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MTD US Equity

Mettler Toledo International Inc/Health Care · Laboratory Analytical Instruments · CIK 1037646 · FY ends Dec 31
$1,395.25
+2.02 (+0.14%)
USD · as of 2026-08-21 · marketstack

MTD · 10-K · period ended 2021-12-31

← all MTD documents
filed 2022-02-11 · EDGAR original ↗

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Item 1A.Risk Factors

Factors Affecting Our Future Operating Results

Operational Risks

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and will likely continue to adversely affect, various aspects of our business, such as our workforce and supply chain, and make it more difficult and expensive to meet our obligations to our customers, and has adversely affected the global economy, which in turn can adversely affect our global business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our global operations expose us to risks associated with public health crises that could have an adverse effect on our business results and financial condition.

For instance, since late 2019, the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has spread globally in all countries where we conduct business. The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving and has led to the implementation of various responses, including government-imposed quarantines, stay-at-home orders and lockdowns, travel restrictions, vaccination and testing requirements, and other public health safety measures. These restrictions continue to change as COVID-19 evolves, variants are discovered, and vaccinations are distributed in each country and region.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted and may continue to result in significant disruptions to the global economy, as well as to businesses and capital markets around the world. COVID-19 has interfered and may continue to interfere with general commercial activity related to our supply chain and customer base. In addition, COVID-19 may negatively affect our customers’ businesses, which may result in delayed or reduced purchases from us. Some customers may also have difficulty meeting their payment obligations to us, resulting in late payments or an inability of some customers to make payments at all.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we may experience volatility in our results, including reduced global sales volume from lower customer demand. Our operations could be negatively affected if our employees are subject to governmental COVID-19 curfews, stay-at-home orders, lockdowns, or facility closures, or if they are quarantined or become ill as a result of exposure to COVID-19.

Future impacts to the Company's business as a result of COVID-19 and its variants could also include disruptions to the Company's manufacturing operations caused by lockdowns, facility closures, reductions in operating hours, staggered shifts and other social distancing efforts, and labor shortages. The emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in late 2021 has presented particular challenges to the global economy given its high level of transmissibility, which can cause many people to be affected at the same time or over a short period of time, leading to potential disruptions to our business and supply chain. Our supply chain is currently facing wide-ranging global challenges, although we have been able to meet delivery requirements of our customers with some interruption. We continue to closely monitor risks associated with our supply chain, including the availability of certain components, material shortages, supplier delays, potential transportation delays, and higher transportation and material costs.

Global inflation also significantly increased during 2021 related to the COVID-19 economic recovery and associated disruptions in global demand, logistics, and labor markets. These inflationary conditions could have a negative impact on our operating results in future years. Disruptions in labor markets, including a new competitive landscape created by remote work capabilities, could also lead to higher attrition, increased compensation levels, and longer recruiting cycles.

Uncertainties and challenges related to COVID-19, including new variants (such as Omicron), lockdowns, and logistical and inflationary challenges, and the resulting impact to the economy continue in all regions of the world, and market conditions may change quickly. While it is difficult to estimate the

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extent and duration of any COVID-19 implications, the effects on our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be material.

We sell primarily to companies in developed countries. An economic downturn in these countries could hurt our operating results.

Most of our business is derived from companies in developed countries. Economic uncertainty in many parts of the world, including regional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, international trade disputes, and sovereign debt levels in the European Union and the United States, are situations that we monitor closely. If developed countries were to experience slow growth or recession, we could see the following effects:

•a drop in demand for our products;

•companies being unable to finance their businesses;

•difficulty in obtaining materials and supplies;

•potential devaluation and/or impairment of assets;

•difficulty in collecting accounts receivables;

•an increase in accounts receivable write-offs; and

•greater foreign exchange rate volatility affecting our profitability and cash flow.

Economic downturns or recessions adversely affect our operating results because our customers often decrease or delay capital expenditures. Customers may also purchase lower-cost products made by competitors and not resume purchasing our products even after economic conditions improve. These conditions would reduce our revenues and profitability.

In addition, a potential financial crisis on financial institutions globally would likely have an adverse effect on the global capital markets and our business.

We are subject to certain risks associated with our international operations and have a significant concentration of business in China.

We conduct business in many countries, including emerging markets in Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, and these operations represent a significant portion of our sales and earnings. For example, our Chinese operations accounted for 21% of sales to external customers, approximately 36% of our global production, and 35% of total segment profit during 2021. In addition to the currency risks discussed below, international operations pose other substantial risks and problems for us, including the following:

•local tariffs and trade barriers;

•additions or revisions to a country's legal and regulatory requirements;

•difficulties in staffing and managing local operations and/or mandatory salary increases;

•credit risks arising from financial difficulties facing local customers and distributors;

•difficulties in protecting intellectual property;

•nationalization of private enterprises which may result in the confiscation of assets, as we hold significant assets around the world in the form of property, plant, and equipment, inventory, and accounts receivable, as well as $59.0 million of cash at December 31, 2021 in our Chinese subsidiaries;

•restrictions on investments and/or limitations regarding foreign ownership;

•adverse tax consequences, including tax disputes and imposition or increase of withholding and other taxes on remittances and other payments by subsidiaries;

•the adoption of new or expansion of current travel restrictions or the intensification of trade wars;

•domestic purchasing requirements that could favor local competition;

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•other uncertain local economic, political, and social conditions, including inflation, hyper-inflation, and other decreases in purchasing power, or periods of low or no productivity growth; and

•credit tightening or reduction in credit availability for local customers.

We must also comply with regulations regarding the conversion and repatriation of funds earned in local currencies. For example, we need government approval to convert earnings from our operations in China into other currencies and to repatriate these funds. If we cannot comply with these or other applicable regulations or these regulations are amended to make it more difficult to repatriate the funds, we may face increased difficulties in using cash generated in China.

We are required to comply with various import, export control, and economic sanctions laws, which may affect our transactions with certain customers, business partners, and other persons, including in certain cases dealings with or between our employees and subsidiaries. In certain circumstances, export control and economic sanctions regulations may prohibit the export of certain products, services, and technologies, and in other circumstances, we may be required to obtain an export license before exporting a controlled item. While we continue to do business in Russia, we follow all relevant laws and regulations. Sanctions imposed on business in Russia may affect the economy and our business in Russia. In addition, failure to comply with any of these regulations could result in civil and criminal actions, monetary and non-monetary penalties, disruptions to our business, limitations on our ability to import and export products and services, and damage to our reputation.

Growth in emerging markets, especially China, can be volatile and change quickly.

Our business and financial performance may be adversely affected by a cybersecurity attack.

We rely on our technology infrastructure to interact with suppliers, sell our products and services, fulfill orders, support our customers, and bill, collect, and make payments. Our internally developed system and processes, as well as those provided by third-party vendors, may be susceptible to damage or interruption from cybersecurity incidents, such as terrorist or hacker attacks, the introduction of malicious computer viruses, ransomware, falsification of banking and other information, insider risk, or other security breaches. If there is a cybersecurity incident, we may suffer interruptions in service, loss of assets or data, or reduced functionality. Many of our systems are not redundant, and our disaster recovery planning is not sufficient for every eventuality a cybersecurity incident could cause. Security breaches of our systems which allow inappropriate access to or inadvertent transfer of information and misappropriation or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information belonging to us or to our employees, customers, or suppliers could result in our suffering significant financial and reputational damage.

Customers may use our products and/or software to generate or manage critical information. Though we take steps to ensure our products and/or software are secure, it is possible that a cyber attack could result in the loss or compromise of critical information. If a customer alleges that a cyber attack causes or contributes to a loss or compromise of critical information, whether or not caused by us, we could face harm to our reputation and financial condition.

While we attempt to mitigate cybersecurity risks by employing a number of proactive measures, including mandatory quarterly ongoing employee training and awareness, technical security controls, enhanced data protection, and maintenance of backup and protective systems, our systems remain potentially vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business. We believe our mitigation measures reduce, but cannot eliminate, the risk of a cybersecurity incident. Despite any precautions we may take, a cybersecurity incident could harm our reputation and financial condition and cause us to incur legal liability and increased costs to respond to such events. Our cyber liability insurance may not be sufficient to compensate us for losses that may result from interruptions in our services or asset or data loss as a result of cybersecurity incidents.

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In addition, regulatory or legislative action related to cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection worldwide, such as the European General Data Protection Regulation which went into effect in May 2018, may increase the costs to develop, implement, or secure our products or services. We expect cybersecurity regulations to continue to evolve and be costly to implement. If we violate or fail to comply with such regulatory or legislative requirements, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned, and such fines or penalties could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

We are vulnerable to system failures and data loss risks, which could harm our business.

We rely on our technology infrastructure to interact with suppliers, sell our products and services, support our customers, fulfill orders, and bill, collect, and make payments. Our systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from natural disasters, power loss, telecommunication failures, malicious employees or employee negligence, computer viruses, and other events. When we upgrade or change systems, we may suffer interruptions in service, loss of data, or reduced functionality. A significant number of our systems are not redundant, and our disaster recovery planning is not sufficient for every eventuality. Despite any precautions we may take, such problems could result in interruptions in our services, fraudulent or negligent loss of assets, or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, which could harm our reputation and financial condition. Our business interruption insurance may not be sufficient to compensate us for losses that may result from interruptions in our services or data loss as a result of system failures.

Customers may use our products and/or software to generate or manage confidential information. Though we take steps to ensure our products and/or software are secure, it is possible customers could lose confidential information stored on our products. If a customer alleges system failures in our products and/or software cause or contribute to a loss, whether or not caused by us, we could face harm to our reputation and our financial condition and legal liability.

We have also been implementing our Blue Ocean program to globalize our business processes and information technology systems that includes the implementation of a Company-wide enterprise resource planning system. This has been proceeding on a staggered basis over a multi-year period. We have implemented the program in our U.S., Chinese, Swiss, German, U.K., Benelux, Spain, Japan, and Southeast Asia operations. We estimate that we have approximately 85% of our users on the program and will continue to implement additional locations and functionality over the coming years. If our implementation is flawed, we could suffer interruptions in operations and customer-facing activities that could harm our reputation and financial condition or cause us to lose data, experience reduced functionality, or have delays in reporting financial information. It may take us longer to implement the program than we have planned, and the project may cost us more than we have estimated, either of which would negatively impact our ability to generate cost savings or other efficiencies. In addition, the program has increased our reliance on a single information technology system, which would have greater consequences should we experience a system disruption.

Our ability to manufacture and deliver products and services may be disrupted.

