Table of Contents
34
ITEM 2.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
In accordance with the “Safe Harbor” provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995, we
provide the following cautionary remarks regarding important factors
that, among others, could cause future results
to differ materially from the forward-looking statements, expectations and assumptions
expressed or implied herein.
All forward-looking statements made by us are subject to risks and uncertainties
and are not guarantees of future
performance.
These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties and other factors
that may cause our actual results, performance and achievements
or industry results to be materially different from
any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied
by such forward-looking statements.
These
statements are generally identified by the use of such terms as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “believe,”
“plan,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “anticipate,” “to be,” “to
make” or other comparable terms.
Factors that
could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to,
those discussed in the documents we
file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Annual
Report on Form 10-K.
Risk factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from
current and historical results
include, but are not limited to: our dependence on third parties for
the manufacture and supply of our products and
where we manufacture products, our dependence on third parties
for raw materials or purchased components; risks
relating to the achievement of our strategic growth objectives, including
anticipated results of restructuring and
value creation initiatives; risks related to the Strategic Partnership Agreement
with KKR Hawaii Aggregator L.P.
entered into in January 2025; transitions in senior company leadership
(including, without limitation, the transition
to our new Chief Executive Officer); our ability to develop or acquire and
maintain and protect new products
(particularly technology and specialty products) and services and utilize
new technologies that achieve market
acceptance with acceptable margins; transitional challenges associated with acquisitions
and joint ventures,
including the failure to achieve anticipated synergies/benefits, as well as significant
demands on our operations,
information systems, legal, regulatory, compliance, financial and human resources functions in connection with
acquisitions, dispositions and joint ventures; certain provisions
in our governing documents that may discourage
third-party acquisitions of us; adverse changes in supplier rebates
or other purchasing incentives; risks related to the
sale of corporate brand products; risks related to activist investors; security
risks associated with our information
systems and technology products and services, such as cyberattacks or
other privacy or data security breaches
(including the October 2023 incident); effects of a highly competitive (including,
without limitation, competition
from third-party online commerce sites) and consolidating market; political,
economic and regulatory influences on
the health care industry; risks from expansion of customer purchasing
power and multi-tiered costing structures;
increases in shipping costs for our products or other service issues
with our third-party shippers, and increases in
fuel and energy costs; changes in laws and policies governing manufacturing, development
and investment in
territories and countries where we do business; general global and domestic
macro-economic and political
conditions, including inflation, deflation, recession, unemployment (and corresponding
increase in under-insured
populations), consumer confidence, sovereign debt levels, fluctuations in
energy pricing and the value of the U.S.
dollar as compared to foreign currencies and changes to other economic
indicators; failure to comply with existing
and future regulatory requirements, including relating to health care;
risks associated with the EU Medical Device
Regulation; failure to comply with laws and regulations relating to health
care fraud or other laws and regulations;
failure to comply with laws and regulations relating to the collection, storage
and processing of sensitive personal
information or standards in electronic health records or transmissions;
changes in tax legislation, changes in tax
rates and availability of certain tax deductions; risks related to product
liability, intellectual property and other
claims; risks associated with customs policies or legislative import restrictions;
risks associated with disease
outbreaks, epidemics, pandemics (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), or
similar wide-spread public health concerns
and other natural or man-made disasters; risks associated with our global
operations; the threat or outbreak of war
(including, without limitation, geopolitical wars), terrorism or public unrest
(including, without limitation, the wars
in Ukraine and Iran, the Israel-Gaza war and other unrest and threats in the Middle
East and the possibility of a
wider European or global conflict); changes to laws and policies governing
foreign trade, tariffs and sanctions or
greater restrictions on imports and exports, including changes to international
trade agreements and the current
imposition of (and the potential for additional) tariffs by the U.S. on numerous
countries and retaliatory tariffs;
supply chain disruption; litigation risks; new or unanticipated litigation
developments and the status of litigation
matters; our dependence on our senior management, employee hiring and
retention, increases in labor costs or