Hillenbrand (HI) 10-K2023 FY Annual report

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ☐

The aggregate market value of capital stock (consisting solely of shares of common stock) held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of March 31, 2023 was $3,252,045,631.  As of November 10, 2023, 69,921,378 shares of common stock were outstanding.

 

Throughout this Form 10-K, we make a number of “forward-looking statements,” including statements that are within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided under these sections. As the words imply, these are statements about future sales, earnings, cash flow, results of operations, uses of cash, financings, share repurchases, ability to meet deleveraging goals, and other measures of financial performance or potential future plans or events, strategies, objectives, beliefs, prospects, assumptions, expectations, and projected costs or savings or transactions of the Company that might or might not happen in the future, as contrasted with historical information. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that we believe are reasonable, but by their very nature are subject to a wide range of risks. If our assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks and uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from Hillenbrand’s expectations and projections.

 

Accordingly, in this Form 10-K, we may say something like,

 

 

That is a forward-looking statement, as indicated by the word “expect” and by the clear meaning of the sentence.

 

Other words that could indicate we are making forward-looking statements include the following:

This is not an exhaustive list, but is intended to give you an idea of how we try to identify forward-looking statements.  The absence of any of these words, however, does not mean that the statement is not forward-looking.

 

Any number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, could cause our performance to differ significantly from what is described in the forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: global market and economic conditions, including those related to the financial markets; the risk of business disruptions associated with information technology, cyber-attacks, or catastrophic losses affecting infrastructure; the impact of disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or other health crises; increasing competition for highly skilled and talented workers, as well as labor shortages; uncertainty related to environmental regulation and industry standards, as well as physical risks of climate change; increased costs, poor quality, or unavailability of raw materials or certain outsourced services and supply chain disruptions; uncertainty in United States global trade policy; our level of international sales and operations; the impact of incurring significant amounts of indebtedness and any inability of the Company to respond to changes in its business or make future desirable acquisitions; the ability of the Company to comply with financial or other covenants in debt agreements; negative effects of acquisitions, including the Schenck Process Food and Performance Materials (“FPM”) business and Linxis Group SAS (“Linxis”) acquisitions, on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and financial performance (including the ability of the Company to maintain relationships with its customers, suppliers, and others with whom it does business); the possibility that the anticipated benefits from acquisitions including the FPM and Linxis acquisitions cannot be realized by the Company in full or at all, or may take longer to realize than expected; risks that the integrations of FPM or Linxis or other acquired businesses disrupt current operations or pose potential difficulties in employee retention or otherwise affect financial or operating results; competition in the industries in which we operate, including on price; cyclical demand for industrial capital goods; the ability to recognize the benefits of any acquisition or divestiture, including potential synergies and cost savings or the failure of the Company or any acquired company to achieve its plans and objectives generally; impairment charges to goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets; impacts of decreases in demand or changes in technological advances, laws, or regulation on the net revenues that we derive from the plastics industry; changes in food consumption patterns due to dietary trends, or economic conditions, or other reasons; our reliance upon employees, agents, and business

partners to comply with laws in many countries and jurisdictions; the impact to the Company’s effective tax rate of changes in the mix of earnings or in tax laws and certain other tax-related matters; exposure to tax uncertainties and audits; involvement in claims, lawsuits, and governmental proceedings related to operations; uncertainty in the U.S. political and regulatory environment; adverse foreign currency fluctuations; labor disruptions; and the effect of certain provisions of the Company’s governing documents and Indiana law that could decrease the trading price of the Company’s common stock.

In this section of the Form 10-K, we provide you a general overview of the Company, including a high-level review of our reportable segments and how we operate. We then present our reportable operating segments in greater detail, including the products we manufacture and sell, how those products are distributed and to whom, with whom we compete, the key inputs to production, and an explanation of our business strategies.  We also provide you information on any key patents, trademarks, and regulatory matters important to our business.  Finally, we provide you a brief background on our executive officers so that you can understand their experience and qualifications.

Hillenbrand’s portfolio is composed of two reportable operating segments: Advanced Process Solutions and Molding Technology Solutions. Advanced Process Solutions is a leading global provider of highly-engineered process and material handling equipment, systems, and aftermarket parts and services for a variety of industries, including durable plastics, food, and recycling. Key technologies within the Advanced Process Solutions portfolio include compounding, extrusion, material handling, conveying, mixing, ingredient automation, portion process, and screening and separating equipment. Molding Technology Solutions is a global leader in highly-engineered equipment, systems, and aftermarket parts and service for the plastic technology processing industry. Molding Technology Solutions has a comprehensive product portfolio that includes injection molding and extrusion equipment, hot runner systems, process control systems, mold bases and components, and maintenance, repair, and operating (“MRO”) supplies. These reportable operating segments are characterized by well-known brands that are recognized for technological capabilities and process expertise that can be shared across the reportable operating segments to serve customers globally. These reportable operating segments address macro trends supported by a growing middle class driving demand for plastics in a variety of applications, such as construction, food safety, and recycling, and demand for more sustainable food sources such as plant-based proteins,

Hillenbrand was incorporated on November 1, 2007, in the state of Indiana and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “HI” on April 1, 2008.  “Hillenbrand,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and similar words refer to Hillenbrand, Inc. and its subsidiaries unless context otherwise requires. Although Hillenbrand has been a publicly traded company since 2008, the brands owned by Hillenbrand have been in operation for many decades.

Over the past several years, we have significantly transformed our business through not only the completion of several strategic acquisitions, but also the divestiture of our legacy death care reportable operating segment, Batesville, as well as the divestiture of certain other non-core brands. The acquisitions provided leading brands, complementary technologies, and enhanced scale in attractive end markets, including food and recycling. These end markets are attractive to Hillenbrand because they have strong, long-term growth characteristics, and allow us to leverage our existing expertise in process technology and systems engineering to provide comprehensive solutions to our customers.

The following acquisitions were made during the years ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, and are all currently included within our Advanced Process Solutions reportable operating segment:

For further information, see Note 5 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8, of this Form 10-K.

On December 31, 2020, the Company completed the divestiture of Red Valve Company, Inc. (“Red Valve”). The results of operations and cash flows of the Company include Red Valve through December 31, 2020.

On March 10, 2021, the Company completed the divestiture of ABEL GmbH (“ABEL”). The results of operations and cash flows of the Company include ABEL through March 10, 2021.

On October 22, 2021, the Company completed the divestiture of TerraSource Global (“TerraSource”). The results of operations and cash flows of the Company include TerraSource through October 22, 2021.

On February 1, 2023, the Company completed the divestiture of its historical Batesville reportable operating segment. This divestiture represented a strategic shift in Hillenbrand’s business and qualified as a discontinued operation. Accordingly, the operating results and cash flows related to the historical Batesville reportable operating segment have been reflected as discontinued operations in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for all periods presented, while the assets and liabilities that were divested were classified within the Consolidated Balance Sheets as held for sale in the periods preceding the divestiture. Unless otherwise noted, discussion within this Form 10-K relates to continuing operations only and excludes the historical Batesville reportable operating segment.

For further information, see Note 4 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8, of this Form 10-K.

Advanced Process Solutions is a leading global provider of highly-engineered process and material handling equipment, systems, and aftermarket parts and services for a variety of industries, including durable plastics, food, and recycling. Key technologies within the Advanced Process Solutions portfolio include compounding, extrusion, material handling, conveying, mixing, ingredient automation, portion process, and screening and separating equipment.

Our growth is driven by several key factors, including:

Our continuous improvement culture is fueled by the HOM. The HOM is a consistent and repeatable framework designed to produce sustainable and predictable results. The HOM describes the Company’s Purpose, mission, vision, values, and mindset as leaders; applies our management practices in Strategy, People, Operational Excellence, and Innovation & Technology; and prescribes four steps (Understand, Focus, Execute, and Grow) designed to make the Company’s businesses deliver sustainable revenue expansion, profit growth, and substantial free cash flow. The Company’s goal is to continue developing Hillenbrand as a world-class global industrial company through the deployment of the HOM to drive product innovation, best-in-class pricing and commercial practices, and margin enhancement through productivity and integration-related synergy realization.

Sustainability is a key component of the HOM. We believe sustainability to be a source of value creation that must be aligned with the core strategy of the Company. We expect to continue developing this part of our strategy as we grow in our sustainability practice. Among other things, we believe climate change will require meaningful action on a global scale, and we expect that further developing our understanding of our energy consumption and emissions will be an important part of examining the challenges posed by climate change. To date, our costs relating to addressing climate change have not been material.

Our capital allocation framework is built around three core priorities in the following order:

Given the acquisitions completed in fiscal year 2023, we intend to continue to prioritize cash flow deployment to pay down debt, invest in organic initiatives for growth and operating efficiencies, as well as integration-related activities.

Purpose remains our clear foundation. It is the “why” behind everything we do. Purpose shapes the actions we take, the business decisions we make, and how we think about our business, including human capital management and sustainability more broadly. Our employees are at the center of everything we do because without them, we can’t move the world forward. They are the designers, engineers, manufacturers, makers, and shapers that bring our products and brands to life and strengthen our communities.

People are a key pillar of the HOM, and our talent management philosophy is to develop and promote internal employees and supplement with external hires where we require new or different skills and capabilities. This approach has yielded a deep understanding among our employee base of our products and our customers, while encouraging new employees to bring innovative ideas in support of our continuous improvement mindset. We believe that our average employee tenure across the globe — 10.1 years as of the end of fiscal 2023 — reflects the high engagement and dedication of our employees. Our talent acquisition team uses internal and external resources to recruit highly skilled and talented employees, and we encourage employee referrals for open positions.

