Inventory costs are summarized as follows:

December 31,

Note 3—Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment consists of the following:

December 31,

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Note 4—Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill allocated to the Company’s reportable operating segments follows:

(in thousands) Americas Asia Total

A summary of the Company's acquired identifiable intangible assets and capitalized purchased software costs follows:

(in thousands) GrossCarryingAmount AccumulatedAmortization NetCarryingAmount

(in thousands) GrossCarryingAmount AccumulatedAmortization NetCarryingAmount

During 2023, 2022 and 2021, additions to capitalized purchased software costs were $4.3 million, $3.4 million and $3.4 million, respectively.

A summary of the components of amortization expense, as presented in the consolidated statements of cash flows, follows:

Year Ended December 31,

Amortization of capitalized purchased software costs 4,564 4,113 2,128

A summary of the future amortization expense related to the Company's intangible assets held as of December 31, 2023 for each of the next five years follows (in thousands):

Year ending December 31, AmortizationExpense

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Note 5—Borrowing Facilities

A summary of the Company's long-term debt outstanding follows:

December 31,

Less: Unamortized debt issuance costs (1,546 ) (1,829 )

Total long-term debt, including current installments $ 330,602 $ 324,421

On July 20, 2018, the Company entered into a $650 million credit agreement (the Prior Credit Agreement) by and among the Company, certain of its subsidiaries, the lenders party thereto and Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender and a L/C Issuer. The Prior Credit Agreement was comprised of a five-year $500 million revolving credit facility and a five-year $151 million term loan facility, both which had a maturity date of July 20, 2023. The term loan facility proceeds were used to (i) refinance a portion of existing indebtedness and terminate all commitments under the Company’s prior $430 million credit agreement and (ii) pay the fees, costs and expenses associated with the foregoing and the negotiation, execution and delivery of the Prior Credit Agreement.

On December 21, 2021, the Company amended and restated the Prior Credit Agreement by entering into a $381 million amended and restated credit agreement (the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement). The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement is comprised of a five-year $250 million revolving credit facility (the Revolving Credit Facility) and a five-year $131.3 million term loan facility (the Term Loan Facility), both extending the original revolving credit facility and term loan facility maturity dates from July 20, 2023 to December 21, 2026.

On May 20, 2022, the Company entered into Amendment No. 1 (the Amendment) to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (as amended, the Credit Agreement). The Amendment increased the Revolving Credit Facility commitments from $250 million to $450 million. The Amendment also established that the interest on outstanding borrowings starting on the next reset date and any new borrowings under the Amendment (other than swingline loans) will accrue, at the Company’s option, at (a) Bloomberg Short Term Bank Yield Index (BSBY) plus the Applicable Rate (as defined in the Credit Agreement, approximately 1.00% to 2.00% per annum depending on various factors) or (b) for U.S. dollar denominated loans, the base rate (which is the highest of (i) the federal funds rate plus 0.50%, (ii) the Bank of America, N.A. prime rate, (iii) the one-month BSBY adjusted daily rate plus 1.00% and (iv) 1.00%).

On February 3, 2023, the Company entered into Amendment No. 2 to the Credit Agreement, which increased the maximum amount of trade accounts receivable that the Company may elect to sell at any one time to $200.0 million.

On May 1, 2023, the Company entered into Amendment No. 3 to the Credit Agreement (Amendment No. 3),which increased the Revolving Credit Facility commitments from $450 million to $550 million. Amendment No. 3 also established that the interest on outstanding borrowings starting on the next reset date and any new borrowings under Amendment No. 3 (other than swingline loans) will accrue, at the Company’s option, at (a) Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus 0.10% plus the Applicable Rate (as defined in the Credit Agreement, approximately 1.00% to 2.00% per annum depending on various factors) or (b) for U.S. dollar denominated loans, the base rate (which is the highest of (i) the federal funds rate plus 0.50%, (ii) the Bank of America, N.A. prime rate, (iii) Term SOFR plus 1.00% and (iv) 1.00%).

The Revolving Credit Facility is available for general corporate purposes. The Credit Agreement includes an accordion feature pursuant to which the Company is permitted to add one or more incremental term loans and/or increase commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility in an aggregate amount of $100 million or a higher amount, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions and exceptions.

The Term Loan Facility is subject to quarterly principal installments equal to 0.625% of the initial aggregate term loan advances to be paid commencing December 31, 2022 through September 30, 2024 and is subject to quarterly principal installments equal to 1.25% of the initial aggregate term loan advances to be paid from December 31, 2024 until the maturity date.

As of December 31, 2023, a portion of the $127.1 million outstanding debt under the Credit Agreement is effectively at a fixed interest rate of 4.039% as a result of a $127.1 million notional interest rate swap contract, which is discussed in Note 10. A commitment fee of 0.20% to 0.30% per annum (based on the debt to EBITDA ratio) on the unused portion of the Revolving Credit Facility is payable quarterly in arrears.

