PHINIA Inc. (PHIN) Risk Analysis

We have internal policies and procedures and supplier policies and requirements relating to compliance with anti-corruption, sanctions, import and export control laws and exchange control laws, and we conduct periodic compliance training on such laws for our employees; however, there is a risk that such policies, procedures and requirements will not always protect us from the improper acts of employees, agents, suppliers, other business partners, joint venture partners, or representatives, particularly in the case of recently acquired operations that may not have significant training in applicable compliance policies and procedures. Compliance violations may result in criminal penalties, sanctions or fines that could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation. Changes that could impact the legal environment include new legislation, regulations, and policies, investigations and legal proceedings, and new interpretations of existing rules and regulations, in particular, changes in sanctions, import and export control laws or exchange control laws, and other changes in laws in countries where we operate or intend to operate.

We provide product warranties to our customers for some of our products. Under these product warranties, we may be required to bear costs and expenses for the repair or replacement of these products. As suppliers become more integrally involved in the design of vehicles and equipment and assume more of the assembly functions, OEMs are increasingly looking to their suppliers for contribution when faced with recalls and product warranty claims. A recall claim or product warranty claim brought against us could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, a recall claim could require us to review our entire product portfolio to assess whether similar issues are present in other product lines, which could result in significant disruption to our business and could have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations. Factors outside our control, including the quality of fuel in end user markets or our products operating under conditions not originally contemplated, may increase our exposure for warranty or recall claims. In addition, as we continue to develop and invest in products and solutions involving alternative fuels (such as hydrogen, ammonia, ethanol, compressed natural gas and other zero- or lower-carbon fuel types) designed to enhance fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, we may experience an increase in fuel and product quality-related product warranty or other claims. We cannot assure that costs and expenses associated with these claims will not be material or that those costs will not exceed any amounts accrued for such claims in our financial statements. In addition, we are currently, and may in the future become, subject to other commercial or contractual disputes and legal proceedings. These claims typically arise in the normal course of business and may include, but not be limited to, commercial or contractual disputes with our customers and suppliers, intellectual property matters, personal injury, product liability, environmental and employment claims. These claims may also arise under the Separation and Distribution Agreement we entered into with the Former Parent in connection with the Spin-Off, which allocated responsibility to us for various legacy matters, including certain items that are otherwise unrelated to our business. As previously disclosed, the Company and the Former Parent are currently involved in a dispute relating to the Tax Matters Agreement entered into by the parties in connection with the Spin-Off (the BorgWarner Dispute). For more information regarding the BorgWarner Dispute, refer to Note 18, "Contingencies," to the Consolidated Financial Statements. There is a possibility that any such claims may have an adverse impact on our business that is greater than we anticipate. While we maintain insurance that provides protection against certain potential losses relating to such claims and other risks, including those resulting from cybersecurity threats and incidents, the amount and extent of such insurance may not be adequate to insure us against all claims, costs and liabilities related to these matters. The incurring of significant liabilities for which there is no, or insufficient, insurance coverage could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We own important intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, and are involved in numerous licensing arrangements. Our intellectual property plays an important role in maintaining our competitive position in a number of the markets that we serve. Our competitors may develop technologies that are similar or superior to our proprietary technologies or design alternatives to the technologies utilizing the patents we own or license. Further, as we expand our operations in jurisdictions where the enforcement of intellectual property rights is less robust, the risk of others duplicating our proprietary technologies or supplying counterfeit goods at lower prices under confusingly similar or identical trademarks, increases, despite the efforts we undertake to protect our intellectual property. Our inability to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, or claims that we are infringing on the intellectual property rights of others, could adversely affect our competitive position, as well as our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on the capacity, reliability and security of our information technology systems and infrastructure. Information technology systems are vulnerable to disruptions, including