Once employees are hired, performance expectations are established and tracked annually. Additionally, development plans are created and monitored for critical roles to ensure progress is made along established timelines. Development plans also intersect with our mission, helping us increase our commitment to serve the needs of the local communities in which we operate, while simultaneously providing leadership development opportunities for our employees. Effectively managing employee performance and linking pay to performance management is a critical part of our approach.

Hillenbrand is committed to the growth of our employees by developing talent and building a growth-minded culture. We believe our employees give us the strength and skills to compete, and we must in turn help our employees reach their potential.

As of September 30, 2023, we had approximately 10,400 employees worldwide. Approximately 3,200 employees were located within the United States (“U.S.”) and 7,200 employees were located outside of the U.S., primarily throughout Europe and Asia. Approximately 62% of our workforce within the U.S. is composed of manufacturing direct labor, and the remaining population includes all other selling, general, and administrative professional employees.

As of September 30, 2023, approximately 3,300 employees globally work under collective bargaining agreements and works councils. Hillenbrand strives to maintain satisfactory relationships with all its employees, including the unions and works councils representing those employees. As a result, we have not experienced a significant work stoppage due to labor relations in more than 20 years.

The health and safety of our employees is our highest priority. In fiscal 2023, with both our people and our Core Values in mind, we expanded our focus to driving standardization of health and safety measures across our operations. We restructured our sustainability working groups and created a Global Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) Council to help streamline reporting functions and improve data quality and transparency. This group, made up of EHS representatives from across the

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) at Hillenbrand is embedded in how we live and work and is part of our Core Values. By listening and acting with respect, embracing our individuality, and trusting in each other’s strengths, we create an inclusive culture that brings our Purpose to life. We continue to focus on making meaningful progress in our DEI Roadmap established in 2021. In fiscal 2023, we continued to cascade DEI into our talent practices by focusing on qualified diverse slates of candidates for senior leadership positions and assessing the diversity of succession plans for pipeline development. Additionally, leaders at director level and above (excluding leaders from our recent acquisitions) committed to a leadership goal related to Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) progress as part of their annual performance goal setting.

We also engage the diverse perspectives of our employees through Business Resource Groups (“BRGs”). During the year, BRG leaders and members championed celebrations and observances, led personal and professional development sessions, and provided our employees with education and awareness about their communities. As we continue to embed our inclusive mindset across Hillenbrand, we launched a DEI foundation building learning program and a Women of Hillenbrand program in addition to our unconscious bias learning program for leaders.

We also hold ourselves accountable through measurement and transparency, including sharing our DEI progress regularly with our Board of Directors and publicly disclosing our global gender and U.S. ethnically diverse representation in our annual Sustainability Report, which can be found on the “Sustainability” section of our website at www.hillenbrand.com.

Hillenbrand believes in supporting employee’s mental health in addition to physical well-being. Mental health care is a covered service under all U.S. Company medical plans, including inpatient care facility services, inpatient professional services, office visits, and outpatient care.

Hillenbrand is committed to attracting, developing, engaging, and retaining the best people from around the world to make our businesses run and grow. In everything we do, we strive to provide great professional opportunities for our people and recognize the critical role our human capital plays in supporting our strategy.

Our approach to cybersecurity begins with our responsibility for strong governance and controls. Security begins at the top of our organization, where Company leadership consistently communicates the requirements for vigilance and compliance throughout the organization, and then leads by example. The cybersecurity program is led by Hillenbrand’s Chief Information Security Officer, who provides quarterly updates to the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors, annual updates to the Board of Directors, and regular reports to the Executive Management Team about the program, including information about cyber risk management governance and the status of ongoing efforts to strengthen cybersecurity effectiveness.

We also educate and share best practices globally with our employees to raise awareness of cybersecurity threats. As part of our onboarding process, we train all new employees on cybersecurity and maintain an annual retraining for all employees on cybersecurity standards, as well as how to recognize and properly respond to phishing and social engineering schemes. Hillenbrand has deployed a phishing detection system to report suspicious emails, which are flagged for further review, as well as an automated monthly process to retrain employees who do not maintain an acceptable pass rate on our phishing recognition training. To round out our robust awareness program, we have specific and regular training for our IT professionals.

 

Advanced Process Solutions designs, engineers, manufactures, markets, and services differentiated process and material handling equipment and systems for a wide variety of industries, including plastics, food and pharmaceuticals, chemicals, fertilizers, minerals, energy, recycling, and other general industrials.  Advanced Process Solutions uses its strong applications and process engineering expertise to solve problems for customers.  Its highly engineered capital equipment and systems offerings require aftermarket service and/or parts replacement, providing an opportunity for ongoing revenue at attractive margins.

 

Advanced Process Solutions’ product portfolio has grown through a series of acquisitions and includes products and services for compounding, extrusion, material handling, conveying, mixing, ingredient automation, portion process, and screening and separating equipment. Advanced Process Solutions’ product lines are supported by aftermarket parts and services, which represented approximately 28% of Advanced Process Solutions’ total net revenue during fiscal 2023. Products are offered under brand names that are recognized as leaders in their respective categories.

 

 

 

 

Advanced Process Solutions sells equipment and systems throughout the world using a combination of direct sales and a global network of independent sales representatives and distributors.  A part of Advanced Process Solutions’ sales is made through independent sales representatives who are compensated by commission. 

 

Equipment and systems orders are often for unique, engineered-to-order items. Products are either assembled and tested at an Advanced Process Solutions facility and then shipped to a customer or are assembled at the customer’s desired location.

 

We expect that future net revenue associated with Advanced Process Solutions will be influenced by order backlog because of the lead time involved in fulfilling engineered-to-order equipment and solutions for customers. Backlog represents the amount of net revenue that we expect to realize on contracts awarded to Advanced Process Solutions.  Though backlog can be an indicator of future net revenue, it does not include projects and aftermarket orders that are booked and shipped within the same quarter.  The timing of order placement, size of order, extent of customization, and customer delivery dates can create fluctuations in backlog and net revenue.  Net revenue attributable to backlog may also be affected by foreign exchange fluctuations for orders denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars or by provisions for cancellation, termination, or suspension at the discretion of the customer.

 

Advanced Process Solutions has customers in a wide range of industries, including plastics, food and pharmaceuticals, chemicals, fertilizers, minerals, and recycling.  These customers range from large, Fortune 500 global companies to regional and local businesses.  No one Advanced Process Solutions customer accounted for more than 10% of Hillenbrand’s consolidated net revenue during the years ended September 30, 2023, 2022, or 2021.  For large or customized orders, customers generally pay a deposit and make progress payments in accordance with the project progress.  Often, long-term relationships are established with these customers.

 

Advanced Process Solutions’ net revenue is diversified by end markets, and further penetration of these end markets is an important element of its strategy. Geographically, approximately 37% of Advanced Process Solutions’ net revenue in fiscal 2023 came from the Americas, 32% from Asia, and 31% from EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa).

We believe that long-term growth for this segment is driven by megatrends such as a rapidly growing middle class in China and India and a growing global population, resulting in rising demand for products sold in many of the end markets that Advanced Process Solutions serves, including plastic goods, food, and recycling.  These trends include increased use of lightweight plastics in the automotive industry to improve fuel efficiency; more effective packaging in emerging markets to improve food shelf life, freshness, and safety; increased consumption of processed foods in emerging markets; innovation in a variety of applications in the medical space designed to improve safety, drug and therapy delivery, and durability; increased use of engineered plastics in construction that are more durable, lightweight and require little maintenance; increased use of biopolymers to help preserve the environment; and more sustainable food sources such as plant-based proteins. Additionally, we expect Advanced Process Solutions to be able to leverage its technical know-how to win in emerging end markets such as recycling and biodegradable plastics. While overall demand for these products is expected to increase over the long run, we expect short-term periodic fluctuations in demand from time-to-time.

 

 

Advanced Process Solutions holds leading positions in key industries and has strong brand name recognition because of its commitment to serving the broad needs of customers through the design and quality of products, extensive application and process engineering expertise, product support services, and its unique ability to provide compounding, extrusion and material handling equipment as a complete system that optimizes output, quality, and energy efficiency to achieve a lower overall cost of ownership for its customers.

Advanced Process Solutions brands face strong competition. Competitors range in size from small, privately-held companies serving narrow market segments or geographical areas to larger, well-known global companies serving national and international markets with multiple product lines.  We believe Advanced Process Solutions’ diversification into multiple industries and markets, its base of aftermarket business, and its strong worldwide network of suppliers and dealers will allow it to maintain leadership positions even during economic downturns.

 

 

The manufacturing of Advanced Process Solutions’ products involves the machining and welding of raw materials (primarily sheet metals and steel) and castings that are assembled with other component parts purchased from third-party suppliers that generally require particular specifications or qualifications. Although most of these raw materials and components are generally available from several sources, some of these items are currently purchased from single sources.  Volatility in the prices Advanced Process Solutions pays for raw materials used in its products has a direct effect on profitability. Advanced Process Solutions regularly takes steps designed to mitigate the impact of volatility in raw and component material prices, including executing Lean initiatives through the application of HOM and various pricing and sourcing actions.  In instances where third-party suppliers are depended upon for outsourced products or components, there is risk of customer dissatisfaction with the quality or performance of the products sold due to supplier failure. Difficulties experienced by third-party suppliers can interrupt Advanced Process Solutions’ ability to obtain the outsourced product and ultimately to supply products to customers. While global supply chains have recently suffered from various headwinds, those supporting our products have generally remained intact, providing access to sufficient inventory of the key materials needed for manufacturing. However, Advanced Process Solutions has experienced significant delays of certain raw materials and components, but has largely been able to mitigate the impact on our consolidated results of operations. Advance Process Solutions continues to identify and qualify alternative sources to mitigate risk associated to single or sole source supply continuity, and has and may continue to purchase certain materials in safety stock where we have supply chain continuity concerns. See Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K for a more in-depth discussion of Risk Factors that could impact Advanced Process Solutions’ ability to fulfill customer obligations.