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The Credit Agreement is generally secured by a pledge of (a) all the capital stock of the Company’s domestic subsidiaries and 65% of the capital stock of its directly owned foreign subsidiaries, (b) all or substantially all other personal property of Benchmark and its domestic subsidiaries (including, but not limited to, accounts receivable, contract assets, inventory, intellectual property and fixed assets of Benchmark and its domestic subsidiaries), in each case, subject to customary exceptions and limitations, and (c) all proceeds and products of the property and assets described in (a) and (b) above.

The Credit Agreement contains certain financial covenants related to interest coverage and debt leverage, and certain customary affirmative and negative covenants, including restrictions on the Company’s ability to incur additional debt and liens, pay dividends, repurchase shares, sell assets and merge or consolidate with other persons. Amounts due under the Credit Agreement could be accelerated upon specified events of default, including a failure to pay amounts due, breach of a covenant, material inaccuracy of a representation, or occurrence of bankruptcy or insolvency, subject, in some cases, to cure periods.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $127.1 million in borrowings outstanding under the Term Loan Facility, $205.0 million in borrowings outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility and $4.4 million in letters of credit outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $340.6 million available for future borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility subject to compliance with financial covenants as to interest coverage and debt leverage, in addition to other debt covenant restrictions.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company's long-term debt matures as follows: $4.1 million in 2024, $6.6 million in 2025 and $321.5 million in 2026. The Company has no maturities after 2026.

Note 6 – Leases

The Company determines if a contract is or contains a lease at inception. The Company leases certain facilities, vehicles and other equipment. The Company’s leases primarily consist of operating leases which expire at various dates through 2036. Variable lease payments are generally expensed as incurred and primarily include certain index-based changes in rent and certain non-lease components, such as maintenance and other services provided by the lessor.

The components of lease expense were as follows:

Year Ended December 31,

Finance lease costs:

Interest on lease liabilities 21 29 192

A summary of cash flow information related to leases follows:

Year Ended December 31,

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:

Operating cash flows used for finance leases 21 29 212

Financing cash flows used for finance leases 173 165 873

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A summary of other information about our leases follows:

December 31,

Finance lease right-of-use assets (included in other assets, net) $ — $ 664

Finance lease liabilities, noncurrent (included in long-term debt) $ 174 $ 355

Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent $ 123,385 $ 86,687

Weighted average remaining lease term – finance leases 1.9 years 2.9 years

Weighted average remaining lease term – operating leases 9.7 years 9.8 years

Weighted average discount rate – finance leases 4.8 % 4.8 %

Weighted average discount rate – operating leases 4.5 % 4.1 %

A summary of the Company's future annual minimum lease payments as of December 31, 2023 follows (in thousands):

Year ending December 31, OperatingLeases FinanceLeases

Less: imputed interest (34,079 ) (17 )

Total present value of lease liabilities $ 138,871 $ 355

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had no significant lease commitments that had not yet commenced.

Note 7—Common Stock and Stock-Based Awards

Dividends

The Company began declaring and paying quarterly dividends during the first quarter of 2018. During 2023, 2022 and 2021, cash dividends paid totaled $23.5 million, $23.2 million and $23.3 million, respectively. In February 2020, the Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend increase, raising the quarterly dividend from $0.15 to $0.16 per common share. In May 2021, the Board of Directors approved another quarterly dividend increase, raising the quarterly dividend from $0.16 to $0.165 per common share. On December 13, 2023, the Company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.165 per share of the Company’s common stock to shareholders of record as of December 29, 2023. The dividend of $5.9 million was paid on January 12, 2024. The Board of Directors currently intends to continue paying quarterly dividends. However, the Company’s future dividend policy is subject to the Company’s compliance with applicable laws, and depends on, among other things, the Company’s results of operations, financial condition, level of indebtedness, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, restrictions in the Company’s debt agreements, and other factors that the Board of Directors may deem relevant. Dividend payments are not mandatory or guaranteed and no assurance is made that the Company will continue to pay a dividend in the future.

Share Repurchase Authorization

On March 6, 2018, the Board of Directors approved an expanded share repurchase authorization granting the Company authority to repurchase up to $250 million in common stock in addition to the $100 million previously approved on December 7, 2015. On October 26, 2018 and February 19, 2020, the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $100 million and $150 million of the Company’s common stock, respectively.

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Share purchases may be made in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions or block transactions, at the discretion of the Company’s management and as market conditions warrant. Purchases will be funded from available cash and may be commenced, suspended or discontinued at any time without prior notice. Shares repurchased under the program are retired. The Company did not repurchase shares in 2023. During 2022, the Company repurchased a total of 0.4 million common shares for an aggregate of $9.4 million at an average price of $24.96 per share. During 2021, the Company repurchased a total of 1.4million common shares for an aggregate of $40.2 million at an average price of $29.11 per share. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $154.6 million remaining under the share repurchase authorization.