those resulting from cybersecurity attacks, failures or vulnerabilities in third-party provided products and services, and natural disasters or adverse weather events. In addition, the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks. Disruptions in, attacks on and the integrity of our information technology systems, or on the information systems, products or services of third parties with which we engage, pose a risk to the security of our systems and data, including the data of our employees, customers and suppliers. Some cybersecurity attacks or incidents result from human error or manipulation (including phishing attacks or other schemes that use social engineering to gain access to systems), carry out disbursement of funds or other frauds, or involve ransomware, malware and other advanced persistent threats that increase the risks and costs associated with protecting against such attacks. We have implemented cybersecurity and data protection policies, processes and strategies that are informed by regulatory and business requirements and industry practices. These policies, processes and strategies are designed to help (i) identify, prevent and mitigate against evolving cybersecurity threats to the Company; (ii) preserve the confidentiality, security and availability of the information that we collect and store for use in operating our business; (iii) protect the Company's intellectual property; (iv) maintain the confidence of our customers, suppliers, other business partners and employees; and (v) provide appropriate public disclosure of cybersecurity risks and incidents when required. Despite these efforts, we have experienced targeted and non-targeted cybersecurity attacks and incidents in the past that have resulted in unauthorized persons gaining access to our information and systems, and we could in the future experience similar attacks. To date, no cybersecurity attack or incident, or any risk from cybersecurity threats, has materially affected or is reasonably likely to materially affect the Company or our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. Nevertheless, cybersecurity attacks on the Company continue unabated and future cybersecurity attacks or incidents could potentially lead to the inappropriate disclosure of confidential information (including our intellectual property or employee, customer or supplier data), improper use of our systems and networks, access to and manipulation and destruction of our third-party data, production downtimes or delays, lost revenues, inappropriate disbursement of funds, and both internal and external supply shortages. In addition, we expect, and may be required, to continue to incur significant additional costs to protect against damage caused by cybersecurity attacks or incidents in the future. The consequences of a cybersecurity attack or incident could cause significant damage to our reputation, affect our relationships with our employees, customers, suppliers, and other business partners, or lead to governmental investigations or claims against us, and ultimately, adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Because the vehicle and equipment industries rely heavily on just-in-time delivery of components during the assembly and manufacture of products, a work stoppage or production shutdown at one or more of our suppliers' facilities, including as a result of a prolonged dispute with unionized employees at such facilities, could impact our ability to manufacture and assemble our products and solutions, or meet the needs of our customers, which could have significant adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Similarly, if one or more of our customers were to experience a work stoppage or production shutdown, that customer would likely halt or limit purchases of our products, which could result in the shutdown of the related manufacturing facilities. Strikes against certain of our customers adversely impacted our results of operations during 2023, as automakers limited purchases of our products during the strikes due to the halt of their own production. Any future strikes that continue for a prolonged period could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition to our suppliers and customers, a work stoppage or production shutdown at one or more of our manufacturing and assembly facilities, including as a result of a prolonged dispute with the unionized employees at certain of our international facilities, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our continued success depends in part on our ability to identify, attract and onboard qualified candidates with the requisite education, background, skills and experience, and our ability to retain, develop and engage employees across our business, including our sales, manufacturing, research and development, information technology, corporate and other operations and functions. To the extent we are unable to remain competitive with our total rewards programs (which includes compensation and benefits programs and practices), human capital management strategies and objectives, or inclusive workplace culture, or if qualified candidates or employees become more difficult to attract or retain under reasonable terms, we may experience higher labor-related costs and significant employee turnover, and may be unable to attract and retain a qualified global workforce, including members of management, other senior leaders and employees with key engineering and technical skills, in numbers sufficient for our needs. These factors could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, and impair our ability to meet our strategic objectives and the needs of our customers.

