nvst-20241231
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
____________________________________
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024
OR
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number: 001-39054
ENVISTA HOLDINGS CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Brea, California
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 714-817-7000
Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, $0.01 par value NVST New York Stock Exchange
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
NONE
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.
Yes ☐No☒
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☒ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).
Yes ☐ No ☒
As of February 7, 2025, the number of shares of the Registrant’s common stock outstanding was 172,188,060. The aggregate market value of the common stock of the Registrant held by non-affiliates on June 28, 2024, the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $2.2 billion (based upon the closing price of $16.63 of the Registrant's common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on such date).
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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Part III incorporates certain information by reference from the Registrant’s proxy statement for its 2025 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A within 120 days after Registrant’s fiscal year-end. With the exception of the sections of the 2025 Proxy Statement specifically incorporated herein by reference, the 2025 Proxy Statement is not deemed to be filed as part of this Form 10-K.
In this Annual Report, the terms “Envista” or the “Company” refer to Envista Holdings Corporation, Envista Holdings Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries or the consolidated subsidiaries of Envista Holdings Corporation, as the context requires.
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We own or have rights to trademarks, service marks or trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business. In addition, our names, logos and website names and addresses are owned by us or licensed by us. We also own or have the rights to copyrights that protect the content of our solutions. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights referred to in this report are listed without the ©, ® and TM symbols, but we will assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensors to these trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights.
This report may include trademarks, service marks or trade names of other companies. Our use or display of other parties’ trademarks, service marks, trade names or products is not intended to, and does not imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, the trademark, service mark or trade name owners.
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Unless otherwise indicated, information contained in this report concerning our industry and the markets in which we operate is based on information from independent industry and research organizations, other third-party sources (including industry publications, surveys and forecasts), and management estimates. Management estimates are derived from publicly available information released by independent industry analysts and third-party sources, as well as data from our internal research, and are based on assumptions made by us upon reviewing such data and our knowledge of such industry and markets that we believe to be reasonable. Although we believe the data from these third-party sources is reliable, we have not independently verified any third-party information.
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Unless otherwise indicated, all financial data in this Annual Report refer to continuing operations only.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
INFORMATION RELATING TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS 1
PART I
Item 1. Business 2
Item 1A. Risk Factors 17
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 45
Item 1C. Cybersecurity 45
Item 2. Properties 46
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 46
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 46
PART II
Item 6. Reserved 48
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 64
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 65
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 118
Item 9B. Other Information 118
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 118
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 119
Item 11. Executive Compensation 119
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 119
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules 120
INFORMATION RELATING TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements included or incorporated by reference in this Annual Report are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. All statements other than historical factual information are forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements regarding: projections of revenue, expenses, profit, profit margins, tax rates, tax provisions, cash flows, pension and benefit obligations and funding requirements, our liquidity position or other projected financial measures; management’s plans and strategies for future operations, including statements relating to anticipated operating performance, cost reductions, restructuring activities, new product and service developments, competitive strengths or market position, acquisitions and the integration thereof, divestitures, spin-offs, split-offs or other distributions, strategic opportunities, securities offerings, stock repurchases, dividends and executive compensation; growth, declines and other trends in markets we sell into; future regulatory approvals and the timing thereof; outstanding claims, legal proceedings, tax audits and assessments and other contingent liabilities; future foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations in those rates; the anticipated timing of any of the foregoing; assumptions underlying any of the foregoing; and any other statements that address events or developments that Envista intends or believes will or may occur in the future. Terminology such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “should,” “could,” “intend,” “will,” “plan,” “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “target,” “may,” “possible,” “potential,” “forecast” and “positioned” and similar references to future periods are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements are accompanied by such words. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the risks and uncertainties set forth under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Annual Report.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from the results, developments and business decisions contemplated by our forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this Annual Report. Except to the extent required by applicable law, we do not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise.
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PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
Envista is a global family of more than 30 trusted dental brands, including Nobel Biocare, Ormco, DEXIS, and Kerr, united by a shared purpose: to partner with professionals to improve lives by digitizing, personalizing and democratizing oral care. We help our customers deliver the best possible patient care through industry-leading dental consumables, solutions, technologies, and services. Our diversified portfolio of solutions covers a broad range of dentists' clinical needs for preventing, diagnosing, and treating dental conditions as well as improving the aesthetics of the human smile. We offer comprehensive solutions to support implant-based tooth replacements, orthodontic treatments, and diagnostic solutions. We further support the dental community with leading solutions in restoratives, endodontics, rotary, infection prevention, and loupes.
We were formed in 2018 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation (“Danaher”). In 2019, we completed our initial public offering and separated from Danaher.
With a foundation comprised of the proven Envista Business System (“EBS”) methodology, an experienced leadership team, and a strong culture grounded in continuous improvement, commitment to innovation, and deep customer focus, we are well equipped to meet the end-to-end needs of dental professionals worldwide. We are one of the largest global dental products companies, with strong positions in some of the most attractive segments of the dental products industry. We serve dental professionals in over 130 countries through one of the largest commercial organizations in the dental products industry and through our distribution partners. In 2024, we generated total sales of $2.5 billion, of which approximately 85% were derived from sales of consumable products, services, and spare parts.
Our business is operated through two segments: Specialty Products & Technologies, which is comprised of our Implant-Based Tooth Replacement and Orthodontic Solutions businesses, and Equipment & Consumables, which is comprised of our Diagnostic Solutions and Consumables businesses.
The following table presents the Company’s revenues disaggregated by geographical region for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 ($ in millions).
Specialty Products & Technologies Equipment & Consumables Total
Geographical region:
Geographical region:
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Our Business Segments
The table below describes the percentage of our total annual sales attributable to each of our segments over each of the three years ended December 31. For additional information regarding sales, operating profit and identifiable assets by segment, please refer to Note 23 in our Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Specialty Products & Technologies 64% 64% 62%
Equipment & Consumables 36% 36% 38%
Specialty Products & Technologies
Our Specialty Products & Technologies segment primarily develops, manufactures and markets dental implant systems, including regenerative solutions, dental prosthetics and associated treatment software and technologies, as well as orthodontic bracket systems, aligners and lab products. We typically market these products directly to end-users through our commercial organization, and 84% of our 2024 sales for this segment were direct sales. In 2024, our Specialty Products & Technologies segment generated $1.6 billion of sales, representing year-over-year sales and core sales decrease of 1.6% and 0.9%, respectively. In 2024, 42% of segment sales were derived from North America, 27% from Western Europe, 5% from other developed markets, and 26% from emerging markets. Sales of consumable products, services and spare parts comprised 94% of segment sales in 2024. We believe strong industry fundamentals and new product solution introductions in this segment will continue to drive strong growth for us.
Implant-Based Tooth Replacements
We are a world leader in the field of innovative implant-based tooth replacements offering a full portfolio of solutions that enable dentists to deliver single-tooth to full-mouth restorations. One of our brands, Nobel Biocare, is the pioneer of implant science grounded in clinical research and has introduced a number of innovations that have become widely adopted in the implant industry. Our comprehensive product offering includes dental implant systems, guided surgery systems, biomaterials, and prefabricated and custom-built prosthetics. Other well-known brands in our portfolio include Alpha-Bio TecTM, Implant DirectTM, and NobelProceraTM. We also offer a comprehensive education program to fully train our broad range of clinical customers, from clinicians performing basic implant procedures to the most advanced practitioners, with the goal of enhancing patient access to high-quality dental care. Our customers include oral surgeons, periodontists, prosthodontists, and general dentists.
Our Implant-Based Tooth Replacement brands have a long history of innovation, which include both the first documented case of a titanium dental implant being placed in a human and the introduction of the concept of living bone adhering to an artificial implant (known as osseointegration). Today, our Nobel Biocare brand offers several implant systems and is integrating them with the DTX suite of software applications described below. Through our Implant Direct and Alpha-Bio Tec value implant businesses, we also offer a variety of implant systems that cover a broad range of price points in the market. Our Osteogenics acquisition added innovative regenerative solutions that are highly complementary to the implant treatment.
Since being acquired in 2014, Nobel Biocare has focused on reinvigorating its product offerings and has released over 30 new products. Among these are comprehensive software packages which are used for treatment planning of dental implants procedures and prosthetics. These software packages are integrated in our broader DTX software suite, which also includes the ‘DTX Studio Clinic’ software package.
Orthodontic Solutions
For over 60 years, our Orthodontic Solutions businesses have provided orthodontic professionals with high quality, innovative products backed by educational support to enhance the lives of their patients. We are a leading manufacturer and provider of advanced orthodontic technology and services designed to move malpositioned teeth and jaws. Our products include brackets and wires, tubes and bands, clear aligners, digital orthodontic treatments, retainers, and other orthodontic laboratory products, and are marketed under the OrmcoTM, DamonTM, InsigniaTM, AOATM, and SparkTM brands. We also offer a comprehensive education system to fully train our clinical customers on the use of our products to address the full range of treatments from basic to the most advanced, with the goal of enhancing patient access to high-quality dental care. Customers of our Orthodontic Solutions business are primarily orthodontists.
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Our clear aligner system, Spark, is designed for mild to complex malocclusion and is made with TruGENTM and TruGEN XRTM, the latest generation of aligner materials. It is designed to deliver higher sustained force retention for efficiency and a high level of transparency for aesthetics. Spark aligners are also designed with polished, scalloped edges to enhance patient comfort. Over the past three years, we have launched a suite of upgrades to our Spark clear aligner ApproverTM software designed to improve the customer experience with flexibility and customization features. We have partnered with industry leading intra-oral scanner companies, including our own DEXIS IOS scanner, as part of our commitment to making imaging integrations seamless. We believe that Spark will provide growth opportunities for our Orthodontic Solutions business over the next several years.
Equipment & Consumables
Our Equipment & Consumables segment primarily develops, manufactures, and markets dental equipment and supplies used in dental offices, including digital imaging systems, software, and other visualization/magnification systems; endodontic systems and related products; restorative materials and instruments, rotary burs, impression materials, bonding agents and cements; and infection prevention products. In 2024, our Equipment & Consumables segment generated $0.9 billion of sales. In 2024, 69% of segment sales were derived from North America, 12% from Western Europe, 4% from other developed markets, and 15% from emerging markets. We distribute our Equipment & Consumables segment products primarily through our channel partners, representing approximately 88% of sales in this segment in 2024. Sales from consumable products, services and spare parts comprised approximately 69% of segment sales in 2024.
Diagnostic Solutions
Our Diagnostic Solutions business is focused on dental imaging, X-ray, and intraoral scanner solutions used in dental offices, clinics and hospitals. Our Diagnostic Solutions business was the pioneer in 2D/panoramic and 3D imaging and has one of the largest installed bases of dental imaging devices utilized in dental practices. We hold a leading position in 3D imaging through the i-CAT and DEXIS brands. Our DEXIS brand is an industry leader in intraoral X-Ray digital sensors, which provide two-dimensional images of the mouth. Our acquisition of the Intraoral Scanner Business in April 2022 added intraoral scanners and related software to our portfolio.
The ‘DTX Studio Clinic’ software package is offered on many of our imaging products, allowing dental professionals to store and access a broad variety of clinical patient images (e.g., 2D/3D/IOS/pictures) in one place. In combination with the ‘DTX Studio Implant’ and ‘DTX Studio Lab’ software packages, clinicians can use one software ecosystem for image acquisition and diagnosis to treatment planning, implant surgery and restoration planning and placement, as well as for collaboration with treatment partners such as other dentists or laboratories on one digital platform. We believe this will enable significant clinical workflow efficiencies and more predictable clinical outcomes.
Consumables Solutions
Our Consumables business markets a broad offering of general dental products that are used in dental offices, clinics and hospitals. The business was primarily established through the acquisition of Sybron Dental Specialties in 2006, as well as numerous other acquisitions. Our products are marketed under a variety of brands, including KerrTM, MetrexTM, Total Care, PentronTM, OptibondTM, HarmonizeTM, SonicfillTM, Sybron EndoTM and CaviWipesTM.