 

Advanced Process Solutions seeks profitable growth through the following strategic initiatives:

Molding Technology Solutions is a global leader in highly-engineered equipment, systems, and aftermarket parts and service for the plastic technology processing industry. Molding Technology Solutions has a comprehensive product portfolio that includes injection molding and extrusion equipment, hot runner systems, process control systems, mold bases and components, and maintenance, repair, and operating (“MRO”) supplies. The product lines within Molding Technology Solutions have strong brand recognition and an established global footprint, and we believe are well-positioned to benefit from continued robust industry growth in both developed and emerging markets. Molding Technology Solutions’ breadth of products, long history, and global reach have resulted in a large installed base of plastic processing equipment and hot runner systems.

Molding Technology Solutions has a product portfolio that includes injection molding and extrusion equipment and hot runner systems and process controller technology. Molding Technology Solutions maintains leadership positions across these product lines, as well as leading positions in process control systems, mold bases and components, and MRO supplies. The Molding Technology Solutions product lines are supported by aftermarket parts and services, which represented approximately 28% of Molding Technology Solutions’ total net revenue during fiscal 2023. Products are offered under brand names that are recognized as being among the leaders in their respective industries.

 

Molding Technology Solutions sells equipment and systems throughout the world using a combination of direct sales and a global network of independent sales representatives and distributors.  A part of Molding Technology Solutions’ sales is made through independent sales representatives who are compensated by commission. 

Molding Technology Solutions does not typically have long-term supply agreements with customers, and terms are generally negotiated on an individual order basis. Pricing is set at the time of order, typically on a customized basis for each product. Raw materials and component purchases are managed based on order trends and mid-term contracts with strategic vendors, allowing Molding Technology Solutions to partially mitigate the risk of short-term changes in raw material and components pricing. The majority of hot runner and mold base equipment orders are fulfilled within three months. Injection molding and extrusion equipment orders are generally fulfilled within twelve months, but we expect some future net revenue associated with injection molding and extrusion equipment will be influenced by order backlog because of the lead time in fulfilling some engineered-to-order products. Backlog represents the amount of net revenue that we expect to realize on contracts awarded to Molding Technology Solutions. Though backlog can be an indicator of future net revenue, it does not include projects and aftermarket parts orders that are booked and shipped within the same quarter. The timing of order placement, size of order, extent of customization, and customer delivery dates can create fluctuations in backlog and net revenue. Net revenue attributable to backlog may also be affected by foreign exchange fluctuations for orders denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars, or by provisions for cancellation, termination, or suspension at the discretion of the customer.

Molding Technology Solutions has customers in a wide range of industries, including automotive, medical, consumer goods, packaging, construction and electronics. These customers range from large, Fortune 500 global companies to regional and local businesses, including original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), molders and mold-makers. Molding Technology Solutions has long-standing relationships with its largest customers, having served many of them for over 30 years. No one Molding Technology Solutions customer accounted for more than 10% of Hillenbrand’s consolidated net revenue during the years ended September 30, 2023, 2022, or 2021. Customers purchasing injection molding or extrusion machines generally pay a deposit and make progress payments prior to shipment.

Molding Technology Solutions’ net revenue is further diversified by end markets, and continued expansion into these end markets is an important element of its strategy. Geographically, approximately 58% of Molding Technology Solutions’ net revenue in fiscal 2023 came from the Americas, 27% from Asia, and 15% from EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa).

Global population growth, coupled with continued urbanization, increased purchasing power and improved lifestyle in emerging markets and technical innovation has resulted in greater demand for a broad range of finished plastic products in many segments of the economy, including automotive, medical, construction and consumer products. We believe Molding Technology Solutions’ strong global presence positions it well to benefit from this growth. Molding Technology Solutions has made significant investments in China and India in order to capitalize on the projected growth in plastics in these markets and expects to further expand in Mexico as well.

Molding Technology Solutions holds leading positions in key industries because of design and quality of products, extensive application and process engineering expertise, product support services, brand name recognition, and commitment to serving the broad needs of customers.

Molding Technology Solutions brands face strong competition in the markets where they compete. Competitors range in size from small, privately-held companies serving niche industries or geographical areas to larger, well-known global companies serving national and international markets with multiple product lines. We believe Molding Technology Solutions’ leading product quality and design inclusion in a number of flagship products, diversification into multiple industries and markets, its base of aftermarket parts business, and its strong worldwide network of suppliers and dealers will allow it to maintain leadership positions even during economic downturns.

Steel, which Molding Technology Solutions sources both directly and indirectly through its component suppliers, is the primary material used in the manufacturing of its products. Molding Technology Solutions does not enter into derivative financial instruments to hedge its commodity price risk but it does have some long-term supply contracts with key suppliers. Molding Technology Solutions has developed a global network of reliable, low-cost suppliers in order to secure its supply needs. Difficulties experienced by third-party suppliers can interrupt Molding Technology Solutions’ ability to obtain materials or components and ultimately to supply products to customers. While global supply chains have recently suffered from various headwinds, those supporting Molding Technology Solutions products have generally remained intact, providing access to sufficient inventory of the key materials needed for manufacturing. However, Molding Technology Solutions has experienced significant delays of certain raw materials and components, but has largely been able to mitigate the impact on our consolidated results of operations. Molding Technology Solutions continues to identify and qualify alternative sources to mitigate risk associated to single or sole source supply continuity, and has and may continue to purchase certain materials in safety stock where there are supply chain continuity concerns.

Volatility in the prices Molding Technology Solutions pays for raw materials used in its products, including sheet metals and steel, has a direct effect on profitability. Molding Technology Solutions regularly takes steps designed to mitigate the impact of volatility in raw and component material prices, including executing Lean initiatives and various pricing and sourcing actions. Where possible, Molding Technology Solutions seeks alternative sources and, in some situations, is able to reformulate product with alternative materials without impacting performance, environmental, and health and safety features. We believe that Molding Technology Solutions has taken reasonable steps to mitigate recent increases to these risks. See Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K for a more in-depth discussion of Risk Factors that could impact Molding Technology Solutions’ ability to source the necessary materials to fulfill customer obligations.

 

Molding Technology Solutions seeks to execute its strategy through the following initiatives:

 

 

Our ability to compete effectively depends, to an extent, on our ability to maintain the proprietary nature of our intellectual property. In the past, certain of our products have been copied and sold by others and could continue to be.  Hillenbrand vigorously seeks to enforce its intellectual property rights.  However, we may not be sufficiently protected by our various patents, trademarks, and service marks, and they may be challenged, invalidated, cancelled, narrowed, or circumvented.  Beyond that, we may not receive the pending or contemplated patents, trademarks, or service marks for which we have applied or filed.

 

 

 

Our Board of Directors is responsible for electing the Company’s executive officers annually and from time to time as necessary.  Executive officers serve in the ensuing year and until their respective successors are elected and qualified.  There are no family relationships between any of our executive officers or between any of them and any members of the Board of Directors.  The following is a list of our executive officers as of November 15, 2023.

 

 

Our website is www.hillenbrand.com.  We make available on this website, free of charge, access to press releases, conference calls, our annual and quarterly reports, and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as soon as reasonably practicable after these reports are filed or furnished.  We also make available through the “Investors” section of this website information related to the corporate governance of the Company, including position specifications for the Chairperson and each of the members of the Board of Directors, as well as for committee chairpersons; the Corporate Governance Standards of our Board of Directors; the charters of each of the standing committees of the Board of Directors; our Code of Ethical Business Conduct; our Global Anti-Corruption Policy; and our Supply Chain Transparency Policy.  All of these documents are also available to shareholders in print upon request.

All reports and documents filed with the SEC are also available via the SEC website, www.sec.gov.

 

In this section of the Form 10-K, we describe the risks we believe are most important for you to think about when you consider investing in, selling, or owning our securities.  This information should be assessed along with the other information we provide you in this Form 10-K and that we file from time to time with the SEC.  Like most companies, our business involves risks.  The risks described below are not the only risks we face, but these are the ones we currently think have the potential to significantly affect stakeholders in our Company if they were to develop adversely (due to size, volatility, or both).  We exclude risks that we believe are inherent in all businesses broadly as a function of simply being “in business.” Additional risks not currently known or considered immaterial by us at this time and thus not listed below could also result in adverse effects on our business. 

Our business is sensitive to changes in general economic conditions, both inside and outside the U.S.  Instability in the global economy and financial markets can adversely affect our business in several ways, including limiting our customers’ ability to

obtain sufficient credit or to pay for our products within the terms of sale.  Competition could further intensify among the manufacturers and distributors with whom we compete for volume and market share, resulting in lower net revenue due to steeper discounts and product mix-down.  In addition, if certain key or sole suppliers were to become capacity constrained or insolvent, it could result in a reduction or interruption in supplies or a significant increase in the price of supplies.

 

Substantial losses in the equity markets could have an adverse effect on the assets of the Company’s pension plans.  Volatility of interest rates and negative equity returns could require greater contributions to the defined benefit plans in the future.

The Company relies heavily on computer systems to manage and operate its businesses and record and process transactions. Computer systems are important to production planning, customer service, and order management, as well as other critical processes.

Despite efforts to prevent such situations and the existence of established risk management practices that partially mitigate these risks, the Company’s systems may be affected by damage or interruption from, among other causes, power outages, system failures, or computer viruses. Computer hardware and storage equipment that is integral to efficient operations, such as email, telephone and other functionality, is concentrated in certain physical locations in the various geographies in which the Company operates.

