ChampionX (CHX) Risk Analysis

Cost inflation including significant increases in raw material and component costs, labor rates, and global transportation and logistics costs have impacted profitability and could in future periods. In addition, our customers are also affected by inflation and the rising costs of goods and services used in their businesses, which could negatively impact their ability to purchase our products, which could adversely impact our revenue and profitability. There is no guarantee that we can increase selling prices, replace lost revenue, or reduce costs to fully mitigate the effect of inflation on our costs and business, which may adversely impact our sales margins and profitability.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by natural disasters or severe weather conditions, including the effects of climate change. Hurricanes, tropical storms, flash floods, blizzards, extreme cold weather and other natural disasters or severe weather conditions, which may increase in frequency or intensity as a result of climate change, could result in evacuation of personnel, curtailment of services, damage to equipment and facilities, interruption in transportation of products and materials and loss of productivity. For example, certain of our manufactured products and components are manufactured at a single facility, and disruptions in operations or damage to any such facilities could reduce our ability to manufacture our products and satisfy customer demand. If our customers are unable to operate or are required to reduce operations due to natural disasters or severe weather conditions, our business could be adversely affected as a result of curtailed deliveries of our products and services. Our headquarters and certain manufacturing facilities are located in the U.S. Gulf Coast, and this region is also home to many of our customers and suppliers. Hurricanes or other severe weather events impacting the Gulf Coast could materially and adversely affect our operations, our ability to obtain raw materials at reasonable cost, or at all, and our customers in the region.

Our material input costs are adversely affected by tariffs imposed by the U.S. government on products imported into the United States and tariffs imposed by other jurisdictions, including the European Union, Canada, Mexico, India and China on U.S. goods and services, sanctions imposed in connection with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and by trade restrictions imposed on business dealings with particular entities and/or individuals. Additional tariffs, further trade restrictions, retaliatory trade measures and additional tariffs could result in higher input costs for our products, disrupt our supply chain and logistics, restrict or limit the availability of materials or supplies, cause adverse financial impacts due to volatility in foreign exchange rates and interest rates, inflationary pressures on raw materials and energy, and heighten cybersecurity threats and other restrictions. We may not be able to fully mitigate the impact of these increased costs or pass price increases on to our customers. While tariffs and other retaliatory trade measures imposed by other countries on U.S. goods have not yet had a significant impact on our business or results of operations, we cannot predict further developments, and such existing or future tariffs could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Recently, the United States has proposed changes in trade policies that include export control restrictions, the negotiation or termination of trade agreements, the imposition of higher tariffs on imports into the United States, increased economic sanctions on individuals, companies or countries, and other government regulations affecting trade between the United States and other countries where we conduct our business or have business relationships, including with suppliers, and a number of other nations have proposed similar measures directed at trade with the United States in response. As a result of these developments, there may be greater restrictions and economic disincentives on international trade that could adversely affect our business. It may be time-consuming and expensive for us to alter our business operations to adapt to or comply with any such changes, and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial position.

Our domestic and international sales and operations are subject to risks associated with changes in laws, regulations and policies (including environmental and employment regulations, export/import laws, local content and local ownership requirements, tax policies such as export subsidy programs and research and experimentation credits, carbon emission regulations and other similar programs). Failure to comply with any of the foregoing laws, regulations and policies could result in civil and criminal, monetary and non-monetary penalties, as well as damage to our reputation. In addition, we cannot provide assurance that costs of complying with new and evolving regulatory reporting requirements and current or future laws, including environmental protection, employment, data security, data privacy and health and safety laws, will not exceed our estimates. In addition, we have made investments in certain countries, and we may in the future invest in other countries, which may carry high levels of currency, political, compliance, or economic risk. While these risks or the impact of these risks are difficult to predict, any one or more of them could adversely affect our business, results of operations and reputation. We are subject to taxation in a number of jurisdictions. Accordingly, our effective tax rate is impacted by changes in the mix among earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates. A material change in the statutory tax rate or interpretation of local law in a jurisdiction in which we have significant operations could adversely impact our effective tax rate and impact our financial results. Our tax returns are subject to audit and taxing authorities could challenge our operating structure, taxable presence, application of treaty benefits or transfer pricing policies. If changes in statutory tax rates or laws or audits result in assessments different from amounts estimated, then our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows may be adversely affected. In addition, changes in tax laws could have an adverse effect on our customers, resulting in lower demand for our products and services.