Stock-Based Compensation

Under the 2019 Plan, the Company, upon approval of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, may grant stock options, restricted shares, restricted stock units (both time-based and performance-based) and certain other forms of equity awards, or any combination thereof, to any director, officer, employee or consultant (including any prospective director, officer, employee or consultant) of the Company. Stock options (which have not been awarded since 2015) are granted to employees with an exercise price equal to the market price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant, generally vest over a four-year period from the date of grant and typically have a term of 10 years. Time-based restricted stock units granted to employees generally vest over a four-year period from the date of grant and are subject to continued employment with the Company. Performance-based restricted stock units generally vest over a three-year performance cycle, which includes the year of the grant, and are based upon the Company’s achievement of specified performance metrics. Awards under the 2019 Plan to non-employee directors have historically been in the form of restricted stock units, which vest annually, starting on the grant date. As of December 31, 2023 the Company had 1.7 million common shares available for issuance under the 2019 Plan.

The following table summarizes the activities related to the Company's stock options:

Forfeited or expired (2 ) 20.16

Forfeited or expired (22 ) 22.36

Forfeited or expired (3 ) 20.11

The aggregate intrinsic value, as presented in the table above, is calculated before income taxes and is the difference between the exercise price of the underlying stock options and the Company’s closing stock price as of the last business day of 2023 for outstanding stock options that had exercise prices below the closing stock price.

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The following table summarizes the activities related to the Company’s time-based restricted stock units:

The following table summarizes the activities related to the Company’s performance-based restricted stock units:

(1)

Represents target number of awards that can vest based on the achievement of the performance goals.

Note 8—Income Taxes

Income tax expense (benefit) consisted of the following:

Year Ended December 31,

Current:

Deferred:

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Income (loss) before income taxes consisted of the following:

Year Ended December 31,

Income tax expense differed from the amounts computed by applying the U.S. Federal statutory income tax rate to income (loss) before income taxes as follows:

Year Ended December 31,

State taxes, net of federal tax effect (809 ) (1,285 ) (36 )

Effect of foreign operations and tax incentives (909 ) (3,907 ) (4,048 )

Change in valuation allowance (241 ) 41 (336 )

Foreign tax refund benefit — — (7,285 )

Losses in foreign jurisdictions for which no benefit has been provided 6 3 2,608

Change in uncertain tax benefit reserve 370 40 8,858

The U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (U.S. Tax Reform), which was signed into law on December 22, 2017, significantly changed U.S. tax law by, among other things, lowering corporate income tax rates, implementing a territorial tax system, adding a global intangible taxation regime and imposing a transition tax (Transition Tax) on deemed repatriated cumulative earnings of foreign subsidiaries. The U.S. Tax Reform reduced the U.S. corporate income tax rate from a maximum of 35% to a flat 21% rate which became effective on January 1, 2018. The Company recorded the effects of the changes in the corporate income tax rate in the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2017.

To minimize tax base erosion with a territorial tax system, the U.S. Tax Reform enacted a new global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) provision that requires the Company to include in its U.S. income tax return foreign subsidiary earnings in excess of an allowable return on the foreign subsidiaries' tangible assets. The taxable earnings can be offset by a limited deemed paid foreign tax credit with no carrybacks or carryforwards available. The Company is subject to the GILTI provisions. The Company elected to account for the GILTI as a period cost and include the effect in the period in which it is incurred and not include it as a factor in the determination of deferred taxes.

The Company incurred a total Transition Tax liability of $80.5 million after reduction for net operating loss carryforwards, U.S. tax credit carryforwards and foreign tax credit carryforwards that were allowed to be utilized against its total tax liability as of December 31, 2017. The Company made an election to pay the net tax liability in installments. The Company has a total Transition Tax liability as of December 31, 2023 of $36.2 million. The Company intends to pay this liability over the remaining two-year payment period as prescribed by the U.S. Tax Reform and regulatory guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As of December 31, 2023, $20.1 million of the Transition Tax liability is included in other long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. The Company expects its payments for years subsequent to December 31, 2023 will be $16.1 million in 2024 and $20.1 million in 2025.

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During 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company repatriated $70.0 million, $20.0 million and $35.0 million, respectively, of foreign earnings to the United States. As of December 31, 2023, the Company has approximately $477.2 million in cumulative undistributed foreign earnings related to its foreign subsidiaries. These earnings would not be subject to U.S. federal income tax if distributed to the Company. The Company changed its assertion during 2018 on its foreign subsidiaries earnings that are permanently reinvested. A certain amount of earnings from specific foreign subsidiaries are permanently reinvested, and certain foreign earnings from other specific foreign subsidiaries are considered to be non-permanently reinvested and are available for immediate distribution to the Company. Income taxes have been accrued on the non-permanently reinvested foreign earnings, including the 2017 Transition Tax, the U.S. tax on GILTI and any applicable foreign or local withholding taxes. The Company estimates that it has approximately $9.1 million of unrecognized deferred tax liabilities related to any remaining undistributed permanently reinvested foreign earnings that have not already been subject to the 2017 Transition Tax, the U.S. tax on GILTI, and any applicable foreign income tax or local withholding tax on cash distributions.