Our products have strong brand and product recognition across many product categories, including restorative, endodontics, and infection control. We offer several products designed to repair and restore fractured or otherwise damaged teeth. We also offer cements and bonding agents. Our Endodontics business offers a variety of products used in the endodontic workflow which help clinicians to locate, shape, clean and fill root canals. We also produce curing lights and other products including impression materials, burs, and waxes under several brands. Through our Metrex brand, we have a strong position within infection prevention products, which include the CaviWipes and CaviCideTM product lines, and are well positioned in both the dental and general medical market segments.
Our Priorities
Our priorities are focused in three areas:
•Growth: We are investing in commercialization, clinical education, and innovation in our businesses to accelerate growth.
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•Operations: We are utilizing EBS to improve manufacturing performance and operating costs.
•People: We have refreshed our senior leadership team and we are making meaningful investments in engagement and talent development.
Our Strategy
Our strategic focus is comprised of three key elements:
•“Establish a Strong Foundation”: EBS is a set of lean, innovation, growth and leadership-focused tools and processes that helps differentiate us from our competitors. Beginning in 2016, we consolidated our operating companies, substantially reduced our manufacturing sites, consolidated sales offices, and centralized our direct and indirect procurement organizations. We simplified our portfolio by reducing the number of our imaging brands and exiting lower growth/margin businesses. We have also executed cost reduction initiatives. We continue to pursue a number of ongoing strategic initiatives across our operating companies relating to efficient sourcing and improvements in manufacturing and back-office support, all with a focus on continually improving quality, delivery, cost, growth and innovation.
◦“Reinvest for Growth”: Streamlining our business operations and reducing costs has allowed us to reposition ourselves to create a digital and consumable workflow-oriented portfolio. We have invested in our Specialty Products & Technologies segment, adding manufacturing capacity and personnel to these businesses, with plans for further investment in 2025. We intend to drive shareholder value by deploying capital to acquire or invest in other businesses that strategically fit into or extend our product offering into new or attractive adjacent markets - the Osteogenics acquisition in 2022 is an example of this strategy in action. We have expanded our clinical training and education infrastructure to deepen dental practitioners’ experience of the strength of our products and to further enhance patient access to high quality dental care. We believe these investments better position us to effectively meet the needs of our customers, particularly the growing Dental Service Organization (“DSO”) segment, which values a comprehensive, end-to-end product offering with the ability to roll out new technologies and procedure-focused trainings at scale.
◦“Maintain and Pursue Long-Term Market Leadership”: As we seek to continue to improve our business and drive increased cash flow, we expect to strategically invest in innovation to better serve our customers and accelerate organic growth. We have invested significant resources in the following areas which we believe will help drive long-term market leadership:
•Digital Workflow: We have developed our Diagnostic and Treatment Planning Software, DTX, to meet the growing demands for digital connectivity of dental practices.
▪Specialty Products & Technologies: We have launched several new products in our Orthodontic Solutions business over the past few years, which have contributed meaningfully to our overall sales in the segment. Since 2020, we have expanded capacity for our Spark clear aligners and added over 900 new employees to our Orthodontic Solutions business. Our research and development (“R&D”) expenditures in our Implant-Based Tooth Replacement business accelerated the development of new implant systems. We will continue to invest in our global commercial footprint and product innovation to grow our strong position in the Implant and Orthodontics markets, both of which are underpenetrated.
▪Emerging Markets: We are a leading dental product provider in emerging markets (which we have historically defined as developing markets of the world experiencing periods of accelerated growth in gross domestic product and infrastructure, including Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia (with the exception of Japan and Australia)) with product management, operations, regulatory affairs, sales and marketing, and customer service resources focused on these markets. We have grown our emerging markets business from one that generated less than $30 million in sales in 2011 to one that generated approximately $539 million in sales in 2024. We expect to continue to invest in emerging markets as we believe this will be a strong growth driver for our business in the future and is in line with our purpose of democratizing dental care. We have succeeded in emerging markets by harnessing our existing go-to-market infrastructure, building familiarity with local customer needs and regulations, and establishing dedicated locally-based management resources.
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Our Industry
The dental market is large, attractive, and has a number of secular drivers that we believe will support future growth. These include the digitization of dental practices globally, which is transforming the way dentists diagnose and treat patients, leading to better clinical outcomes. In addition, we believe future growth of the dental products industry will be driven by an aging population, the current under penetration of dental procedures - especially in emerging markets - improving access to complex procedures due to increasing technological innovation, an increasing demand for cosmetic dentistry, and growth of DSOs, which are expected to drive increasing penetration and access to care globally. Within the global dental products industry, we believe segments such as Implant-Based Tooth Replacements, Orthodontic Solutions, and Diagnostic Solutions will grow at a more rapid pace than the overall market.
While both equipment and consumable products represent significant expenditures for dental service providers, the sales dynamics for each differ. The sale of equipment depends on technological advancements, dentists’ willingness to invest in new technologies, opening of new offices and replacement demand. On the other hand, consumable products are more dependent on patient volume. We believe large multi-category manufacturers that provide a broad range of equipment and consumable products have more recession-resilient portfolios and can gain meaningful competitive advantage over their peers as larger customers increasingly seek the benefits of purchasing the full range of dental products from a single supplier and consolidate suppliers, and digital dentistry adoption creates links between different products in the dental practitioners’ offices.
While developed markets represent a significant portion of the global dental products industry, we have also been focused on building significant scale in emerging markets. Prevalence and penetration of treatments is largely tied to socio-economic factors such as availability and affordability of care. We expect generally improving economic trends and increased consumer disposable income in emerging markets, as well as advancements in technological innovation that reduces complexity and cost and increases efficiency, will help drive penetration of dental care in these under-served markets.
Key Solutions Within the Dental Products Industry
◦Implant-Based Tooth Replacements: The implant industry is large and enjoys higher margins and growth than the overall dental products market. The U.S. and the Greater China region represent key growth drivers for this industry. In the U.S., implant penetration far lags other developed markets such as Germany, Spain and Italy. In China, the prevalence of severe tooth loss is higher than in the U.S., while implant penetration is far below the U.S. We expect product innovation and increased affordability to help drive future growth in emerging markets.
◦Orthodontic Solutions: Traditional wires and brackets systems continue to be the preferred choice in complex and young adult cases, due to their better clinical outcomes. In recent years, clear aligners have become an increasingly popular treatment option and are expected to grow at a significantly faster pace than traditional metal wires and brackets. Clear aligners are more aesthetically pleasing and clinically proven to be effective for many cases. With the technology continuing to advance and more clinicians becoming proficient in aligner therapy, the addressable market for orthodontic treatment has expanded. Going forward, we believe orthodontic solutions will continue to grow at a fast pace as aesthetics become increasingly important to patients.
◦Diagnostic Solutions: Imaging (both x-ray and other visualization solutions) is often the first step of many dental exams and therefore serves as the entry-point for many high-value treatments. The rapid adoption of digital technologies within diagnostic solutions has transformed dental practices and has increased access to care as well as the quality of care delivered to patients. We believe enhanced connectivity amongst different types of dental imaging/diagnostic equipment and integration with downstream treatment planning and treatment delivery solutions will further improve dental workflows and lead to better treatment outcomes. We believe digitalization and connectivity will continue to drive high growth in this area.
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Competition
Although our businesses generally operate in highly competitive markets, our competitive position cannot be determined accurately in the aggregate or by segment because none of our competitors offer all of the same product and service lines and serve all of the same markets as we do. Because of the range of the products and services we sell and the variety of markets we serve, we encounter a wide variety of competitors, including well-established regional competitors, competitors who are more specialized than we are in particular markets or product categories, as well as larger companies or divisions of larger companies with substantial sales, marketing, research and financial capabilities. We face increased competition in a number of our served markets as a result of the entry of competitors based in low-cost manufacturing locations, and increasing consolidation in particular markets. Key competitive factors vary among our businesses and product and service lines, but include the specific factors noted above with respect to each segment and typically also include price, quality, performance, delivery speed, applications expertise, distribution channel access, service and support, technology and innovation, breadth of product, service and software offerings and brand name recognition. For a discussion of risks related to competition, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Industry.”
Our Competitive Strengths
We believe we have significant competitive strengths, including:
◦Envista Business System. We believe our deep-rooted commitment to EBS helps drive our success and market leadership and differentiates us in the dental industry. EBS encompasses not only lean tools and processes, but also methods for driving innovation, growth and leadership.
◦Brand leadership with a long track record and strong brand recognition. We built our business around brands with long histories of innovation and quality, and as a result, we enjoy strong brand recognition in the dental products market. We believe the heritage and leadership of our well-known brands in the dental products industry enhances our connections with both patients and providers and supports our strong market position.
◦Premier portfolio with leadership in attractive segments. The breadth and depth of our product offerings address a broad range of dentists’ clinical needs from consumable products to digital equipment solutions. Our catalog of products covers the spectrum from value-focused products to premium brands, allowing providers to fully address patient needs in different market segments. Within our product portfolio, we believe we are one of the largest and most product diverse manufacturers in implants and orthodontics and have one of the largest installed bases of imaging devices. Our broad product offering positions us particularly well to serve the needs of DSOs, which have been one of the fastest growing segments of our customer base.
◦Global commercial reach. We serve dental professionals in over 130 countries through one of the largest customer-facing sales teams in the dental products industry and through a diverse, global dealer network. In 2024, we generated 52% of our sales from markets outside of the U.S.
◦Strong position in emerging markets. Emerging markets represented 21% of our total sales in 2024. We are a leading dental provider in emerging markets with dedicated product management, operations, regulatory affairs, sales and marketing, and customer service resources focused on these markets. With this structure, we believe that we are well positioned to capture additional share in emerging markets.
◦Track record of innovation. Our businesses have a long track record of successful innovation such as NobelActive dental implants, Spark clear aligners, Damon bracket and wire system and DEXIS OP - 3D imaging system. Our new product development activities are complemented by externally sourcing technologies through a broad network of partnerships, collaborations, and investments involving third-party research institutions, universities and innovative start-up companies.
◦Experienced management team with extensive industry experience. Our executive officer team has extensive global dental and healthcare industry experience and a proven track record of applying core principles of EBS as a continuous improvement approach to execute on our strategic and operational goals. Under their leadership, we have undertaken several key initiatives to better position our business for organic and inorganic growth. We believe our management team will continue to drive growth and profitability in our business in the future.
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International Operations
We are a global dental company. Our products and services are available worldwide, and our principal markets outside the U.S. are in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. In 2024, we generated 52% of our sales in North America, 22% of our sales in Western Europe, 21% of our sales in emerging markets and 5% of our sales in other developed markets.
We also have operations around the world, and this geographic diversity allows us to draw on the skills of a worldwide workforce, provides greater stability to our operations, allows us to drive economies of scale, provides sales streams that may help offset economic trends that are specific to individual economies and offers us an opportunity to access new markets for products. We believe that our future growth depends in part on our ability to continue developing products and sales models that successfully target emerging markets.
The manner in which our products and services are sold outside the U.S. differs by business and by region. Most of our sales in non-U.S. markets are made by our subsidiaries located outside the U.S., though we also sell from the U.S. into non-U.S. markets through various representatives and distributors and, in some cases, directly. In countries with low sales volumes, we generally sell through representatives and distributors.
Information about the effects of foreign currency fluctuations on our business is set forth in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” For a discussion of risks related to our non-U.S. operations and foreign currency exchange, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business” and “Risks Factors—General Risks.”
Sales and Distribution
Typical customers and end-users of our products include dental specialists such as orthodontists, periodontists, implantologists and endodontists, general dentists, dental hygienists, oral surgeons, dental laboratories and other oral health professionals, including DSOs, as well as educational, medical and governmental entities and third-party distributors. These customers choose dental products based on the factors described under the section entitled “Business—Competition.”
Our commercial organization includes over 3,000 employees with deep clinical, product and workflow expertise who interact with dental practitioners on a daily basis. Through our trusted brands, innovative product offerings and comprehensive customer service, we have established strong relationships globally with key constituencies, including DSOs, dental specialists, general dentists, and dental laboratories. We believe the continuing expansion of our global commercial organization will provide us with significant opportunities for future growth as we increase our penetration in various geographic markets.