We have key manufacturing facilities located in China, Europe, and the United States. Many of our products are developed and manufactured at single locations, with limited alternate facilities. In addition, a large portion of our products and spare parts are distributed through regional logistics centers, in which certain logistics activities are outsourced to third parties. If we experience any significant disruption in these facilities for any reason, such as the COVID-19 pandemic described on page 14, global supply chain and production issues, strikes or other labor unrest, power interruptions, cybersecurity attacks, fire, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, rising water levels, other weather events or natural disasters (including the potential impacts of climate change), or other events beyond our control, we may be unable to satisfy customer demand for our products or services resulting in lost sales. It may be expensive to resolve these

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issues, even though some of these risks are covered by insurance policies. More importantly, customers may switch to competitors and may not return to us even if we resolve the interruption.

Our business would suffer if we were unable to obtain supplies of material.

We purchase most of our raw materials, components, and supplies from multiple suppliers. Some items are purchased from a limited or single source of supply, and disruption of these sources whether as a result of issues with our suppliers' operation or the timely availability of shipments from freight carriers could affect our ability to manufacture products. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused numerous disruptions to supply chains, often resulting in delivery delays, inflated costs, and increases in shipping rates. Even where multiple sources of materials and components are available, the quality of the alternative materials, regulatory and contractual requirements to qualify materials for use in manufacturing, and the time required to establish new relationships with reliable suppliers could result in manufacturing delays and possible loss of sales. If we are unable to obtain materials or components for an extended time, this could damage our customer relationships and harm our financial condition or results of operations.

Our product development efforts may not produce commercially viable products in a timely manner.

If we do not introduce new products and enhancements, our products could become technologically obsolete over time, which would harm our operating results. To remain competitive, we must continue to make significant investments in research and development, sales and marketing, customer service and support, and operational excellence throughout our supply chain. We cannot be sure that we will have sufficient resources to continue to make these investments. In developing new products, we may be required to make substantial investments before we can determine their commercial viability. As a result, we may not be successful in developing new products and we may never realize the benefits of our research and development activities.

We face risks related to sales through distributors and other third parties that we do not control, which could harm our business.

We sell some products through third parties, including distributors and value-added resellers. This exposes us to various risks, including competitive pressure, concentration of sales volumes, credit risks, and compliance risks. We may rely on one or a few key distributors for a product or market, and the loss of these distributors could reduce our revenue and net earnings. Distributors may also face financial difficulties, including bankruptcy, which could harm our collection of accounts receivables. Violations of the FCPA or similar anti-bribery laws by distributors or other third-party intermediaries could materially impact our business. In addition to financial risk, actions of some of our distributors could cause reputational harm, especially if our products are involved. Risks related to our use of distributors may reduce sales, increase expenses, and weaken our competitive position.

Departures of key employees could impair our operations.

Key employees could leave the Company. If any key employees stopped working for us, our operations could be harmed. Important R&D personnel may leave and join competitors, which could substantially delay or hinder ongoing development projects. We have no key man life insurance policies with respect to any of our senior executives.

Our business involves certain operating risks, and our insurance may not be adequate to cover all insured losses of liabilities we might incur in our operations.

We have procured various insurance policies for certain types of insurance coverage and in varying coverage amounts. Our insurance may not be adequate to cover all losses or liabilities that we might incur

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in our operations. Furthermore, our insurance may not adequately protect us against liability from all of the hazards of our business. As a result of market conditions, premiums and deductibles for certain of our insurance policies may substantially increase. In some instances, certain insurance could become unavailable or available only for reduced amounts of coverage. We also are subject to the risk that we may be unable to maintain or obtain insurance of the type and amount we desire at a reasonable cost. If we were to incur a significant liability for which we were uninsured or for which we were not fully insured, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

Strategic Risks

A prolonged downturn or additional consolidation in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and chemical industries could adversely affect our operating results. A reduction in the capital resources or government funding of our customers could reduce our sales.

Our products are used extensively in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and chemical industries. Consolidation in these industries hurt our sales in prior years. In recent years, there has been an increase in consolidation within these industries. A prolonged global economic downturn, a downturn affecting one or more of these industries, or additional consolidation in any of these industries could adversely affect our operating results. In addition, the capital spending policies of our customers in these and other industries are based on a variety of factors we cannot control, including the resources available for purchasing equipment, the spending priorities among various types of equipment, and policies regarding capital expenditures. Any decrease or delay in capital spending by our customers would cause our revenues to decline and could harm our profitability. A decline in government funding of research or education could reduce some customers’ ability to purchase our products.

We operate in highly competitive markets, and it may be difficult for us to preserve operating margins, gain market share, and maintain a technological advantage.

Our markets are highly competitive. Many are fragmented both geographically and by application, particularly the industrial and food retailing markets. As a result, we face numerous regional or specialized competitors, many of which are well established in their markets. In addition, some of our competitors are divisions of larger companies with potentially greater financial and other resources than our own. There has also been an increase in the consolidation of precision instrument companies in recent years. Any consolidation within our market could result in competitors becoming larger and having greater financial and other resources than our own. Some of our competitors are domiciled or operate in emerging markets and may have a lower cost structure than ours. We are confronted with new competitors in emerging markets which, although relatively small in size today, could become larger companies in their home markets. Given the sometimes significant growth rates of these emerging markets, and in light of their cost advantage over developed markets, emerging market competitors could become more significant global competitors. Taken together, the competitive forces present in our markets could harm our operating margins. We expect our competitors to continue to improve the design and performance of their products and to introduce new products with competitive prices. Although we believe that our products and services have advantages over our competitors, we may not be able to realize and maintain these advantages.

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We may face risks associated with future acquisitions.

We may pursue acquisitions of complementary product lines, technologies, or businesses. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including difficulties in integrating the acquired operations, technologies, and products; diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns; and potential departures of key employees of the acquired company. If we successfully identify acquisitions in the future, completing such acquisitions may result in new issuances of our stock that may be dilutive to current owners, increases in our debt and contingent liabilities, and additional amortization expense related to intangible assets. Any of these acquisition-related risks could have a material adverse effect on our profitability.

Larger companies have identified life sciences and instruments as businesses they will consider entering or expanding their presence, which could change the competitive dynamics of these markets. In addition, we may not be able to identify, successfully complete, or integrate potential acquisitions in the future. Even if we can do so, we cannot be sure that these acquisitions will have a positive impact on our business or operating results. We are also required to estimate the fair value of certain assets acquired or liabilities assumed. Such fair values may be based on valuation models which are subject to inherent uncertainties and our judgments regarding certain assumptions.

Financial Risks

Currency fluctuations affect our operating profits.

Our earnings are affected by changing exchange rates. We are particularly sensitive to changes in the exchange rates between the Swiss franc, euro, Chinese renminbi, and U.S. dollar. We have more Swiss franc expenses than we do Swiss franc sales because we develop and manufacture products in Switzerland that we sell globally and have a number of corporate functions located in Switzerland. When the Swiss franc strengthens against our other trading currencies, particularly the U.S. dollar and euro, our earnings go down. We also have significantly more sales in the euro than we do expenses. When the euro weakens against the U.S. dollar and Swiss franc, our earnings also go down. We estimate a 1% strengthening of the Swiss franc against the euro would reduce our earnings before tax by approximately $1.9 million to $2.1 million annually.

We also conduct business throughout the world, including Asia Pacific, the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Canada. Fluctuations in these currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar can also affect our operating results. The most significant of these currency exposures is the Chinese renminbi. The impact on our earnings before tax of the Chinese renminbi weakening 1% against the U.S. dollar is a reduction of approximately $2.9 million to $3.1 million annually.

In addition to the effects of exchange rate movements on operating profits, our debt levels can fluctuate due to changes in exchange rates, particularly between the U.S. dollar, the Swiss franc, and euro. Based on our outstanding debt at December 31, 2021, we estimate that a 5% weakening of the U.S. dollar against the currencies in which our debt is denominated would result in an increase of $34.3 million in the reported U.S. dollar value of our debt.

We may experience impairments of goodwill or other intangible assets.

As of December 31, 2021, our consolidated balance sheet included goodwill of $648.6 million and other intangible assets of $307.5 million.

Our business acquisitions typically result in goodwill and other intangible assets, which affect the amount of future period amortization expense and possible impairment expense. We make estimates and assumptions in valuing such intangible assets that affect our consolidated financial statements.

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In accordance with U.S. GAAP, our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized, but are evaluated for impairment annually in the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that an asset might be impaired. The evaluation may be based on valuation models that estimate fair value. In preparing the valuation models, we consider a number of factors, including operating results, business plans, economic conditions, future cash flows, and transaction and market data. There are inherent uncertainties related to these factors and our judgment in applying them to the impairment analyses. The significant estimates and assumptions within our fair value models include sales growth, controllable cost growth, perpetual growth, effective tax rates, and discount rates. Our assessments to date have indicated that there has been no impairment of these assets.

Should any of these estimates or assumptions change, or should we incur lower-than-expected operating performance or cash flows, including from a prolonged economic slowdown, we may experience a triggering event that requires a new fair value assessment for our reporting units, possibly prior to the required annual assessment. These types of events and resulting analysis could result in impairment charges for goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets if the fair value estimate declines below the carrying value.

Our amortization expense related to intangible assets with finite lives may materially change should our estimates of their useful lives change.

Concerns regarding the Eurozone debt levels and market perception related to the instability of the euro could affect our operating profits.

We conduct business in many countries that use the euro as their currency (the Eurozone). Concerns persist regarding the debt burden of certain Eurozone countries and their ability to meet future financial obligations. In addition, concerns in recent years have existed regarding the overall stability of the euro and the suitability of the euro as a single currency given the diverse economic and political circumstances in individual Eurozone countries.

These concerns could lead to the re-introduction of individual currencies in one or more Eurozone countries or, in more extreme circumstances, the possible dissolution of the euro currency entirely. Should the euro dissolve entirely, the legal and contractual consequences for holders of euro-denominated obligations would be determined by laws in effect at such time. These potential developments, or market perceptions concerning these and related issues, could adversely affect the value of our euro-denominated assets and obligations. In addition, concerns over the effect of this type of financial crisis on financial institutions in Europe and globally could have an adverse effect on the global capital markets and, more specifically, on the ability of our Company, our customers, suppliers, and lenders to finance their respective businesses and to access liquidity at acceptable financing costs, if at all, on the availability of supplies and materials, and on the demand for our products. For information on the impact of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, see "Risk Factors — The United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union could adversely impact our results of operations."

Legal, Tax, Regulatory, and Other Risks

Unanticipated changes in our tax rates or additional income tax liabilities could impact our profitability.

We are subject to income taxes in the United States and various other jurisdictions, and our domestic and international tax liabilities are subject to allocation of expenses among different jurisdictions. Our effective tax rates and tax obligations could be adversely affected by changes in tax laws or rates (including the potential implementation of various U.S. tax proposals), changes in the mix of earnings by jurisdiction, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, and material adjustments from tax audits.

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In particular, the carrying value of deferred tax assets, which are predominantly in the U.S., is dependent upon our ability to generate future taxable income in the U.S. In addition, the amount of income taxes we pay is subject to ongoing audits in various jurisdictions, and a material assessment by a governing tax authority could affect our profitability.

