Cummins (CMI) Risk Factors

Our products are subject to recall for performance or safety-related issues. Product recalls subject us to reputational risk, loss of current and future customers, reduced revenue and product recall costs. Product recall costs are incurred when we decide, either voluntarily or involuntarily, to recall a product through a formal campaign to solicit the return of specific products due to known or suspected performance or safety issues. Any significant product recalls could have material adverse effects on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. See NOTE 14, "PRODUCT WARRANTY LIABILITY" to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

We recognize significant sales of engines and components to a few large on-highway truck OEM customers which have been an integral part of our positive business results for several years. Many are truck manufacturers or OEMs that manufacture engines for some of their own vehicles. Despite their own engine manufacturing abilities, these customers have historically chosen to outsource certain types of engine production to us due to the quality of our engine products, our emission compliance capabilities, our systems integration, their customers' preferences, their desire for cost reductions, their desire for eliminating production risks and their desire to maintain company focus. However, there can be no assurance that these customers will continue to outsource, or outsource as much of, their engine production in the future. In addition, increased levels of OEM vertical integration could result from a number of factors, such as shifts in our customers' business strategies, acquisition by a customer of another engine manufacturer, the inability of third-party suppliers to meet product specifications and the emergence of low-cost production opportunities in foreign countries. Any significant reduction in the level of engine production outsourcing from our truck manufacturer or OEM customers, financial distress of one of our large truck OEM customers due to a change-in-control, could likely lead to significant reductions in our sales volumes, commercial disputes, receivable collection issues, and other negative consequences that could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We sponsor both funded and unfunded domestic and foreign defined benefit pension and other retirement plans. Our pension cost and the required contributions to our pension plans are directly affected by the value of plan assets, the projected and actual rates of return on plan assets and the actuarial assumptions we use to measure our defined benefit pension plan obligations, including the discount rate at which future projected and accumulated pension obligations are discounted to a present value. We could experience increased pension cost due to a combination of factors, including the decreased investment performance of pension plan assets, decreases in the discount rate and changes in our assumptions relating to the expected return on plan assets.Significant declines in current and future financial and stock market conditions could cause material losses in our pension plan assets, which could result in increased pension cost in future years and adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition and cash flow. Depending upon the severity and length of market declines and government regulatory changes, we may be legally obligated to make pension payments in the U.S. and perhaps other countries and these contributions could be material.

Although we conduct market research before launching new or refreshed engines and introducing new services, many factors both within and outside our control affect the success of new or existing products and services in the marketplace. Offering engines and services that customers desire and value can mitigate the risks of increasing competition and declining demand, but products and services that are perceived to be less than desirable (whether in terms of price, quality, overall value, fuel efficiency or other attributes) can exacerbate these risks. With increased consumer interconnectedness through the internet, social media and other media, mere allegations relating to poor quality, safety, fuel efficiency, corporate responsibility or other key attributes can negatively impact our reputation or market acceptance of our products or services, even if such allegations prove to be inaccurate or unfounded.

We are investing in new products and technologies, including electrified powertrains, hydrogen production and fuel cells, for planned introduction into certain new and existing markets. Given the early stages of development of some of these new products and technologies, there can be no guarantee of the future market acceptance and investment returns with respect to our planned products, which will face competition from an array of other technologies and manufacturers. The ongoing energy transition away from fossil fuels and the increased adoption of electrified powertrains in some market segments could result in lower demand for current diesel or natural gas engines and components and, over time, reduce the demand for related parts and service revenues from diesel or natural gas powertrains. Furthermore, it is possible that we may not be successful in developing segment-leading electrified or alternate fuel powertrains and some of our existing customers could choose to develop their own, or source from other manufacturers, and any of these factors could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We rely on the capacity, reliability and security of our information technology environment and data security infrastructure in connection with various aspects of our business activities. We also rely on our ability to expand and continually update these technologies and related infrastructure in response to the changing needs of our business. As we implement new technologies, they may not perform as expected. We face the challenge of supporting our older technologies and implementing necessary upgrades. In addition, some of these technologies are managed by third-party service providers and are not under our direct control. If we experience a problem with an important technology, including during upgrades and/or new implementations of technologies, the resulting disruptions could have an adverse effect on our business and reputation. As customers adopt and rely on cloud-based digital technologies and services we offer, any disruption of the confidentiality, integrity or availability of those services could have an adverse effect on our business and reputation. The data handled by our technologies is vulnerable to security threats. Our operations routinely involve receiving, storing, processing and transmitting sensitive information pertaining to our business, customers, dealers, suppliers, employees and other sensitive matters. As such, our information technology environment faces information technology security threats, such as security breaches, computer malware, ransomware attacks and other "cyber attacks," which are increasing in both frequency and sophistication, along with power outages or hardware failures. These threats could result in unauthorized public disclosures of information, create financial liability, subject us to legal or regulatory sanctions, disrupt our ability to conduct our business, result in the loss of intellectual property or damage our reputation with customers, dealers, suppliers and other stakeholders. As the result of changing market conditions, a large percentage of our salaried employees continue to work remotely full or part-time. This remote working environment may pose a heightened risk for security breaches or other disruptions of our information technology environment. In addition, our products, including our engines, contain interconnected and increasingly complex technologies that control various processes and these technologies are potentially subject to "cyber attacks" and disruption. The impact of a significant information technology event on either our information technology environment or our products could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, reputation, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Our business is subject to the political, economic and other risks that are inherent in operating in numerous countries. These risks include: - public health crises, including the spread of a contagious disease, such as future pandemics or epidemics, quarantines or shutdowns related to public health crises, and other catastrophic events;- economic and political instability, including international conflicts, war, acts of terrorism or the threat thereof, political or labor unrest, civil unrest, riots or insurrections;- the difficulty of enforcing agreements and collecting receivables through foreign legal systems;- trade protection measures and import or export licensing requirements;- the imposition of taxes on foreign income and tax rates in certain foreign countries that exceed those in the U.S.;- the imposition of tariffs, exchange controls or other restrictions;- difficulty in staffing and managing widespread operations and the application of foreign labor regulations;- required compliance with a variety of foreign laws and regulations; and - changes in general economic and political conditions, including changes in relationship with the U.S., in countries where we operate, particularly in China and emerging markets. As we continue to operate and grow our business globally, our success will depend, in part, on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and other related risks. There can be no assurance that the consequences of these and other factors relating to our multinational operations will not have a material adverse effect upon us. In addition, there continues to be significant uncertainty about the future relationships between the U.S. and China, including with respect to trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs. Any increased trade barriers or restrictions on global trade, especially trade with China could adversely impact our competitive position, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We conduct operations in many areas of the world involving transactions denominated in a variety of currencies. We are subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk to the extent that our costs are denominated in currencies other than those in which we earn revenues. In addition, since our financial statements are denominated in U.S. dollars, changes in foreign currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and other currencies have had, and will continue to have, an impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. We also face risks arising from the imposition of foreign exchange controls and currency devaluations. Foreign exchange controls may limit our ability to convert foreign currencies into U.S. dollars or to remit dividends and other payments by our foreign subsidiaries or businesses located in or conducted within a country imposing controls. Currency devaluations result in a diminished value of funds denominated in the currency of the country instituting the devaluation. See Management's Discussion and Analysis for additional information.