In addition, cybersecurity threats and sophisticated computer crime pose a potential risk to the security of the Company’s information technology systems, operational technology systems, networks, and services, as well as the confidentiality and integrity of the Company’s data. Cyber-attacks, security breaches, and other cyber incidents could include, among other things, computer viruses, malicious or destructive code, ransomware, social engineering attacks (including phishing and impersonation), hacking, denial-of-service attacks, and other attacks. These risks may be heightened given our employees’ increased use of remote working environments. Sensitive information is also stored by our vendors and on the platforms and networks of third-party providers. Cyber-attacks on the Company, our vendors, or our third-party providers of service and software could result in inappropriate access to intellectual property, personally identifiable information of our global workforce, suppliers, or customers, or personal credit card or other payment information of our customers. Potential consequences of a successful cyber-attack or other cybersecurity incident include remediation costs, increased cybersecurity protection costs, lost revenue resulting from the unauthorized use of proprietary information or the failure to retain or attract customers following an attack, litigation and legal risks including governmental or regulatory enforcement actions, increased insurance premiums, reputational damage that adversely affects customer or investor confidence, and damage to the Company’s competitiveness, stock price, and long-term shareholder value. The Company has been subject to cyber-attacks and unauthorized access in the past, which it deemed immaterial to its business and operations, and may be subject to cyber-attacks or unauthorized access of its systems in the future. There can be no assurance that any future cyber-attacks or unauthorized access to the Company’s information systems will not be material to the Company’s business, operations, or financial condition. While we believe that our insurance plan provides appropriate levels of coverage for cyber risks and have taken steps to address these risks by implementing enhanced security technologies, internal controls, and business continuity plans, these measures may not be adequate to cover or prevent all potential losses nor remedy related damage to our reputation.

Regulators globally are increasingly imposing greater fines and penalties for privacy and data protection violations. For example, the European Union and other jurisdictions, including China and some U.S. states, have enacted, and others may enact, new and expanded sets of compliance requirements on companies, like ours, that collect or process personal data. Failure to comply with these or other data protection regulations could expose us to potentially significant liabilities. If the Company suffers a loss or disclosure of protected information due to security breaches or other reasons, and if business continuity plans do not effectively address these issues on a timely basis, the Company may incur fines or penalties, or suffer interruption in its ability to manage operations, as well as reputational, competitive, or business harm, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and consolidated results of operations.

We have global operations, and the COVID-19 pandemic or other widespread pandemic, disease outbreak, or other health crisis, and the various government, industry and consumer actions related thereto, including mandated or voluntary shutdowns, could have negative impacts on our business and have created or could create or intensify adverse conditions described in our other risk factors. These impacts and conditions include, but may not be limited to, potential significant volatility or decreases

in demand for our products, changes in customer behavior and preferences, disruptions in or closures of our manufacturing operations or those of our customers and suppliers, disruptions within our supply chain, limitations on our employees’ ability to work and travel, potential increased vulnerability to cybersecurity incidents, including breaches of information systems security that could be due to widespread remote working arrangements or other conditions, potential financial difficulties of customers and suppliers, significant changes in economic or political conditions, including rapidly changing government orders and regulations and our efforts to comply with them, and related financial and commodity volatility, including volatility in raw material and other input costs (including but not limited to oil prices), any of which could last for extended periods. Disruption caused by a pandemic and the Company’s response thereto could also increase the Company’s exposure to claims from customers, suppliers, financial institutions, regulators, payment card associations, employees and others, and to other workforce related risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

Despite our efforts to manage through a widespread pandemic, disease outbreak, or other health crisis, the degree to which these events ultimately impact our business, financial position, results of operations, and cash flows may depend on certain factors beyond our control, including the duration, spread, and severity of the event, the actions taken to contain the event and mitigate its public health effects, the impact on the U.S. and global economies and demand for our products, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions resume or become impacted by long-lasting changes. The extent to which a disease outbreak, including COVID-19, or any other health crisis, could impact our business cannot be predicted with certainty.

New environmental-related regulations could require the Company to change its manufacturing processes or obtain substitute materials that may cost more or be less available for its manufacturing operations. For example, various jurisdictions in which the Company does business have implemented, or in the future could implement or amend, a tax on carbon emissions or restrictions of greenhouse gases. Regulations on energy management and material management and other rules and regulations to address climate change and other environmental risks may increase the Company’s expenses and adversely affect its consolidated results of operations. In addition, the physical risks of climate change are highly uncertain and may differ in the geographic regions in which the Company operates. These physical risks may impact the availability and cost of materials, sources and supply of energy, or product demand and manufacturing, and could increase insurance and other operating costs. Any future increased worldwide regulatory activity relating to climate change could expand the nature, scope, and complexity of matters that the Company is required to control, assess, and report. If environmental laws or regulations or industry standards are either changed or adopted and impose significant operational restrictions and compliance requirements upon the Company, its suppliers, its customers or its products, or if the Company’s operations are disrupted due to physical impacts of climate change, its customers, or its suppliers, the Company’s business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely impacted. Further, any failure to adequately address stakeholder expectations or to achieve announced initiatives or goals with respect to environmental, social and governance matters may adversely impact our reputation, business, consolidated results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity.

Our profitability is affected by the prices of the raw materials used in the manufacture of our products.  These prices fluctuate based on a number of factors beyond our control, including changes in supply and demand, general economic conditions, labor costs, fuel-related delivery costs, competition, import duties, tariffs, currency exchange rates, and, in some cases, government regulation.  Significant increases in the prices of raw materials, similar to the inflationary increases we have experienced recently, that cannot be recovered through increases in the price of our products and services could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

 

We cannot guarantee that the prices we are paying for raw materials today will continue in the future or that the marketplace will continue to support current prices for our products or that such prices can be adjusted to fully or partially offset raw material price increases in the future.  Any increases in prices of these or other commodities or services could adversely affect our profitability.  We do not engage in hedging transactions for raw material purchases, but we do enter into some fixed-price supply contracts, in an attempt to delay or suppress the impacts of higher prices in the market.

 

Our dependency upon regular deliveries of supplies and the quality of those supplies upon delivery from particular suppliers means that interruptions, stoppages, or deterioration of quality in such deliveries could adversely affect our operations until arrangements with alternate suppliers could be made. Some of the raw materials used in the manufacture of our products currently are procured from a single source. In some cases, we also outsource certain services to suppliers, including but not limited to, engineering, assembly, shipping, and commissioning services. If a supplier were unable to deliver these materials or services, or unable to deliver quality materials or services, for an extended period of time as a result of financial difficulties, catastrophic events affecting their facilities, or other factors, including recent supply chain disruptions we have experienced, or if we were unable to negotiate acceptable terms for the supply of materials or services with these suppliers, our business could be adversely affected.  We may not be able to find acceptable alternatives, and any such alternatives could result in increased costs.  We believe that our supply management and production practices are based on an appropriate balancing of the foreseeable risks and the costs of alternative practices. Nonetheless, reduced availability or interruption in supplies, whether resulting from more stringent regulatory requirements, increases in duties or tariff costs, disruptions in transportation, severe weather, the occurrence or threat of wars or other conflicts, or any other reason, could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, consolidated results of operations, and cash flows. Extended inability to source a necessary raw material or service could cause us to cease manufacturing one or more products for a period of time, which could also lead to loss of customers, as well as reputational, competitive, or business harm, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and consolidated results of operations.

The U.S. government has at times indicated a willingness to significantly change, and has in some cases significantly changed, trade policies and/or agreements. Specific legislative and regulatory developments and proposals that could have a material impact on us involve matters including (but not limited to) changes to existing trade agreements or entry into new trade agreements, sanctions policies, import and export regulations, tariffs, taxes and customs duties, public company reporting requirements, environmental regulation, and antitrust enforcement. In addition, certain countries that are central to our businesses have imposed and/or been subject to imposition or have threatened imposition of retaliatory tariffs in response to tariffs imposed by the U.S. upon various raw materials and finished goods, including steel and others that are important to our businesses. This exposes us to risks of disruption and cost increases in our established patterns for sourcing our raw materials, and creates increased uncertainties in planning our sourcing strategies and forecasting our margins. Changes in U.S. tariffs, quotas, trade relationships or agreements, or tax law could reduce the supply of goods available to us or increase our cost of goods. Although such changes would in many cases have implications across the entire industry, we may fail to effectively adapt to and manage the adjustments in strategy that would be necessary in response to those changes. In addition to the general uncertainty and overall risk from potential changes in U.S. laws and policies, as we make business decisions in the face of uncertainty, we may incorrectly anticipate the outcomes, miss out on business opportunities or fail to effectively adapt our business strategies and manage the adjustments that are necessary in response to those changes. These risks could materially and adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition in the periods to come.

We derived approximately 62%, 67%, and 68% of our net revenue from our operations outside the U.S. for the years ended September 30, 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively.  This net revenue was primarily generated in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, South America, and Canada.  In addition, we have manufacturing operations, suppliers, and employees located outside the U.S.  Since our growth strategy depends in part on our ability to further penetrate markets outside the U.S., we expect to continue to increase our revenue and presence outside the U.S., including in emerging markets.

 

Our international business is subject to risks that are often encountered in non-U.S. operations, including:

 

Such risks may be more likely or pronounced in emerging markets, where our operations may be subject to greater uncertainty due to increased volatility associated with the developing nature of their economic, legal, and governmental systems.

 

If we are unable to successfully manage the risks associated with expanding our global business or to adequately manage operational fluctuations, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or consolidated results of operations.