Our tax expense and tax obligations could increase as a result of changing application of tax law.

Governments are facing greater pressure on public finances, which could lead to their more aggressively applying existing tax laws and regulations. Governments also periodically change tax laws and regulations.

The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) has recently proposed changes to the current transfer pricing arm’s length standard for allocating profit as well as a 15% minimum tax by jurisdiction. While the provision to alter the way profit is allocated by jurisdiction is not expected to impact the Company, the 15% minimum tax by jurisdiction may adversely impact the Company's global tax provision. Additionally, the U.S. has proposed certain changes in the way U.S. multinational companies are taxed, which may also result in higher tax obligations.

Any changes in corporate income tax rates or regulations, on repatriation of dividends, earnings, share repurchases, or capital, or on transfer pricing, as well as changes in the interpretation of existing tax laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate, could adversely affect our cash flow and increase our overall tax burden, which would negatively affect our profitability. Potential OECD changes impacting consumer businesses could also have an unfavorable effect on some of our key customer segments such as pharmaceutical and food and beverage, which could result in a decline or delay in capital spending by our customers and a resulting decline in our revenues and profitability.

We may be adversely affected by failure to comply with regulations of governmental agencies or by the adoption of new regulations. United States trade policy, including the imposition of tariffs and the resulting consequences, as well as other political policies in the United States, China, the U.K., and certain European countries, may also impact global trade or create uncertainty impacting our business.

Our products are subject to regulation by governmental agencies. These regulations govern a wide variety of activities relating to our products, including design and development, product safety, labeling, manufacturing, promotion, sales, and distribution. We also operate a global business and are subject to various laws and regulations in the many markets where we do business, including those relating to competition, employment and labor practices, international trade, and corruption. If we fail to comply with these regulations, or if new regulations are adopted that substantially change existing practice or impose new burdens, we may have to recall products and cease their manufacture and distribution. In addition, we could be subject to investigation costs, reputational harm, fines, criminal prosecution, and other damages that could impact our profitability.

Political policy in the United States, China, the U.K., and certain European countries may impact global trade and domestic purchasing or create uncertainty. The United States government has adopted a new approach to trade policy and in certain cases has sought to renegotiate, or possibly terminate, certain existing trade agreements. The United States government has also initiated tariffs on certain foreign goods, particularly those produced in China. As a result, certain foreign governments, including the Chinese government, have imposed retaliatory tariffs on goods that their countries import from the United States. Certain governments also have implemented domestic purchasing requirements that could favor local competition and result in reduced sales.

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These various trade policy and regulatory actions described above may restrict our access to lower-cost countries in certain circumstances or otherwise create uncertainty, negatively impact global markets, and make it more difficult or costly for us to import our products into certain countries. The adoption and expansion of trade restrictions or other governmental action related to tariffs or trade agreements or policies could also lead to an economic downturn and/or could create unfavorable fluctuations in currency exchange rates (see above description "Currency fluctuations affect our operating profits."). In times of uncertainty, some customers delay investments or defer normal replacement cycles, which could have an adverse impact on our sales. The adoption and expansion of trade restrictions or other governmental action related to tariffs or trade agreements or policies have the potential to adversely impact our business and financial performance.

The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union could adversely impact our results of operations.

On January 31, 2020, the U.K. formally left the E.U. (commonly referred to as Brexit). After a transition period, on December 24, 2020, the U.K. and E.U. agreed to a trade deal (the Trade and Cooperation Agreement), which was ratified by the U.K. on December 30, 2020. This Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into effect on May 1, 2021 after it was ratified by both the European Parliament and Council of the European Union. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement allows the U.K. and E.U. to continue trading without tariffs or quotas; however, the movement of goods between the U.K. and the remaining member states of the E.U. may be subject to additional inspections and documentation checks, leading to possible delays at ports of entry and departure.

In addition, there are still a number of areas of uncertainty in connection with the future of the U.K. and its relationship with the E.U. and the application and interpretation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, and Brexit-related matters may take several years to be clarified and resolved. In particular, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement only covers the trade of goods and, therefore, uncertainty remains over the U.K.'s long-term trading of services relationship with the E.U. At this time, we cannot predict the potential impact of Brexit on our business. However, Brexit could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

If we cannot protect our intellectual property rights, or if we infringe or misappropriate the proprietary rights of others, our operating results could be harmed.

Our success depends on our ability to obtain, maintain, and enforce patents on our technology, maintain our trademarks, and protect our trade secrets. Our patents may not provide complete protection or may expire, and competitors may develop similar products that are not covered by our patents. Our patents may also be challenged by third parties and invalidated or narrowed. We may experience a decline in sales and/or profitability if any of these things occur. Competitors sometimes seek to take advantage of our trademarks or brands in ways that may create customer confusion or weaken our brand. Improper use or disclosure of our trade secrets may still occur.

We may be sued for infringing on the intellectual property rights of others. The cost of any litigation could affect our profitability regardless of the outcome, and management attention could be diverted. If we are unsuccessful in such litigation, we may have to pay damages, stop the infringing activity, and/or obtain a license. If we fail to obtain a required license, we may be unable to sell some of our products, which could result in a decline in our revenues.

We may be adversely affected by environmental laws and regulations.

We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations and incur expenditures in complying with environmental laws and regulations. We have corporate programs in place to manage compliance and stakeholder expectations related to environmental matters, but increasing public interest in climate change

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topics may result in the enactment of additional governmental laws and regulations related to this subject area. We are currently involved in, or have potential liability with respect to, the remediation of past contamination in various facilities. In addition, some of our facilities are or have been in operation for many decades and may have used substances or generated and disposed of wastes that are hazardous or may be considered hazardous in the future. These sites and disposal sites owned by others to which we sent waste may in the future be identified as contaminated and require remediation. Accordingly, it is possible that we could become subject to additional environmental liabilities in the future that may harm our results of operations or financial condition.

We may be adversely affected by regulations and market expectations related to sourcing and our supply chain, including conflict minerals.

The SEC has adopted disclosures and reporting requirements for companies whose products contain certain minerals and their derivatives, namely tin, tantalum, tungsten, or gold, known as conflict minerals. Companies must report annually whether or not such minerals originate from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and adjoining countries. These requirements could adversely affect the sourcing, availability, and pricing of materials used in the manufacturing of our products. In addition, we have incurred additional costs to comply with the disclosure requirements, including cost related to determining the source of any of the relevant minerals used in our products. Since our supply chain is complex, due diligence procedures we have implemented to understand the origins of the minerals we use in our operations may not enable us to ascertain with sufficient certainty the origins for these minerals or determine that these minerals are DRC conflict free, which may harm our reputation. We may also face difficulties in satisfying customers and other stakeholders who may require that our products be certified as DRC conflict free, which could harm our relationships with these customers and/or lead to a loss of revenue. These requirements also could have the effect of limiting the pool of suppliers from which we source these minerals, and we may be unable to obtain conflict-free minerals at prices similar to the past, which could increase our costs and adversely affect our manufacturing operations and our profitability.

Future laws, regulations, or customers may make additional demands on supply chain transparency. These demands can include more transparency into the activities of our suppliers with regard to human rights and sustainable sourcing. We have significant protections in place to ensure we partner with responsible suppliers, but increased demands may cause us to incur increased supply chain costs. If we cannot satisfy customers’ demands, we may lose business, and if we cannot meet new regulatory requirements, we may have to alter our sourcing at increased expense.

Our ability to generate and repatriate cash depends in part on factors beyond our control.

Our ability to make payments on our debt and to fund our share repurchase program, planned capital expenditures, and research and development efforts depends on our ability to generate and repatriate cash in the future. This is subject to factors beyond our control, including general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory, governmental, and other factors described in this section.

We cannot ensure that our business will generate sufficient cash flows from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us under our credit facility in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay our debt or to fund our other liquidity needs. We may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness on or before maturity. We cannot ensure that we will be able to refinance any of our debt, including our credit facility and the senior notes, on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

Our ability to fund our share repurchase program is also dependent on our ability to repatriate our international cash flows. Changes in governmental cash repatriation policies, restrictions, or tax laws could impair our ability to continue our share repurchase program.

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Risks Related to Our Debt

We have debt and we may incur substantially more debt, which could affect our ability to meet our debt obligations and may otherwise restrict our activities.

We have debt and we may incur substantial additional debt in the future. As of December 31, 2021, we had total indebtedness of approximately $1.6 billion, net of cash of $98.6 million. Our debt instruments allow us to incur substantial additional indebtedness.

The existence and magnitude of our debt could have important consequences. For example, it could make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations under our debt instruments; require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow to payments on our indebtedness, which would reduce the amount of cash flow available to fund working capital, capital expenditures, product development, and other corporate requirements; increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions, including changes in raw material costs; limit our ability to respond to business opportunities; limit our ability to borrow additional funds, which may be necessary; and subject us to financial and other restrictive covenants, which, if we fail to comply with these covenants and our failure is not waived or cured, could result in an event of default under our debt instruments.

The agreements governing our debt impose restrictions on our business.

The note purchase agreements governing our notes and the agreements governing our credit facility contain covenants imposing various restrictions on our business. These restrictions may affect our ability to operate our business and may limit our ability to take advantage of potential business opportunities. The restrictions these covenants place on us include limitations on our ability to incur liens and consolidate, merge, sell, or lease all or substantially all of our assets. Our credit facility and the note purchase agreements governing our senior notes also require us to meet certain financial ratios.

Our ability to comply with these agreements may be affected by events beyond our control, including economic, financial, and industry conditions. The breach of any covenants or restrictions could result in a default under the note purchase agreements governing the senior notes and/or under our credit facility. An event of default under the agreements governing our debt would permit holders of our debt to declare all amounts owed to them under such agreements to be immediately due and payable. Acceleration of our other indebtedness may cause us to be unable to make interest payments on the senior notes and repay the principal amount of the senior notes.

The lenders under our credit agreement may be unable to meet their funding commitments, reducing the amount of our borrowing capacity.

We have a revolving credit facility outstanding under which the Company and certain of its subsidiaries may borrow up to $1.25 billion. Our credit facility is provided by a group of 14 financial institutions, which individually have between 4% and 11% of the total funding commitment. At December 31, 2021, we had borrowings of $601.0 million outstanding under our credit facility. Our ability to borrow further funds under our credit facility is subject to the various lenders’ financial condition and ability to make funds available. Even though the financial institutions are contractually obligated to lend funds, if one or more of the lenders encounters financial difficulties or goes bankrupt, such lenders may be unable to meet their obligations. This could result in us being unable to borrow the full $1.25 billion amount available.