In 2024, we distributed approximately 42% of our products through third-party distributors. Certain highly technical products, such as dental implant systems, orthodontic appliances, dental laboratory equipment and consumable products, and endodontic instruments and materials, are typically sold directly to dental professionals and dental laboratories.
One customer, Henry Schein, Inc. (“Henry Schein”), accounted for approximately 10% of our sales for 2024 and 2023, and 11% of our sales for 2022. Other than Henry Schein, no single customer accounted for more than 10% of combined sales in 2024, 2023, or 2022.
While a sizable portion of our sales are derived from distributors, most of our marketing and advertising activities are directed towards the end-users of our products, the dental professional. In addition to our marketing efforts, as noted above, we conduct significant training and education programs globally for dental professionals to enhance patient access to high-quality dental care. In these programs, our employees and/or experts in the respective clinical fields demonstrate the proper use of our products. We maintain educational and consulting relationships with key experts who assist us in developing new products, new indicated uses for our products and educational programs for health care providers and consumers. We also maintain educational and consulting relationships with dental associations around the world.
Research and Development
Innovation is a core part of our strategy. We conduct R&D activities for the purpose of designing and developing new products and applications that address customer and patient needs and emerging trends, as well as enhancing the functionality, effectiveness, ease of use and reliability of our existing products. Our R&D efforts include internal initiatives as well as collaborations with external parties such as research institutions, dental and medical schools and initiatives that use licensed or acquired technology. We expect to continue investing in R&D at a rate consistent with our past practice, with the goal of maintaining or improving our competitive position, and entering new markets.
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We generally conduct R&D activities on a business-by-business basis, primarily in North America, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. We anticipate that we will continue to make significant expenditures for R&D as we seek to provide a continuing flow of innovative products to maintain and improve our competitive position. For a discussion of the risks related to the need to develop and commercialize new products and product enhancements, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business.” Customer-sponsored R&D was not significant in 2024, 2023, or 2022.
Intellectual Property
We own numerous patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and licenses to intellectual property owned by others. Although in the aggregate our intellectual property is important to our operations, we do not consider any single patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or license to be of material importance to any segment or to the business as a whole. Our products and technologies are protected by over 1,800 granted patents. From time to time, we engage in litigation to protect our intellectual property rights. For a discussion of risks related to our intellectual property, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business.” All capitalized brands and product names throughout this document are trademarks owned by, or licensed to, us.
Human Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2024, we employed approximately 12,300 persons, of whom approximately 3,000 were employed in the U.S. and approximately 9,300 were employed outside of the U.S. We have collective bargaining arrangements and union contracts in certain countries, particularly in Europe where certain of our employees are represented by unions and/or works councils. For a discussion of risks related to employee relations, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors—General Risks.”
Our success depends on our ability to attract, develop and retain a talented employee base. We aspire to help our employees thrive both personally and professionally. As part of these efforts, we strive to embody our core values, offer a competitive compensation and benefits program, foster an inclusive community and provide professional development opportunities.
Our Board of Directors is actively engaged in overseeing our people and culture strategy and reviews human capital matters at each quarterly meeting, including periodic updates on succession planning, leadership development, talent acquisition and retention, diversity and inclusiveness, employee engagement, total rewards, and culture of the Company, among other topics. The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors oversees our executive and equity compensation programs. We evaluate and manage risks relating to our human capital strategy as part of our enterprise risk management program.
Core Values
We endeavor to embody our CIRCLe values in everything we do and in our various programs and initiatives:
•Customer Centricity
•Innovation
•Respect
•Continuous Improvement
•Leadership
Compensation and Benefits Program
Our compensation programs and practices are designed to attract employees, motivate and reward performance, drive growth and support retention. We offer competitive compensation packages based on market data, which include base salary with annual merit increases and may also include annual cash performance incentives, commissions, overtime opportunities, allowances and, in some countries where these are customary, additional monthly payments. In addition, employees in select senior management roles may receive long-term compensation in the form of equity awards. We regularly review our compensation structure to ensure that we remain competitive, reward top performance, as well as to ensure internal equity. We partner with independent third-party experts to conduct annual pay assessments. Our most recent pay equity review in February 2024 demonstrated that we had maintained 99% gender pay equity in the U.S. and 100% race/ethnicity pay equity in the U.S. In the U.S., our benefits package includes health (medical, dental & vision) insurance, paid time off, paid parental leave, a retirement plan and life and disability coverage. Outside of the U.S., we offer our employees robust benefits based on local regulations and best practices of the countries in which we operate. Globally, we offer an Employee Assistance Program to all employees to support the mental health and well-being of employees and their families.
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Diversity and Inclusiveness
Our strategy to cultivate and maintain diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace encompasses efforts across our organization, with specific direction from executive leadership. We believe it is all of our leaders’ responsibility to ensure these initiatives are appropriately aligned with our strategic business priorities and consistent with our CIRCLe values. Internal coordination efforts provided by our Human Resources professionals emphasize a high-performing, inclusive, and engaging workplace across Envista.
Learning and Development Opportunities
We aim to empower our employees to thrive in their current roles, as well as to support employees’ aspirations to move into different roles. We strive to promote from within our Company with opportunities across our operating companies. We periodically assess succession planning for certain key positions and review our workforce to identify high potential employees for future growth and development. We support our employees through a multitude of training and development programs, including training on EBS through our Envista Business System University, individual development plans (which encourages our employees to take charge of their learning and growth opportunities), job rotations, and various management trainings. This commitment to our employees’ professional development reflects both our Continuous Improvement and Leadership core values.
Employee Engagement
We conduct employee engagement surveys to solicit employees’ input and perspectives on our performance. In 2024, we had a 94% participation rate in this survey, with 72% of respondents reporting feeling engaged at work and 80% believing their managers are leading effectively. We use the feedback from these surveys to better understand whether our employees have the tools, resources, training and development opportunities to succeed. Future surveys will help us benchmark our progress over time and compare our results with companies in our sector. Communication is at the core of our engagement efforts and we host numerous global Town Halls for all employees, to keep our employees informed and to provide opportunities for employees globally to ask questions to senior management.
Community
Our employees have a long history of providing support and care in our communities, donating time, resources, and funds to local causes. In March 2021, we leveraged our expertise in oral health and founded the Envista Smile Project, a 501(c)(3) philanthropic foundation designed to improve the smiles and oral health of disadvantaged communities by supporting increased access to oral care and oral health education. The Envista Smile Project’s mission is to collaborate with dental professionals and Envista employee volunteers to donate products, treatment, and oral health education to communities in need around the world. The Envista Smile Project’s giving strategy focuses on three areas: mission trips, education, and monetary donations to oral health focused, non-profit organizations.
Safe Work Environment
We value the safety of our employees and in 2023, we updated our bi-annual EHS Risk Assessment tool to increase environmental health and safety (“EHS”) results and engagement. EHS significant sites, such as manufacturing, distribution, R&D sites and large offices, are supported through a combination of on-site and remote EHS professionals. Incident reporting and investigation, auditing, and corporate oversight provide for a collaborative and transparent environment to address and minimize potential gaps.
Additional information about our human capital resources, as well as information related to our sustainability efforts, is included in our annual Sustainability Report (located on the Investors subpage of our website www.envistaco.com). Information on our website, including the Sustainability Report, shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into this Annual Report.
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Materials
Our manufacturing operations employ a wide variety of raw materials, including metallic-based components, electronic components, chemicals, and plastics, and prices of oil and gas also affect our costs for freight and utilities. We purchase raw materials from a large number of independent sources around the world. For certain components that require particular specifications or qualifications there may be a single supplier or a limited number of suppliers that can readily provide such components. We utilize a number of techniques to address potential disruption in and other risks relating to our supply chain, including in certain cases the use of safety stock, alternative materials and qualification of multiple supply sources. During 2024, we had no raw material shortages that had a material effect on our business. For a further discussion of risks related to the materials and components required for our operations, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business.”
Seasonal Nature of Business
General economic conditions impact our business and financial results, and certain of our businesses experience seasonal and other trends related to the end markets and regions that they serve. For example, sales of capital equipment have historically been stronger in the fourth calendar quarter. However, as a whole, we are not subject to material seasonality.
Regulatory Matters
We face extensive government regulation both within and outside the U.S. relating to the development, manufacture, marketing, sale and distribution of our products, software and services. The following sections describe certain significant regulations applicable to our operations. These are not the only regulations that our businesses must comply with. For a description of risks related to the regulations that our businesses are subject to, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Laws and Regulations.”
Medical Device Regulations
Most of our products are classified as medical devices and are subject to restrictions under domestic and foreign laws, rules, regulations, self-regulatory codes, circulars and orders, including, but not limited to, the U.S. Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FDCA”). The FDCA requires these products, when sold in the U.S., to be safe and effective for their intended uses and to comply with the regulations administered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”). The FDA regulates the design, development, research, preclinical and clinical testing, introduction, manufacture, advertising, labeling, packaging, marketing, distribution, import and export and record keeping for such products. Certain medical device products are also regulated by comparable agencies in non-U.S. countries in which they are produced or sold.
Unless an exemption applies, the FDA requires that a manufacturer introducing a new medical device or a new indication for use of an existing medical device obtain either a Section 510(k) premarket notification clearance or a premarket approval (“PMA”) before introducing it into the U.S. market. The type of marketing authorization is generally linked to the classification of the device. The FDA classifies medical devices into one of three classes (Class I, II or III) based on the degree of risk the FDA determines to be associated with a device and the level of regulatory control deemed necessary to ensure the device’s safety and effectiveness.
Our products are either classified as Class I or Class II devices in the U.S. Most of our Class II and certain of our Class I devices are marketed pursuant to 510(k) pre-marketing clearances. The FDA also enforces additional regulations regarding the safety of X-ray emitting devices that we currently market. The process of obtaining a Section 510(k) clearance generally requires the submission of performance data and clinical data, which in some cases can be extensive, to demonstrate that the device is “substantially equivalent” to a device that was on the market before 1976 or to a device that has been found by the FDA to be “substantially equivalent” to such a pre-1976 device. As a result, FDA clearance requirements may extend the development process for a considerable length of time.
Medical devices can be marketed only for the indications for which they are cleared or approved. After a device has received 510(k) clearance for a specific intended use, any change or modification that significantly affects its safety or effectiveness, such as a significant change in the design, materials, method of manufacture or intended use, may require a new 510(k) clearance or PMA approval and payment of an FDA user fee. The determination as to whether or not a modification could significantly affect the device’s safety or effectiveness is initially left to the manufacturer using available FDA guidance; however, the FDA may review this determination to evaluate the regulatory status of the modified product at any time and may require the manufacturer to cease marketing and recall the modified device until 510(k) clearance or PMA approval is obtained.
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Any medical devices we manufacture and distribute are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the FDA and certain state agencies. These include product listing and establishment registration requirements, which help facilitate FDA inspections and other regulatory actions. As a medical device manufacturer, all of our manufacturing facilities are subject to inspection on a routine basis by the FDA. We are required to adhere to the Current Good Manufacturing Practices (“cGMP”) requirements, as set forth in the Quality Systems Regulation (“QSR”), which require, manufacturers, including third-party manufacturers, to follow stringent design, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures during all phases of the design and manufacturing process.
We must also comply with post-market surveillance regulations, including medical device reporting (“MDR”), requirements which require that we review and report to the FDA any incident in which our products may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury. We must also report any incident in which our product has malfunctioned if that malfunction would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if it were to recur.
Labeling and promotional activities are subject to scrutiny by the FDA and, in certain circumstances, by the Federal Trade Commission. Medical devices approved or cleared by the FDA may not be promoted for unapproved or uncleared uses, otherwise known as “off-label” promotion. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses.