 

The successes of these acquisitions will depend, in part, on the Company’s ability to successfully combine and integrate these and other acquired businesses and realize the anticipated benefits, including synergies, cost savings, revenue and innovation opportunities, and operational efficiencies, in a manner that does not materially disrupt existing customer, supplier, and employee relations, or result in decreased revenue due to losses of, or decreases in orders by, customers. If the Company is unable to achieve these objectives within the anticipated time frame, or at all, the anticipated benefits may not be realized fully or at all, or may take longer to realize than expected, and the value of the Company’s common stock may decline.

As discussed elsewhere in our risk factors, some of these factors are outside of the Company’s control, and any one of them could result in delays, increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenue or synergies, and diversion of management’s time and energy, which could materially affect our financial position, consolidated results of operations, and cash flows.

We have incurred substantial expenses in connection with the completion of the acquisitions of FPM, Linxis, Herbold and Peerless, and we expect to incur further expenses in order to integrate a large number of processes, policies, procedures, operations, technologies, and systems in connection with these acquisitions.

As an industrial capital goods supplier, we serve industries that are cyclical and sensitive to changes in general economic conditions, such as packaging, automotive, construction, consumer goods, electronics, chemicals, and plastics industries. The performance of many of our businesses is directly related to the production levels of our customers. In particular, prices for plastic resins used to make plastic products and parts tend to fluctuate to a greater degree than our customers can adjust for in the pricing of their products. When resin prices increase, certain of our customers’ profit margins decrease, which may result in lower demand for our products. Therefore, our business is affected by fluctuations in the price of resin, which could have an adverse effect on our business and ability to generate operating cash flows.

During periods of economic expansion, when capital spending normally increases, our businesses generally benefit from greater demand for our products.  During periods of economic contraction, when capital spending normally decreases, they generally are adversely affected by declining demand for new equipment orders, and may be subject to increases in uncollectible receivables from customers who become insolvent.  There can be no assurance that economic expansion or increased demand will be sustainable, and our financial condition, consolidated results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

 

All acquisitions, including the FPM, Linxis, Herbold, and Peerless acquisitions, involve inherent uncertainties, which may include, among other things, our ability to:

 

We may acquire businesses with unknown liabilities, contingent liabilities, internal control deficiencies, or other risks.  We have plans and procedures to review potential acquisition candidates for a variety of due diligence matters, including compliance with applicable regulations and laws prior to acquisition.  Despite these efforts, realization of any of these liabilities or deficiencies may increase our expenses, adversely affect our financial position, or cause us to fail to meet our public financial reporting obligations.

 

We generally seek indemnification from sellers covering these matters; however, the liability of the sellers is often limited, and certain former owners may be unable to meet their indemnification responsibilities.  We cannot be assured that these indemnification provisions will fully protect us, and as a result we may face unexpected liabilities that adversely affect our profitability and financial position.

 

We may not achieve the intended benefits of our acquisitions. Under such circumstances, management could be required to spend significant amounts of time and resources in the transition of the acquired business, and we may not fully realize benefits anticipated from key initiatives, including the application of the HOM. We may also decide to sell previously acquired businesses, or portions thereof, that no longer meet our strategic objectives, potentially resulting in a loss, accounting charge, or other negative impact.  As a result of these factors, our business, cash flows, and consolidated results of operations could be materially impacted.

If we acquire a company that operates in an industry that is different from the ones in which we currently operate, our lack of experience with that company’s industry could have a material adverse impact on our ability to manage that business and realize the benefits of that acquisition.

We maintain intangible assets related to the acquisitions of Burnaby Machine and Mill Equipment Ltd. (“BM&M”), Coperion, FPM, Gabler, Herbold, K-Tron, Linxis, Milacron, Peerless, and Rotex, portions of which were identified as either goodwill or indefinite-lived assets.  We periodically assess these assets to determine if they are impaired.  Significant negative industry or economic trends, disruptions to our business, inability to effectively integrate acquired businesses, unexpected significant changes or planned changes in use of the assets, divestitures, and market capitalization declines may impair these assets, and any of these factors may be increasingly impactful during a period of ongoing global supply chain disruption or macroeconomic uncertainty. 

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and various other global jurisdictions. Our effective tax rate could be adversely affected by changes in the mix of earnings by jurisdiction and the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities. There is a global effort among developed countries to enact international tax reform that would change the way multinational organizations are taxed. If the tax reform proposals are enacted, they could have a material impact on our tax provision and value of deferred tax assets and liabilities. We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the differences between the consolidated financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities. Significant judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes. We regularly review our deferred tax assets for recoverability and establish a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. If we are unable to generate sufficient future taxable income, if there is a material change in the actual effective tax rates, or if there is a change to the time period within which the underlying temporary differences become taxable or deductible, we could be required to increase our valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets, which could result in a material increase in our effective tax rate.

Changes in tax laws or tax rulings could have a material impact on our effective tax rate. Many countries in the European Union, as well as several other countries and organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, are actively considering changes to existing tax laws. Certain proposals could include recommendations that could increase our tax obligations in those countries where we do business. Any changes in the taxation of our activities in such jurisdictions may result in a material increase in our effective tax rate.

We are also subject to other potential claims, including environmental, antitrust, patent infringement, business practices, commercial transactions, product and general liability, cybersecurity and privacy matters, workers’ compensation, auto liability, employment-related, and other matters. While we maintain insurance for certain of these exposures, the policies in place are often high-deductible policies.  It is difficult to measure the actual loss that might be incurred related to litigation or other potential claims, and the ultimate outcome of claims, lawsuits, and proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. For a more detailed discussion of claims, see Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statement included in Part II, Item 8, of this Form 10-K.

The political environment, especially in an election year in the U.S., may create uncertainty with respect to, and could result in additional changes in, or potential gridlock hindering legislation, regulation, international relations, and government policy, or could result in possible civil unrest or other disturbances in connection therewith. Additionally, the scope, clarity of guidance from regulators, and uncertain enforcement and implementation times allowed for new regulations in the U.S. and other jurisdictions may result in increased costs or temporarily impact business operations. While it is not possible to predict whether and when any such additional changes or disturbances could occur, any such events, whether at the local, state or federal level, or outside the U.S., could significantly impact our business and the industries in which we compete. To the extent such disturbances or changes in the political or regulatory environment have a negative impact on the Company or the markets in which we operate, it may materially and adversely impact our business, consolidated results of operations, and financial condition in the periods to come.

 

We are subject to currency exchange rate risk to the extent that our costs are denominated in currencies other than those in which we earn revenue.  In addition, since our Consolidated Financial Statements are denominated in U.S. dollars, changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and other currencies have had, and will continue to have, an impact on our results of operations.  The Company’s predominant exposures are to the Euro, Canadian dollar, Swiss franc, Mexican peso, Chinese Renminbi, Japanese Yen, Indian Rupee, and British pound sterling (along with others to a lesser degree). In preparing financial statements for foreign operations with functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar, asset and liability accounts are translated at current exchange rates and income and expenses are translated using weighted-average exchange rates. With respect to the effects on translated earnings, if the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to local currencies, as happens from time to time, the Company’s earnings could be negatively impacted. Although we address currency risk management through regular operating and financing activities and through the use of derivative financial instruments, those actions may not prove to be fully effective.

As of September 30, 2023 and 2022, approximately 31% and 30%, respectively, of Hillenbrand’s employees work under collective bargaining agreements or works councils.  Although we have not experienced any significant work stoppages in the past 20 years as a result of labor disagreements, we will need to negotiate new labor agreements in coming years and cannot ensure that such a stoppage will not occur in the future.  Inability to negotiate satisfactory new agreements or a labor disturbance at one or more of our facilities could have a material adverse effect on our operations.

 

Our Articles of Incorporation and By-laws, as well as Indiana law, contain provisions that could delay or prevent changes in control if our Board of Directors determines that such changes in control are not in the best interests of our shareholders.  While these provisions have the effect of encouraging persons seeking to acquire control of our Company to negotiate with our Board of Directors, they could enable our Board of Directors to hinder or frustrate a transaction that the Board of Directors believes is not in the best interests of shareholders, but which some, or a majority, of our shareholders might believe to be in their best interests.

 

These provisions include, among others:

 

Indiana law also imposes some restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between the Company and any holder of 10% or more of our outstanding common stock.

We believe these provisions are important for a public company and protect our shareholders from coercive or otherwise potentially unfair takeover tactics by encouraging potential acquirers to negotiate with our Board of Directors and by providing our Board of Directors with appropriate time to assess any acquisition proposal.  These provisions are not intended to make our Company immune from takeovers; however, they may apply if the Board of Directors determines that a takeover offer is not in the best interests of our shareholders, even if some shareholders believe the offer to be beneficial.

 

We have not received any comments from the staff of the SEC regarding our periodic or current reports that remain unresolved.

 

Our corporate headquarters is located in Batesville, Indiana, in a facility that we lease. At September 30, 2023, Advanced Process Solutions operated 16 significant manufacturing facilities located in the U.S. (in Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, and Virginia),

Germany, France, Switzerland, China, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Seven of these facilities are owned and nine are leased.  Advanced Process Solutions also leases or owns a number of warehouse distribution centers, service centers, and sales offices located in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America.

At September 30, 2023, Molding Technology Solutions operated nine significant manufacturing facilities located in the U.S. (in Ohio and Kansas), Germany, China, India, Canada, and the Czech Republic. Five of these facilities are owned and four are leased. Molding Technology Solutions also leases or owns a number of warehouse distribution centers, service centers, and sales offices located in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and South America.

 

Facilities often serve multiple purposes, such as administration, sales, manufacturing, testing, warehousing, and distribution.  We believe our current facilities will provide adequate capacity to meet expected demand for the next several years. 