We are subject to risks associated with the discontinuation of LIBOR.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority announced in 2017 that it intended to phase out the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) by the end of 2021. On November 30, 2020, to facilitate an orderly LIBOR transition, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance

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Corporation, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve jointly announced that entering into new contracts using LIBOR as a reference rate after December 31, 2021 would create a safety and soundness risk. On March 5, 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority announced that all LIBOR benchmarks will either no longer be provided by any administrator or no longer be representative after December 31, 2021 in the case of one-week and two-month U.S. dollar LIBOR, and after June 30, 2023 in the case of the remaining U.S. dollar LIBOR benchmarks. As mentioned in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, our current interest rate swap, cross currency swap, and credit agreements include fallback protocols when LIBOR is discontinued. Changes in the method of calculating LIBOR, or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative rate or benchmark, may adversely affect interest rates and could result in higher borrowing costs. In addition, if changes are made to the method of calculating LIBOR or LIBOR ceases to exist, we may need to amend certain contracts, including our credit facility and swap arrangements, and we cannot predict what alternative rate or benchmark would be negotiated. This may also result in an increase in our interest expense.

General Risk Factors

We make forward-looking statements, and actual events or results may differ materially from these statements because assumptions we have made prove incorrect due to market conditions in our industries or other factors.

We provide forward-looking statements both in our filings with the SEC and orally in connection with our quarterly earnings calls, including guidance on anticipated sales growth and earnings per share. You should not rely on forward-looking statements to predict our actual results. Our actual results or performance may be materially different than reflected in forward-looking statements because of various risks and uncertainties.

Our forward-looking statements may not be accurate or complete, and we do not intend to update or revise them in light of actual results. New risks also periodically arise. Please consider the risks and factors that could cause our results to differ materially from what is described in our forward-looking statements. See in particular “Factors Affecting Our Future Operating Results” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

In providing guidance on our future earnings, we evaluate our budgets, strategic plans, and other factors relating to our business. We make assumptions about external factors, including the following:

•the outlook for our end-markets and the global economy;

•the impact of external factors on our competition;

•the financial position of our customers and their willingness to pay for our products and services;

•the estimated costs of purchasing materials;

•the estimated costs of transportation and logistics;

•developments in personnel costs;

•our estimated income tax expense; and

•rates for currency exchange, particularly between the Swiss franc and the euro and between the Chinese renminbi and the U.S. dollar.

Some of these assumptions may prove to be incorrect over time. For example, although no single end-customer accounts for more than 1% of our revenues, if a number of our customers experienced significant deteriorations in their financial positions concurrently, it could have an impact on our results of operations.

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Some of our key internal assumptions include the following:

•our ability to implement our business strategy;

•our ability to implement price increases as forecasted;

•the effectiveness of our sales and marketing programs such as our Spinnaker, market penetration, and Field Turbo initiatives;

•the effectiveness of our programs to improve our service business, including growth, globalization, and productivity initiatives;

•our ability to develop and deliver innovative products and services;

•the continued growth of our sales in emerging markets; and

•the effectiveness of productivity and cost saving initiatives.

These internal assumptions may also prove to be incorrect over time. For example, with respect to our ability to realize our planned price increases without disturbing our customer base in core markets, in certain markets, such as emerging markets, price tends to be a more significant factor in customers’ decisions to purchase our products and services. Furthermore, we can have no assurance that our cost reduction programs will generate adequate cost savings. Additionally, it may become necessary to take additional restructuring actions resulting in additional restructuring costs.

We believe our current assumptions are reasonable and prudent for planning purposes. However, should any of these assumptions prove to be incorrect, or should we incur lower-than-expected operating performance or cash flows, we may experience results different than our projections.

Item 1B.Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

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Item 2.Properties

Our principal executive offices are located in Columbus, Ohio and Greifensee, Switzerland. The following table lists our principal facilities, indicating the location and whether the facility is owned or leased. The properties listed below serve primarily as manufacturing facilities or shared service centers and also typically have a certain amount of space for service, sales and marketing, and administrative activities. The facilities in Giessen, Germany, Viroflay, France, and Salford, United Kingdom are used primarily for sales and marketing. We believe our facilities are adequate for our current and reasonably anticipated future needs.

Location Owned/Leased Business Segment

Europe:

Greifensee/Nänikon, Switzerland Owned Swiss Operations

Urdorf, Switzerland Owned Swiss Operations

Manchester, England Leased Western European Operations

Royston, United Kingdom Owned Western European Operations

Salford, United Kingdom Leased Western European Operations

Viroflay, France Owned Western European Operations

Albstadt, Germany Owned Western European Operations

Giessen, (Hesse) Germany Owned Western European Operations

Giesen, (Lower Saxony) Germany Owned Western European Operations

Warsaw, Poland Leased Other Operations

Americas:

Columbus, Ohio Leased U.S. Operations

Worthington, Ohio (two facilities) Owned U.S. Operations

Oakland, California Owned U.S. Operations

Billerica, Massachusetts Owned U.S. Operations

Tampa, Florida Owned U.S. Operations

Tijuana, Mexico Leased U.S. Operations

Thorofare, New Jersey Owned U.S. Operations

Princeton, New Jersey Leased U.S. Operations

Other:

Shanghai, China (two facilities) Buildings Owned; Chinese Operations

Land Leased

Changzhou, China (two facilities) Buildings Owned; Chinese Operations

Land Leased

ChengDu, China Building Owned; Chinese Operations

Land Leased

Item 3.Legal Proceedings

We are not currently involved in any legal proceeding that we believe could have a material adverse effect upon our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. See the disclosure in Item 1 above under “Environmental Matters,” as well as Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

See Part III, Item 10 of this annual report for information about our executive officers.

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PART II

Item 5.Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information for Common Stock

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “MTD.”

Holders

At January 27, 2022, there were 39 holders of record of common stock and 22,805,615 shares of common stock outstanding. We estimate we have approximately 173,699 beneficial owners of common stock.

Dividend Policy

Historically, we have not paid dividends on our common stock. However, we will evaluate this policy on a periodic basis taking into account our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements including potential acquisitions, our share repurchase program, the taxation of dividends to our shareholders, and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors.

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Share Performance Graph

The following graph compares the cumulative total returns (assuming reinvestment of dividends) on $100 invested on December 31, 2016 through December 31, 2021 in our common stock, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Composite Stock Index (S&P 500 Index), and the SIC Code 3826 Index — Laboratory Analytical Instruments.

Comparison of Cumulative Total Return Among Mettler-Toledo International Inc., the S&P 500 Index, and SIC Code 3826 Index — Laboratory Analytical Instruments(a)

(a) The Performance Graph will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference. In addition, the Performance Graph will not be deemed to be "soliciting material" or to be "filed" with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C, other than as provided in Regulation S-K, or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that the Company specifically requests that such information be treated as soliciting material or specifically incorporates it by reference into a filing under the Securities Act or the Securities Exchange Act.

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Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Period

In November 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized an additional $2.5 billion to the share repurchase program, which had $2.1 billion of remaining availability as of December 31, 2021. The share repurchases are expected to be funded from cash generated from operating activities, borrowings, and cash balances. Repurchases will be made through open market transactions, and the amount and timing of purchases will depend on business and market conditions, the stock price, trading restrictions, the level of acquisition activity, and other factors.

We have purchased 30.2 million common shares since the inception of the program in 2004 through December 31, 2021, at a total cost of $6.9 billion. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we spent $1.0 billion and $775.0 million on the repurchase of 739,486 shares and 815,652 shares at an average price per share of $1,352.27 and $950.14, respectively. We reissued 110,748 shares and 162,176 shares held in treasury for the exercise of stock options and restricted stock units during 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Item 6.Reserved

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

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our consolidated financial statements.

Changes in local currencies exclude the effect of currency exchange rate fluctuations. Local currency amounts are determined by translating current and previous year consolidated financial information at an index utilizing historical currency exchange rates. We believe local currency information provides a helpful assessment of business performance and a useful measure of results between periods. We do not, nor do we suggest that investors should, consider such non-GAAP financial measures in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. We present non-GAAP financial measures in reporting our financial results to provide investors with an additional analytical tool to evaluate our operating results.

We also include in the discussion below disclosures of immaterial qualitative factors that are not quantified. Although the impact of such factors is not considered material, we believe these disclosures can be useful in evaluating our operating results.

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Overview

We operate a global business with sales that are diversified by geographic region, product range, and customer. We hold leading positions worldwide in many of our markets and attribute this leadership to several factors, including the strength of our brand name and reputation, our comprehensive offering of innovative instruments and solutions, our Spinnaker sales and marketing program, and the breadth and quality of our global sales and service network.

Net sales in U.S. dollars increased 21% in 2021 and 3% in 2020. Excluding the effect of currency exchange rate fluctuations, or in local currencies, net sales increased 18% in 2021 and 2% in 2020. In 2021, we experienced broad-based growth with robust customer demand in most businesses and regions as global economies recovered from COVID-19. We also benefited from excellent execution of our sales and marketing programs and effectively navigated supply chain challenges to meet heightened customer demand. Growth in China was particularly strong. We continue to benefit from our strong global leadership positions, diversified customer base, innovative product offering, investment in emerging markets, significant installed base, and the impact of our sophisticated global sales and marketing programs. Examples of these programs include identifying and investing in growth and market penetration opportunities, more effectively pricing our products and services, increasing our sales force effectiveness through improved guidance and redirecting resources to our most promising growth opportunities, increasing digitalization tools, and continuing to optimize our lead generation and lead nurturing processes.

During the past two years, we accelerated our ability to use advanced analytics to identify and pursue growth opportunities, while increasing the effectiveness of our digital tools to support our global sales organization. We have also successfully adapted to remote and hybrid work environments and increased engagement with our customers with our Go-to-Market and digital approaches. While global market conditions are currently favorable, challenges remain in the global supply chain and we will face difficult prior period comparisons in 2022 due to strong results in 2021. Uncertainties and challenges relating to COVID-19 also continue, including new variants (such as Omicron), lockdowns, logistical and inflationary challenges, and the potential impact on global economies, and market conditions may change quickly.

Our laboratory sales experienced excellent growth in 2021, particularly from life sciences and biotech customers, while other end-markets such as the chemical industry experienced a strong recovery. We also continue to support COVID-19 testing, development, treatment, and vaccine production activities in biopharma. We expect to continue to benefit from favorable biopharma market trends. We also believe we will benefit from increased customer demand for automation, digitalization, and safety; new facility investments; and continued focus on regulatory compliance including data integrity requirements. Overall, we believe we are well positioned to continue to capture growth and gain market share in our laboratory business.

Our industrial sales experienced strong growth in 2021 in both core industrial and product inspection. Core industrial experienced particularly strong growth, especially in China and the Americas. We continue to benefit from our strong product offering and focus on the more attractive, faster-growing segments of the market and strong execution of our growth initiatives in each region.We also continue to benefit from market trends in automation and digitalization. Emerging market economies, especially China, have historically been an important source of growth based upon the expansion of their domestic economies, and we expect this to be a continued source of future growth. Our core industrial-related products are also especially sensitive to changes in economic growth. Our product inspection business experienced improved customer demand during 2021 after being negatively impacted by COVID-19 in 2020. We

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expect our product inspection end-market to also benefit from our customers’ focus on brand protection, food safety, and productivity.