In the European Union (“EU”), our products are subject to the medical device laws of the various member states, which for many years were based on Directives of the European Commission. However, in May 2017, the EU adopted new, formal regulations to replace such Directives; specifically, the EU Medical Device Regulation (the “EU MDR”) which imposes stricter requirements for the marketing and sale of medical devices, including in the area of clinical evaluation requirements, quality systems and post-market surveillance. The EU regulations were adopted with staggered transitional periods that have since been updated. In February 2023, the European Parliament and European Council adopted legislation that extended the majority of the compliance dates for EU MDR to 2027 or 2028, based upon the risk class of the device. Regulatory requirements in the United Kingdom (“UK”) are also changing as a result of Brexit (the UK’s withdrawal from the EU), and regulatory requirements in Switzerland are changing as a result of the country’s withdrawal from its Mutual Recognition Agreement with the EU Commission. Complying with the EU MDR and the evolving regulatory regimes in the UK and Switzerland requires modifications to our quality management systems, additional resources in certain functions and updates to technical files, among other changes.
Other Healthcare Laws
In addition to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK Bribery Act and similar anti-bribery laws, we are also subject to various health care related laws regulating fraud and abuse, research and development, pricing and sales and marketing practices and the privacy and security of health information, including the U.S. federal regulations described below. Many states, foreign countries and supranational bodies have also adopted laws and regulations similar to, and in some cases more stringent than, the U.S. federal regulations discussed above and below.
◦The Federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration in any form (including any kickback, bribe, or certain rebate), directly or indirectly, to induce or reward the referral of business payable under a government healthcare program, such as Medicare or Medicaid, or in return for the purchase, lease, order, arranging for, or recommendation of items or services covered under a government health care program. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate the statute to have committed a violation.
◦The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) prohibits knowingly and willfully (1) executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any health care benefit program, including private payors, or (2) falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for health care benefits, items or services. Similar to the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the healthcare fraud statute implemented under HIPAA or specific intent to violate the statute to have committed a violation.
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◦The False Claims Act imposes liability on any person or entity that, among other things, knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment by a federal health care program, knowingly makes, uses or causes to be made or used, a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim, or knowingly makes a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the U.S. federal government. The qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act allow a private individual to bring actions on behalf of the federal government alleging that the defendant has submitted a false claim to the federal government, and to share in any monetary recovery. In addition, the government may assert that a claim including items and services resulting from a violation of the U.S. Federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the civil False Claims Act.
◦The federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law prohibits, among other things, the offering or transferring of remuneration to a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary that the person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary’s selection of a particular supplier of Medicare or Medicaid payable items or services.
◦The Open Payments Act requires manufacturers of medical devices covered under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, subject to specific exceptions, to record payments and other transfers of value to a broad range of healthcare providers (including dentists) and teaching hospitals and to report this data as well as ownership and investment interests held by the physicians described above and their immediate family members to the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) for subsequent public disclosure. Similar reporting requirements have also been enacted on the state level, and an increasing number of countries worldwide either have adopted or are considering similar laws requiring transparency of interactions with health care professionals.
Federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that potentially harm consumers. Analogous U.S. state laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, also may apply to our business practices, including but not limited to, research, distribution, sales and marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including private insurers. Further, there are state laws that require medical device manufacturers to comply with the voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the U.S. federal government, or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state laws and regulations that require manufacturers to file reports relating to pricing and marketing information, which requires tracking gifts and other remuneration and items of value provided to healthcare professionals and entities; state and local laws requiring the registration of sales representatives; and state laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts.
For a discussion of risks related to regulation by the FDA and comparable agencies of other countries, and the other regulatory regimes referenced above, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Laws and Regulations.”
Healthcare Reform
In the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions, there have been, and we expect there will continue to be, a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare system. For example, there have been numerous political and legal efforts to expand, repeal, replace or modify the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act (collectively, the “PPACA”), since the law’s enactment. For example, in early January, the Supreme Court agreed to consider reinstating some preventative care coverage requirements under PPACA that were struck down by a lower court. The hearing will occur in Spring of 2025. Federal regulatory agencies continue to interpret and modify PPACA regulations and guidance related to the PPACA, often as a result of presidential directives or the interplay with state law requirements.
Moreover, there has been heightened governmental scrutiny over the manner in which manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which has resulted in several Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for medical products. Individual states in the U.S. have also become increasingly active in implementing regulations designed to control product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures and, in some cases, mechanisms to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.
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Coverage and Reimbursement
Dental procedures and products are often paid for out-of-pocket. For products where third-party coverage and reimbursement is available, sales will depend, in part, on the extent to which such product will be covered by third-party payors, such as federal, state and foreign government healthcare programs, commercial insurance and managed healthcare organizations, and the level of reimbursement for such product by third-party payors. Decisions regarding the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement to be provided are made on a plan-by-plan basis. These third-party payors are increasingly reducing reimbursements for medical products and services and, in international markets, many countries have instituted price ceilings on specific products and therapies. Price ceilings, decreases in third-party reimbursement for any product or a decision by a third-party payor not to cover a product could reduce dentist usage and patient demand for the product.
Data Privacy and Security Laws
As a global manufacturer of medical devices, having access to and processing confidential, personal and/or sensitive data in the course of our business, we are subject to an increasing number of U.S. (federal and state) and international data privacy, security and data breach notification laws, which may govern the collection, use, disclosure and protection of health-related and other personal and/or sensitive information. Failure to comply with these statutory requirements, or mere notification of data breaches pursuant to these statutory requirements, can subject our company to legal, regulatory, and reputational risks, as well as the financial risks that can accompany regulatory investigations and enforcement actions and private litigation.
For example, in the U.S., HIPAA privacy, security, and breach notification rules require certain of our operations to maintain controls to protect the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of patient health information. In addition, individual states regulate data breach notification requirements as well as more general privacy and security requirements. Entities that are found to be in violation of HIPAA, for example as the result of a breach of unsecured protected health information or for failure to perform a HIPAA risk assessment, a complaint about privacy practices, or an audit by HHS, may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative fines and penalties and/or additional reporting and oversight obligations if required to enter into a resolution agreement and corrective action plan with HHS to settle allegations of HIPAA non-compliance.
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (“HITECH”) Act was enacted as an update to HIPAA and makes business associates of covered entities directly liable for compliance with certain HIPAA requirements, strengthens the limitations on the use and disclosure of protected health information without individual authorizations, and contemplates enforcement of noncompliance with HIPAA due to willful neglect. These changes have stimulated increased enforcement activity and enhanced the potential that health care providers will be subject to financial penalties for violations of HIPAA. In addition, the Secretary of HHS is required to perform periodic audits to ensure covered entities (and their business associates, as that term is defined under HIPAA) comply with the applicable HIPAA requirements, increasing the likelihood that a HIPAA violation will result in an enforcement action.
In addition to the federal HIPAA regulations, most states also have laws that protect the confidentiality and security of sensitive personal information, and a minority of states explicitly include health information within the scope of the law. These state laws can differ in scope compared to HIPAA, and could apply to protect information or be triggered to report a data breach even where HIPAA does not (and vice-versa). Certain of these laws grant individuals rights to access, correct, or delete personal information, and we may be required to expend significant resources to comply with these laws. Further, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have adopted data breach notification laws that impose, in varying degrees, an obligation to notify affected persons and/or state regulators in the event of a data breach or compromise, including when their personal information has or may have been acquired by an unauthorized person.
Some state breach notification laws may also impose physical and electronic security requirements regarding the safeguarding of personal information, such as social security numbers and bank and credit card account numbers. Violation of state privacy, security, and breach notification laws can trigger significant monetary penalties or significant legal liability. In addition, certain states’ privacy, security, and data breach laws, including, for example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, the “CCPA”), include private rights of action that may expose us to private litigation regarding our privacy and security practices and significant damages awards or settlements in civil litigation. Numerous other states have adopted laws and regulations within the past several years or are in the process of adopting various privacy-related laws and regulations. Complying with comprehensive state privacy laws and other existing, emerging and changing privacy requirements could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices and policies.
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We are also subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), the primary data protection law in the European Economic Area, including the European Union (collectively, the “EU”), as well as associated EU member state data protection laws and the UK GDPR in the United Kingdom. These laws impose significant requirements for covered businesses (controllers and processors) of personal data, including, for example, standards for obtaining consent from individuals to process their personal data, more robust disclosures to individuals, an individual data rights regime, timelines for data breach notifications, limitations on retention and secondary uses of information, requirements pertaining to health data and pseudonymised (i.e., deidentified) data, restrictions on data transfers outside of the EU, and obligations when we contract third-party processors in connection with the processing of personal data. The GDPR allows EU member states certain flexibility to make additional laws and regulations concerning the same issues, including, for example, further limiting the processing of genetic, biometric or health data. Failure to comply with the requirements of the GDPR may result in fines of up to €20,000,000 or up to 4% of the total worldwide annual turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is higher. Other administrative penalties may be imposed under the applicable national data protection laws of the EU member states.
On August 20, 2021, China promulgated the Personal Information Protection Act Law (“PIPL”), which took effect on November 1, 2021. The PIPL imposes specific rules for processing personal information and it also specifies that the law shall also apply to personal information activities carried out outside China but for the purpose of providing products or services to PRC citizens. It also contains certain requirements and restrictions before personal data may be transferred outside of the country, which continue to evolve. The PIPL carries maximum penalties of CNY50 million or 5% of the annual revenue of entities that process personal data.
Numerous other countries throughout the world have or are in the process of passing laws that contain similar requirements to the GDPR and the PIPL. For example, Brazil’s Lei Geral de Protecao de Dados (LGPD), similar to GDPR, gives consumers more control over how their personal information gets collected and used by external entities, with maximum penalties of up to R$50 million per infraction. Data residency/localization laws have also been passed or are under consideration in several countries (such as Russia), which require personal information relating to their citizens to be maintained on local servers and impose additional data transfer restrictions.
Finally, the last few years have seen a number of federal and state regulatory efforts around the use of artificial intelligence. Like privacy and security, this is a quickly evolving patchwork of guidance, rules, and regulations from a number of legislative bodies, agencies, and other authorities. To the extent our efforts in research and innovation entail or embed the use of artificial intelligence into our products and services, or to the extent we leverage artificial intelligence in our internal operations (either directly or through third-party vendors), such legal and regulatory changes could ultimately apply to and thus impact our company’s practices.
For a discussion of risks related to compliance with data privacy and security laws, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors--Risks Related to Our Business.”
Environmental Laws and Regulations
Our operations and properties are subject to laws and regulations relating to environmental protection, including those governing air emissions, water discharges and waste management, and workplace health and safety. In addition, certain of our products are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and comparable state regulatory agencies. For a discussion of the environmental laws and regulations that our operations, products and services are subject to and other environmental contingencies, please refer to Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report. For a discussion of risks related to compliance with environmental and health and safety laws and risks related to past or future releases of, or exposures to, hazardous substances, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Laws and Regulations.”
Export/Import Compliance
We are required to comply with various U.S. export/import control and economic sanctions laws, including the regulations administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, which implement economic sanctions imposed against designated countries, governments and persons based on U.S. foreign policy and national security considerations, and the import regulatory activities of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Other nations’ governments have implemented similar export and import control regulations, which may affect our operations or transactions subject to their jurisdictions. For a discussion of risks related to export/import control and economic sanctions laws, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Laws and Regulations.”
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Acquisitions
We continually evaluate potential investments and acquisitions that either strategically fit with our existing portfolio or expand our portfolio into new and attractive business areas. Our operations and results can be affected by the rate and extent to which appropriate acquisition opportunities are available, acquired businesses are effectively integrated and anticipated synergies or cost savings are achieved.
On July 5, 2022, we acquired all of the equity of Osteogenics Biomedical Inc., Allotech LLC and OBI Biologics, Inc. (together "Osteogenics"). Osteogenics develops innovative regenerative solutions for periodontists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and clinicians involved in implant dentistry throughout the world, and is part of the Company’s Specialty Products & Technologies segment.
On April 20, 2022, we completed the acquisition of Carestream Dental Technology Parent Limited’s (“Carestream Dental”) intraoral scanner business (the “Intraoral Scanner Business”). The Intraoral Scanner Business manufactures, markets, sells, commercializes, distributes, services, trains, supports, and maintains operations of intraoral scanners and software, and is part of our Equipment & Consumables segment.
