Fabrinet (FN) Risk Factors

We may not be able to pursue many large customer orders or sustain our historical growth rates if we do not have sufficient manufacturing capacity to enable us to commit to provide customers with specified quantities of products. If our customers do not believe that we have sufficient manufacturing capacity, they may: (1) outsource all of their production to another manufacturer that they believe can fulfill all of their production requirements; (2) look to a second manufacturer for the manufacture of additional quantities of the products that we currently manufacture for them; (3) manufacture the products themselves; or (4) decide against using our services for their new products. Most recently, we expanded our manufacturing capacity by building a new facility at our Chonburi campus in Thailand in 2022. We may continue to devote significant resources to the expansion of our manufacturing capacity, and any such expansion will be expensive, will require management's time and may disrupt our operations. In the event we are unsuccessful in our attempts to expand our manufacturing capacity, our business, financial condition and operating results could be harmed. However, if we successfully expand our manufacturing capacity but are unable to promptly utilize the additional space due to reduced demand for our services or an inability to win new projects, add new customers or penetrate new markets, or if the optics industry does not grow as we expect, we may experience periods of excess capacity, which could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our current property and casualty insurance covers loss or damage to our property and third-party property over which we have custody and control, as well as losses associated with business interruption, subject to specified exclusions and limitations such as coinsurance, facilities location sub-limits and other policy limitations and covenants. Even with insurance coverage, natural disasters or other catastrophic events, including acts of war, could cause us to suffer substantial losses in our operational capacity and could also lead to a loss of opportunity and to a potential adverse impact on our relationships with our existing customers resulting from our inability to produce products for them, for which we might not be compensated by existing insurance. This in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

The current volatility and adverse conditions in the capital and credit markets have negatively affected levels of business and consumer spending, heightening concerns about the likelihood of a global recession and potential default of various national bonds and debt backed by individual countries. Such developments, as well as the policies impacting these, could adversely affect our financial results. In particular, the economic disruption caused by COVID-19 has led to reduced demand in some of our customers' optical communications product portfolios and significant volatility in global stock markets and currency exchange rates. Uncertainty about worldwide economic conditions poses a risk as businesses may further reduce or postpone spending in response to reduced budgets, tight credit, negative financial news and declines in income or asset values, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results and increase the volatility of our share price. In addition, our ability to access capital markets may be restricted, which could have an impact on our ability to react to changing economic and business conditions and could also adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In 2022 and 2023, inflation increased globally to levels not seen in decades. Although inflation rates have recently declined, inflation can adversely affect us by increasing the costs of labor and other expenses. There is no assurance that our revenues will increase at the same rate to maintain the same level of profitability. Inflation and government efforts to combat inflation, such as raising the benchmark interest rate, could increase market volatility and have an adverse effect on the financial market and global economy. In addition, we expect that disruptions in our supply chain and fluctuations in the availability of parts and materials will continue to have a significant impact on our ability to generate revenue, despite strong demand from our customers. Such adverse conditions could negatively impact demand for our products, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

In August 2019, the U.S. imposed tariffs on a wide range of products and goods manufactured in the PRC that are directly or indirectly imported into the U.S. Although the U.S. announced on January 15, 2020 the reduction of certain tariffs on Chinese imported goods and delayed the implementation of certain other related tariffs, we have no assurance that the U.S. will not continue to increase or impose tariffs on imports from the PRC or alter trade agreements and terms between the PRC and the U.S., which may include limiting trade with the PRC. Trade restrictions, including tariffs, quotas, embargoes, safeguards and customs restrictions, could increase the cost of materials we use to manufacture certain products, which could result in lower margins. The tariffs could also result in disruptions to our supply chain, as suppliers struggle to fill orders from companies trying to purchase goods in bulk ahead of announced tariffs taking effect. The adoption of trade tariffs both globally and between the U.S. and the PRC specifically could also cause a decrease in the sales of our customers' products to end-users located in the PRC, which could directly impact our revenues in the form of reduced orders. If existing tariffs are raised further, or if new tariffs are imposed on additional categories of components used in our manufacturing activities, and if we are unable to pass on the costs of such tariffs to our customers, our operating results would be harmed.