Our food retailing sales decreased during 2021 primarily due to weak market dynamics, the timing of project activity, and the negative impact of component shortages. Traditionally, the spending levels in this sector have experienced more volatility than our other end-markets due to the timing of customer project activity and new regulations.

In 2022, we will continue to pursue the overall business growth strategies which we have followed in recent years:

Gaining Market Share. Innovation is essential to gaining market share and is fundamental in all aspects of our business including sales and marketing and technology leadership. Our global sales and marketing initiative, Spinnaker, continues to be an important growth strategy. We aim to gain market share by implementing sophisticated sales and marketing programs, leveraging our extensive customer databases, and leveraging our product offering to larger customers through key account management. While this initiative is broad-based, efforts to improve these processes include the use of advanced data analytics to identify, prioritize, and pursue growth opportunities; the implementation of more effective pricing and value-based selling strategies and processes; improved sales force guidance, training and effectiveness; cross-selling; increased segment marketing; and leads generation and nurturing activities. We have also added field sales and service resources to pursue underpenetrated market opportunities and will make additional investments to front-end resources in 2022. We also continue to adapt our Go-to-Market approaches with additional inside and telesales resources, while also increasing digital customer interaction. We continue to benefit from digitalization tools to gain efficiencies and increase the effectiveness of our field sales force. In addition, our comprehensive service offerings, and our initiatives to globalize and harmonize these offerings, help us further penetrate developed markets. We estimate that we have the largest installed base of weighing instruments in the world, and we continue to leverage advanced data analytics and invest in sales and marketing activities to increase the proportion of our installed base that is under service contract, or sell new products that replace old products in our installed base. In addition to traditional repair and maintenance, our service offerings continue to expand into value-added services for a range of market needs, including regulatory compliance. We have also made adjustments to our service model to incorporate remote service, depot drop-off/pickup, and other approaches to ensure the safety of our technicians and customers.

Expanding Emerging Markets. Emerging markets, comprising Asia (excluding Japan), Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, account for approximately 36% of our total net sales. We have a two-pronged strategy in emerging markets: first, to capitalize on long-term growth opportunities in these markets, and second, to leverage our low-cost manufacturing operations in China. We have nearly a 35-year track record in China, and our sales in Asia have grown more than 13% on a compound annual growth basis in local currencies since 1999. Over the years, we have also broadened our product offering to the Asian markets. India has also been a source of emerging market sales growth in past years due to increased life science research activities. Overall, versus the prior year, we experienced a 20% increase in emerging market local currency sales by destination during 2021, which included 25% local currency sales growth in China. Within China, we continue to redeploy resources and sales and marketing efforts to the faster-growing segments of pharma, food manufacturing, chemical, and environment. We believe the long-term growth of these segments will be favorably impacted by the Chinese government’s emphasis on science, high-value industries, product quality, and food safety. We expect our laboratory and product inspection businesses will particularly benefit from our focus on these segments. We also continue to invest and add sales and marketing resources to pursue growth in under-penetrated emerging markets. However, emerging market sales can be volatile. In particular, China has historically been volatile and market conditions may change unfavorably due to various factors.

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Extending Our Technology Lead. We continue to focus on product innovation. In the last three years, we spent approximately 5% of net sales on research and development. We seek to improve our product offerings and their capabilities with additional integrated technologies and software, which we believe supports our pricing differentiation and accelerates product replacement cycles. In addition, we aim to create value for our customers by having thorough knowledge of their processes via our significant installed product base.

Expanding Our Margins. During 2021, we experienced increased inflation in our cost structure, particularly regarding material product costs and transportation and logistics, and we expect our cost structure to further increase in 2022 due to these inflationary dynamics. However, despite these challenges to our cost structure, we continue to strive to improve our margins by more effectively pricing our products and services, optimizing our cost structure, and improving our mix in higher-margin businesses such as service. For example, sophisticated data analytic tools provide us new insights to further refine our price strategies and processes. We also focus on reallocating resources and better aligning our cost structure to support our investments in market penetration initiatives, higher-growth/profitable areas, and opportunities for margin improvement.

We have also initiated various cost reduction programs over the past few years, including temporary cost containment measures during 2020 in response to COVID-19. We have also implemented global procurement and supply chain management programs over the last several years aimed at lowering supply costs, and have increased our focus on these programs with our SternDrive initiative. SternDrive is our global operational excellence program for continuous improvement efforts within our supply chain, manufacturing, and back-office operations. Blue Ocean is also an important enabler of our various margin expansion initiatives. Our move to standardized business processes, systems, and data structures throughout our global organization provides greater data transparency and faster access to real-time data. Our cost leadership and productivity initiatives are also focused on continuously improving our invested capital efficiency, such as reducing our working capital levels, improving our order to cash cycle, and ensuring appropriate returns on our expenditures.

Pursuing Strategic Acquisitions. We seek to pursue "bolt-on" acquisitions that may leverage our global sales and service network, respected brand, extensive distribution channels, and technological leadership. We have identified life sciences, process analytics, and product inspection as three key areas for acquisitions. For example, in March 2021, we acquired all the membership interests of Mayfair Technology, LLC (PendoTECH), a manufacturer and distributor of single-use sensors, transmitters, control systems, and software for measuring, monitoring, and data collection primarily in bioprocess applications. PendoTECH serves biopharmaceutical manufacturers and life science laboratories and is located in the United States. The initial cash payment was $185.0 million and we made other post-closing payments of $7.4 million. We may be required to pay additional consideration of up to $20.0 million. In October 2021, we also acquired Scale-up Systems Inc., a leading software provider for scale-up and reaction modeling serving the biopharma and chemical markets. The initial cash payment was $20.2 million and we may be required to pay additional amounts up to EUR 3.0 million.

COVID-19

Since late 2019, the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has spread globally in all countries where we conduct business. The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving and has led to the implementation of various responses, including government-imposed quarantines, stay-at-home orders and lockdowns, travel restrictions, vaccination and testing requirements, and other public health safety measures. These restrictions continue to change as COVID-19 evolves, variants are discovered, and vaccinations are distributed in each country and region. The emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in late 2021 has presented particular challenges to the global economy given its high level of transmissibility, which

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can cause many people to be affected at the same time or over a short period of time, leading to potential disruptions to our business and supply chain.

The health and safety of our employees and business partners have been our highest priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and we have implemented several preventative and protective measures. We also have continued to support our customers with their essential businesses, such as life sciences, food manufacturing, chemicals (e.g., sanitizers, disinfectants, soaps, etc.), food retail, and transportation and logistics.

Our production and logistics facilities are currently operational, and our office-based employees continue to adhere to any applicable jurisdictional stay-at-home orders. Our supply chain is currently facing wide-ranging global challenges, although we have been able to meet delivery requirements of our customers with some interruption. We continue to closely monitor risks associated with our supply chain, including the availability of certain components, material shortages, supplier delays, potential transportation delays, and higher transportation and material costs, which could significantly adversely affect sales and/or profitability in future quarters. We also continue to leverage our digital and remote sales capabilities, and our service organization continues to provide on-site and remote customer support to facilitate uptime, productivity, and regulatory compliance.

COVID-19 presents several risks to our business as further described on page 14 in the Risk Factors section of this Form 10-K. Uncertainties related to COVID-19 and the resulting impact to the global economy continue in most regions of the world, and market conditions can change quickly. The longer-term effects on our business will be influenced by the global economy and any economic implications in different regions of the world.

Results of Operations — Consolidated

Net sales

Net sales were $3.7 billion for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $3.1 billion in 2020 and $3.0 billion in 2019. This represents an increase of 21% in 2021 and 3% in 2020 in U.S. dollars and an increase of 18% in 2021 and 2% in 2020 in local currencies. The PendoTECH acquisition contributed 1% to our net sales in 2021. In 2021, we experienced broad-based growth with robust customer demand in most businesses and regions, with particularly strong growth in China. We continue to benefit from the execution of our global sales and marketing programs, our innovative product portfolio, and investments in our field organization, particularly surrounding digital tools and techniques. However, uncertainties and challenges relating to COVID-19 continue, including new variants (such as Omicron), lockdowns, supply chain and inflationary challenges, and the potential impact on global economies, and market conditions may change quickly.

In 2021, our net sales by geographic destination increased in U.S. dollars compared to 2020 by 20% in the Americas, 15% in Europe, and 26% in Asia/Rest of World. In local currencies, our net sales by geographic destination increased in 2021 by 20% in the Americas, 12% in Europe, and 21% in Asia/Rest of World, with 25% growth in China. The PendoTECH acquisition contributed approximately 2% to net sales in the Americas and 1% to net sales in Europe during 2021. A discussion of sales by operating segment is included below.

As described in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements, our net sales comprise product sales of precision instruments and related services. Service revenues are primarily derived from repair and other services, including regulatory compliance qualification, calibration, certification, preventative maintenance, and spare parts.

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Net sales of products increased 23% in U.S. dollars and 20% in local currencies during 2021 and increased 2% in both U.S. dollars and in local currencies in 2020. The PendoTECH acquisition contributed approximately 1% to our net sales of products during 2021. Service revenue (including spare parts) increased 11% in U.S. dollars and 8% in local currencies in 2021 and increased 3% in U.S. dollars and 2% in local currencies in 2020.

Net sales of our laboratory products and services, which represented approximately 56% of our total net sales in 2021, increased 25% in U.S. dollars and 22% in local currencies during 2021. The local currency increase in net sales of our laboratory-related products during 2021 includes very strong growth in most product categories, especially in pipettes and process analytics. Net sales of our laboratory products also benefited approximately 2% from the PendoTECH acquisition.

Net sales of our industrial products and services, which represented approximately 39% of our total net sales in 2021, increased 18% in U.S. dollars and 15% in local currencies during 2021. The local currency increase in net sales of our industrial-related products during 2021 includes strong growth in most product categories, with particularly strong growth in core industrial, especially in China and the Americas.

Net sales of our food retailing products and services, which represented approximately 5% of our total net sales in 2021, decreased 3% in U.S. dollars and 6% in local currencies during 2021. The decline in food retailing is primarily due to weak market dynamics, the timing of project activity, and the negative impact of component shortages.

Gross profit

Gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 58.4% for both 2021 and 2020 and 57.9% for 2019.

Gross profit as a percentage of net sales for products was 60.1% for 2021, compared to 60.3% for 2020 and 60.4% for 2019. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales for services (including spare parts) was 51.8% for 2021, compared to 51.6% for 2020 and 49.0% for 2019.

The gross profit as a percentage of net sales for 2021 reflects increased sales volume and favorable price realization, offset by higher material and transportation costs in 2021 and temporary cost savings in 2020.