 

Like most companies, we are involved from time to time in claims, lawsuits, and government proceedings relating to our operations, including environmental, antitrust, patent infringement, business practices, commercial transactions, product and general liability, cybersecurity and privacy matters, workers’ compensation, auto liability, employment-related, and other matters.  The ultimate outcome of any claims, lawsuits, and proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty.  We carry various forms of commercial, property and casualty, cybersecurity, product liability, and other forms of insurance; however, such insurance may not be applicable or adequate to cover the costs associated with a judgment against us, and in most instances have deductibles and self-funded retentions up to $0.5 per occurrence or per claim, depending upon the type of coverage and policy period.  It is difficult to measure the actual loss that might be incurred related to litigation, and the ultimate outcome of these claims, lawsuits, and proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

 

For more information on various legal proceedings, see Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8, of this Form 10-K.  That information is incorporated into this Item 3 by reference.

 

Not applicable.

 

Hillenbrand common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “HI.” 

  

As of November 10, 2023, we had approximately 1,502 shareholders of record.

  

On December 2, 2021, our Board of Directors authorized a new share repurchase program of up to $300.0, which replaced the previous $200.0 share repurchase program authorized on December 7, 2018. The repurchase program has no expiration date but may be terminated by the Board of Directors at any time.  No purchases of our common stock were made during the year ended September 30, 2023.

We returned $61.3 to shareholders in fiscal 2023 in the form of quarterly dividends. We increased our quarterly dividend in fiscal 2023 to $0.2200 per common share from $0.2175 per common share paid in fiscal 2022. We currently expect to pay approximately $15.6 each quarter in fiscal 2024 based on our outstanding common stock at September 30, 2023.

The following discussion compares our results for the year ended September 30, 2023, to the year ended September 30, 2022. The discussion comparing our results for the year ended September 30, 2022, to the year ended September 30, 2021, is included within Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2022, filed with the SEC on November 16, 2022. We begin the discussion at a consolidated level and then provide separate detail about Advanced Process Solutions and Molding Technology Solutions reportable operating segments, as well as Corporate.  These financial results are prepared in accordance with United States (“U.S.”) generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”).

 

We also provide certain non-GAAP operating performance measures.  These non-GAAP measures are referred to as “adjusted” measures and primarily exclude the following items:

Non-GAAP information is provided as a supplement to, not as a substitute for, or as superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

 

We use this non-GAAP information internally to make operating decisions and believe it is helpful to investors because it allows more meaningful period-to-period comparisons of our ongoing operating results.  The information can also be used to perform trend analysis and to better identify operating trends that may otherwise be masked or distorted by items such as the above excluded items.  We believe this information provides a higher degree of transparency.

 

An important non-GAAP measure that we use is adjusted earnings before interest, income tax, depreciation, and amortization (“adjusted EBITDA”). A part of Hillenbrand’s strategy is to selectively acquire companies that we believe can benefit from the Hillenbrand Operating Model (“HOM”) to spur faster and more profitable growth. Given that strategy, it is a natural consequence to incur related expenses, such as amortization from acquired intangible assets and additional interest expense from debt-funded acquisitions. Accordingly, we use adjusted EBITDA, among other measures, to monitor our business performance. Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized term under GAAP and therefore does not purport to be an alternative to consolidated net income. Further, the Company’s measure of adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

 

We expect that future net revenue associated with our reportable operating segments will be influenced by order backlog because of the lead time involved in fulfilling engineered-to-order equipment and solutions for customers. Although backlog can be an indicator of future net revenue, it does not include projects and aftermarket parts orders that are booked and shipped within the same quarter. The timing of order placement, size, extent of customization, and customer delivery dates can create fluctuations in backlog and net revenue. Net revenue attributable to backlog may also be affected by foreign exchange fluctuations for orders denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars.

 

We calculate the foreign currency impact on net revenue, gross profit, operating expenses, consolidated net income and consolidated adjusted EBITDA, in order to better measure the comparability of results between periods. We calculate the foreign currency impact by translating current year results at prior year foreign exchange rates. This information is provided because exchange rates can distort the underlying change in these metrics, either positively or negatively. The cost structures

for Corporate is generally not significantly impacted by the fluctuation in foreign exchange rates, and we do not disclose the foreign currency impact in the Operations Review below where the impact is not significant.

Another important operational measure used is backlog.  Backlog is not a term recognized under GAAP; however, it is a common measurement used in industries with extended lead times for order fulfillment (long-term contracts), like those in which our reportable operating segments compete.  Backlog represents the amount of net revenue that we expect to realize on contracts awarded to our reportable operating segments.  For purposes of calculating backlog, 100% of estimated net revenue attributable to consolidated subsidiaries is included. Backlog includes expected net revenue from large systems and equipment, as well as aftermarket parts, components, and service. The length of time that projects remain in backlog can span from days for aftermarket parts or service to approximately 18 to 24 months for larger system sales within the Advanced Process Solutions reportable operating segment.  The majority of the backlog within the Molding Technology Solutions reportable operating segment is expected to be fulfilled within the next twelve months. Backlog includes expected net revenue from the remaining portion of firm orders not yet completed, as well as net revenue from change orders to the extent that they are reasonably expected to be realized.  We include in backlog the full contract award, including awards subject to further customer approvals, which we expect to result in net revenue in future periods. In accordance with industry practice, our contracts may include provisions for cancellation, termination, or suspension at the discretion of the customer.

See page 40 for reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to consolidated net income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure. We use non-GAAP measures in certain other instances and include information reconciling such non-GAAP measures to the respective most directly comparable GAAP measures. Given that backlog is an operational measure and that the Company’s methodology for calculating backlog does not meet the definition of a non-GAAP measure, as that term is defined by the SEC, a quantitative reconciliation is not required or provided.

 

Our financial results are affected by the selection and application of accounting policies and methods.  Significant accounting policies which require management’s judgment are discussed below. A detailed description of our accounting policies is included in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8, of this Form 10-K.

Net revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for transferring goods or providing services and is recognized when performance obligations are satisfied under the terms of contracts with customers.

A performance obligation is deemed to be satisfied by the Company when control of the product or service is transferred to the customer. The transaction price of a contract, or the amount the Company expects to receive upon satisfaction of the performance obligation, is determined by reference to the contract’s terms and includes adjustments, if applicable, for any variable consideration, such as sales discounts and sales incentives, all of which require us to make estimates for the portion of these allowances that have yet to be credited or paid to our customers. We estimate these allowances using the expected value method, which is based upon historical rates and projections of customer purchases toward contractual rebate or incentive thresholds. If a contract contains more than one distinct performance obligation, the transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation based on the standalone selling price of each performance obligation; however, these situations do not occur frequently and are not material to the Consolidated Financial Statements, as our contracts generally include one performance obligation for the transfer of goods or services.

The timing of revenue recognition for the contract’s performance obligation is either over time or at a point in time. We recognize revenue over time for contracts that have an enforceable right to collect payment for performance completed to date upon customer cancellation and provide one or more of the following: (i) service over a period of time, (ii) highly customized equipment, or (iii) parts which are highly engineered and have no alternative use. Net revenue generated from standard equipment and highly customized equipment or parts contracts without an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date, as well as net revenue from non-specialized parts sales, is recognized at a point in time.

We use the input method of “cost-to-cost” to recognize net revenue over time. Accounting for these contracts involves management judgment in estimating total contract revenue and cost. Contract revenue is largely determined by negotiated contract prices and quantities, modified by our assumptions regarding contract options, change orders, and incentive and award provisions associated with technical performance clauses. Contract costs are incurred over longer periods of time and, accordingly, the estimation of these costs requires judgment. We measure progress based on costs incurred to date relative to total estimated cost at completion. Incurred cost represents work performed, which corresponds with, and we believe thereby best depicts, the transfer of control to the customer. Contract costs include labor, material, and certain overhead expenses. Cost

estimates are based on various assumptions to project the outcome of future events, including labor productivity and availability, the complexity of the work to be performed, the cost of materials, and the performance of suppliers and subcontractors. Significant factors that influence these estimates include inflationary trends, technical and schedule risk, internal and subcontractor performance trends, business volume assumptions, asset utilization, and anticipated labor agreements. Net revenue and cost estimates are regularly monitored and revised based on changes in circumstances. Anticipated losses on long-term manufacturing contracts are recognized immediately when such losses become evident. We maintain financial controls over the customer qualification, contract pricing, and estimation processes designed to reduce the risk of contract losses.

Standalone service net revenue is recognized either over time proportionately over the period of the underlying contract or as invoiced, depending on the terms of the arrangement. Standalone service revenue is not material to the Company.

We sponsor retirement benefit plans covering some of our employees.  Expense recognized for the plans is based upon actuarial valuations.  Inherent in those valuations are key assumptions including discount rates, expected returns on assets, and projected future salary rates.  The actuarial assumptions we use may differ significantly from actual results due to changing economic conditions, participant life span, and withdrawal rates. The discount rates used in the valuation of our retirement benefit plans are evaluated annually based on current market conditions. We use a full yield curve approach in the estimation of the service and interest cost components of our defined benefit retirement plans. Under this approach, we applied discounting using individual spot rates from a yield curve composed of the rates of return on several hundred high-quality, fixed income corporate bonds available at the measurement date. These spot rates align to each of the projected benefit obligations and service cost cash flows. The service cost component relates to the active participants in the plans, so the relevant cash flows on which to apply the yield curve are considerably longer in duration on average than the total projected benefit obligation cash flows, which also include benefit payments to retirees. Interest cost is computed by multiplying each spot rate by the corresponding discounted projected benefit obligation cash flows. The full yield curve approach reduces any actuarial gains and losses based upon interest rate expectations (e.g., built-in gains in interest cost in an upward sloping projected yield curve scenario), or gains and losses merely resulting from the timing and magnitude of cash outflows associated with our benefit obligations.