During 2021, the Company recorded a deferred tax asset of $7.3 million with respect to a refund claim of foreign cash taxes of $16.5 million that was filed in 2021. Previously in 2018, the Company recorded $9.2 million of this total refund claim.

The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the Company's deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows:

December 31,

Deferred tax assets:

Carrying value of inventories $ 5,782 $ 4,809

Deferred tax liabilities:

Plant and equipment, due to differences in depreciation (10,652 ) (7,957 )

Operating lease right-of-use assets (32,999 ) (22,991 )

Intangible assets, due to differences in amortization (8,946 ) (10,502 )

Foreign withholding tax (898 ) (4,902 )

Interest rate swap (52 ) (263 )

Total gross deferred tax liabilities (54,652 ) (48,788 )

The net deferred tax assets are classified as follows:

Long-term liabilities — (495 )

All of the Company's deferred tax assets and liabilities are classified as long-term on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset for each tax jurisdiction and presented as a single net long-term amount on the consolidated balance sheet.

During 2023 and 2022, the Company incurred and capitalized certain research and experimentation expenses that are required to be capitalized as an amortizable asset under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 174 and to be amortized over a period of five years. This requirement is based on the implementation of the U.S. Tax Reform Act of 2017 and became effective on January 1, 2022. As of December 31, 2023, the Company's net deferred tax asset from capitalized research and experimentation expenses was $15.9 million.

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The net change in the Company's valuation allowance for 2023, 2022 and 2021 was a $0.2 million decrease, a less than $0.1 million increase and a $0.3 million decrease, respectively. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. As of December 31, 2023, based upon the level of historical taxable income and projections for future taxable income over the periods which the deferred tax assets are deductible, management believes it is more likely than not the Company will realize the benefits of these deductible differences, net of the existing valuation allowances.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had no remaining U.S. federal operating loss carryforwards as the final balance was utilized in 2022. The Company has U.S. state operating loss carryforwards of approximately $18.7 million which will expire from 2037 to 2043; foreign operating loss carryforwards of approximately $11.7 million with indefinite carryforward periods; and foreign operating loss carryforwards of approximately $33.0 million which will expire at varying dates through 2031. The utilization of these net operating loss carryforwards is limited to the future operations of the Company in the tax jurisdictions in which such carryforwards arose. The Company has state tax credit carryforwards of $1.6 million which will expire at varying dates through 2026. The Company also has U.S. research and development tax credit carryforwards of $5.7 million which will expire from 2038 through 2043.

The Company has been granted certain tax incentives, including tax holidays, for its subsidiaries in Thailand, China and Malaysia that expire at various dates, unless extended or otherwise renegotiated and are subject to certain conditions with which the Company expects to comply. The tax incentives in Thailand will expire on December 31, 2030. The tax incentives in China expired on December 31, 2023 and the tax incentives in Malaysia expired on March 31, 2021. The Company has applied for a continuation of the Malaysia tax holiday, which will extend the tax incentive period for five to ten years if approved. The Company will also apply for a China tax holiday in 2024. There is no guarantee of being awarded these tax incentives in the future. The net impact of the current tax incentives was to lower income tax expense for 2023, 2022, and 2021 by approximately $6.3 million (approximately $0.17 per diluted share), $9.0 million (approximately $0.25 per diluted share) and $7.7 million (approximately $0.21 per diluted share), respectively, as follows:

Year Ended December 31,

The Company must determine whether it is “more-likely-than-not” that a tax position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. Once it is determined that a position meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the position is measured to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the consolidated financial statements. As of December 31, 2023, the total amount of the reserve for uncertain tax benefits, including interest and penalties, was $9.9 million.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits, excluding interest and penalties, is as follows:

December 31,

Balances as of the beginning of the year $ 9,061 $ 9,121 $ 499

Additions related to current year tax positions — — 7,424

Additions related to prior year tax positions — — 1,575

Decreases related to prior year tax positions — — (138 )

Decreases related to lapse of statutes — (60 ) (239 )

During 2023, there were no uncertain tax position changes. During 2022, the Company released less than $0.1 million of uncertain tax benefits related to lapse of statutes. During 2021, the Company recorded additional uncertain tax benefits related to the prior year and current tax positions of $1.6 million and $7.4 million, respectively.

The reserve is classified as a current or long-term liability on the consolidated balance sheet based on the Company’s expectation of when the items will be settled. The Company records interest expense and penalties accrued in relation to uncertain tax benefits as a component of current income tax expense. As of December 31, 2023, the amount of accrued potential interest on unrecognized tax benefits included in the reserve was $0.8 million.