Research and development and selling, general, and administrative expenses

Research and development expenses as a percentage of net sales were 4.6% for 2021, 4.5% for 2020, and 4.8% for 2019. Research and development expenses in U.S. dollars increased 21% in 2021 and decreased 3% in 2020, and in local currencies increased 17% in 2021 and decreased 5% in 2020. The increase during 2021 primarily relates to increased project activity and temporary savings in the prior year.

Selling, general, and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales were 25.4% for 2021, compared to 26.6% for 2020 and 27.2% for 2019. Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased 15% in U.S. dollars and increased 12% in local currencies in 2021 and were flat in U.S. dollars and decreased 1% in local currencies in 2020. The increase during 2021 primarily includes higher cash incentive expense, temporary savings in the prior year, and increased sales and marketing investments.

Amortization expense

Amortization expense was $63.1 million in 2021, compared to $56.7 million and $49.7 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase in amortization expense primarily includes intangible assets related to the PendoTECH acquisition, as well as our investments in information technology, including our Blue Ocean program.

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Restructuring charges

During the past few years, we initiated various cost reduction measures. Restructuring charges were $5.2 million in 2021, compared to $10.5 million and $15.8 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Restructuring expenses are primarily comprised of employee-related costs.

Other charges (income), net

Other charges (income), net consisted of net income of $3.1 million, $13.8 million, and $6.2 million in 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively. Other charges (income), net includes non-service pension costs (benefits), net (gains) losses from foreign currency transactions and hedging activities, interest income, and other items. Non-service pension benefits were $11.4 million, $12.2 million, and $4.8 million in 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively. Other charges (income), net also includes $3.4 million of acquisition costs for the year ended December 31, 2021, as well as a $6.8 million charge to increase the PendoTECH acquisition contingent consideration and related obligations to the sellers.

Interest expense and taxes

Interest expense was $43.2 million for 2021, compared to $38.6 million for 2020 and $37.4 million for2019.

Our reported tax rate was 19% during 2021, compared to 19.5% and 17.7% during 2020 and 2019, respectively. The 2019 reported tax rate includes a net benefit of $15.8 million associated with Swiss tax reform described below.

In May 2019, a public referendum was held in Switzerland that approved Swiss federal tax reform proposals previously approved by the Swiss Parliament. Additional changes in Swiss cantonal law were enacted in October 2019. The changes in Swiss federal tax had an immaterial effect on our financial statements. We recognized a discrete non-cash net deferred tax benefit of $15.8 million as a result of the enactment of the cantonal law in the fourth quarter of 2019. A further description of Swiss tax reform is in Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements.

Results of Operations — by Operating Segment

The following is a discussion of the financial results of our operating segments. We currently have five reportable segments: U.S. Operations, Swiss Operations, Western European Operations, Chinese Operations, and Other. A more detailed description of these segments is outlined in Note 18 to our consolidated financial statements.

U.S. Operations (amounts in thousands)

Total net sales increased 21% in 2021 and 2% in 2020 and net sales to external customers increased 20% in 2021 and 1% in 2020. The increase during 2021 is driven by very strong growth in most product categories, especially laboratory and core industrial. These results were partially offset by a significant decline in food retailing that was impacted by weak market dynamics, the timing of customer project

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activity, and component shortages. Net sales to external customers in our U.S. Operations also benefited approximately 3% from the PendoTECH acquisition.

Segment profit increased $57.2 million in our U.S. Operations segment during 2021, compared to an increase of $34.8 million during 2020. The segment profit increase in 2021 includes higher sales volume and benefits from our margin expansion initiatives, offset in part by higher transportation and material costs and temporary cost savings in the prior year.

Swiss Operations (amounts in thousands)

(1)Represents U.S. dollar growth.

Total net sales in U.S. dollars increased 21% in 2021 and 3% in 2020, and in local currencies increased 19% in 2021 and decreased 2% in 2020. Net sales to external customers in U.S. dollars increased 19% in 2021 and increased 3% in 2020, and in local currencies increased 17% in 2021 and decreased 1% in 2020. Local currency net sales to external customers during 2021 includes strong growth in most product categories.

Segment profit increased $55.7 million in our Swiss Operations segment during 2021, compared to an increase of $12.2 million during 2020. The segment profit increase in 2021 includes higher sales volume, benefits from our productivity initiatives, and favorable foreign currency translation, offset in part by higher transportation and material costs and temporary cost savings in the prior year.

Western European Operations (amounts in thousands)

(1)Represents U.S. dollar growth.

Total net sales in U.S. dollars increased 17% in 2021 and 2% in 2020, and in local currencies increased 12% in 2021 and decreased 1% in 2020. Net sales to external customers in U.S. dollars increased 16% in 2021 and increased 2% in 2020, and in local currencies increased 12% in 2021 and were flat in 2020. Local currency net sales to external customers during 2021 includes strong growth in most product categories, especially in laboratory-related products.

Segment profit increased $24.7 million in our Western European Operations segment during 2021, compared to an increase of $23.7 million in 2020. The segment profit increase in 2021 is primarily due to higher sales volume, benefits from our margin expansion initiatives, and favorable currency translation, offset in part by higher transportation and material costs and temporary cost savings in the prior year.

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Chinese Operations (amounts in thousands)

(1)Represents U.S. dollar growth.

Total net sales in U.S. dollars increased 34% in 2021 and increased 3% in 2020, and in local currencies increased 26% in 2021 and 3% in 2020. Net sales by origin to external customers in U.S. dollars increased 33% in 2021 and 6% in 2020, and in local currencies increased 25% in 2021 and 6% in 2020. The increase in net sales to external customers during 2021 reflects particularly strong growth in both laboratory and industrial products. However, market conditions may change quickly and we will face difficult prior period comparisons in 2022.

Segment profit increased $99.3 million in our Chinese Operations segment during 2021, compared to an increase of $4.0 million in 2020. The increase in segment profit during 2021 primarily reflects increased sales volume, benefits from our margin expansion initiatives, and favorable foreign currency translation, offset in part by higher transportation and material costs and temporary cost savings in the prior year.

Other (amounts in thousands)

(1)Represents U.S. dollar growth.

Other includes reporting units in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and other countries. Net sales to external customers in U.S. dollars increased 14% in 2021 and 1% in 2020, and in local currencies increased 12% in 2021 and 2% in 2020. The increase in local currency growth in net sales to external customers during 2021 includes strong growth in most product categories.

Segment profit increased $22.1 million in our Other segment during 2021, compared to an increase of $6.4 million during 2020. The increase in segment profit during 2021 primarily relates to increased sales volume and favorable foreign currency translation.

Liquidity, Capital Resources, and Future Cash Requirements

Liquidity is our ability to generate sufficient cash to meet our obligations and commitments. Sources of liquidity include cash flows from operating activities, available borrowings under our Credit Agreement, the ability to obtain appropriate financing, and our cash and cash equivalent balances. Currently, our financing requirements are primarily driven by working capital requirements, capital expenditures, share repurchases, and acquisitions. Global market conditions can be uncertain, and our ability to generate cash flows could be reduced by a deterioration in global markets.

We currently believe that cash flows from operating activities, together with liquidity available under our Credit Agreement, local working capital facilities, and cash balances, will be sufficient to fund currently anticipated working capital needs and spending requirements for at least the foreseeable future.

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Cash provided by operating activities totaled $908.8 million in 2021, compared to $724.7 million in 2020 and $603.5 million in 2019. The increase in 2021 is primarily due to higher net earnings.

Capital expenditures are made primarily for investments in information systems and technology, machinery, equipment, and the purchase and expansion of facilities. Our capital expenditures totaled $107.6 million in 2021, $92.5 million in 2020, and $97.3 million in 2019. Capital expenditures are expected to increase in 2022 similarly as we experienced in 2021, subject to business and economic conditions.

In September 2021, the Company entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to increase domestic production capacity of pipette tips and enhance manufacturing automation and logistics. The Company will receive funding of $35.8 million over the next two years, which will offset future capital expenditures.

We continue to explore potential acquisitions. In connection with any acquisition, we may incur additional indebtedness. In March 2021, we acquired all the membership interests of Mayfair Technology, LLC (PendoTECH), a manufacturer and distributor of single-use sensors, transmitters, control systems, and software for measuring, monitoring, and data collection primarily in bioprocess applications. PendoTECH serves biopharmaceutical manufacturers and life science laboratories and is located in the United States. The initial cash payment was $185.0 million and we made other post-closing payments of $7.4 million. We may be required to pay additional consideration of up to $20.0 million. In October 2021, the Company acquired Scale-up Systems Inc., a leading software provider for scale-up and reaction modeling serving the biopharma and chemical markets. The initial cash payment was $20.2 million and the Company may be required to pay additional amounts up to EUR 3.0 million. For additional information related to these acquisitions, refer to Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements.

In 2021, 2020, and 2019, we also incurred additional acquisition payments totaling $8.3 million, $6.2 million, and $2.0 million, respectively.

Cash flows used in financing activities during 2021 primarily comprised share repurchases. In accordance with our share repurchase program, we spent $1.0 billion in 2021 and $775 million in both 2020 and 2019 on the repurchase of 739,486 shares, 815,652 shares, and 1,094,648 shares, respectively. Our share repurchase program does not obligate us to acquire any specific number of shares; however, in 2022, we intend to spend a similar amount on the repurchase of shares as we spent in 2021, subject to business and economic conditions.

We plan to continue to repatriate earnings from China, Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and certain other countries in future years and expect the only additional cost associated with the repatriation of such foreign earnings will be withholding taxes. All other undistributed earnings are considered to be permanently reinvested. We believe the ongoing tax impact associated with repatriating our undistributed foreign earnings will not have a material effect on our liquidity.

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Senior Notes and Credit Facility Agreement

Our short-term borrowings and long-term debt consisted of the following at December 31, 2021:

U.S. Dollar Other PrincipalTrading Currencies Total

Senior Notes debt issuance costs, net (2,546) (1,569) (4,115)

(1) See Note 6 and Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements for additional disclosures on the financial instruments associated with the Credit Agreement.

As of December 31, 2021, approximately $649.0 million of additional borrowings were available under our Credit Agreement and we maintained $98.6 million of cash and cash equivalents. We expect to make interest payments of approximately $50 million during 2022 associated with our debt outstanding as of December 31, 2021.

Changes in exchange rates between the currencies in which we generate cash flow and the currencies in which our borrowings are denominated affect our liquidity. In addition, because we borrow in a variety of currencies, our debt balances fluctuate due to changes in exchange rates. Further, we do not have any downgrade triggers from rating agencies that would accelerate the maturity dates of our debt. We were in compliance with our debt covenants as of December 31, 2021.

Senior Notes

The Senior Notes listed above are senior unsecured obligations and interest is payable semi-annually. The Senior Notes each contain customary affirmative and negative covenants as further described in Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements.