Our operations and the operations of our customers are subject to numerous and complex federal, state, local and foreign laws, regulations and policies relating to the protection of human health, safety and the environment. These laws, regulations and policies may adversely affect us by limiting or curtailing our customers' exploration, drilling and production and export activities, impacting the products and services we design, market and sell and the facilities where we manufacture our products. For example, our operations and the operations of our customers are subject to numerous and complex laws, regulations and policies that, among other things: may regulate the management and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes; may require acquisition of environmental permits related to our operations; may restrict the types, quantities and concentrations of various materials that can be released into the environment; may limit or prohibit operational activities in certain ecologically sensitive and other protected areas; may regulate specific health and safety criteria addressing worker protection; may require compliance with operational and equipment standards; may impose testing, reporting and record-keeping requirements; and may require remedial measures to mitigate pollution from former and ongoing operations. Sanctions for noncompliance with such laws, regulations and polices may include revocation of permits, corrective action orders, administrative or civil penalties, criminal prosecution and the imposition of injunctions to prohibit certain activities or force future compliance. Some environmental laws, regulations and policies provide for joint and several strict liability for remediation of spills and releases of hazardous substances. In addition, we or our customers may be subject to claims alleging personal injury or property damage as a result of alleged exposure to hazardous substances, as well as damage to natural resources. These laws and regulations may expose us or our customers to liability for the conduct of or conditions caused by others, or for our acts or for the acts of our customers that were in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations at the time such acts were performed. Any of these laws and regulations could result in claims, fines or expenditures that could be material to our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Environmental laws, regulations and policies, and the interpretation and enforcement thereof, frequently change, and have tended to become more stringent over time. New laws, regulations treaties, or international agreements related to greenhouse gases and climate change, including incentives to conserve energy or use alternative energy sources, and temporary or permanent bans on certain activities or licenses or permits for certain activities may have a material adverse effect on our customers by limiting or curtailing their exploration, drilling, and production and export activities, which may adversely affect our operations by limiting demand for our products and services. Additionally, the implementation of new laws, regulations and policies may have a material adverse effect on our operating results by requiring us to modify our operations or products or shut down some or all of our facilities. Various laws, regulations and policies exist or are under development that seek to regulate the emission of greenhouse gases ("GHG"), including establishing GHG "cap and trade" programs, increased efficiency standards, participation in international climate agreements, issuance of executive orders by the U.S. presidential administration and incentives or mandates for pollution reduction, use of renewable energy sources, or use of alternative fuels with lower carbon content. Any regulation of GHG emissions could result in increased compliance costs or additional operating restrictions for us and/or our customers and limit or curtail exploration, drilling and production and export activities of our customers, which could directly or indirectly, through reduced demand for our products and services, adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

As a manufacturer and supplier of chemical products, we face potential hazards common in such operations such as fires, explosions, and chemical spills, releases or discharges, either in liquid or gaseous form, during production, transportation, storage or use. Such an occurrence could result in loss of life, severe injury, environmental contamination, and disruption for, and damage to, our manufacturing facilities, customers, communities, and other stakeholders, as well as significant remediation costs and other liabilities that may exceed the coverage provided by our insurance policies. Accordingly, such hazards could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We purchase raw materials, sub-assemblies and components for use in manufacturing operations, which exposes us to volatility in prices for certain commodities. Significant price increases for these commodities could adversely affect our operating profits. Like others in our industry, inflation in recent years caused increases in our raw materials costs. While we will generally attempt to mitigate the impact of increased raw material prices by endeavoring to make strategic purchasing decisions, broadening our supplier base and passing along increased costs to customers, there may be a time delay between the increased raw material prices and the ability to increase the prices of our products. Additionally, we may be unable to increase the prices of products due to the terms of existing contracts, a competitor's pricing pressure or other factors. The inability to obtain necessary raw materials on acceptable terms could affect our ability to meet customer commitments and satisfy demand for certain products. Certain of our product lines depend on a limited number of third-party suppliers and vendors. The ability of these third parties to deliver raw materials may be affected by events beyond our control. In addition, public health threats, such as COVID-19, severe influenza and other highly communicable viruses or diseases could limit access to vendors and their facilities, or the ability to transport raw materials from our vendors, which would adversely affect our ability to obtain necessary raw materials for certain of our products or increase the costs of such materials. A significant price increase in or the unavailability of raw materials may result in a loss of customers and adversely impact our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, and could result in asset impairments, including an impairment of the carrying value of our goodwill.

Business consolidations within the oil and gas industry in recent years have resulted in some of our largest customers combining and using their size and purchasing power to seek economies of scale and pricing concessions. Continuing consolidation within the industry may result in reduced capital spending by some of our customers or the acquisition of one or more of our primary customers, which may lead to decreased demand for our products and services. There is no assurance that we will be able to maintain our level of sales to a customer that has consolidated, or replace that revenue with increased business activity with other customers. As a result, the acquisition of one or more of our primary customers may have a significant adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. We are unable to predict what effect consolidations in the industry may have on prices, capital spending by our customers, our selling strategies, our competitive position, our ability to retain customers or our ability to negotiate favorable agreements with our customers.