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The Company and its subsidiaries in Brazil, China, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Romania, Singapore, Thailand and the United States remain open to examination by the various local taxing authorities, in total or in part, for fiscal years 2015 to 2023. During the course of such income tax examinations, disputes may occur as to matters of fact or law. Also, in most tax jurisdictions, the passage of time without examination will result in the expiration of applicable statutes of limitations thereby precluding examination of the tax period(s) for which such statute of limitation has expired. The Company believes that it has adequately provided for its tax liabilities.

Note 9—Major Customers

The Company’s customers operate in industries that are, to a varying extent, subject to rapid technological change, vigorous competition and short product life cycles. Developments adverse to the electronics industry, the Company’s customers or their products could impact the Company’s overall credit risk.

The Company extends credit based on evaluation of its customers’ financial condition and generally does not require collateral or other security from its customers and would incur a loss equal to the carrying value of the accounts receivable if its customer failed to perform according to the terms of the credit arrangement.

Sales to the Company's ten largest customers represented 52%, 52% and 47% of our consolidated sales for 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The Company had sales to the following customer that exceeded 10% of the Company's consolidated sales:

Year Ended December 31,

Applied Materials, Inc. and subsidiaries 12% 15% 16%

Sales attributable to this customer were reported in the Americas and Asia operating segments.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had one customer whose gross accounts receivable exceeded 10% of consolidated gross accounts receivable. This customer represented 16% and 17% of consolidated gross accounts receivable as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Note 10—Financial Instruments

The Company’s financial instruments include cash equivalents, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable, accrued liabilities, long-term debt, interest rate swaps and foreign currency hedges. For cash equivalents, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, the Company believes that the carrying values of its financial instruments approximate the fair values because of their short-term nature. For borrowings under the credit facility in long-term debt, the Company believes that the fair value approximates the carrying value because the interest rates are variable. The Company uses derivative instruments to manage the variability of foreign currency obligations and interest rates. The Company does not enter into derivatives for speculative purposes.

The Company utilizes forward currency exchange contracts to manage its foreign currency exposure. These instruments are designated as cash flow hedges and the changes in fair value of the derivatives are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss on the consolidated balance sheet until earnings are affected by the variability of the cash flows. During 2023, the Company recorded an unrealized gain of $2.3 million ($1.7 million net of tax) on the forward currency exchange contracts in other comprehensive income (loss) and transferred unrealized gains of $3.1 million to cost of sales. During 2022, the Company recorded an unrealized gain of $0.6 million ($0.4 million net of tax) on the forward currency exchange contracts in other comprehensive income (loss) and transferred unrealized gains of $0.5 million to cost of sales. During 2021, the Company recorded an unrealized loss of $0.2 million ($0.1 million net of tax) on the forward currency exchange contracts in other comprehensive income (loss) and transferred unrealized losses of $0.4 million to cost of sales. The Company also has forward currency exchange contracts in place as of December 31, 2023 that have not been designated as accounting hedges and, therefore, changes in fair value are recorded in other (expense) income, net in the consolidated statements of income.

As of December 31, 2023, the fair value estimates for the Company’s forward currency exchange contracts were based on Level 2 inputs of the fair value hierarchy, which includes obtaining directly or indirectly observable values from third parties active in the relevant markets. Inputs in the fair value of the foreign currency forward contracts include prevailing forward and spot prices for currencies. The Company enters into forward currency exchange contracts for its operations in Mexico, Europe and Asia.

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The Company utilizes an interest rate swap agreement to hedge a portion of its interest rate exposure on outstanding borrowings under the Credit Agreement. The Company entered into a new interest rate swap agreement on July 20, 2023 and as of December 31, 2023, the notional amount of this interest rate swap agreement was $127.1 million. Under the interest rate swap agreement, the Company receives variable rate interest payments based on the one-month SOFR rate and pays fixed rate interest payments. The fixed interest rate for the contract is 4.039%. The effect of the swap is to convert a portion of the floating rate interest expense to fixed interest rate expense. Based on the terms of the interest rate swap contract and the underlying borrowings outstanding under the Credit Agreement, the interest rate contract was determined to be highly effective, and thus qualifies and has been designated as a cash flow hedge. As such, changes in the fair value of the interest rate swap are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss on the consolidated balance sheet until earnings are affected by the variability of cash flows. As of December 31, 2022, the notional amount of the Company's previous interest rate swap agreement was $121.9 million and the fixed interest rate for the contract was 2.928%.

During 2023, the Company recorded an unrealized loss of $3.1 million ($2.3 million net of tax) on interest rate swaps in other comprehensive income (loss). During 2022, the Company recorded an unrealized gain of $5.0 million ($3.7 million net of tax) on the previous interest rate swap in other comprehensive income (loss). During 2021, the Company recorded an unrealized gain of $4.7 million ($3.5 million net of tax) on the previous interest rate swap in other comprehensive income (loss). See Note 19.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the fair value estimates for the Company’s respective interest rate swap agreements were based on Level 2 inputs of the fair value hierarchy, as the Company obtained the valuation from a third party active in relevant markets. The valuation of the interest rate swap agreements is primarily measured through various pricing models and discounted cash flow analysis that incorporate observable market parameters, such as interest rate yield curves and volatility.