In December 2021, we entered into an agreement to issue and sell $300 million 15-year Senior Notes in a private placement. We will issue $150 million with a fixed interest rate of 2.81% (2.81% Senior Notes) in March 2022, which will mature in March 2037, and we will issue $150 million with a fixed interest rate of 2.91% (2.91% Senior Notes) in September 2022, which will mature in September 2037. We will use the proceeds from the sale of the notes to refinance existing indebtedness and for other general corporate purposes.

In May 2021, we entered into an agreement to issue and sell $125 million 12-year Senior Notes with a fixed interest rate of 2.83%. The Senior Notes were issued in July 2021 and will mature in July 2033.

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We used the proceeds from the sale of the notes to refinance existing indebtedness and for other general corporate purposes.

Credit Agreement

On June 25, 2021, we entered into a $1.25 billion Credit Agreement (the Credit Agreement), which amended our $1.1 billion Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the Prior Credit Agreement), which is further described in Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements.

Other Local Arrangements

In April 2018, two of our non-U.S. pension plans issued loans totaling $39.6 million (Swiss franc 38 million) to a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. The loans have the same terms and conditions, which include an interest rate of Swiss franc LIBOR plus 87.5 basis points. The loans were renewed for one year in April 2021.

Share Repurchase Program

In November 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized an additional $2.5 billion to the share repurchase program which has $2.1 billion of remaining availability as of December 31, 2021. The share repurchases are expected to be funded from cash generated from operating activities, borrowings, and cash balances. Repurchases will be made through open market transactions, and the amount and timing of purchases will depend on business and market conditions, the stock price, trading restrictions, the level of acquisition activity, and other factors.

We have purchased 30.2 million common shares since the inception of the program in 2004 through December 31, 2021, at a total cost of $6.9 billion. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we spent $1.0 billion and $775.0 million on the repurchase of 739,486 shares and 815,652 shares at an average price per share of $1,352.27 and $950.14, respectively. We reissued 110,748 shares and 162,176 shares held in treasury for the exercise of stock options and restricted stock units during 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Effect of Currency on Results of Operations

Our earnings are affected by changing exchange rates. We are particularly sensitive to changes in the exchange rates between the Swiss franc, euro, Chinese renminbi, and U.S. dollar. We have more Swiss franc expenses than we do Swiss franc sales because we develop and manufacture products in Switzerland that we sell globally and have a number of corporate functions located in Switzerland. When the Swiss franc strengthens against our other trading currencies, particularly the U.S. dollar and euro, our earnings go down. We also have significantly more sales in the euro than we do expenses. When the euro weakens against the U.S. dollar and Swiss franc, our earnings also go down. We estimate a 1% strengthening of the Swiss franc against the euro would reduce our earnings before tax by approximately $1.9 million to $2.1 million annually.

We also conduct business throughout the world, including Asia Pacific, the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Canada. Fluctuations in these currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar can also affect our operating results. The most significant of these currency exposures is the Chinese renminbi. The impact on our earnings before tax of the Chinese renminbi weakening 1% against the U.S. dollar is a reduction of approximately $2.9 million to $3.1 million annually.

In addition to the effects of exchange rate movements on operating profits, our debt levels can fluctuate due to changes in exchange rates, particularly between the U.S. dollar, the Swiss franc, and euro. Based on our outstanding debt at December 31, 2021, we estimate that a 5% weakening of the U.S. dollar

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against the currencies in which our debt is denominated would result in an increase of $34.3 million in the reported U.S. dollar value of our debt.

Taxes

We are subject to taxation in many jurisdictions throughout the world. Our effective tax rate and tax liability will be affected by a number of factors, such as changes in law, the amount of taxable income in particular jurisdictions, the tax rates in such jurisdictions, tax treaties between jurisdictions, the extent to which we transfer funds between jurisdictions, and earnings repatriations between jurisdictions. Generally, the tax liability for each taxpayer within the Mettler-Toledo International Inc. group of companies is determined either (i) on a non-consolidated/non-combined basis or (ii) on a consolidated/combined basis only with other eligible entities subject to tax in the same jurisdiction, in either case without regard to the taxable losses of non-consolidated/non-combined affiliated legal entities.

Environmental Matters

We are subject to environmental laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate. We own or lease a number of properties and manufacturing facilities around the world. Like many of our competitors, we have incurred, and will continue to incur, capital and operating expenditures and other costs in complying with such laws and regulations.

We are currently involved in, or have potential liability with respect to, the remediation of past contamination in certain of our facilities. A former subsidiary of Mettler-Toledo, LLC known as Hi-Speed Checkweigher Co., Inc. was one of two private parties ordered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, in an administrative consent order signed on June 13, 1988, to investigate and remediate certain ground water contamination at a property in Landing, New Jersey. After the other party under this order failed to fulfill its obligations, Hi-Speed became solely responsible for compliance with the order. Residual ground water contamination at this site is now within a Classification Exception Area which the Department of Environmental Protection has approved and within which the Company oversees monitoring of the decay of contaminants of concern. A concurrent Well Restriction Area also exists for the site. The Department of Environmental Protection does not view these vehicles as remedial measures, but rather as “institutional controls” that must be adequately maintained and periodically evaluated. We estimate that the costs of compliance associated with the site over the next several years will approximate a total of $0.4 million.

In addition, certain of our present and former facilities have or had been in operation for many decades and, over such time, some of these facilities may have used substances or generated and disposed of wastes which are or may be considered hazardous. It is possible that these sites, as well as disposal sites owned by third parties to which we have sent wastes, may in the future be identified and become the subject of remediation. Although we believe that we are in substantial compliance with applicable environmental requirements and, to date, we have not incurred material expenditures in connection with environmental matters, it is possible that we could become subject to additional environmental liabilities in the future that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

Inflation

Inflation can affect the costs of goods and services that we use, including raw materials to manufacture our products, as well as transportation and logistical costs. The competitive environment in which we operate limits somewhat our ability to recover higher costs through increased selling prices. Global inflation significantly increased during 2021 related to the COVID-19 economic recovery and associated disruptions in global demand, logistics, and labor markets. These inflationary conditions could have a greater impact on our operating results in future years.

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Moreover, there may be differences in inflation rates between countries in which we incur the major portion of our costs and other countries in which we sell products, which may limit our ability to recover increased costs. We remain committed to operations in China, Eastern Europe, India, and Brazil, which have experienced inflationary conditions. To date, these inflationary conditions have not had a material effect on our operating results. However, as our presence in China, Eastern Europe, India, and Brazil increases, these inflationary conditions could have a greater impact on our operating results.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

We have only limited involvement with derivative financial instruments and do not use them for trading purposes.

We have entered into certain interest rate swap agreements. These contracts are more fully described in Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements. The fair value of these contracts was a net liability of $0.4 million at December 31, 2021. Based on our agreements outstanding at December 31, 2021, a 100-basis-point change in interest rates would result in a change in the net aggregate market value of these instruments of approximately $0.2 million. Any change in fair value would not affect our consolidated statement of operations unless such agreements and the debt they hedge were prematurely settled.

We have entered into certain cross currency swap agreements. The fair value of these contracts was a net liability of $3.4 million at December 31, 2021. Based on our agreements outstanding at December 31, 2021, a 100-basis-point change in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates would result in a change in the net aggregate market value of these instruments by approximately $4.2 million. Any change in fair value would not affect our consolidated statement of operations unless such agreements and the debt they hedge were prematurely settled.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to revenue, income taxes, inventories, goodwill and intangibles, leases, and pensions and other post-retirement benefits. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The results form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

We believe the following critical accounting estimates affect our more significant judgments used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. For a detailed discussion on the application of these and other accounting policies, see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements.

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Income taxes

Income tax expense, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and reserves for unrecognized tax benefits reflect management’s assessment of estimated future taxes to be paid on items in the consolidated financial statements. We record a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. The valuation allowance of $51.1 million as of December 31, 2021 is based on management’s estimates of future taxable income and application of relevant income tax law. In the event we were to determine that we would be able to realize our deferred tax assets in the future in excess of the net recorded amount, an adjustment to the valuation allowance would increase income or equity in the period such determination was made. Likewise, should we determine that we would not be able to realize all or part of the valuation allowance in the future, an adjustment to the net deferred tax asset would be charged to income in the period such determination was made.

We plan to repatriate earnings from China, Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and certain other countries in future years and expect the additional tax costs associated with the repatriation of such earnings will be non-U.S. withholding taxes, certain state taxes, and U.S. taxes on currency gains, if any. All other undistributed earnings are considered permanently reinvested.

The significant assumptions and estimates described in the preceding paragraphs are important contributors to our ultimate effective tax rate for each year in addition to our income mix from geographical regions. If any of our assumptions or estimates were to change, or should our income mix from our geographical regions change, our effective tax rate could be materially affected. Based on earnings before taxes of $949.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, each increase of $9.5 million in tax expense would increase our effective tax rate by 1%.

Employee benefit plans

The net periodic pension cost for 2021 and projected benefit obligation as of December 31, 2021 were $0.6 million and $141.9 million, respectively, for our U.S. pension plan. The net periodic cost for 2021 and projected benefit obligation as of December 31, 2021 were $9.1 million and $1.0 billion, respectively, for our international pension plans. The net periodic post-retirement benefit for 2021 and expected post-retirement benefit obligation as of December 31, 2021 for our U.S. post-retirement medical benefit plan were $0.1 million and $0.9 million, respectively.

Pension and post-retirement benefit plan expense and obligations are developed from assumptions utilized in actuarial valuations. The most significant of these assumptions include the discount rate and expected return on plan assets. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, actual results that differ from the assumptions are accumulated and deferred over future periods. While management believes the assumptions used are appropriate, differences in actual experience or changes in assumptions may affect our plan obligations and future expense.

The expected rates of return on the various defined benefit pension plans’ assets are based on the asset allocation of each plan and the long-term projected return of those assets, which represent a diversified mix of U.S. and international corporate equities and government and corporate debt securities. In 2002, we froze our U.S. defined benefit pension plan and discontinued our retiree medical program for certain current and all future employees. Consequently, no significant future service costs will be incurred on these plans. For 2021, the weighted average return on assets assumption was 5.75% for the U.S. plan and 3.78% for the international plans. A change in the rate of return of 1% would impact annual benefit plan expense by approximately $9.0 million after tax.

The discount rates for defined benefit and post-retirement plans are set by benchmarking against high-quality corporate bonds. For 2021, the weighted average discount rate assumption was 2.6% for the U.S. plan and 0.4% for the international plans, representing a weighted average of local rates in countries

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where such plans exist. A change in the discount rate of 1% would impact annual benefit plan expense by approximately $11.7 million after tax.

Goodwill and other intangible assets

As of December 31, 2021, our consolidated balance sheet included goodwill of $648.6 million and other intangible assets of $307.5 million.

