Sypris (SYPR) Risk Factors

The market price of our common stock has been subject to wide price fluctuations in the past and could be subject to fluctuations in the future, in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control and may be unrelated to our financial condition, operating performance, prospects or other indicators of value. These factors may include technical factors in the public trading market for our stock that may produce price movements that may or may not comport with macro, industry or company-specific fundamentals, including, without limitation, the sentiment of retail investors (including as it may be expressed on financial trading and other social media sites), the amount and status of short interest in our securities, access to margin debt, trading in options and other derivatives on our common stock, fractional share trading and other technical trading factors or strategies.

Until the Company is able to achieve and maintain consistent profitability, we may not be able to obtain financing. If we are unable to achieve and maintain profitability, we will need to use existing cash resources or liquidate other assets to fund operating losses. While we have borrowed from GFCM on acceptable terms in the past, there can be no assurances that any additional debt financing from GFCM will be available in the future.

We have manufacturing operations located in Mexico. Excluding the cost of steel used in production, a significant portion of our operating expenses are denominated in the Mexican Peso. Currency exchange rates fluctuate daily as a result of a number of factors, including changes in a country's political and economic policies. Volatility in the currencies of our entities and the United States dollar, as well as inflationary costs, could seriously harm our business, operating results and financial condition. The primary impact of currency exchange fluctuations is on the cash, payables and expenses of our Mexican operating entities. The Company does not currently hedge our Mexican Peso denominated expenses. Unexpected losses have occurred from increases in the value of the Mexican Peso relative to the United States dollar and further unexpected losses could occur, which could be material to our business, financial results, or operations.

As an outsourced manufacturer, we operate in highly competitive environments that often include our customers' internal capabilities. We believe that the principal competitive factors in our markets include the availability of manufacturing capacity, increasingly unfavorable currency exchange rates (especially in low-cost countries), technological strength, speed and flexibility in responding to design or schedule changes, price, quality, delivery, cost management and financial strength. Our earnings could decline if our competitors or customers can provide comparable speed and quality at a lower cost, or if we fail to adequately invest in the range and quality of products and manufacturing capabilities our customers require. Most of our competitors are larger and have greater financial and organizational resources, geographic breadth and range of products, customer bases and brand recognition than we do. As a result, our competitors may respond more quickly to technological changes or customer needs, consume lower fixed and variable unit costs, negotiate reduced component prices, and obtain better terms for financing growth. If we fail to compete in any of these areas, we may lose market share and our business could be seriously harmed. There can be no assurance that we will not experience increased competition or that we will be able to achieve profitability as these new challenges arise.

We had a net loss of $1.6 million in 2023. We also generated negative operating cash flows of $11.1 million in 2023. We believe that we need to increase our revenues through new business generation in order to operate profitably. We are working to increase our revenues with new and existing customers. However, if we are not successful in maintaining or increasing our revenues, we may be unable to maintain the critical mass of capital investments or talented employees that are needed to succeed in our chosen markets or to maintain our existing facilities, which could result in restructuring or exit costs. As we work to expand our customers and our products, we must also effectively manage a more diverse production schedule to avoid slowing our production output. As we are awarded new products with new customers, we must onboard new operational processes in an effective and efficient manner. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in maintaining or increasing our revenues with new and existing customers to a level necessary to support our working capital requirements or to achieve profitability. Even when we are chosen by a new or existing customer for new business, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully complete final contract negotiations on acceptable terms or at all. In many cases, we announce significant contract "orders", "wins" or "awards" before final contract negotiations are complete, and there is a chance that these new announced contract orders, wins or awards may not result in a definitive agreement or the expected amount of revenues or profits. We cannot guarantee that any particular contract with a customer will result in the anticipated level of revenue or profitability.

Our businesses operate in heavily regulated environments. We must successfully manage the risk of changes in or adverse actions under applicable law or in our regulatory authorizations, licenses and permits, governmental security clearances or other legal rights to operate our businesses, to manage our work force or to import and export goods and services as needed. Our business activities expose us to the risks of litigation with respect to our customers, suppliers, creditors, stockholders or from warranty claims or product liability, environmental or asbestos-related matters. We also face the risk of other adverse regulatory actions, compliance costs or governmental sanctions, as well as the costs and risks related to our ongoing efforts to design and implement effective internal controls. While we maintain insurance coverage with respect to certain product liability claims or other legal claims, we may not be able to obtain such insurance on acceptable terms in the future, if at all, and any such insurance may not provide adequate coverage against product liability claims. In addition, product liability claims can be expensive to defend and can divert the attention of management and other personnel for significant periods of time, regardless of the ultimate outcome. Furthermore, even if we are successful in defending against a claim relating to our products, claims of this nature could cause our customers to lose confidence in our products and us.