We obtain components and other products and services from numerous suppliers and other vendors throughout the world. In an effort to manage and reduce the cost of purchased products and services, we have been rationalizing aspects of our supply base, which has resulted in our dependence on fewer supply sources for certain components used in the manufacture of our products. We select and maintain relationships with suppliers considering a variety of factors, including price, quality, technology, production capacities, reliability, customer requirements, environmental sustainability and other responsible business practices, financial condition and geographic location. We expect our suppliers to deliver components in accordance with our stated expectations. In recent years, the global economy and entire industries have experienced global supply chain shortages and other disruptions, including due to natural disasters or extreme weather events, political disruptions, pandemics or other public health crises, terrorist attacks, acts of war, labor or social unrest, government actions (such as relating to trade laws and tariffs), cybersecurity attacks or incidents and other circumstances. For the automotive industry in particular, although global supply chains have recovered from the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, other circumstances (such as the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, natural disasters and extreme weather events) have caused supply constraints for certain components that have impacted, and some of which continue to impact, global industry production levels. These circumstances and other rapidly changing industry conditions (such as volatile production volumes; credit tightness; tariffs and changes in trade policy and relations; changes in foreign currencies; raw material, commodity, transportation and energy price escalation; drastic changes in consumer preferences; and other factors) have resulted or could in the future result in significant supply disruptions, supplier financial instability or distress, or commercial disputes with suppliers and customers. If we experience a prolonged shortage of critical components from any of our suppliers and cannot procure such components from other sources, we may be unable to meet the production schedules for some of our key products and customer delivery expectations. In certain instances, it would be difficult and expensive for us to change suppliers that are critical to our business. Such suppliers may perceive this reliance as greater leverage to seek higher prices from us at a time that we face substantial pressure from OEMs to reduce the prices of our products. Further, we may provide financial support to distressed suppliers or take other measures to protect our supply lines. The circumstances and conditions described in this section have resulted or could in the future result in additional costs and adversely impact our relationships with customers or suppliers or our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We use a variety of commodities (including aluminum, copper, nickel, plastic resins, steel, other raw materials and energy) and materials purchased in various forms, such as castings, powder metal, forgings, stampings and bar stock, in the production of our products. In recent years, prices for many of these commodities have increased. We have sought to alleviate the impact of increasing costs by including a material pass-through provision in our customer contracts wherever possible and by selectively hedging certain commodity exposures. Customers frequently challenge these contractual provisions and rarely pay the full cost of any increases in the cost of materials. The discontinuation or lessening of our ability to pass through or hedge increasing commodity costs could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. From time to time, commodity prices may also fall rapidly. If this happens, suppliers may withdraw capacity from the market until prices improve, which may cause periodic supply interruptions. The same may be true of transportation carriers and energy providers. If these supply interruptions occur, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Prices for commodities remain volatile, and since the beginning of 2021, the Company has experienced price increases for energy and base metals (e.g., steel, aluminum and copper) while slightly decreasing in 2024. In addition, beginning in 2023, many global economies, including the United States, experienced elevated levels of inflation more generally, which drove an increase in input costs. We have pricing-related agreements with various customers, but these agreements do not enable us to recover 100 percent of our increased costs, and as a result, our operating margins have been negatively impacted. While we will continue to negotiate the pass through and recovery of higher costs with our customers, perpetuation of this trend could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Nearly all of our manufacturing facilities are outside the U.S., including other regions in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Consequently, our results would be affected by changes in trade, monetary and fiscal policies, trade restrictions or prohibitions, import tariffs or other charges or taxes, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, limitations on the repatriation of funds, changing economic conditions, unreliable intellectual property protection and legal systems, insufficient infrastructures, social unrest, political instability and disputes, international terrorism, acts of war and other factors that may be discrete to a particular country or geography. Compliance with multiple and potentially conflicting laws and regulations of various countries is challenging, burdensome, and expensive. The financial statements of foreign subsidiaries are translated to U.S. Dollars using the period-end exchange rate for assets and liabilities and an average exchange rate for each period for revenues, expenses and capital expenditures. The local currency is typically the functional currency for our foreign subsidiaries. While we did not experience significant foreign currency impacts during 2024, significant foreign currency fluctuations and the associated translation of those foreign currencies could adversely affect our business. Additionally, significant changes in currency exchange rates, particularly the Euro, Chinese Renminbi, British Pound, Brazilian Real and Indian Rupee could cause fluctuations in the reported results of our businesses' operations that could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Because we are a U.S. holding company, one significant source of our funds is distributions from our non-U.S. subsidiaries. Certain countries in which we operate have adopted or could institute currency exchange controls that limit or prohibit our local subsidiaries' ability to convert local currency into U.S. Dollars or to make payments outside the country. This could subject us to the risks of local currency devaluation and business disruption.

Extraordinary events, including natural disasters or extreme weather events (including those that may result from the impacts of climate change), fires or similar catastrophic events, political disruptions, terrorist attacks, pandemics or other public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and acts of war have in the past and may in the future disrupt our business or operations, impact our supply chain and access to necessary raw materials, or adversely affect the global economy generally, resulting in a loss of sales and customers and an increase in costs. Any of these disruptions or other extraordinary events outside of our control that impact our operations or the operations of our suppliers or customers could have a future adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, these types of events could negatively impact consumer spending or result in changes in the demand for certain products and solutions in the impacted regions or globally, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.