Eltek (ELTK) Risk Factors

We have in the past been, and currently are, subject to claims and litigation relating to environmental matters.  We may be subject to further environmental claims alleging that we are in violation of environmental laws. If we are unsuccessful in such claims and other future claims and litigations or if actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and judgments, we may be exposed to losses that could be material to our company. During 2014, 2015 and 2016, we received notices from Meitav, the water company of the Petach Tikva municipality, requiring payment of fees totaling NIS 3.8 million ($980,000) excluding VAT, for discharges of industrial wastewater allegedly not meeting the applicable standards into the municipal sewage system.  The payment demands were made on the basis of several samplings conducted by Meitav in our premises during 2013-2015. In December 2015, we completed the construction of a new wastewater treatment facility. In 2016, six wastewater samples were inspected by Meitav and were found to be in compliance with applicable standards. We reached a settlement with Meitav in July 2016. In October 2015, we filed an application for an emissions permit with the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection, or the Ministry.  In January 2016, we received a notice of non-compliance from the Ministry stating that the application was incomplete and that we are in breach of the Clean Air Law, 5768-2008, or the Clean Air Law, and the Licensing of Businesses Law, 5728-1968, or the Licensing of Businesses Law. We submitted amended applications and conducted several discussions with the Ministry in 2016 and 2017 and received the emissions permit in July 2017. In March 2019, representatives of the Ministry inspected our premises and issued a warning related to an alleged breach of the Clean Air Law and a warning related to the Hazardous Materials Law (1993). Management believes that our company is not in violation of these laws. Following a hearing at the Ministry in August 2019, we believe that this matter will ultimately be resolved but there can be no assurance that our view will be accepted by the Ministry. If we are found to be in violation of environmental laws, then in addition to fines, we could be liable for damages, costs of remedial actions and a range of potential penalties, and could also be subject to a shutdown of our factory. Such sanctions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Various governments and governmental agencies have adopted or are contemplating statutory and regulatory changes in response to the potential impacts of climate change and emissions of greenhouse gases. International treaties or agreements may also result in increasing regulation of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, including the introduction of greenhouse gas emissions trading mechanisms.  Any such law or regulation regarding climate change and greenhouse gas emissions could impose significant costs on our operations and on the operations of our customers and suppliers, including increased energy, capital equipment, environmental monitoring, reporting and other compliance costs.  The potential costs of "allowances," "offsets" or "credits" that may be part of potential cap-and-trade programs or similar proposed regulatory measures are still uncertain.  Any adopted future climate change and greenhouse gas laws or regulations could negatively impact our ability, and that of our customers and suppliers, to compete with companies situated in areas not subject to such laws or regulations. These statutory and regulatory initiatives, if enacted, may impact our operations directly or indirectly through our suppliers or customers.  Until the timing, scope and extent of any future law or regulation becomes known, we cannot predict the effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We are subject to the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, or the Dodd-Frank Act, that will require us to perform due diligence, disclose and report whether our products contain conflict minerals. President Trump's administration has indicated that the Dodd-Frank Act will be under further scrutiny and some of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act may be revised, repealed or amended. In April 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, announced that it was suspending enforcement of portions of the conflict minerals regulations enacted under the Dodd-Frank Act following a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The implementation of these requirements and any changes effected by the Trump administration could adversely affect the sourcing, availability and pricing of the materials used in the manufacture of components used in our products. In addition, we will likely incur additional costs to comply with the disclosure requirements, including costs related to conducting diligence procedures to determine the sources of conflict minerals that may be used in or necessary to the production of our products and, if applicable, potential changes to our products, processes or sources of supply as a consequence of such verification activities. It is also possible that we may face reputational harm if we determine that certain of our products contain minerals not determined to be conflict-free or if we are unable to alter our products, processes or sources of supply to avoid use of such materials. Furthermore, we may encounter challenges in satisfying those customers that require that all of the components of our products be certified as conflict free, and if we cannot satisfy these customers, they may choose a competitor's products.

The proper function of our manufacturing equipment is an important element in our effectively operating our business. We own and use several unique manufacturing machines, some of which are aging and sometimes malfunction, causing disruptions and occasionally even cessation of our manufacturing activities, which adversely affects our business. It is possible that substantial funds may be required to repair or replace our unique machinery, which may not be available to us. Further, the repair or replacement of certain machinery could be a long process. In some cases, machinery suppliers stop supporting and repairing such manufacturing equipment. Machinery failure could cause a cessation of our manufacturing activities for a significant period of time, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Strikes and work stoppages occur relatively frequently in Israel. If Israeli trade unions threaten additional strikes or work stoppages and such strikes or work stoppages occur, these may, if prolonged, have a material adverse effect on the Israeli economy and on our business, including our ability to deliver products to our customers in a timely manner.

Some of our employees, directors and officers in Israel are obligated to perform annual reserve duty in the Israeli Defense Forces and may be called for active duty under emergency circumstances at any time.  If a military conflict or war arises, these individuals could be required to serve in the military for extended periods of time.  Our operations could be disrupted by the absence for a significant period of one or more of our executive officers or key employees or a significant number of other employees due to military service.  Any disruption in our operations could adversely affect our business.