The Company entered into a promissory note with BMO Harris Bank National Association ("BMO"), effective May 1, 2020, that provided for a loan in the amount of $3.6 million (the "PPP Loan") pursuant to expansion of the Small Business Administration ("SBA") 7(a) loan program (the "Paycheck Protection Program" or "PPP"), established under the CARES Act. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and SBA have announced that SBA will conduct audits for PPP loans that exceed $2 million. Should we be audited or reviewed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the SBA as a result of the PPP Loan or filing an application for forgiveness or otherwise, such audit or review could result in the diversion of management's time and attention, generate negative publicity and cause us to incur legal and reputational costs. If we were to be audited and receive an adverse outcome in such an audit, we could be required to return the full amount of the PPP Loan and may potentially be subject to civil and criminal fines and penalties. We may not have the resources to repay the PPP Loan if required to do so by the federal government. On November 24, 2020, the Company submitted an application for forgiveness of the entire amount due on the PPP Loan. On June 28, 2021, the Company received notice from BMO that BMO had received confirmation from the SBA that the application for forgiveness of the PPP Loan had been approved. If it is subsequently determined that it must be repaid, we may be required to use a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations or proceeds from the sale of our assets to pay interest and principal on the PPP Loan. Any such repayment of the PPP Loan will reduce the funds available to us for working capital and other corporate purposes and may limit our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital or divert funds that are otherwise necessary to run our business. We cannot assure that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future financing will be available to us in amounts sufficient to enable us to make required and timely repayments on our indebtedness, or to fund our operations. Additionally, though we believe we were eligible recipients of the PPP Loan under the PPP and our use of PPP Loan proceeds was in compliance with PPP rules and guidance, our receipt of the PPP Loan and the use of PPP Loan proceeds could result in negative publicity, or expose us to claims or potential liability under the federal False Claims Act, which prohibits the known filing of a false claim or the known use of false statements to obtain payment from the federal government, if it is determined that we were in fact not eligible to take the PPP Loan in the first instance.

Our provision for income taxes and the cash outlays required to satisfy our income tax obligations in the future could be adversely affected by numerous factors. These factors include changes in the level of earnings in the tax jurisdictions in which we operate, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in our plans to repatriate the earnings of our non-U.S. operations to the U.S. and changes in tax laws and regulations. Our income tax returns are subject to examination by federal, state and local tax authorities in the U.S. and tax authorities outside the U.S. The results of these examinations and the ongoing assessments of our tax exposures could also have an adverse effect on our provision for income taxes and the cash outlays required to satisfy our income tax obligations.

Sypris Electronics, as a U.S. defense subcontractor, and our Company overall, face cyber security threats, threats to the physical security of our facilities and employees and terrorist or criminal acts, as well as the potential for business disruptions associated with information technology failures and natural disasters. We routinely experience cyber security threats, threats to our information technology infrastructure and attempts to gain access to our sensitive information, as do our customers, vendors, suppliers and subcontractors, including the threat of ransomware attacks on our systems and the systems of third-party vendors and other parties with which we conduct business, all of which may become more pronounced in the event of geopolitical events and other uncertainties, such as the war in Ukraine or the Israel and Gaza conflict. Prior cyber attacks directed at us have resulted in security breaches, but to date have not had a material impact on our financial results. We have robust measures in place to address and mitigate cyber-related risks. However, we expect we will continue to experience additional attempted attacks in the future, including from nation states and criminal actors. We continue to invest in the cybersecurity and resiliency of our networks and products and to enhance our internal controls and processes, which are designed to help protect our systems and infrastructure, and the information they contain. The techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service or sabotage systems are constantly evolving and often are not recognized until launched against a target, or even some time after. We may be unable to anticipate these techniques, implement adequate preventative measures or remediate any intrusion on a timely or effective basis even if our security measures are appropriate, reasonable, and/or comply with applicable legal requirements. Certain efforts may be state-sponsored and supported by significant financial and technological resources, making them even more sophisticated and difficult to detect. Insider or employee cyber and security threats are also a significant concern for all companies, including ours. We depend on our customers, suppliers, and other business partners to implement adequate controls and safeguards to protect against and report cyber incidents. If they fail to deter, detect or report cyber incidents in a timely manner, we may suffer financial and other harm, including to our information, operations, performance, employees and reputation. Although we implement various measures and controls to monitor and mitigate risks associated with these threats and to increase the cyber resiliency of our infrastructure and products, there can be no assurance that these processes will be sufficient. Successful attacks could lead to losses or misuse of sensitive information or capabilities; theft or corruption of data; harm to personnel, infrastructure or products; financial costs and liabilities and protracted disruptions in our operations and performance. Although we work cooperatively with our customers and our suppliers, subcontractors, vendors and other partners to seek to minimize the impacts of cyber threats, other security threats or business disruptions, we must rely on the safeguards put in place by those entities, and those safeguards might not be effective. The costs related to cyber security or other security threats or disruptions may not be fully insured or indemnified by other means. Additionally, obtaining external providers with expertise for assisting with the recovery from or defense against a cyber incident may not be obtainable on acceptable terms. Occurrence of any of these events could adversely affect our internal operations, the products we provide to customers, loss of competitive advantages derived from our research and development efforts, early obsolescence of our products, our future financial results, our reputation or our stock price.

The markets for our products are characterized by changing technology and continuing process development. The future of our business will depend in large part upon the continuing relevance of our technological capabilities. We could fail to make required capital investments, develop or successfully market products that meet changing customer needs and anticipate or respond to technological changes in a cost-effective and timely manner. Our inability to successfully launch or sustain new or next generation programs or product features, especially in accordance with budgets or committed delivery schedules, could materially adversely affect our financial results. We could encounter competition from new or developing technologies that render our technologies and equipment less profitable or obsolete in our chosen markets and our operating results may suffer. In particular, the Company is currently ramping production on certain programs and also continuing to pursue new programs in an attempt to increase Sypris Electronics' revenues. However, the initial production phase of new programs and substantial increases in production volumes may be costly and can be slower than anticipated. Increasing production volumes to meet customer demand within Sypris Electronics may not be successful.