We are subject to governmental export and import controls in Thailand, the PRC, Israel and the United States that may limit our business opportunities. Various countries regulate the import of certain technologies and have enacted laws or taken actions that could limit (1) our ability to export or sell the products we manufacture and (2) our customers' ability to export or sell products that we manufacture for them. The export of certain technologies from the United States and other nations to the PRC is barred by applicable export controls, and similar prohibitions could be extended to Thailand, thereby limiting our ability to manufacture certain products. Any change in export or import regulations or related legislation, shift in approach to the enforcement of existing regulations, or change in the countries, persons or technologies targeted by such regulations could limit our ability to offer our manufacturing services to existing or potential customers, which could harm our business, financial condition and operating results. For example, the May 2019 addition of Huawei and certain affiliates by the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security ("BIS") to the BIS Entity List denied Huawei the ability to purchase products, software and technology that are subject to U.S. Export Administration Regulations. Although we do not sell directly to Huawei, some of our customers do sell to Huawei (and its affiliates) directly. To ensure compliance, some of our customers immediately suspended shipments to Huawei in order to assess whether their products were subject to the restrictions resulting from the ban. This had an immediate impact on our customer orders in the three months ended June 28, 2019, which affected our revenue for that quarter. We expect this ban to continue to adversely affect orders from our customers for the foreseeable future.

We are subject to income and other taxes in Thailand, the PRC, the U.K., the U.S. and Israel. Our effective income tax rate, provision for income taxes and future tax liability could be adversely affected by numerous factors, including the results of tax audits and examinations, income before taxes being lower than anticipated in countries with lower statutory tax rates and higher than anticipated in countries with higher statutory tax rates, changes in income tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, failure to meet obligations with respect to tax exemptions, and changes in tax laws and regulations. From time to time, we engage in discussions and negotiations with tax authorities regarding tax matters in various jurisdictions. As of September 27, 2024, our U.S. federal and state tax returns remain open to examination for the tax years 2019 through 2022. In addition, tax returns that remain open to examination in Thailand, the PRC, the U.K. and Israel range from the tax years 2017 through 2023. The results of audits and examinations of previously filed tax returns and continuing assessments of our tax exposures may have an adverse effect on our provision for income taxes and tax liability. We base our tax position upon the anticipated nature and conduct of our business and upon our understanding of the tax laws of the various countries in which we have assets or conduct activities. However, our tax position is subject to review and possible challenge by tax authorities and to possible changes in law, which may have retroactive effect. Fabrinet (the "Cayman Islands Parent") is an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We maintain manufacturing operations in Thailand, the PRC, the U.S. and Israel. We cannot determine in advance the extent to which some jurisdictions may require us to pay taxes or make payments in lieu of taxes. Under the current laws of the Cayman Islands, we are not subject to tax in the Cayman Islands on income or capital gains until March 6, 2039. Preferential tax treatment from the Thai government in the form of a corporate tax exemption on income generated from projects to manufacture certain products at our Chonburi campus is available to us through June 2026. Similar preferential tax treatment was available to us through June 2020 with respect to products manufactured at our Pinehurst campus. After June 2020, 50% of our income generated from products manufactured at our Pinehurst campus will be exempted from tax through June 2025. Preferential tax treatment is available to us for products manufactured at our Chonburi campus Building 9, where income generated will be tax exempt through 2031, capped at our actual investment amount. Such preferential tax treatment is contingent on various factors, including the export of our customers' products out of Thailand and our agreement not to move our manufacturing facilities out of our current province in Thailand for at least 15 years from the date on which preferential tax treatment was granted. We will lose this favorable tax treatment in Thailand unless we comply with these restrictions, and as a result we may delay or forego certain strategic business decisions due to these tax considerations. There is also a risk that Thailand or another jurisdiction in which we operate may treat the Cayman Islands Parent as having a permanent establishment in such jurisdiction and subject its income to tax. If we become subject to additional taxes in any jurisdiction or if any jurisdiction begins to treat the Cayman Islands Parent as having a permanent establishment, such tax treatment could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. Certain of our subsidiaries provide products and services to, and may from time to time undertake certain significant transactions with, us and our other subsidiaries in different jurisdictions. For instance, we have intercompany agreements in place that provide for our California and Singapore subsidiaries to provide administrative services for the Cayman Islands Parent, and the Cayman Islands Parent has entered into manufacturing agreements with our Thai subsidiary. In general, related party transactions and, in particular, related party financing transactions, are subject to close review by tax authorities. Moreover, several jurisdictions in which we operate have tax laws with detailed transfer pricing rules that require all transactions with non-resident related parties to be priced using arm's length pricing principles and require the existence of contemporaneous documentation to support such pricing. Tax authorities in various jurisdictions could challenge the validity of our related party transfer pricing policies. Such a challenge generally involves a complex area of taxation and a significant degree of judgment by management. If any tax authorities are successful in challenging our financing or transfer pricing policies, our income tax expense may be adversely affected and we could become subject to interest and penalty charges, which may harm our business, financial condition and operating results. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) announced that it has reached agreement among its member countries to implement Pillar Two rules, a global minimum tax at 15% for certain multinational enterprises. The OECD has issued Pillar Two model rules and continues to release guidance on these rules. Many countries have enacted tax laws that will take effect in 2024 and 2025 to implement Pillar Two rules, while other countries have announced plans to adopt these rules. We evaluated the applicable tax law changes resulting from Pillar Two implementation in the countries where we operate, and there was no material impact to our tax provision for the three months ended September 27, 2024. As additional jurisdictions enact such legislation in the future, our effective tax rate and cash tax payments could increase. We will continue to monitor legislative and regulatory developments related to global minimum tax matters to assess the impact on our business, financial condition and operating results.

