We may incur costs of a material nature related to plant closings, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
If we must close manufacturing locations because of lost business or consolidation of manufacturing facilities, the employee termination costs, asset retirements, and other exit costs associated with the closure of these facilities may be significant. In certain circumstances, we may close a manufacturing facility that is operated under a lease agreement and we may continue to incur material costs in accordance with the lease agreement. We attempt to align production capacity with demand; however, we cannot provide assurance that plants will not have to be closed.
We are subject to environmental risks and requirements and we may incur significant costs, liabilities, and obligations associated with those risks and requirements.
We are subject to a variety of environmental and pollution control laws, regulations, and permits that govern, among other things, soil, surface water, and groundwater contamination; the generation, storage, handling, use, disposal, and transportation of hazardous materials; the emission and discharge of materials, including GHGs, into the environment; and health and safety. If we fail to comply with these laws, regulations, or permits, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned by regulators or become subject to litigation. Environmental and pollution control laws, regulations, and permits, and the enforcement thereof, change frequently, have tended to become more stringent over time, and may necessitate substantial capital expenditures or operating costs.
Under certain environmental requirements, we could be responsible for costs relating to any contamination at our, or the Predecessor Company’s, currently or formerly owned or operated properties or third-party waste-disposal sites, even if we were not at fault. Soil and groundwater contamination is being addressed at certain of these locations. In addition to potentially significant investigation and cleanup costs, contamination can give rise to third-party claims for fines or penalties, natural resource damages, personal injury, or property damage.
We cannot provide assurance that our costs, liabilities, and obligations relating to environmental matters will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
A disruption in our information technology systems, including a disruption related to cybersecurity, could adversely affect our financial performance.
We rely on the accuracy, capacity and security of our information technology systems. Despite the security measures that we have implemented, including those measures related to cybersecurity, our systems could be breached or damaged by computer viruses, natural or man-made incidents or disasters or unauthorized physical or electronic access. A breach could result in business disruption, theft of our intellectual property, trade secrets or customer information and unauthorized access to personnel information. To the extent that our business is interrupted or data is lost, destroyed or inappropriately used or disclosed, such disruptions could materially and adversely affect our competitive position, relationships with our customers, financial condition, operating results and cash flows. In addition, we may be required to incur significant costs to protect against the damage caused by these disruptions or security breaches in the future.
Risk Factors Relating to Our Indebtedness
We have a substantial amount of indebtedness, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial health and our ability to fund our operations, obtain financing in the future, and react to changes in our business.
As of December 31, 2018, our total debt, net of debt issue costs, was $298.6 million. That indebtedness could:
•
adversely affect our stock price;
•
make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations under our financing arrangements;