The fair values of the Company's derivative instruments were as follows:

December 31,

(in thousands) Balance Sheet Location 2023 2022

Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:

Forward currency exchange contracts Other current assets $ 2,664 $ 407

Financial instruments that subject the Company to credit risk consist of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and trade accounts receivable. The Company maintains cash and cash equivalents with recognized financial institutions. One of the most significant credit risks is the ultimate realization of accounts receivable. This risk is mitigated by (i) sales generally are to well established companies, (ii) performing ongoing credit evaluation of customers, and (iii) engaging in frequent contact with customers, thus enabling management to monitor current changes in their business operations and respond accordingly. Management believes its allowance for doubtful accounts is adequate as of December 31, 2023. Concentrations of credit risk related to trade accounts receivable resulting from sales to major customers are discussed in Note 9.

Note 11—Concentrations of Business Risk

Substantially all of the Company’s sales are derived from manufacturing services in which the Company purchases components specified by its customers. The Company uses numerous suppliers of electronic components and other materials for its operations. Some components used by the Company have been subject to industry-wide shortages, and suppliers have been forced to allocate available quantities among their customers. The Company’s inability to obtain needed components during periods of allocation could cause delays in manufacturing and could adversely affect the results of operations.

Note 12—Accounts Receivable Sale Program

As of December 31, 2023, in connection with a trade accounts receivable sale program with unaffiliated financial institutions, the Company may elect to sell, at a discount, on an ongoing basis, up to a maximum of $200.0 million of specific accounts receivable at any one time.

During 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company sold $565.4 million, $445.4 million and $394.6 million, respectively, of accounts receivable under this program, and in exchange, the Company received cash proceeds of $560.9 million, $443.6 million and $394.0 million, respectively, net of the discount. The Company' recognizes the loss on sale resulting from the discount in other (expense) income, net in its consolidated statements of income.

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Note 13—Segment and Geographic Information

The Company currently has manufacturing facilities in the Americas, Asia and Europe to serve its customers. The Company is operated and managed geographically, and management evaluates performance and allocates the Company’s resources on a geographic basis. Intersegment sales are generally recorded at prices that approximate arm’s length transactions. Operating segments’ measure of profitability is based on income from operations. Corporate and intersegment eliminations include (1) corporate expenses not allocated to the Company’s three reporting segments, which are primarily general and administrative expenses such as corporate employee payroll and benefit costs and corporate facility costs, and (2) income from operations on intersegment sales between reporting segments. Corporate functions include legal, finance, tax, treasury, information technology, risk management, human resources, business development and other administrative functions. The accounting policies for the reportable operating segments are the same as for the Company taken as a whole. The Company has three reportable operating segments: Americas, Asia, and Europe.

Information about the Company's operating segments follows:

Year Ended December 31,

Sales:

Depreciation and amortization:

Income from operations:

Capital expenditures:

December 31,

Assets:

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Geographic sales information about the Company's sales is determined based on the destination of the product shipped. Long-lived assets information is determined based on the physical location of the assets and includes property, plant and equipment, net, operating lease right-of-use assets and other long-term assets, net.

A summary of the Company's geographic sales and long-lived assets follows:

Year Ended December 31,

Geographic sales:

December 31,

Long-lived assets:

Note 14 – Revenue

The Company’s revenues are generated primarily from its manufacturing services, which entails the sale of manufactured products built to customer specifications. The Company also generates revenue from design, development and engineering services, in addition to the sale of other inventory.

Revenue is measured based on the consideration specified in a contract with a customer. The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control over a manufactured product to a customer. The Company’s contracts with customers are generally short-term in nature. Customers are generally billed when the product is shipped or as services are performed. Under the majority of the Company’s manufacturing contracts with customers, the customer controls all of the work-in-progress as products are being built. Revenues under these contracts are recognized progressively based on the cost-to-cost method. For other manufacturing contracts, the customer does not take control of the product until it is completed. Under these contracts, the Company recognizes revenue upon transfer of control of the product to the customer, which is generally when goods are shipped. Revenue from design, development and engineering services is recognized over time as the services are performed. The Company assumes no significant obligations after shipment as it typically warrants workmanship only. Therefore, the warranty provisions are generally not significant.

If the Company records revenue, but does not issue an invoice, a contract asset is recognized. The contract asset is transferred to trade accounts receivable when the entitlement to payment becomes unconditional.

Taxes assessed by governmental authorities that are imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction and collected by the Company from a customer, are excluded from revenue.

Shipping and handling costs associated with outbound freight after control over a product has transferred to a customer are accounted for as fulfillment costs and are included in cost of sales.