Restructuring Activities
We implemented restructuring activities across our businesses to execute our strategy, streamline operations, take advantage of available capacity and resources and to adjust our cost structure. For additional information regarding our restructuring activities, please refer to Note 20 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Legal Proceedings
We are, from time to time, subject to a variety of litigation and other legal and regulatory proceedings and claims incidental to our business. Please refer to Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report for more information.
Available Information
We maintain an internet website at www.envistaco.com. We make available on the Investors subpage of our website (under the link “Filings & Reports”), free of charge, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, ownership reports on Forms 3, 4 and 5 and any amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such reports with the SEC. Our internet site and the information contained on or connected to that site are not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report.
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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with the information included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents we file with the SEC. The risks and uncertainties described below are those that we have identified as material, but are not the only risks and uncertainties facing us. Our business is also subject to general risks and uncertainties that affect many other companies, such as market conditions, economic conditions, geopolitical events, changes in laws, regulations or accounting rules, fluctuations in interest rates, terrorism, wars or conflicts, major health concerns, natural disasters or other disruptions of expected business conditions. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial also may impair our business, including our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.
Risk Factors Summary
The following is a summary of the principal risks that could adversely affect our business, operations and financial results:
•Conditions in the global economy, especially with respect to the particular markets we serve and the volatility of the financial markets may adversely affect our business and financial statements.
•International economic, political, legal compliance and business factors could negatively affect our financial statements.
•Significant developments or uncertainties stemming from trade policies could adversely affect our business.
•Our growth could suffer if the markets into which we sell our products and services decline.
•Our financial results are subject to fluctuations in the cost and availability of commodities.
•If we cannot adjust our manufacturing capacity or the purchases required for our manufacturing activities to reflect changes in market conditions and customer demand, our profitability may suffer, and our reliance upon sole or limited resources of supply for certain materials, components and services could cause production interruptions, delays and inefficiencies.
•If we suffer loss to our facilities, supply chains, distribution systems or information technology systems due to a cybersecurity incident, catastrophe or other events, our operations could be seriously harmed.
•The manufacture of many of our products is a highly exacting and complex process.
•A significant disruption in, or breach in security of, our information technology systems or data or violation of data privacy laws could adversely affect our business, operations, reputation and financial statements.
•We currently outsource certain elements of our information technology systems to third-party services providers and their failure to adequately perform their services or attacks to their information systems could have a material adverse impact on our business operations and make our systems vulnerable to attacks.
•Data privacy and security laws relating to the handling of personal information (including personal health information) are evolving across the world and may be drafted, interpreted or applied in a manner that results in increased costs, legal claims, fines against us, reputational damage or impedes delivery.
•Our growing use of AI systems to automate processes and analyze data poses inherent risks.
•Our growth depends in part on the timely development, commercialization, and customer acceptance of new and enhanced products and services based on technological innovation.
•Our ability to manage executive leadership transitions and to attract, develop and retain our key personnel is critical to our success.
•Any inability to consummate acquisitions at our historical rate and at appropriate prices, and to make appropriate investments that support our long-term strategy, could negatively impact our growth rate and stock price.
•Our acquisition of businesses, investments, joint ventures and other strategic relationships could negatively impact our financial statements.
•The indemnification provisions of acquisition agreements by which we have acquired companies may not fully protect us and as a result we may face unexpected liabilities.
•Divestitures or other dispositions could negatively impact our business, and contingent liabilities from businesses that we or our predecessors have sold could adversely affect our financial statements.
•Inventories maintained by our distributors and customers may fluctuate from time to time.
•We are dependent upon a limited number of distributors for a significant portion of our sales.
•If we do not or cannot adequately protect our intellectual property, or if third parties infringe our intellectual property rights, we may suffer competitive injury or expend significant resources enforcing our rights.
•Third parties may claim that we are infringing or misappropriating their intellectual property rights and we could suffer significant litigation expenses, losses or licensing expenses or be prevented from selling products or services.
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•Defects and unanticipated use or inadequate disclosure with respect to our products or services (including software), or allegations thereof, could adversely affect our business, reputation and financial statements.
•Our restructuring and site consolidation actions could have long-term adverse effects on our business.
•Climate related risks and regulations may have an impact on our business.
•We have outstanding indebtedness of approximately $1.4 billion as of February 7, 2025, and in the future, we may incur additional indebtedness.
•We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness.
•We may be unable to raise the funds necessary to repurchase the convertible notes for cash following a fundamental change, or to pay any cash amounts due upon conversion.
•The conditional conversion feature of the convertible notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
•The capped call transactions may affect the value of the convertible notes and our common stock.
•We are subject to counterparty risk with respect to the capped calls transactions.
•Our variable rate indebtedness exposes us to interest rate volatility.
•The industries that we serve have undergone, and are in the process of undergoing, significant changes in an effort to reduce costs.
•We face intense competition.
•Changes in governmental regulations may reduce demand for our products or services or increase our expenses.
•Certain of our businesses are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and comparable agencies of other countries.
•Off-label marketing or misleading advertising of our products could result in substantial penalties.
•Certain modifications to our products may require new 510(k) clearances or other marketing authorizations and may require us to recall or cease marketing our products.
•Our operations, products and services expose us to the risk of environmental, health and safety liabilities.
•Our businesses are subject to extensive regulation.
•The price of our common stock may continue to be volatile.
•Certain provisions in our governing documents and of Delaware law may prevent or delay an acquisition of us, which could decrease the trading price of our common stock.
•Our governing documents contain exclusive forum provisions for certain types of actions and proceedings.
•Conversion of the convertible notes may dilute the ownership interest of our stockholders.
•The issuance or sale of shares of our common stock, or rights to acquire shares of our common stock, could depress the trading price of our common stock and the convertible notes.
•We have recognized substantial impairment charges for our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets and may be required to recognize additional impairment charges for assets in the future.
•Changes in accounting standards and subjective assumptions, estimates and judgements by management related to complex accounting matters could significantly affect our financial results or financial condition.
•Foreign currency exchange rates may adversely affect our financial statements.
•Changes in tax law relating to multinational corporations could adversely affect our tax position.
•We are subject to a variety of litigation and other legal and regulatory proceedings in the course of our business.
•Work stoppages, union and works council campaigns and other labor disputes could adversely impact our productivity and results of operations.
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Risks Related to Our Business
Conditions in the global economy, especially with respect to the particular markets we serve and the volatility of the financial markets may adversely affect our business and financial statements.
Our business is sensitive to general economic conditions. Sustained inflation, increases in interest rates, slower global economic growth, threatened or actual recessions, continuing supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions, actual or anticipated default on sovereign debt, volatility in the currency and credit markets, consumer confidence, high levels of unemployment or underemployment (and a corresponding increase in the uninsured and underinsured population), reduced levels of capital expenditures, changes or anticipation of potential changes in government trade, fiscal, tax and monetary policies, changes in capital requirements for financial institutions, government deficit reduction and budget negotiation dynamics, sequestration, austerity measures, social or political unrest, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges that affect the global economy have previously and may continue to adversely affect us and our distributors, customers and suppliers. Our success also depends upon the continued strength of the markets we serve. In many markets, dental reimbursement is largely out of pocket for the consumer and thus utilization rates can vary significantly depending on economic growth. While many of our products are considered necessary by patients regardless of the economic environment, certain products and services that support discretionary dental procedures may be susceptible to changes in economic conditions. The above factors can have the effect of:
◦reducing demand for our products and services (in this Annual Report, references to products and services also includes software), limiting the financing available to our customers and suppliers, increasing order cancellations and resulting in longer sales cycles and slower adoption of new technologies;
◦increasing the difficulty in collecting accounts receivable and the risk of excess and obsolete inventories;
◦increasing price competition in our served markets;
◦supply interruptions, which could disrupt our ability to produce our products;
◦increasing the risk of impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets, and the risk that we may not be able to fully recover the value of other assets such as real estate and tax assets;
◦increasing the risk that counterparties to our contractual arrangements will change their terms of sale, become insolvent or otherwise unable to fulfill their contractual obligations which, in addition to increasing the risks identified above, could result in preference actions against us; and
◦adversely impacting market sizes.
There can be no assurance that the capital markets will be available to us or that the lenders participating in our credit facilities will be able to provide financing in accordance with their contractual obligations. When growth in the global economy or in any of the markets we serve slows for a significant period, there is significant deterioration in the global economy or such markets or when improvements in the global economy do not benefit the markets we serve, our business and financial statements could be adversely affected.
International economic, political, legal, compliance and business factors could negatively affect our financial statements.
In 2024, 52% of our sales were derived from customers outside the U.S. In addition, many of our manufacturing operations, suppliers and employees are located outside the U.S. Since our growth strategy depends in part on our ability to further penetrate markets outside the U.S. and increase the localization of our products and services, we expect to continue to increase our sales and presence outside the U.S., particularly in the emerging markets. Our international business (and particularly our business in emerging markets) is subject to risks that are customarily encountered in non-U.S. operations, including:
◦interruption in the transportation of materials to us and finished goods to our customers;
◦differences in terms of sale, including payment terms;
◦local product preferences and product requirements;
◦changes in a country’s or region’s political or economic conditions, such as the devaluation of particular currencies;
◦trade protection measures, sanctions, increased trade barriers, imposition of significant tariffs on imports or exports, embargoes and import or export restrictions and requirements;
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◦regulatory requirements, including, without limitation, anti-bribery, anti-corruption and laws pertaining to the accuracy of our internal books and records;
◦unexpected changes in laws or regulatory requirements, including changes in tax laws;
◦capital controls and limitations on ownership and on repatriation of earnings and cash;
◦the potential for nationalization of enterprises;
◦changes in medical reimbursement policies and programs;
◦limitations on legal rights and our ability to enforce such rights;
◦difficulty in staffing and managing widespread operations;
◦differing labor regulations;
◦difficulties in implementing restructuring actions on a timely or comprehensive basis;
◦differing protection of intellectual property;
◦greater uncertainty, risk, expense and delay in commercializing products in certain foreign jurisdictions, including with respect to product and other regulatory approvals; and
◦other factors beyond our control, such as terrorism, war, natural disasters and pandemics.
Any of these risks could negatively affect our financial statements, business, growth rate, competitive position, results of operations and financial condition.
For example, we generate approximately 9% of our annual sales from Greater China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely influenced by evolving political, economic and social conditions in China generally. China’s government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies, and it maintains control over China’s economic growth through setting monetary policy and determining treatment of particular industries or companies. For example, China has implemented volume-based procurement policies, a series of centralized reforms instituted in China on both a national and regional basis that has resulted in significant price cuts for medical and dental consumable products. Further, considerable uncertainty exists regarding the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the U.S. and China. Any uncertainty or adverse changes to economic conditions in China or the policies of China’s government or its laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China and could impact our business and operating results, leading to a reduction in demand for our products and adversely affecting our business, growth rate, competitive position, results of operations and financial condition.
In addition, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the global response to this invasion, including sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other countries, has had and may continue to have an adverse impact on our business, including by impacting our ability to market and sell products in Russia, by potentially heightening our risk of cyberattacks, by impacting our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights in Russia, by creating disruptions in the global supply chain, and by potentially having an adverse impact on the global economy, financial markets, energy markets, currency rates and otherwise.
Significant developments or uncertainties stemming from trade policies and regulations could have an adverse effect on our business.
Trade policies and disputes at times result in increased tariffs, trade barriers, and other protectionist measures, which can increase our manufacturing costs, make our products less competitive, reduce demand for our products, limit our ability to sell to certain customers, limit our ability to procure components or raw materials, or impede or slow the movement of our goods across borders. Increasing protectionism and economic nationalism may lead to further changes in trade policies and regulations, domestic sourcing initiatives, or other formal and informal measures that could make it more difficult to sell our products in, or restrict our access to, some markets.