We have depended, and will continue to depend, upon a small number of customers for a significant percentage of our revenues. During the three months ended September 27, 2024 and September 29, 2023, we had two customers and four customers, respectively, that each contributed 10% or more of our revenues. Such customers together accounted for 52.6% and 61.5% of our revenues during the respective periods. Dependence on a small number of customers means that a reduction in orders from, a loss of, or other adverse actions by any one of these customers would reduce our revenues and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. Further, our customer concentration increases the concentration of our accounts receivable and our exposure to payment default by any of our key customers. Many of our existing and potential customers have substantial debt burdens, have experienced financial distress or have static or declining revenues, all of which may be exacerbated by the current global economic downturn and subsequent adverse conditions in the credit markets, as well as the impact of the U.S.-China trade dispute. Certain of our customers have gone out of business, declared bankruptcy, been acquired, or announced their withdrawal from segments of the optics market. We generate significant accounts payable and inventory for the services that we provide to our customers, which could expose us to substantial and potentially unrecoverable costs if we do not receive payment from our customers. Our reliance on a small number of customers gives our customers substantial purchasing power and leverage in negotiating contracts with us. In addition, although we enter into master supply agreements with our customers, the level of business to be transacted under those agreements is not guaranteed. Instead, we are awarded business under those agreements on a project-by-project basis. Some of our customers have at times significantly reduced or delayed the volume of manufacturing services that they order from us. If we are unable to maintain our relationships with our existing significant customers, our business, financial condition and operating results could be harmed.

We do not typically obtain firm purchase orders or commitments from our customers that extend beyond 13 weeks. While we work closely with our customers to develop forecasts for periods of up to one year, these forecasts are not binding and may be unreliable. Customers may cancel their orders, change production quantities from forecasted volumes or delay production for a number of reasons beyond our control. Any material delay, cancellation or reduction of orders could cause our revenues to decline significantly and could cause us to hold excess materials. Many of our costs and operating expenses are fixed. As a result, a reduction in customer demand could decrease our gross profit and harm our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, we make significant decisions with respect to production schedules, material procurement commitments, personnel needs and other resource requirements based on our estimate of our customers' requirements. The short-term nature of our customers' commitments and the possibility of rapid changes in demand for their products reduce our ability to accurately estimate the future requirements of our customers. Inability to forecast the level of customer orders with certainty makes it difficult to allocate resources to specific customers, order appropriate levels of materials and maximize the use of our manufacturing capacity. This could also lead to an inability to meet a spike in production demand, all of which could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our services involve the creation and use of intellectual property rights, which subject us to the risk of intellectual property infringement claims from third parties and claims arising from the allocation of intellectual property rights among us and our customers. Our customers may require that we indemnify them against the risk of intellectual property infringement arising out of our manufacturing processes. If any claims are brought against us or our customers for such infringement, whether or not these claims have merit, we could be required to expend significant resources in defense of such claims. In the event of an infringement claim, we may be required to spend a significant amount of time and money to develop non-infringing alternatives or obtain licenses. We may not be successful in developing such alternatives or obtaining such licenses on reasonable terms or at all, which could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.