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Disaggregation of Revenue

The following tables provide a summary of the Company's revenue disaggregated by market sector and a reconciliation of the disaggregated revenue to the Company's revenue by reportable operating segment:

(in thousands) Americas Asia Europe Total

Market sector:

(in thousands) Americas Asia Europe Total

Market sector:

(in thousands) Americas Asia Europe Total

Market sector:

The timing of revenue recognition, billings and cash collections result in billed accounts receivable, contract assets and advance payments from customers. During 2023, 2022 and 2021, 87.9%, 90.8% and 90.3%, respectively, of the Company’s revenue was recognized as products and services were transferred over time.

Contract assets primarily relate to the Company’s right to consideration for work completed but not billed to the customer as of period end. Contract asset balances are transferred to trade accounts receivable when the rights become unconditional.

A summary of activity related to the Company's contract assets follows:

Year Ended December 31,

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As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had $204.9 million and $197.9 million, respectively, in advance payments from customers. Of those amounts $191.6 million and $178.9 million, respectively, were related to both customer deposits and prepayments of inventory and $13.3 million and $18.9 million, respectively, were related to the contractual timing of payments. The advance payments are not considered a significant financing component because they are used to meet working capital demands of a contract, offset inventory risks and protect the Company from the failure of other parties to fulfill obligations under a contract.

Note 15—Employee Benefit Plans

The Company has defined contribution plans qualified under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code for the benefit of all its U.S. employees. The Company’s contributions to the plans are based on employee contributions and compensation. During 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company made contributions to the U.S. plans of approximately $7.3 million, $6.5 million and $3.3 million, respectively. The Company also has defined contribution plans for certain of its international employees primarily dictated by the customs of the regions in which it operates. During 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company made contributions to the international plans of approximately $0.1 million each year.

Note 16—Contingencies

The Company is involved in various legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the ultimate disposition of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations.

Note 17—Restructuring Charges and Other Costs

The Company has undertaken initiatives to restructure its business operations to improve utilization and realize cost savings. These initiatives have included changing the number and location of production facilities, largely to align capacity and infrastructure with current and anticipated customer demand. This alignment includes transferring programs from higher cost geographies to lower cost geographies. The Company's restructuring process entails moving production between facilities, reducing staff levels, realigning business processes, reorganizing management and other activities.

During 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized $7.3 million, $5.7 million and $9.3 million of restructuring charges primarily related to the previously announced closures of its sites in San Jose, California, Angleton, Texas, and Moorpark, California in the Americas, and other smaller activities involving capacity reductions and reductions in workforce in certain facilities across various regions. San Jose, California operations ceased, and all restructuring activity was complete as of March 31, 2022. Angleton, Texas operations ceased, and all restructuring activity was complete as of June 30, 2022 upon the disposition of the facility. Moorpark, California operations ceased as of March 31, 2023 with restructuring activity substantially complete by the end 2023. Accrued restructuring costs are included in accrued liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet.

The following table summarizes the 2023 activity in accrued restructuring costs:

The components of restructuring charges during 2023 were as follows:

(in thousands) Americas Asia Europe Total

Lease facility costs 176 — — 176

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The following table summarizes the 2022 activity in accrued restructuring costs:

The components of restructuring charges during 2022 were as follows:

(in thousands) Americas Asia Europe Total

The following table summarizes the 2021 activity in accrued restructuring costs:

The components of restructuring charges during 2021 were as follows:

(in thousands) Americas Asia Europe Total

During 2023, the Company made the decision to no longer continue certain manufacturing capabilities in the Americas. In connection with that decision, the Company assessed the facility and equipment assets used in those manufacturing capabilities and recorded $1.1 million of impairment charges as a result of that assessment. The asset impairment charges are included in restructuring charges and other costs in the consolidated statement of income for 2023.

During 2021, the Company made the decision to no longer continue certain manufacturing capabilities in the Americas. In connection with that decision, the Company assessed the facility and equipment assets used in those manufacturing capabilities using valuation information from third parties and recorded $4.4 million of impairment charges as a result of that assessment. The asset impairment charges are included in restructuring charges and other costs in the consolidated statements of income for 2021. During 2022, the Company completed the sale of the related equipment for $1.3 million and recorded a loss on assets held for sale of $2.0 million, which is included in restructuring charges and other costs in the consolidated statement of income. Additionally, during 2022, the Company completed the sale of a building in Angleton, Texas for $4.3 million and recorded a gain on assets held for sale of $2.4 million which is also included in restructuring charges and other costs. Furthermore, during 2022, the Company agreed to $3.3 million in legal settlements that are included in restructuring charges and other costs.

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Note 18—Ransomware Incident

During the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019, some of the Company’s systems were affected by a ransomware incident that encrypted information on its systems and disrupted customer and employee access to its applications and services. The Company immediately took steps to isolate the impact and implemented measures to prevent additional systems from being affected, including taking its network offline as a precaution. In connection with this incident, third party consultants and forensic experts were engaged to assist with the restoration and remediation of the Company’s systems and, with the assistance of law enforcement, to investigate the incident. The Company has found no evidence that customer or employee data was exfiltrated from its network.