In particular, trade tensions between the U.S. and China have led to increased tariffs and trade restrictions. In addition, the U.S. has recently implemented new tariffs on China and proposed to significantly increase tariffs on foreign imports into the U.S. from other countries, particularly from Canada and Mexico. It is difficult to predict what further trade-related actions governments may take, which may include trade restrictions and additional or increased tariffs and export controls imposed on short notice, and we may be unable to quickly and effectively react to or mitigate such actions.
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Additionally, in connection with the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, governments including the U.S., United Kingdom, and those of the European Union have imposed export controls on certain products and financial and economic sanctions on certain industry sectors and parties in Russia which has triggered retaliatory sanctions by the Russian government and its allies. Russia also imposed significant currency control measures aimed at restricting the outflow of foreign currency and capital from Russia. Although these export controls and sanctions did not have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024, the outcome and future impacts of the conflict and governmental responses thereto remain highly uncertain. Existing and future sanctions may have broad and pervasive impacts to the global economy and our operations, which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We cannot predict whether additional U.S. and foreign customs quotas, duties (including antidumping or countervailing duties), tariffs, taxes or other charges or restrictions, requirements as to where raw materials must be purchased or other restrictions on our imports will be imposed in the future or adversely modified, or what effect such actions would have on our costs of operations. Future quotas, duties or tariffs may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Future trade agreements could also provide our competitors with an advantage over us, or increase our costs, either of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Furthermore, trade disputes and protectionist measures, or continued uncertainty about such matters, could result in declining consumer confidence and slowing economic growth or recession, and could cause our customers to reduce, cancel, or alter the timing of their purchases with us. Sustained geopolitical tensions could lead to long-term changes in global trade and supply chains, and decoupling of global trade networks, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and growth prospects.
Our growth could suffer if the markets into which we sell our products and services decline, do not grow as anticipated or experience cyclicality.
Our growth depends in part on the growth of the markets which we serve, and visibility into these markets is limited (particularly for markets into which we sell through distribution). Any decline or lower than expected growth in our served markets could diminish demand for our products and services, which would adversely affect our financial statements. Our quarterly sales and profits depend substantially on the volume and timing of orders received during the fiscal quarter, which are difficult to forecast. Certain of our businesses operate in industries that may also experience periodic, cyclical downturns.
In addition, in certain of our businesses, demand depends on customers’ capital spending budgets, government funding policies, and matters of public policy and government budget dynamics, as well as product and economic cycles, which can affect the spending decisions of these entities. Demand for our products and services is also sensitive to changes in customer order patterns, which may be affected by announced price changes, marketing or promotional programs, new product introductions, the timing of industry trade shows and changes in distributor or customer inventory levels due to distributor or customer management thereof or other factors. Any of these factors could adversely affect our growth and results of operations in any given period.
Our financial results are subject to fluctuations in the cost and availability of commodities that we use in our operations.
As further discussed in the section entitled “Item 1. Business—Materials,” our manufacturing and other operations employ a wide variety of components, raw materials and other commodities, including metallic-based components, electronic components, chemicals, and plastics. Prices for and availability of these components, raw materials and other commodities have fluctuated significantly in the past. Any sustained interruption in the supply of these items, including as a result of shipping risks, such as container shortages, blocked shipping lanes, and port backlogs, could adversely affect our business. In addition, due to, among other items, the highly competitive nature of the industries that we serve, the cost-containment efforts of our customers, and the terms of certain contracts we are party to, there can be no assurance that the marketplace will support higher prices or that price increases and productivity gains, procurement deflation projects or savings will fully offset any raw material cost increases in the future. If we are unable to fully recover higher commodity costs through price increases or offset these increases through cost reductions, or if there is a time delay between the increase in costs and our ability to recover or offset these costs, our margins and profitability could decline and our financial statements could be adversely affected.
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If we cannot adjust our manufacturing capacity or the purchases required for our manufacturing activities to reflect changes in market conditions and customer demand, our profitability may suffer. In addition, our reliance upon sole or limited sources of supply for certain materials, components and services could cause production interruptions, delays and inefficiencies.
We purchase materials, components and equipment from third parties for use in our manufacturing operations, including metallic-based components, electronic components, chemicals, and plastics. Our profitability could be adversely impacted if we are unable to adjust our purchases to reflect changes in customer demand and market fluctuations, including those caused by seasonality or cyclicality. During a market upturn, suppliers may extend lead times, limit supplies or increase prices. If we cannot purchase sufficient products at competitive prices and quality and on a timely enough basis to meet increasing demand, we may not be able to satisfy market demand, product shipments may be delayed, our costs may increase or we may breach our contractual commitments and incur liabilities. Conversely, in order to secure supplies for the production of products, we sometimes enter into non-cancelable purchase commitments with vendors, which could impact our ability to adjust our inventory to reflect declining market demands. If demand for our products is less than we expect, we may experience additional excess and obsolete inventories and be forced to incur additional charges and our profitability may suffer. For example, we have recently experienced and may continue to experience inflationary increases in our manufacturing costs and operating expenses. Prolonged inflation may also reduce or delay orders for our products and for certain products we may be unable to satisfy demand, both of which could adversely impact our sales and results of operations.
In addition, some of our businesses purchase certain materials, components and services from sole or limited source suppliers for reasons of quality assurance, regulatory requirements, cost effectiveness, availability or uniqueness of design. If these or other suppliers encounter financial, operating or other difficulties or if our relationship with them changes, we may not be able to establish additional or replacement suppliers in a timely or cost-effective manner, including as a result of FDA and other regulations that require, among other things, validation of materials and components prior to their use in our products, which could further negatively impact our business and results of operations. The supply chains for our businesses could also be disrupted by supplier capacity constraints, bankruptcy or exiting of the business for other reasons, work stoppages, decreased availability of key raw materials or commodities and external events such as natural disasters, pandemic health issues and restrictions, war, terrorist actions, cyberattacks, widespread protests and civil unrest, governmental actions and legislative or regulatory changes. Any of these factors could result in production interruptions, delays, extended lead times and inefficiencies. The supply chains for our businesses have also been impacted by the COVID-19 related lockdowns in China and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Failure to obtain the needed supply of these products or to offset the increased costs could adversely impact our operating results.
Because we cannot always immediately adapt our production capacity and related cost structures to changing market conditions, our manufacturing capacity may at times exceed or fall short of our production requirements. Any or all of these problems could result in the loss of customers, provide an opportunity for competing products to gain market acceptance and otherwise adversely affect our financial statements.
If we suffer loss to our facilities, supply chains, distribution systems or information technology systems due to a cybersecurity incident, catastrophe or other events, our operations could be seriously harmed.
Our facilities, supply chains, distribution systems and information technology systems are subject to catastrophic loss due to fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, public health crises and pandemics, war, terrorism, widespread protests and civil unrest, or other natural or man-made disasters. For example, our corporate headquarters and many of our operations, including certain of our manufacturing facilities, are located in California, which is prone to earthquakes and wildfires, in addition to the other risks discussed above. In January 2025, several wildfires impacted Los Angeles County. While these wildfires did not have a material adverse effect on our business, there can be no assurance that future wildfires will not have a material impact. If any of these facilities, supply chains or systems were to experience a catastrophic loss, it could disrupt our operations, delay production and shipments, result in defective products or services, damage customer relationships and our reputation and result in legal exposure and large repair or replacement expenses. The third-party insurance coverage that we maintain will vary from time to time in both type and amount depending on cost, availability and our decisions regarding risk retention, and may be unavailable or insufficient to protect us against such losses.
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The manufacture of many of our products is a highly exacting and complex process, and if we directly or indirectly encounter problems manufacturing products, our reputation, business and financial statements could suffer.
The manufacture of many of our products is a highly exacting and complex process, due in part to strict regulatory requirements. Problems can arise during manufacturing for a variety of reasons, including equipment malfunction, failure to follow specific protocols and procedures, problems with raw materials, natural disasters and environmental factors, and if not discovered before the product is released to market could result in recalls and product liability exposure. Because of the time required to approve and license certain regulated manufacturing facilities and other stringent regulations of the FDA and similar agencies regarding the manufacture of certain of our products, an alternative manufacturer may not be available on a timely basis to replace such production capacity. Any of these manufacturing problems could result in significant costs, liability and lost sales, loss of market share as well as negative publicity and damage to our reputation that could reduce demand for our products.
A significant disruption in, or breach in security of, our information technology systems or data or violation of data privacy laws could adversely affect our business, operations, reputation and financial statements.
We rely on information technology systems, some of which are provided and/or managed by third parties, to process, transmit and store electronic information (including sensitive data, confidential business information, health information, intellectual property, and personal data relating to employees, customers, other business partners and patients), and to manage or support a variety of critical business processes and activities (such as receiving and fulfilling orders, billing, collecting and making payments, shipping products, providing services and support to customers and fulfilling contractual obligations). In addition, some of our software products and services incorporate information technology that may house personal data and some products or software we sell to customers may connect to our systems for maintenance or other purposes.
These systems, products and services (including those we acquire through business acquisitions or that we leverage through third-party service providers) may be materially impacted and/or disrupted by information security incidents. This includes incidents such as ransomware, malware, viruses, phishing, social engineering, human error or malfeasance, power outages, hardware failures, telecommunication or utility failures, catastrophes or other unforeseen events. This existing risk is potentially compounded by the increased number of our employees with hybrid or full-time remote schedules and the related increase in remote access to our systems. Cyberattacks may also target hardware, software and information installed, stored or transmitted in our products after such products have been purchased and incorporated into third-party products, facilities or infrastructure. To the extent artificial intelligence capabilities improve and are increasingly adopted, they may be used by threat actors to identify vulnerabilities and design increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity attacks. Cybersecurity and privacy vulnerabilities may also be introduced from the use of artificial intelligence by us, our customers, suppliers and other business partners and third-party providers.
Like most multinational corporations, our information technology systems have been subject to computer viruses, malicious codes, unauthorized access and other cyberattacks, and we expect the sophistication and frequency of such attacks to continue to increase. In particular, the increasing number of cyberattacks in the healthcare sector poses additional risks to our information technology systems, the products and services we provide, and the data contained therein. Security breaches of our systems, regardless of whether the breach is attributable to a vulnerability in our products or services, or security breaches of third parties’ systems on which we rely to process, store, or transmit electronic information, could result in the misappropriation, destruction or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information or personal data belonging to us or our employees, partners, customers, patients or suppliers. Even security incidents that occur on third and fourth party systems could have a material adverse impact on our business.
Unauthorized tampering, adulteration or interference with our products may also adversely affect product functionality and result in loss of data, risk to patient safety and product recalls or field actions. Additionally, if our business relationship with a third-party provider of information technology systems or services is negatively affected, or if one of our providers were to terminate its agreement with us without adequate notice, we would suffer a significant business disruption.
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Any of the cyberattacks, breaches or other disruptions or damage described above could interrupt our operations or the operations of our customers, suppliers, partners or distributors; prevent order placement and fulfillment; delay production and shipments; result in theft of our and our customers’ intellectual property and trade secrets; damage customer, patient, business partner and employee relationships; harm our reputation; result in defective products or services; or lead to legal or regulatory claims, proceedings, liability and/or penalties. These events may also result in increased costs for security and remediation. All of the foregoing could adversely affect our business, reputation and financial statements. For example, during the second half of 2023, one of our largest distributors experienced a cybersecurity incident which impacted their ability to place orders and consequently impacted the timing of orders received. This incident, however, as well as other cyberattacks, did not have a material impact to our financial results, business strategy or results of operations.
As cyber threats and regulatory requirements continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant capital and other resources to protect against the threat of security breaches. We may also be required to incur significant expense to respond to, contain or mitigate, and remediate problems caused by security incidents, including unauthorized access to protected health information and personal information stored in our information systems, and the introduction of computer viruses or other malicious software programs to our systems. There are also significant costs associated with a data breach, including investigation costs, remediation and mitigation costs, notification costs, attorney fees, and the potential for reputational harm and lost revenues due to a loss in confidence. We cannot predict the costs to comply with these laws or the costs associated with a potential data breach, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows, and our business reputation.