In November 2011, we were notified by the General Federation of Labor in Israel, or the Histadrut, that more than one-third of our employees in Israel had decided to join the Histadrut and that they established an employees' union committee.  In 2012, a significant portion of our employees decided to resign their membership in the Histadrut, which then ceased to represent our employees. If our employees are represented by a union in the future, we could incur additional costs, experience work stoppages, either of which could adversely affect our business operations, including through a loss of revenue and strained relationships with customers.

Our success depends, to a significant extent, on the continued active participation of our executive officers and other key personnel.  In addition, there is significant competition for employees with technical expertise in our industry.  In order to succeed we would need to be able to: - retain our executive officers and key technical personnel;- attract and retain additional qualified personnel to provide technological depth and support to enhance existing products and develop new products; and - attract and retain highly skilled operations, marketing and financial personnel. We cannot make assurances that we will be successful in attracting, integrating, motivating and retaining key personnel.  If we are unable to retain our key personnel and attract additional qualified personnel as and when needed, our business may be adversely affected.

During periods of slowing economic activity, our customers may reduce their demand for our products, technology and professional services, which would reduce our sales, and our business, operating results and financial condition may be adversely affected. The global and domestic economies continue to face a number of economic challenges, including threatened sovereign defaults, credit downgrades, restricted credit for businesses and consumers and potentially falling demand for a variety of products and services. These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, could result in longer sales cycles, slower adoption of new technologies and increased price competition for our products and services. We could also be exposed to credit risk and payment delinquencies on our accounts receivable, which are not covered by collateral. Significant portions of our business are conducted outside the markets in which our products and solutions are manufactured or generally sold, and accordingly, we often export a substantial number of products into such markets. We may, therefore, be denied access to potential customers or suppliers or denied the ability to ship products from any of our subsidiaries into the countries in which we currently operate or wish to operate, as a result of economic, legislative, political and military conditions, including hostilities and acts of terrorism, in such countries. In particular, there is currently significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the U.S. and various other countries, with respect to trade policies, treaties, government regulations, and tariffs. For example, the recent imposition of tariffs and/or changes in tariffs on various products by the U.S. and other countries, including China and Canada, have introduced greater uncertainty with respect to trade policies and government regulations affecting trade between the U.S. and other countries, and new and/or increased tariffs have subjected, and may in the future subject, us to additional costs and expenditure of resources. Major developments in trade relations, including the imposition of new or increased tariffs by the U.S. and/or other countries, and any emerging nationalist trends in specific countries could alter the trade environment and consumer purchasing behavior which, in turn, could have a material effect on our financial condition and results of operations. While the U.S. and China recently signed a "phase one" trade deal on January 15, 2020 to reduce planned increases to tariffs, concerns over the stability of bilateral trade relations remain. In addition, the UK's exit from the European Union on January 31, 2020, known as Brexit, and the ongoing negotiations of the future trading relationship between the UK and the European Union during the transition period set to end December 31, 2020 have yet to provide clarity on what the outcome will be for the UK or Europe. Changes related to Brexit could subject us to heightened risks in that region, including disruptions to trade and free movement of goods, services and people to and from the UK, disruptions to the workforce of our business partners, increased foreign exchange volatility with respect to the British pound and additional legal, political and economic uncertainty. If these actions impacting our international distribution and sales channels result in increased costs for us or our international partners, such changes could result in higher costs to us, adversely affecting our operations, particularly as we expand our international presence. We may also be required in the future to increase our reserves for doubtful accounts.  In addition, the fair value of some of our assets may decrease as a result of an uncertain economy and as a result, we may be required to record impairment charges in the future. If global economic and market conditions or economic conditions in key markets remain uncertain or weaken further, our financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. The spread of novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, may adversely affect our business operations and financial condition. In December 2019, an outbreak of COVID-19 was reported in Wuhan, China. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. This highly contagious disease has spread to most of the countries in the world and throughout both Israel and the United States, creating a serious impact on our customers, workforces, and suppliers, disrupting economies and financial markets, and potentially leading to a world-wide economic downturn. It has caused a disruption of the normal operations of many businesses, including the temporary closure or scale-back of business operations and the imposition of either quarantine or remote work or meeting requirements for employees, either by government order or on a voluntary basis. The pandemic may adversely affect our customers' ability to perform their missions and is in many cases disrupting their operations. It may also impact the ability of our subcontractors, partners, and suppliers to operate and fulfill their contractual obligations, and result in an increase in their costs and cause delays in performance. These supply chain effects, and the direct effect of the virus and the disruption on our operations, may negatively impact both our ability to meet customer demand and our revenue and profit margins. Both Israel and the United States have imposed quarantines and restrictions on travel and mass gatherings and curtailed and limited non-essential works in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. Some of our employees are quarantined and in some cases, are working remotely due either to safety concerns and using various technologies to perform their functions. We may encounter delays or changes in customer demand, particularly if government funding priorities change. Additionally, the disruption and volatility in the global and domestic capital markets may increase the cost of capital and limit our ability to access capital. While the ultimate impact of the spread of COVID-19 is highly uncertain and subject to change, if protective or preventative measures expand, we may experience a material adverse effect on our business operations, revenues and financial condition.