The Company restored connectivity and resumed operations quickly following the ransomware incident. However, fourth quarter 2019 operations were adversely affected by the inefficiencies caused by taking the network offline for a period of time. As a result, the Company’s fourth quarter 2019 revenue was also adversely affected as the Company was unable to fulfill a portion of customer demand during the quarter.

The Company maintains insurance coverage, including cybersecurity insurance, and worked diligently with its insurance carriers on claims to recover costs incurred. During 2021, the Company collected $3.9 million of insurance recoveries related to the incident described above.

Note 19—Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

The changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss by component were as follows:

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss — 352 — 352

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss — (481 ) — (481 )

Other comprehensive gain (loss) before reclassifications 2,119 2,444 37 4,600

See Note 10 for further discussion about the Company's derivative instruments.

Note 20—Supplemental Cash Flow and Non-Cash Information

The following table includes supplemental cash flow disclosures:

Year Ended December 31,

Supplemental cash flow information:

Non-cash investing activity:

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors

Benchmark Electronics, Inc.:

Opinions on the Consolidated Financial Statements and Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). We also have audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

Basis for Opinions

The Company’s management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

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Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Evaluation of income tax expense

As discussed in Notes 1 and 8 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has recorded income tax expense of $16.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company serves international markets and is subject to income taxes in the United States and foreign jurisdictions, which affect the Company’s income tax expense. Income tax expense is an estimate based on the Company’s understanding of current enacted tax laws and tax rates of each tax jurisdiction.

We identified the evaluation of income tax expense as a critical audit matter. Complex auditor judgment was required in evaluating the Company’s interpretation and application of tax laws and the related impacts to income tax expense. There is complexity in the evaluation of the U.S. income tax expense due to the impact of U.S. tax reform on multinational operations such as the U.S. tax on global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) and foreign tax credits. There is also complexity in evaluating the impact of changing foreign tax laws on income tax expense.

The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of certain internal controls over the Company’s income tax expense process. This included controls over the identification of changes to tax laws in the jurisdictions in which the Company operates and the Company’s evaluation of the determination of GILTI and foreign tax credits. We involved tax professionals with specialized skills and knowledge who assisted in evaluating the application of the relevant tax laws and regulations in the determination of the Company’s tax expense. In addition, we evaluated the Company’s methodology used in the determination of GILTI and foreign tax credits.

/s/ KPMG LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1986.

Phoenix, Arizona

February 26, 2024

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Management’s Report

Benchmark’s management has prepared and is responsible for the consolidated financial statements and related financial data contained in this Report. The consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and necessarily include certain amounts based upon management’s best estimates and judgments. The financial information contained elsewhere in this Report is consistent with that in the consolidated financial statements.

The Company maintains internal accounting control systems that are adequate to prepare financial records and to provide reasonable assurance that the assets are safeguarded from loss or unauthorized use. We believe these systems are effective, and the cost of the systems does not exceed the benefits obtained.

The Audit Committee, composed exclusively of independent, outside directors, has reviewed all financial data included in this Report and recommended to the full Board the inclusion of the audited financial statements contained in the Report. The committee meets periodically with the Company’s management and independent registered public accountants on financial reporting matters. The independent registered public accountants have complete access to the Audit Committee and may meet with the committee, without management present, to discuss their audit results and opinions on the quality of financial reporting.

The role of independent registered public accountants is to render a professional, independent opinion on management’s financial statements to the extent required by the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Benchmark’s responsibility is to conduct its affairs according to the highest standards of personal and corporate conduct.

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

Conclusion Regarding the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

As of the end of the period covered by this Report, the Company’s management (with the participation of its chief executive officer and chief financial officer) conducted an evaluation pursuant to Rule 13a-15 promulgated under the Exchange Act, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act). Based on this evaluation, the Company’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that as of the end of the period covered by this Report such disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC, and include controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in such reports is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including the Company’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) or Rule 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act). Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on our evaluation under the framework, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2023.

The effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 has been audited by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report included in Part II, Item 8 of this Report.

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Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the last fiscal quarter covered by this Report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

We are currently upgrading our enterprise resource planning system (ERP), which is expected to occur in phases over the next several years. We have completed the implementation of the upgrades at certain of the Company’s locations and have revised and updated the related controls. These changes did not materially affect our internal control over financial reporting. As we implement the upgrades of this ERP system at the remaining locations over the next several years, we will continue to assess the impact on our internal control over financial reporting.

Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures

Our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and internal controls will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control. The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, a control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

Item 9B. Other Information

Insider Trading Arrangement Adoptions and Modifications

During the three months ended December 31, 2023, no director or officer adopted or terminated any “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement,” each as defined in Item 408 of Regulation S-K.

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections

Not applicable.

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PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Source: SEC EDGAR (public domain) · 10-K for the period ended 2023-12-31, filed 2024-02-27 · accession 0000950170-24-020565

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