We have installed privacy/security protection systems and devices on our network in an attempt to prevent cyberthreats and other unauthorized access to information. However, no organization can definitively prevent all security incidents. Where an incident does occur despite the controls we have in place, and sensitive data is impacted, we may be held liable to individuals and regulators, which could result in fines, litigation or adverse publicity that could have a material adverse effect on our business and consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Even if we are not held liable, any resulting negative publicity could harm our business, impact operations, and divert the attention of management while addressing the incident, at the expense of our business. Our risk and exposure to these matters remain heightened because of the evolving nature of these threats, increased regulatory enforcement and the expansion of consumer rights under data privacy and security laws.
We believe that our subcontractors and vendors take precautionary measures to prevent problems that could affect our business operations as a result of failure or disruption to their information systems. However, despite our process for conducting due diligence on and contractually requiring security and privacy measures from our subcontractors and vendors, there is no guarantee such efforts will be successful in preventing a disruption, and it is possible that we may be impacted by third party information system failures. The occurrence of any information system failures with our vendors could result in interruptions, delays, loss or corruption of data and cessations or interruptions in the availability of these systems. All of these events or circumstances, among others, could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows, and they could harm our business reputation.
We currently outsource certain elements of our information technology systems to third-party services providers and their failure to adequately perform their services or attacks to their information systems could have a material adverse impact on our business operations and make our systems vulnerable to attacks.
We rely on information technology systems to effectively process, transmit, and store electronic data and information for our day-to-day business operations, including sensitive personal information, personal data, personal health information, and confidential information. The size and complexity of our information technology systems makes them vulnerable to cyberattacks, intrusion, and other disruption. We currently outsource certain elements of our information technology systems to third-party subcontractors and other vendors. Our outsourcing relationships with third-parties involve access to certain of our sensitive information which may expose us to enhanced risks, attacks, and disruptions.
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Data privacy and security laws relating to the handling of personal information (including personal health information) are evolving across the world and may be drafted, interpreted or applied in a manner that results in increased costs, legal claims, fines against us, reputational damage or impedes delivery.
As a global healthcare organization, we are subject to relatively stringent data privacy and security laws, regulations, and customer-imposed controls in numerous jurisdictions as a result of having access to and processing confidential, personal and/or sensitive data in the course of our business. Our subcontractors and vendor to whom we outsource our information technology systems are also subject to the requirements of data privacy and security laws, regulations, and controls. For example, in the U.S., the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) privacy, security, and breach notification rules require certain of our operations to maintain controls to protect the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of patient health information. In addition, individual states regulate data breach notification requirements as well as more general privacy and security requirements. Entities within the U.S. that are found to be in violation of HIPAA, for example as the result of a breach of unsecured protected health information, a complaint about privacy practices, or an audit by HHS, may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative fines and penalties and/or additional reporting and oversight obligations if required to enter into a resolution agreement and corrective action plan with HHS to settle allegations of HIPAA non-compliance.
Based on the annual revisions for 2024, penalties for HIPAA violations can range from $141 to $2.134 million dollars per violation, with a maximum fine of $2.134 million for identical violations during a calendar year. In 2018, a nation-wide health benefit company paid $16 million to HHS following a data breach. Prior to this record payment, the largest HIPAA fine was $5.55 million. Under the law, state attorneys general have authority to bring civil enforcement actions under HIPAA, and attorneys general are actively engaged in enforcement. In addition, any penalties assessed under HIPAA could be in addition to other penalties assessed by a state for a data breach in violation of state laws.
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (“HITECH”) Act was enacted as an update to HIPAA and makes business associates of covered entities directly liable for compliance with certain HIPAA requirements, strengthens the limitations on the use and disclosure of protected health information without individual authorizations, and contemplates enforcement of noncompliance with HIPAA due to willful neglect. These changes have stimulated increased enforcement activity and enhanced the potential that health care providers will be subject to financial penalties for violations of HIPAA. In addition, the Secretary of HHS is required to perform periodic audits to ensure covered entities (and their business associates, as that term is defined under HIPAA) comply with the applicable HIPAA requirements, increasing the likelihood that a HIPAA violation will result in an enforcement action.
In addition to the federal HIPAA regulations, most states also have laws that protect the confidentiality of health information and other personal information, and these laws may be broader in scope with respect to protected health information and other personal information than HIPAA. Certain of these laws grant individuals various rights with respect to personal information, and we may be required to expend significant resources to comply with these laws. Further, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have adopted data breach notification laws that impose, in varying degrees, an obligation to notify affected persons and/or state regulators in the event of a data breach or compromise, including when their personal information has or may have been accessed by an unauthorized person.
Some state laws may also impose physical and electronic security requirements regarding the safeguarding of personal information, such as social security numbers and bank and credit card account numbers. Finally, several states have adopted comprehensive privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) (collectively, the “CCPA”). Such laws grant consumers various rights over how their personal information is collected, use, and shared, as well as the ability to access their information, request that their information be deleted, corrected, to opt out of certain processing, to port their information to other third parties, and other rights.
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Violation of state privacy, security, and breach notification laws can trigger significant monetary penalties. Certain of the states’ privacy, security, and data breach laws, including, for example, the CCPA, include private rights of action that may expose us to private litigation regarding our privacy and security practices and significant damages awards or settlements in civil litigation. The CPRA, which went into effect on January 1, 2023, significantly amended the CCPA and imposed additional data protection obligations on covered businesses, including additional consumer rights processes, limitations on data uses, new audit requirements for higher risk processing, and opt outs for certain uses of sensitive data. It also created a new California Privacy Protection Agency (“CPPA”) authorized to issue substantive regulations and enforce the CCPA, which could result in increased privacy and information security enforcement.The CPPA continues to engage in additional rulemaking addressing various proposed requirements around privacy, security, automated decision-making technology, data brokers, and other related issues.
In addition, as federal, state and local governments consider adopting new privacy and security legislation, our operations may be subject to different standards in different geographical regions. This may require significantly more resources for compliance and increase the risk of regulatory enforcement and private litigation with respect to our privacy and security practices.
We are also subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), the primary data protection law in the European Economic Area, including the European Union (collectively, the “EU”), as well as associated EU member state data protection laws and the UK GDPR in the United Kingdom. These laws impose significant requirements for covered businesses (controllers and processors) of personal data, including, for example, standards for obtaining consent from individuals to process their personal data, disclosures to individuals, an individual data rights regime, specified timelines for data breach notifications, limitations on retention and secondary uses of information, requirements pertaining to health data and pseudonymised (i.e., deidentified) data, restrictions on data transfers outside of the EU, and obligations when we contract third-party processors in connection with the processing of personal data. The GDPR allows EU member states certain flexibility to make additional laws and regulations concerning the same issues, including, for example, further limiting the processing of genetic, biometric or health data. Failure to comply with the requirements of the GDPR may result in fines of up to €20,000,000 or up to 4% of the total worldwide annual turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is higher. Other administrative penalties may be imposed under the applicable national data protection laws of the EU member states.
We also have to comply with a number of data privacy laws that apply to cross border data transfers including those in the EU, Switzerland, UK, Brazil and China. These may result in increased compliance costs and complexity when transferring data internationally.
Data residency and localization laws have also been passed or are under consideration in several countries (such as China and Russia), which require personal information relating to their citizens to be maintained on local servers and impose additional data transfer restrictions.
Finally, the last few years have seen a number of U.S. federal and state regulatory efforts around the use of artificial intelligence. Like privacy and security, this is a quickly evolving patchwork of guidance, rules, and regulation from a number of legislative bodies, agencies, and other authorities.In the European Union, even more comprehensive and prescriptive requirements over artificial intelligence have been enacted in the form of the EU AI Act, which went into effect on August 1, 2024 with varying implementation deadlines. To the extent our efforts in research and innovation entail or embed the use of artificial intelligence into our products and services, or to the extent we leverage artificial intelligence in our internal operations (either directly or through third-party vendors), such legal and regulatory changes could ultimately apply to and thus impact our company’s practices.
Compliance with the varying data privacy regulations across the U.S. and around the world is complex and have required significant expenditures and may require additional expenditures and changes in our products or business models that increase complexity and competition. We may also experience less demand for our products if we are unable to enable our customers to comply with their obligations under data privacy laws.
In addition, government enforcement actions can be costly and interrupt the regular operation of our business, and data breaches or violations of data privacy laws can result in fines, reputational damage and civil lawsuits, any of which may adversely affect our business, reputation and financial statements.
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Our growing use of AI systems to automate processes and analyze data poses inherent risks.
We have and are continuing to incorporate AI, including machine learning, in certain of our internal operations and may in the future incorporate AI into certain of our products and services, with the intent to enhance their operation and effectiveness. For example, we have incorporated machine-learning into certain of our software to provide AI analysis of dental patient images designed to enhance a dentist’s own analysis. Flaws, biases or malfunctions in these systems could lead to operational disruptions, data loss, or erroneous decision-making, impacting our operations, financial condition and reputation. Ethical and legal challenges may arise, including biases or discrimination in AI outcomes, non-compliance with data protection regulations, and lack of transparency. The legal and regulatory landscape and industry standards surrounding AI technologies is rapidly evolving and uncertain, and compliance may impose significant operational costs and may limit our ability to develop, deploy or use AI technologies. Furthermore, the deployment of AI systems could expose us to increased cybersecurity threats, such as data breaches and unauthorized access leading to financial losses, legal liabilities, and reputational damage. We also face competitive risks if we fail to adopt AI or other machine-learning technologies in a timely manner.
Our growth depends in part on the timely development, commercialization, and customer acceptance of new and enhanced products and services based on technological innovation.
We generally sell our products and services in an industry that is characterized by rapid technological changes, frequent new product introductions and changing industry standards. If we do not develop innovative new and enhanced products and services on a timely basis, our offerings will become obsolete over time and our competitive position and financial statements will suffer. Our success will depend on several factors, including our ability to:
◦correctly identify customer needs and preferences and predict future needs and preferences;
◦allocate our research and development funding to products and services with higher growth prospects;
◦anticipate and respond to our competitors’ development of new products and services and technological innovations;
◦differentiate our offerings from our competitors’ offerings and avoid commoditization;
◦innovate and develop new technologies and applications, and acquire or obtain rights to third-party technologies that may have valuable applications in our served markets;
◦obtain adequate intellectual property rights with respect to key technologies before our competitors do;
◦successfully commercialize new technologies in a timely manner, price them competitively and cost-effectively manufacture and deliver sufficient volumes of new products of appropriate quality on time;
◦obtain necessary regulatory approvals of appropriate scope (including by demonstrating satisfactory clinical results where required); and
◦stimulate customer demand for and convince customers to adopt new technologies, including assisted or artificial intelligence.
If we fail to accurately predict future customer needs and preferences or fail to produce viable technologies, we may invest heavily in research and development of products and services that do not lead to significant sales, which would adversely affect our profitability.
Even if we successfully innovate and develop new and enhanced products and services, we may incur substantial costs in doing so, and our profitability may suffer. Further, if we are unable to decrease our costs associated with our Specialty Products & Technologies segment, we may be unable to improve our profitability. In addition, promising new offerings may fail to reach the market or realize only limited commercial success because of real or perceived efficacy or safety concerns, failure to achieve positive clinical outcomes, uncertainty over third-party reimbursement or entrenched patterns of clinical practice. For additional information on third-party reimbursement of dental products, please refer to “Item 1. Business—Regulatory Matters.”
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We have undergone, and may continue to experience, changes to our executive leadership team and senior management, and our future success will depend in part on our ability to manage these transitions successfully and on our ability to attract, develop and retain our key personnel.
Our success depends to a significant extent upon the continued service of our executive officers and key management and technical personnel and on our ability to continue to attract, retain, and develop qualified personnel. The competition for these employees is intense. The loss of the services of key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our operating results. In addition, there could be a material adverse effect on us should the turnover rates for key personnel increase significantly or if we are unable to continue to attract qualified personnel.