Our overall expected long-term rate of return on pension assets is based on historical and expected future returns, which are inflation-adjusted and weighted for the expected return for each component of the investment portfolio.  Our rate of assumed compensation increase for pension benefits is also based on our specific historical trends of past wage adjustments in recent years and expectations for the future.

See Note 8 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8, of this Form 10-K, for key assumptions and other information regarding our retirement and postretirement benefit plans.

Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives, primarily tradenames, are tested for impairment at least annually and upon the occurrence of certain triggering events or substantive changes in circumstances that indicate that the fair value may be below carrying value.

Impairment of goodwill is tested at the reporting unit level. A reporting unit is an operating segment or one level below an operating segment if discrete financial information is prepared and regularly reviewed by operating segment management. For the purpose of the goodwill impairment test, the Company can elect to perform a quantitative or qualitative analysis. If the qualitative test is elected, qualitative factors are assessed to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair values of its reporting units are less than the respective carrying values of those reporting units. Such factors we consider in a qualitative

analysis include, but are not limited to, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, Company-specific events, events affecting the reporting unit, and the overall financial performance of the reporting unit. If after performing the qualitative analysis, the Company determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, then the Company must perform the quantitative goodwill impairment test.

If we elect to perform or are required to perform a quantitative analysis, we compare the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s net assets, including goodwill, to the fair value of the reporting unit. If the fair value exceeds the carrying value, no further evaluation is required, and no impairment loss is recognized. If the carrying value exceeds the fair value, an impairment charge is recognized for the difference between carrying amount and fair value, not to exceed the original amount of goodwill.

In determining the estimated fair value of the reporting units when performing a quantitative analysis, we consider both the market approach and the income approach. For purposes of the goodwill impairment test, weighting is equally attributed to both the market and income approaches in arriving at the fair value of the reporting units.

Under the market approach, we utilize the guideline company method, which involves calculating valuation multiples based on financial data from comparable publicly traded companies. Multiples derived from these companies provide an indication of how much a knowledgeable investor in the marketplace would be willing to pay for a company. These multiples are then applied to the financial data for our reporting units to arrive at an indication of value.

Under the income approach, the fair value of the reporting unit is based on the present value of estimated future cash flows utilizing a market-based weighted-average cost of capital determined separately for each reporting unit.

To determine the reasonableness of the calculated fair values of our reporting units, the Company reviews the assumptions described below to ensure that neither the market approach nor the income approach yields significantly different valuations. We selected these valuation approaches because we believe the combination of these approaches, along with our best judgment regarding underlying assumptions and estimates, provides us with the best estimate of fair value of our reporting units. We believe these valuation approaches are appropriate for the industry and widely accepted by investors.

The key assumptions for the market and income approaches we use to determine fair value of our reporting units are updated at least annually. Those assumptions and estimates include macroeconomic conditions, competitive activities, cost containment, achievement of synergy initiatives, market data and market multiples (6.5-11.0 times adjusted EBITDA), discount rates (12.5-16.0%), and terminal growth rates (2.0%), as well as future levels of revenue growth, adjusted EBITDA, and working capital requirements, which are based upon the Company’s strategic plan. Hillenbrand’s strategic plan is updated as part of its annual planning process and is reviewed and approved by management and the Board of Directors. The strategic plan may be revised as necessary during a fiscal year, based on changes in market conditions or other changes in the reporting units. The discount rate assumption is based on the overall after-tax rate of return required by a market participant whose weighted-average cost of capital includes both equity and debt, including a risk premium. The discount rates may be impacted by adverse changes in the macroeconomic environment, volatility in the equity and debt markets or other factors. While the Company can implement and has implemented certain strategies to address these events, changes in operating plans or adverse changes in the future could reduce the underlying cash flows used to estimate reporting unit fair values and could result in a further decline in fair value that would trigger a future material impairment charge of the reporting units’ goodwill balance.

Although there are always changes in assumptions to reflect changing business and market conditions, our overall valuation methodology and the types of assumptions we use have remained consistent and conservative. While we use the best available information to prepare the cash flow and discount rate assumptions, actual future cash flows or market conditions could differ significantly resulting in future impairment charges related to recorded goodwill balances.

The Company performed its annual July 1 goodwill impairment assessment during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023 for all reporting units. For all reporting units, the fair value of the reporting unit was determined to exceed the carrying value, resulting in no impairment to goodwill as part of this test. As a result of the Milacron acquisition in fiscal 2020 and the impact of macroeconomic headwinds, there is less cushion or headroom for the reporting units with the Molding Technology Solutions reportable operating segment. The estimated fair value, as calculated at July 1, 2023, for the three reporting units within the Molding Technology Solutions reportable operating segment ranged from approximately 10% to 28% greater than their carrying value (13% to 54% at the previous impairment assessment date).

Estimating fair value for acquired assets and liabilities as part of a business combination typically requires us to exercise judgment, particularly for those assets and liabilities that may be unique or not easily determined by reference to market data. Often estimates for these types of acquired assets and liabilities will be developed using valuation models that require both historical and forecasted inputs, as well as market participant expectations. Thus, the valuation is directly affected by the inputs we judge as best under the given circumstances. When material, we utilize the assistance of competent valuation professionals when the underlying valuation is more complex or unique. In most cases, if material, we will exercise significant judgment in estimating the fair value of identifiable intangible assets, contingent liabilities, and property, plant, and equipment. This list is not exhaustive, but is designed to give you a better understanding of where we think a larger degree of judgment will be required due to the nature of the item and the way it is typically valued.

The Company makes an initial allocation of the purchase price at the date of acquisition based upon its understanding of the fair value of the acquired assets, including identifiable intangible assets, and assumed liabilities. We obtain this information during due diligence and through other sources. In the months after closing, as we obtain additional information about these assets and liabilities, including through tangible asset appraisals, and learn more about the newly acquired business, we are able to refine the estimates of fair value and more accurately allocate the purchase price. The determination of identifiable intangible assets is subjective and generally requires complex valuation methodologies including the relief from royalty method and multi-period excess earnings method, for which we generally use a third-party valuation specialist. The identifiable intangible assets are impacted by a number of judgmental assumptions including future revenue growth rates and EBITDA margins on such revenue, customer attrition rates, and the discount rates.

See Note 5 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8, of this Form 10-K, for further information on recent business combinations.

 

Hillenbrand (www.Hillenbrand.com) is a global industrial company that provides highly-engineered processing equipment and solutions to customers around the world. Our portfolio is composed of leading industrial brands that serve large, attractive end markets, including durable plastics, food, and recycling. Guided by our Purpose, Shape What Matters For Tomorrow™, we pursue excellence, collaboration, and innovation to shape solutions that best serve our people, our customers, and our communities. Customers choose Hillenbrand due to our reputation for designing, manufacturing, and servicing highly-engineered, mission-critical equipment and solutions that meet their unique and complex processing requirements.

Hillenbrand’s portfolio is composed of two reportable operating segments: Advanced Process Solutions and Molding Technology Solutions. Advanced Process Solutions is a leading global provider of highly-engineered process and material handling equipment, systems, and aftermarket parts and services for a variety of industries, including durable plastics, food, and recycling. Key technologies within the Advanced Process Solutions portfolio include compounding, extrusion, material handling, conveying, mixing, ingredient automation, portion process, and screening and separating equipment. Molding Technology Solutions is a global leader in highly-engineered equipment, systems, and aftermarket parts and service for the plastic technology processing industry. Molding Technology Solutions has a comprehensive product portfolio that includes injection molding and extrusion equipment, hot runner systems, process control systems, mold bases and components, and maintenance, repair, and operating (“MRO”) supplies. These reportable operating segments are characterized by well-known brands that are recognized for technological capabilities and process expertise that can be shared across the reportable operating segments to serve customers globally. These reportable operating segments address macro trends supported by a growing middle class driving demand for plastics in a variety of applications, such as construction, food safety, and recycling.

During the year ended September 30, 2023, the following operational decisions and economic developments had an impact on our current and may impact our future cash flows, consolidated results of operations, and financial position.

While global supply chains have recently suffered from various headwinds, those supporting our products have generally remained intact, providing access to sufficient inventory of the key materials needed for manufacturing. We have experienced significant delays in certain raw materials and components, but we have largely been able to mitigate the impact of these delays on our consolidated results of operations. We continue to identify and qualify alternative sources to mitigate risk associated with single or sole sources of supply, and we may choose to purchase certain materials in safety stock where we have supply chain continuity concerns. We have experienced, and it remains possible that we may experience interruptions to our supply chains, and such an interruption could materially affect our ability to timely manufacture and distribute our products and could also have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated net revenue, results of operations, and cash flows during fiscal 2024 and beyond.

We also experienced material and supply chain inflation during fiscal 2023, as further discussed in our Operations Review. Pricing actions and supply chain productivity initiatives have mitigated and are expected to continue to mitigate some of these

inflationary pressures, but we may not be successful in fully offsetting these incremental costs, which could have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated results of operations, and cash flows during fiscal 2024 and beyond.

For additional information regarding labor, supply chain, and other risks, see Item 1A of this Form 10-K.

This divestiture represented a strategic shift in Hillenbrand’s business and qualified as a discontinued operation. Unless otherwise noted, amounts presented in Management’s Discussion and Analysis are for continuing operations only.

On October 22, 2021, the Company completed the divestiture of TerraSource pursuant to a Contribution Agreement (“Agreement”) between the Company and certain affiliated companies of industrial holding company Right Lane Industries (“RLI”). Under the terms of the Agreement, Hillenbrand contributed TerraSource and its subsidiaries to a newly formed entity, TerraSource Holdings, LLC (“Holdings”), with RLI obtaining majority ownership and full operational control of TerraSource. In exchange for contributing the TerraSource business, the Company received consideration in the form of a five-year note with initial principal amount of $25.6, subject to certain adjustments, and an April 2028 maturity date, and also retained a 49% equity interest in Holdings through one of the Company’s indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries, which became an approximately 46% interest in connection with the January 2023 amendment to the five-year note. The fair value of the total consideration received by the Company was $27.7.

