Ducommun (DCO) Risk Factors

We must comply with and are affected by laws and regulations relating to the award, administration and performance of U.S. Government contracts. Government contract laws and regulations affect how we do business with our customers and impose certain risks and costs on our business. A violation of specific laws and regulations, by us, our employees, or others working on our behalf, such as a supplier or a venture partner, could harm our reputation and result in the imposition of fines and penalties, the termination of our contracts, suspension or debarment from bidding on or being awarded contracts, loss of our ability to export products or services and civil or criminal investigations or proceedings. In some instances, these laws and regulations impose terms or rights that are different from those typically found in commercial transactions. For example, the U.S. Government may terminate any of our customers' government contracts and subcontracts either at its convenience or for default based on our performance. Upon termination for convenience of a fixed-price type contract, we normally are entitled to receive the purchase price for delivered items, reimbursement for allowable costs for work-in-process and an allowance for profit on the contract or adjustment for loss if completion of performance would have resulted in a loss.

The accuracy and appropriateness of certain costs and expenses used to substantiate our direct and indirect costs for the U.S. Government contracts are subject to extensive regulation and audit by the Defense Contract Audit Agency, an arm of the U.S. DoD. Such audits and reviews could result in adjustments to our contract costs and profitability. However, we cannot ensure the outcome of any future audits and adjustments may be required to reduce net sales or profits upon completion and final negotiation of audits. If any audit or review were to uncover inaccurate costs or improper activities, we could be subject to penalties and sanctions, including termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, fines and suspension or prohibition from conducting future business with the U.S. Government. Any such outcome could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

The future success of our business depends in large part upon our and our customers' ability to maintain and enhance technological capabilities, develop and market manufacturing services that meet changing customer needs and successfully anticipate or respond to technological advances in manufacturing processes such as the incorporation of artificial intelligence and other disruptive technologies on a cost-effective and timely basis, while meeting evolving industry and regulatory standards. To address these risks, we invest in product design and development, and incur related capital expenditures. There can be no guarantee that our product design and development efforts will be successful, or that funds required to be invested in product design and development or incurred as capital expenditures will not increase materially in the future.

The SEC recently adopted a rule, "Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance, and Incident Disclosure," that enhances and standardizes disclosures regarding cybersecurity risk management and governance, as well as material cybersecurity incidents. Under this new rule, public companies are now required to make annual disclosures describing their processes for identifying and managing material cybersecurity risks, management's role in assessing and managing such risks, and the Board of Directors' oversight of cybersecurity risks. Companies also must disclose in a Form 8-K, the nature, scope, and timing of any material cybersecurity incidents identified and the material impact or reasonably likely material impact on the company within four business days of determining a cybersecurity incident is material. We expect to face increased costs to comply with this new SEC cybersecurity rule, including increased costs for cybersecurity training, staffing, and management. In addition, the requirement to report cybersecurity incidents within such a short timeframe could mean there may not be sufficient time to halt a breach before having to report it, potentially giving the hackers an advantage.

The markets we serve are highly competitive and price sensitive. We compete worldwide with a number of domestic and international companies that have substantially greater manufacturing, purchasing, marketing and financial resources than we do. Many of our customers have the in-house capability to fulfill their manufacturing requirements. Our larger competitors may be able to compete more effectively for very large-scale contracts than we can by providing different or greater capabilities or benefits such as technical qualifications, past performance on large-scale contracts, geographic presence, price and availability of key professional personnel. If we are unable to successfully compete for new business, our net revenues growth and operating margins may decline. Some of our major customers have completed extensive cost containment efforts and we expect continued pricing pressures in 2024 and beyond. Competitive pricing pressures may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results. Further, there can be no assurance that competition from existing or potential competitors in other segments of our business will not have a material adverse effect on our financial results. If we do not continue to compete effectively and win contracts, our future business, financial condition, results of operations and our ability to meet our financial obligations may be materially compromised.

We currently generate the majority of our revenues from customers in the aerospace and defense industry. Our business depends, in part, on the level of new military and commercial aircraft orders. As a result, we have significant sales to certain customers. Sales to The Boeing Company ("Boeing"), Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. ("Spirit"), and Viasat, Inc. ("Viasat") comprise a significant portion of our commercial aerospace end-use market in 2023. A significant portion of our net sales in our military and space end-use markets are made under subcontracts with original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs"), under their prime contracts with the U. S. Government. We had significant sales to General Dynamics Corporation ("GD"), Northrop Grumman Corporation ("Northrop"), and RTX Corporation (f/k/a Raytheon Technologies Corporation) ("RTX") in 2023 in our defense technologies end-use market. Our customers may experience delays in the launch and certification of new products, labor strikes, diminished liquidity or credit unavailability, weak demand for their products, or other difficulties in their business. In addition, shifts in government spending priorities have caused and may continue to cause additional uncertainty in the placement of orders. Our revenues from our top ten customers, which represented 59% of our total 2023 net revenues, were diversified over a number of different aerospace and defense products. Any significant change in production rates by these customers would have a material effect on our results of operations and cash flows. There is no assurance that our current significant customers will continue to buy products from us at current levels, or that we will retain any or all of our existing customers, or that we will be able to form new relationships with customers upon the loss of one or more of our existing customers. This risk may be further complicated by pricing pressures, competition prevalent in our industry and other factors. A significant reduction in sales to any of our major customers, the loss of a major customer, or a default of a major customer on accounts receivable could have a material adverse impact on our financial results. Boeing was one of our largest customers in 2023, and the 737 MAX was one of our highest commercial end use market revenue platforms. While Boeing has received approval from all the major civil aviation regulators around the world for its 737 MAX to return to service, our production rates are still below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Further, as noted earlier, in early January 2024, the FAA initiated an investigation into Boeing's quality control system. This was followed by the FAA announcing actions to increase its oversight of Boeing as well as not approving production rate increases or additional production lines for the 737 MAX until it is satisfied that Boeing is in full compliance with required quality control procedures. Revenue growth with our other commercial customers, including Airbus SE ("Airbus"), and continued solid demand from defense OEMs (also known as prime contractors) have helped to mitigate a significant portion of this risk for the time being. However, the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic along with inflationary forces, supply chain issues, and rising or high interest rates continues to dampen civil air travel demand in various segments and markets, and if traveler demand does not return in the near future, it may make it difficult to continue to offset a significant portion of this risk. We generally make sales under purchase orders and contracts that are subject to cancellation, modification or rescheduling. Changes in the economic environment and the financial condition of the industries we serve could result in customer cancellation of contractual orders or requests for rescheduling. Some of our contracts have specific provisions relating to schedule and performance, and failure to deliver in accordance with such provisions could result in cancellations, modifications, rescheduling and/or penalties, in some cases at the customers' convenience and without prior notice. While we have normally recovered our direct and indirect costs plus profit, such cancellations, modifications, or rescheduling that cannot be replaced in a timely fashion, could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.