Over the past fiscal year, there have been changes to our executive leadership team. These leadership transitions along with other senior management changes may be inherently difficult to manage. If we do not successfully manage this transition process, it could be viewed negatively by our customers, employees or investors and could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Any inability to consummate acquisitions at our historical rate and at appropriate prices, and to make appropriate investments that support our long-term strategy, could negatively impact our growth rate and stock price.
Our ability to grow sales, earnings and cash flow at or above our historic rates depends in part upon our ability to identify and successfully acquire and integrate businesses at appropriate prices and realize anticipated synergies, and to make appropriate investments that support our long-term strategy. We may not be able to consummate acquisitions at rates similar to the past, which could adversely impact our growth rate and our stock price. Promising acquisitions and investments are difficult to identify and complete for a number of reasons, including high valuations, competition among prospective buyers, the availability of affordable funding in the capital markets and the need to satisfy applicable closing conditions and obtain applicable antitrust and other regulatory approvals on acceptable terms. In addition, competition for acquisitions and investments may result in higher purchase prices. Changes in accounting or regulatory requirements or instability in the credit markets could also adversely impact our ability to consummate acquisitions and investments.
Our acquisition of businesses, investments, joint ventures and other strategic relationships could negatively impact our financial statements.
As part of our business strategy we acquire businesses, make investments and enter into joint ventures and other strategic relationships in the ordinary course; please refer to “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for additional details. Acquisitions, investments, joint ventures and strategic relationships involve a number of financial, accounting, managerial, operational, legal, compliance and other risks and challenges, including the following, any of which could adversely affect our business and financial statements:
◦Any business, technology, service or product that we acquire or invest in could under-perform relative to our expectations and the price that we paid or not perform in accordance with our anticipated timetable, or we could fail to operate any such business profitably.
◦We may incur or assume significant debt in connection with our acquisitions, investments, joint ventures or strategic relationships, which could also cause a deterioration of our credit ratings, result in increased borrowing costs and interest expense and diminish our future access to the capital markets.
◦Acquisitions, investments, joint ventures or strategic relationships could cause our financial results to differ from our own or the investment community’s expectations in any given period, or over the long-term.
◦Pre-closing and post-closing earnings charges could adversely impact operating results in any given period, and the impact may be substantially different from period to period.
◦Acquisitions, investments, joint ventures or strategic relationships could create demands on our management, operational resources and financial and internal control systems that we are unable to effectively address.
◦We have in the past and could in the future experience difficulty in integrating personnel, operations and financial and other controls and systems and retaining key employees and customers.
◦We may be unable to achieve cost savings or other synergies anticipated in connection with an acquisition, investment, joint venture or strategic relationship.
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◦We may assume unknown liabilities, known contingent liabilities that become realized, known liabilities that prove greater than anticipated, internal control deficiencies or exposure to regulatory sanctions resulting from the acquired company’s or investee’s activities and the realization of any of these liabilities or deficiencies may increase our expenses, adversely affect our financial position or cause us to fail to meet our public financial reporting obligations.
◦In connection with acquisitions and joint ventures, we often enter into post-closing financial arrangements such as purchase price adjustments, earn-out obligations and indemnification obligations, which may have unpredictable financial results.
◦As a result of our acquisitions and investments, we have recorded significant goodwill and other assets on our balance sheet and if we are not able to realize the value of these assets, or if the fair value of our investments declines, we may be required to incur impairment charges.
◦We may have interests that diverge from those of our joint venture partners or other strategic partners and we may not be able to direct the management and operations of the joint venture or other strategic relationship in the manner we believe is most appropriate, exposing us to additional risk.
◦Investing in or making loans to early-stage companies often entails a high degree of risk, and we may not achieve the strategic, technological, financial or commercial benefits we anticipate; we may lose our investment or fail to recoup our loan; or our investment may be illiquid for a greater-than-expected period of time.
Our ability to acquire other businesses or technologies, make strategic investments or integrate acquired businesses effectively may also be impaired by the effects of trade tensions and increased global scrutiny of foreign investments. For example, a number of countries, including the U.S. and countries in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, are considering or have adopted restrictions on foreign investments. Governments may continue to adopt or tighten restrictions of this nature, and such restrictions could negatively impact our business and financial results.
The indemnification provisions of acquisition agreements by which we have acquired companies may not fully protect us and as a result we may face unexpected liabilities.
Certain of the acquisition agreements by which we have acquired companies require the former owners to indemnify us against certain liabilities related to the operation of the acquired company before we acquired it. In most of these agreements, however, the liability of the former owners is limited and certain former owners may be unable to meet their indemnification responsibilities. We cannot assure you that these indemnification provisions will protect us fully or at all, and as a result we may face unexpected liabilities that adversely affect our financial statements.
Divestitures or other dispositions could negatively impact our business, and contingent liabilities from businesses that we or our predecessors have sold could adversely affect our financial statements.
We continually assess the strategic fit of our existing businesses and may divest, spin-off, split-off or otherwise dispose of businesses that are deemed not to fit with our strategic plan or are not achieving the desired return on investment. These transactions pose risks and challenges that could negatively impact our business and financial statements. For example, when we decide to sell or otherwise dispose of a business or assets, we may be unable to do so on satisfactory terms within our anticipated timeframe or at all, and even after reaching a definitive agreement to sell or dispose a business the sale is typically subject to satisfaction of pre-closing conditions which may not become satisfied. In addition, divestitures or other dispositions may dilute our earnings per share, have other adverse tax, financial and accounting impacts and distract management, and disputes may arise with buyers. In addition, we have retained responsibility for and/or have agreed to indemnify buyers against some known and unknown contingent liabilities related to certain businesses or assets we or our predecessors have sold or disposed. The resolution of these contingencies has not had a material effect on our financial statements, but we cannot be certain that this favorable pattern will continue.
Inventories maintained by our distributors and customers may fluctuate from time to time.
We rely in part on our distributor and customer relationships and predictions of distributor and customer inventory levels in projecting future demand levels and financial results. These inventory levels may fluctuate, and may differ from our predictions, resulting in our projections of future results being different than expected. These changes may be influenced by changing relationships with the distributor and customers, economic conditions, supply chain disruption and end-user preference for particular products. There can be no assurance that our distributors and customers will maintain levels of inventory in accordance with our predictions or past history, or that the timing of distributors’ or customers’ inventory build or liquidation will be in accordance with our predictions or past history.
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We are dependent upon a limited number of distributors for a significant portion of our sales, and loss of a key distributor could result in a loss of a significant amount of our sales. In addition, adverse changes in our relationships with, or the financial condition, performance, purchasing patterns or inventory levels of, key distributors and other channel partners could adversely affect our financial statements.
Historically, a substantial portion of our sales had come from a limited number of distributors, particularly Henry Schein, which accounted for approximately 10% of our sales in 2024 and 2023. It is anticipated that Henry Schein will continue to be the largest contributor to our sales for the foreseeable future. We do not currently have a master distribution agreement in place with Henry Schein for the distribution of our products in the U.S. and Canada. There can be no assurance that Henry Schein or any particular distributor will purchase any particular quantity of products from us or continue to purchase any products at all. If Henry Schein or any other key distributor or channel partner significantly reduces the volume of products purchased from us, it would have an adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements.
Our key distributors and other channel partners typically have valuable relationships with customers and end-users. Some of these distributors and other partners also sell our competitors’ products or compete with us directly, and if they favor competing products for any reason, they may fail to market our products effectively. Adverse changes in our relationships with these distributors and other partners, reduction or discontinuation of their purchases from us or adverse developments in their financial condition, performance or purchasing patterns, could adversely affect our business and financial statements. The levels of inventory maintained by our distributors and other channel partners, and changes in those levels, can also significantly impact our results of operations in any given period. In addition, the consolidation of distributors and customers in certain of our served industries could adversely impact our business and consolidated financial statements.
If we do not or cannot adequately protect our intellectual property, or if third parties infringe our intellectual property rights, we may suffer competitive injury or expend significant resources enforcing our rights.
Many of the markets we serve are technology-driven, and as a result intellectual property rights play a significant role in product development and differentiation. We own numerous patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and other intellectual property and licenses to intellectual property owned by others, which in aggregate are important to our business. The intellectual property rights that we obtain, however, may not be sufficiently broad or otherwise may not provide us a significant competitive advantage, and patents may not be issued for pending or future patent applications owned by or licensed to us. In addition, the steps that we and our licensors have taken to maintain and protect our intellectual property may not prevent it from being challenged, invalidated, circumvented, designed-around or becoming subject to compulsory licensing, particularly in countries where intellectual property rights are not highly developed or protected. The laws of foreign countries in which we do business or contemplate doing business in the future may not recognize intellectual property rights or protect them to the same extent as do the laws of the U.S. In some circumstances, enforcement may not be available to us because an infringer has a dominant intellectual property position or for other business reasons, or countries may require compulsory licensing of our intellectual property. We also rely on nondisclosure and noncompetition agreements with employees, consultants and other parties to protect, in part, trade secrets and other proprietary rights. There can be no assurance that these agreements will adequately protect our trade secrets and other proprietary rights and will not be breached, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information or that third parties will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or other proprietary rights. Our failure to obtain or maintain intellectual property rights that convey competitive advantage, adequately protect our intellectual property or detect or prevent circumvention or unauthorized use of such property and the cost of enforcing our intellectual property rights could adversely impact our business, including our competitive position, and financial statements.
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Third parties may claim that we are infringing or misappropriating their intellectual property rights and we could suffer significant litigation expenses, losses or licensing expenses or be prevented from selling products or services.
From time to time, we receive notices from third parties alleging intellectual property infringement or misappropriation of third parties’ intellectual property and cannot be certain that the conduct of our business does not and will not infringe or misappropriate the intellectual property rights of others. Any dispute or litigation regarding intellectual property could be costly and time-consuming to defend due to the complexity of many of our technologies and the uncertainty of intellectual property litigation. Our intellectual property portfolio may not be useful in asserting a counterclaim, or negotiating a license, in response to a claim of infringement or misappropriation. In addition, as a result of such claims of infringement or misappropriation, we could lose our rights to critical technology, be unable to license critical technology or sell critical products and services, be required to pay substantial damages or license fees with respect to the infringed rights, be required to license technology or other intellectual property rights from others, be required to cease marketing, manufacturing or using certain products or be required to redesign, re-engineer or re-brand our products at substantial cost, any of which could adversely impact our business, including our competitive position, and financial statements. Third-party intellectual property rights may also make it more difficult or expensive for us to meet market demand for particular product or design innovations. If we are required to seek licenses under patents or other intellectual property rights of others, we may not be able to acquire these licenses on acceptable terms, if at all. Even if we successfully defend against claims of infringement or misappropriation, we may incur significant costs and diversion of management attention and resources, which could adversely affect our business and financial statements.
Defects and unanticipated use or inadequate disclosure with respect to our products or services (including software), or allegations thereof, could adversely affect our business, reputation and financial statements.
Manufacturing or design defects or “bugs” in, unanticipated use of, safety or quality issues (or the perception of such issues) with respect to, “off label” use of, or inadequate disclosure of risks relating to the use of products and services that we make or sell (including items that we source from third parties) can lead to personal injury, death, property damage, loss of profits or other liability. These events could lead to recalls or safety alerts, result in the removal of a product or service from the market and result in product liability or similar claims being brought against us. Any potential product liability claims could exceed the amount of our insurance coverage or may be excluded from coverage under the terms of the policy. Our insurance may not be renewed at a cost and level of coverage comparable to that then in effect. Recalls, removals and product liability and similar claims (regardless of their validity or ultimate outcome) can result in significant costs, as well as negative publicity and damage to our reputation that could reduce demand for our products and services. Our business can also be affected by studies of the utilization, safety and efficacy of medical device products and components that are conducted by industry participants, government agencies and others. Any of the above can result in the discontinuation of marketing of such products in one or more countries, and may give rise to claims for damages from persons who believe they have been injured as a result of product issues, including claims by individuals or groups seeking to represent a class.
For a discussion of risks pertaining to the dental amalgam sold by us, see “Item 1. Business—Regulatory Matters—Medical Device Regulations.”
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Our restructuring and site consolidation actions could have long-term adverse effects on our business.