Our business acquisitions typically result in goodwill and other intangible assets, which affect the amount of future period amortization expense and possible impairment expense. The determination of the value of such intangible assets requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect our consolidated financial statements.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP, our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized, but are evaluated for impairment annually in the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that an asset might be impaired. The annual evaluations of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are generally based on an assessment of qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the asset is less than its carrying amount.

If we are unable to conclude whether the goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible asset is not impaired after considering the totality of events and circumstances during our qualitative assessment, we perform a quantitative impairment test by estimating the fair value of the respective reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset and comparing the fair value to the carrying amount of the goodwill asset. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment charge equal to the difference is recognized.

Both the qualitative and quantitative evaluations consider operating results, business plans, economic conditions, and market data, among other factors. There are inherent uncertainties related to these factors and our judgment in applying them to the impairment analyses. Our assessments to date have indicated that there has been no impairment of these assets.

Should any of these estimates or assumptions change, or should we incur lower than expected operating performance or cash flows, including from a prolonged economic slowdown, we may experience a triggering event that requires a new fair value assessment for our reporting units, possibly prior to the required annual assessment. These types of events and resulting analysis could result in impairment charges for goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets if the fair value estimate declines below the carrying value.

Our amortization expense related to intangible assets with finite lives may materially change should our estimates of their useful lives change.

New Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements.

Item 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Discussion of this item is included in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Item 8.Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

The financial statements required by this item are set forth starting on page F-1 and the related financial schedule is set forth on page S-1.

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

None.

Item 9A.Controls and Procedures

Conclusions Regarding the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, we have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as required by Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(b) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer have concluded that these disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the Company’s financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

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.

Management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021. In making this assessment, we used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013). Based on our assessment, we concluded that, as of December 31, 2021, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm that audited the financial statements included in this Report on Form 10-K, has issued their integrated audit report, which covers our internal control over financial reporting, which appears on page F-2.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B.Other Information

None.

Item 9C.Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections

None.

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PART III

Item 10.Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance

The executive officers of the Company are set forth below. Officers are appointed by the Board of Directors and serve at the discretion of the Board.

Name Age Position

Patrick Kaltenbach 58 President and Chief Executive Officer

Peter Aggersbjerg 53 Head of Divisions

Gerhard Keller 54 Head of Process Analytics

Christian Magloth 56 Head of Human Resources

Shawn P. Vadala 53 Chief Financial Officer

Patrick Kaltenbach joined the Company in January 2021 and assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer beginning April 1, 2021. Prior to joining the Company, he served as the President of the Life Sciences Segment at Becton Dickinson since 2018. He was President of Life Sciences and Applied Markets Group at Agilent from 2014 to 2018. Previously, he held wide-ranging and increasing leadership roles at Agilent and its predecessor company, Hewlett Packard, since joining in 1991.

Peter Aggersbjerg has been Head of Divisions since January 2020 and Head of Laboratory since January 2018. From February 2016 to December 2017, he served as the Head of our Laboratory Weighing strategic business unit. Prior to joining the Company, he served as the Global BU Head for Medela’s Neonatal Care business and a member of its Group management. Prior to Medela, Mr. Aggersbjerg worked in various CEO roles in the health care, medical devices, and industrial sectors in Switzerland, Denmark, and the U.S.

Marc de La Guéronnière has been Head of European Market Organizations of the Company since January 2008 and Head of North American Market Organizations since April 2014. He was Head of Region South and General Manager of the Company’s market organization in Spain from January 2006 to January 2008. He joined the Company in 2001 as the Industrial Business Area Manager for our market organization in France. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. de La Guéronnière held various management positions in Europe and the United States with ABB-Elsag Bailey and Danaher-Zellweger.

Gerhard Keller joined the Company in 1991 and has been Head of Process Analytics since July 2018 and Head of Pipettes since July 2013. He previously was Head of Region East Asia/Pacific and also served in various Sales and Marketing leadership functions in Europe and Asia Pacific. Prior to joining the Company, he worked in Quality Control at Sandoz, now Novartis, in Switzerland.

Christian Magloth joined the Company in October 2010 and has been Head of Human Resources since December 2010. Prior to joining the Company, he served as Head of Human Resources of Straumann, a leading global medical devices company listed on the Swiss stock exchange, from April 2006 to September 2010. He previously served as Head of Human Resources at Hero Group, an international consumer foods company, and in various management positions at Hilti, a leading global construction supply company.

Shawn P. Vadala joined the Company in 1997 and has been Chief Financial Officer since January 2014 and also responsible for the Company’s Pricing program since 2008. Mr. Vadala previously held various senior financial positions at the Company’s Columbus, Ohio and Greifensee, Switzerland offices and was also responsible for Business Intelligence from 2010 to 2018. Prior to joining the Company, he worked in the Boston and Zurich, Switzerland offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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Certifications

Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer provide certifications pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in connection with our quarterly and annual financial statement filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The certifications relating to this annual report are attached as Exhibits 31.1 and 31.2.

The remaining information called for by this item is incorporated by reference from the discussion in the sections “Proposal One: Election of Directors,” “Board of Directors — General Information,” “Board of Directors — Operation,” and “Additional Information — Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” in the 2022 Proxy Statement.

Item 11.Executive Compensation

The information appearing in the sections captioned “Board of Directors — General Information —Director Compensation,” “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” “Compensation Committee Report,” and “Additional Information — Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation” in the 2022 Proxy Statement is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 12.Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

The information appearing in the section “Share Ownership” in the 2022 Proxy Statement is incorporated by reference herein. Information appearing in “Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans as of December 31, 2021” is included within Note 12 to the financial statements.

Item 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions — None.

Director Independence — The information in the section “Board of Directors — General Information — Independence of the Board” in the 2022 Proxy Statement is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 14.Principal Accounting Fees and Services

Information appearing in the section “Audit Committee Report” in the 2022 Proxy Statement is hereby incorporated by reference.

PART IV

Item 15.Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

(a) Exhibits, Financial Statements, and Schedules:

1. Financial Statements. See Index to consolidated financial statements included on page F-1.

2. Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 238). See page F-2.

3. Financial Statement Schedule. See Schedule II, which is included on page S-1.

4. List of Exhibits. See Exhibit Index included on page E-1.

Item 16.Form 10-K Summary

None.

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EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit

No. Description

3.1 Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company(1)

3.2 Amended By-laws of the Company, effective as of November 3, 2016(2)

4.3 Description of Capital Stock(3)

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Exhibit

No. Description

10.22† Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement(16)

10.23†* Form of Performance Share Unit Agreement

10.24† Performance Stock Option Agreement(17)

10.25† Form of Stock Option Agreement Directors(16)

10.26† Form of Stock Option Agreement CEO(16)

10.27† Form of Stock Option Agreement NEOs(16)

10.28† Non-Employee Director Share Award Agreement(3)

21* Subsidiaries of the Company

23.1* Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

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Exhibit

No. Description

32* Certification Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

101.SCH* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

101.LAB* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

101.PRE* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

101.DEF* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

104* Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL Document)

_______________________________________

(1)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 10-K dated March 13, 1998

(2)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated November 8, 2016

(3)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 10-K dated February 8, 2021

(4)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated June 30, 2021

(5)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated October 16, 2012

(6)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated July 29, 2013

(7)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated July 2, 2014

(8)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated March 31, 2015

(9)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated April 18, 2019

(10)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated November 6, 2019

(11)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated December 16, 2020

(12)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated May 20, 2021

(13)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated December 29, 2021

(14)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 10-K dated February 15, 2008

(15)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 dated July 30, 2021 (Reg. No. 333-258294)

(16)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 10-K dated February 2, 2017

(17)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 10-K dated February 13, 2009

(18)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 10-K dated February 7, 2020

(19)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 10-K dated February 16, 2011

(20)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated November 1, 2007

(21)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated December 15, 2020

(22)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 10-Q dated July 27, 2018

(23)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K dated April 24, 2015

* Filed herewith

† Management contract or compensatory arrangement

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Mettler-Toledo International Inc.

(Registrant)

Date: February 11, 2022

By: /s/Patrick Kaltenbach

Patrick Kaltenbach

President and Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this Annual Report on Form 10-K has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant as of the date set out above and in the capacities indicated.

Signature Title

/s/Patrick Kaltenbach President and Chief Executive Officer

Patrick Kaltenbach

/s/Shawn P. Vadala Chief Financial Officer

Shawn P. Vadala

/s/Olivier A. Filliol Director

Olivier A. Filliol

/s/Wah-Hui Chu Director

Wah-Hui Chu

/s/Domitille Doat-Le Bigot Director

Domitille Doat-Le Bigot

/s/Elisha Finney Director

Elisha Finney

/s/Richard Francis Director

Richard Francis

/s/Michael A. Kelly Director

Michael A. Kelly

/s/Thomas P. Salice Director

Thomas P. Salice

/s/Robert F. Spoerry Director

Robert F. Spoerry

E-4

METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Page

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-2

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 F-7

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements F-10

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Mettler-Toledo International Inc.

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Mettler-Toledo International Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the related consolidated statements of operations, of comprehensive income, of shareholders’ equity and of cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021, including the related notes, and the schedule of valuation and qualifying accounts for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021 appearing on page S-1 (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

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, 2021 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.

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 Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidatedfinancial statements and 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 (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable

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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 (iii) 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.

Critical Audit Matters

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 (i) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidatedfinancial statements and (ii) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters 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.

Valuation of Deferred Tax Assets

As described in Notes 2 and 14 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company recorded deferred tax assets of $205.6 million, net of a valuation allowance of $51.1 million, as of December 31, 2021.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities, their respective tax bases, and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates in the respective jurisdictions in which the Company operates. In assessing the ability to realize 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 valuation allowance is based on management’s estimates of future taxable income and application of relevant income tax law.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the valuation of deferred tax assets is a critical audit matter are (i) the significant judgment by management when assessing the ability to realize deferred tax assets, particularly as it relates to estimates of future taxable income and application of income tax law in relevant foreign jurisdictions; (ii) the high degree of auditor judgment, subjectivity, and effort in performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence related to management’s assessment of the realizability of deferred tax assets as it relates to estimates of future taxable income and application of relevant income tax law; and (iii) the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to the valuation of deferred tax assets, including controls over estimates of future taxable income and application of relevant income tax law. These procedures also included, among others (i) evaluating management’s assessment of the realizability of deferred tax assets on a jurisdictional basis; (ii) evaluating management's estimates of future taxable income; (iii) evaluating management's application of relevant income tax law; and (iv) testing the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data used in management’s assessment.

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Evaluating management’s estimates of future taxable income involved evaluating whether the estimates were reasonable considering (i) the current and past performance of the respective entity and (ii) whether the estimates were consistent with evidence obtained in other areas of the audit. Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in evaluating the application of relevant income tax law.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Columbus, Ohio

February 11, 2022

Source: SEC EDGAR (public domain) · 10-K for the period ended 2021-12-31, filed 2022-02-11 · accession 0001037646-22-000008

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