MSC Industrial (MSM) Risk Factors

The long-term impacts of the Reclassification are still unknown, and the Reclassification may not result in an increase in shareholder value or improve the liquidity and marketability of our equity. If the Reclassification is not viewed favorably by members of the investment community, it may impair the value of our Class A Common Stock and limit its liquidity and marketability. Furthermore, securities markets worldwide have experienced significant price and volume fluctuations in recent years. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, could cause a reduction in the market price and liquidity of shares of our Class A Common Stock.

The Company maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. As required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, we perform an evaluation of and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, and our independent registered public accounting firm provides an opinion attesting to the effectiveness of such controls and procedures. The rules governing the standard that must be met for management to assess the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting are complex and require significant documentation, testing and, where a deficiency is identified, remediation. As discussed in more detail in Part II, Item 9A, "Controls and Procedures" below, management's assessment of our internal control over financial reporting as of August 31, 2024 identified a material weakness relating to deficiencies in the operating effectiveness of our information technology general controls ("ITGCs") relating to user access for certain information technology systems that support financial reporting processes for revenue and inventory transactions (the ITGC Material Weakness). As a result of the ITGC Material Weakness, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of August 31, 2024. Although we have not identified any misstatements in our consolidated financial statements as a result of the ITGC Material Weakness, and our independent registered public accounting firm has expressed an unqualified opinion with respect to the consolidated financial statements in its report within Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, the identified control deficiencies created the reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements would not have been prevented or detected on a timely basis. Our management has commenced remediating the ITGC Material Weakness, however such remediation steps are ongoing. If we fail to remediate the ITGC Material Weakness and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures in the future, our ability to accurately report financial information and prepare financials statements could be adversely affected and cause us to misstate our interim or annual financial statements, fail to meet our reporting obligations, incur significant expense, negatively impact investor confidence and adversely impact the price of our securities.

We currently have credit facilities and outstanding senior notes. For a description of these facilities and senior notes, please see Note 10, "Debt" in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. We are subject to various operating and financial covenants under the credit facilities and senior notes which restrict our ability to, among other things, incur additional indebtedness, make particular types of investments, incur certain types of liens, engage in fundamental corporate changes, enter into transactions with affiliates or make substantial asset sales. Any failure to comply with these covenants may constitute a breach under the credit facilities and senior notes, which could result in the acceleration of all or a substantial portion of any outstanding indebtedness and the termination of revolving credit commitments. Additionally, as interest rates rise, there may be fewer alternatives to our existing credit facilities for raising additional capital or such alternatives may be more expensive.

Certain of our customers operate in challenging industries which involve a material risk of catastrophic events. If any of these events are linked to the use of any of our products by our customers, claims could be brought against us by those customers, by governmental authorities, and by third parties who are injured or damaged as a result of such events. In addition, our reputation could be adversely affected by negative publicity surrounding such events regardless of whether or not claims against us are successful. We could experience significant losses as a result of claims made against us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

We are subject to federal, state, local, foreign and provincial environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Fines and penalties may be imposed for non-compliance with applicable environmental, health, and safety requirements and for failure to obtain or to comply with the terms and conditions of required permits. The failure by us to comply with applicable environmental, health and safety requirements could result in fines, penalties, enforcement actions, third-party claims for property damage and personal injury, requirements to clean up property or to pay for the costs of cleanup, or regulatory or judicial orders requiring corrective measures, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Additionally, such actions could negatively impact our reputation in the impacted geographic market and more broadly.

Our business depends on our ability to attract, train and retain qualified sales and customer service personnel and metalworking specialists. We greatly benefit from having associates who are familiar with the products we sell and their applications, as well as associates, particularly metalworking specialists, who can provide technical support to our customers. Qualified individuals of the requisite caliber and number needed to fill these positions may be difficult to hire and retain in sufficient numbers. Additionally, our ability to hire and retain such qualified individuals may be adversely affected by global and domestic economic uncertainty, or increased competition for such qualified individuals. If we are unable to hire and retain associates capable of providing a high level of customer service and technical support, our operational capabilities and ability to provide differentiated services may be adversely affected.

We believe that our ability to offer a combination of well-known brand name products and competitively priced exclusive brand products is an important factor in attracting and retaining customers. Our ability to offer a wide range of products and services is dependent on obtaining adequate product supply and services from our key suppliers and contractors. The loss of, or a substantial decrease in, the availability of products or services from key suppliers or contractors at competitive prices, or the loss of a key brand, could cause our revenues and profitability to decrease.

We retain a significant portion of the risk under our healthcare insurance program. In fiscal year 2021, we began self-insuring for costs associated with associates' health needs, which is limited by stop-loss coverage. Our healthcare insurance program accruals are determined on an actuarial basis, based on historical claims experience and an estimate of claims incurred but not yet reported and other relevant factors. While we believe our estimation process is well designed, every estimation process is inherently subject to limitations. Fluctuations in the frequency, magnitude or number of claims make it difficult to predict the ultimate cost of claims and may lead to future adjustments of reported results of operations which, depending on the magnitude of such adjustments, may significantly affect our reported results or negatively affect the reliability of our reported results.