As a result of the TerraSource divestiture, the Company recorded a pre-tax loss of $3.1, after post-closing adjustments, in the Consolidated Statement of Operations during the year ended September 30, 2022. The Company incurred $0.4 of transaction costs associated with the divestiture during the year ended September 30, 2022, which were recorded within operating expenses in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. TerraSource’s results of operations were included within the Advanced Process Solutions reportable operating segment until the completion of the divestiture on October 22, 2021. Subsequent to the divestiture, the Company’s equity interest in Holdings is accounted for under the equity method of accounting as prescribed by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”).

On September 1, 2023, the Company completed the acquisition of the Schenck Process Food and Performance Materials (“FPM”) business, a portfolio company of Blackstone, for total aggregate consideration of $748.7, net of certain customary post-closing adjustments, and including cash acquired, using available borrowings under its multi-currency revolving credit facility (the “Facility”). Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, FPM specializes in the design, manufacturing, and service of feeding, filtration, baking, and material handling technologies and systems that are highly complementary to the equipment and solutions offered in our Advanced Process Solutions reportable operating segment. The results of FPM since the date of acquisition are included in the Advanced Process Solutions reportable operating segment.

On December 1, 2022, the Company completed the acquisition of the Peerless Food Equipment division (“Peerless”) of Illinois Tool Works Inc. for a purchase price of $59.2, net of certain customary post-closing adjustments and including cash acquired, using available borrowings under the Facility. Headquartered in Sidney, Ohio, Peerless is a premier supplier of industrial food processing equipment. The equipment and solutions offered by Peerless are highly complementary to those offered by the Linxis brands. The results of Peerless since the date of acquisition are included in the Advanced Process Solutions reportable operating segment.

On October 6, 2022, the Company completed the acquisition of LINXIS Group SAS (“Linxis”) from IBERIS INTERNATIONAL S.À R.L, an affiliate of IK Partners, and additional sellers (collectively, the “Sellers”). As a result of the acquisition, the Company acquired from the Sellers all of the issued and outstanding securities of Linxis, and Linxis became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company for total aggregate consideration of $590.8 (€596.2) in cash, reflecting an approximate enterprise value of $566.8 (€572.0) plus cash acquired at closing, subject to post-closing adjustments. The Company used available borrowings under the Facility to fund this acquisition.

On August 31, 2022, the Company completed the acquisition of Herbold Meckesheim GmbH (“Herbold”) for $77.7 (€77.5) in cash, pursuant to a definitive acquisition agreement dated June 30, 2022. Based in Meckesheim, Germany, Herbold is a leader in recycling systems, specializing in key process steps such as washing, separating, drying, shredding, and pulverizing. The results of Herbold since the date of acquisition are included in the Advanced Process Solutions reportable operating segment.

On June 30, 2022, the Company completed the acquisition of Gabler Engineering GmbH (“Gabler”) for $12.9 (€12.6) in cash, which was funded with cash on hand. Gabler, based in Malsch, Germany, specializes in the design, engineering, manufacturing, and implementation of plants and equipment for the confectionery and pharmaceutical industries. The results of Gabler since the date of acquisition are included in the Advanced Process Solutions reportable operating segment.

As a result of the divestiture of the historical Batesville reportable operating segment, Hillenbrand is now composed of two reportable operating segments: Advanced Process Solutions and Molding Technology Solutions. Advanced Process Solutions is a global leader in highly-engineered process and material handling equipment and systems for a wide variety of industries, including durable plastics, food, and recycling industries. Molding Technology Solutions is a global leader in highly-engineered processing equipment, systems, and aftermarket parts and service for the plastic technology processing industry.

 

(28%), which included favorable foreign currency impact (3%). Adjusted operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue increased 90 basis points to 18.6%.

Our adjusted effective income tax rate was 29.5% in 2023 compared to 31.5% in 2022. The adjusted effective income tax rate primarily excludes the tax effect of the following items:

Excluding these items, the increase in the current year adjusted effective tax rate was primarily due to an increase in tax expense associated with the recognition of valuation allowances on current year deferred tax items in certain jurisdictions and the settlement of tax audits of prior tax years, partially offset by a year-over-year reduction of the provision for taxes on distributions from foreign subsidiaries as a result of lower foreign cash positions, and reduction in the accrual of taxes for uncertain tax positions in the current year.

 

We expect future net revenue for Advanced Process Solutions to continue to be influenced by order backlog because of the lead time involved in fulfilling engineered-to-order equipment and solutions for customers. Though backlog can be an indicator of future net revenue, it does not include projects and aftermarket parts orders that are booked and shipped within the same quarter. The timing of order placement, size of orders, extent of order customization, and customer delivery dates can create fluctuations in backlog and net revenue. Net revenue attributable to backlog is also affected by foreign exchange rate fluctuations for orders denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars. Order backlog increased $468.5 (34%) from $1,397.9 at September 30, 2022, to $1,866.4 at September 30, 2023. The increase in order backlog was primarily driven by acquisitions and a favorable foreign currency impact (5%). On a sequential basis, order backlog increased $262.4 (16%) to $1,866.4 at September 30, 2023, up from $1,604.0 at June 30, 2023, primarily due to acquisitions, partially offset by unfavorable foreign currency impact (3%).

Advanced Process Solutions’ gross profit included inventory step-up costs related to acquisitions ($11.7 in 2023), business acquisition, divestiture, and integration costs ($0.5 in 2023 and $0.1 in 2022), restructuring and restructuring-related charges ($2.1 in 2022), and other one-time costs ($0.8 in 2022). Excluding these charges, adjusted gross profit increased $222.2 (50%) and adjusted gross profit margin improved 160 basis points to 36.4%.

Order backlog decreased $130.9 (36%) from $364.1 at September 30, 2022, to $233.2 at September 30, 2023, primarily driven by the execution of existing backlog and a decrease in orders within our injection molding equipment product line. Foreign currency impact increased order backlog by 1%. On a sequential basis, order backlog decreased $33.2 (12%) to $233.2 at September 30, 2023, down from $266.4 at June 30, 2023. The decrease in order backlog was primarily driven by the execution of existing backlog.

Molding Technology Solutions’ gross profit included restructuring and restructuring-related charges ($2.3 in 2023 and $0.1 in 2022) and business acquisition, divestiture, and integration costs ($0.7 in 2023 and $0.3 in 2022). Excluding these charges, adjusted gross profit decreased $26.2 (8%) and adjusted gross profit margin decreased 130 basis points to 29.9%.

Operating expenses included business acquisition, divestiture, and integration costs ($1.8 in 2023 and $1.3 in 2022) and restructuring and restructuring-related charges ($1.1 in 2023 and $0.5 in 2022). Excluding these charges, adjusted operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue increased 50 basis points to 13.7%.

Corporate operating expenses include the cost of providing management and administrative services to each reportable operating segment.  These services include treasury management, human resources, legal, business development, information technology, tax compliance, procurement, sustainability, and other public company support functions such as internal audit, investor relations, and financial reporting. Corporate operating expenses also include costs related to business acquisition, divestiture, and integration, which we incur as a result of our strategy to grow through selective acquisitions. Core operating expenses primarily represent corporate operating expenses excluding costs related to business acquisition, divestiture, and integration costs.

Business acquisition, divestiture, and integration costs include legal, tax, accounting, and other advisory fees and due diligence costs associated with investigating opportunities (including acquisitions and divestitures) and integrating completed acquisitions.

As a result of classifying the historical Batesville reportable operating segment as a discontinued operation, certain indirect corporate costs included within operating expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations that were previously allocated to the historical Batesville reportable operating segment do not qualify for classification within discontinued operations and are now reported as operating expenses in continuing operations within corporate expenses for all periods presented preceding the sale. In addition, costs directly attributable to the historical Batesville reportable operating segment divestiture have been reflected in discontinued operations for the years ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.

 

Operating expenses increased $3.4 (4%) in 2023, primarily due to an increase in business acquisition, divestiture, and integration costs, an increase in strategic investments, and cost inflation, partially offset by a decrease in variable compensation and prior year one-time expenses associated with the realignment of the executive management team that did not repeat in 2023. Operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue were 3.4%, an improvement of 60 basis points from the prior year.  

 

Core operating expenses decreased $5.3 (8%) in 2023, primarily due to a decrease in variable compensation and prior year one-time expenses associated with the realignment of the executive management team that did not repeat in 2023, partially offset by

an increase in strategic investments and cost inflation. Operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue were 2.2%, an improvement of 70 basis points from the prior year.

The following is a reconciliation from consolidated net income, the most directly comparable GAAP operating performance measure, to our non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA.

Consolidated net income for 2023 compared to 2022 increased $361.5 (168%). The increase was primarily driven by the increase in total income from discontinued operations, favorable pricing and productivity improvements, and an increase in demand for equipment within the Advanced Process Solutions reportable operating segment, partially offset by cost inflation, an increase in depreciation and amortization, an increase in strategic investments, an increase in business acquisition, divestiture, and integration costs, an increase in interest expense, and inventory step-up costs related to acquisitions. Foreign currency impact decreased consolidated net income $8.1.

Consolidated adjusted EBITDA for 2023 compared to 2022 increased $81.7 (20%). The increase was primarily driven by favorable pricing and productivity improvements and an increase in demand for equipment within the Advanced Process Solutions reportable operating segment, partially offset by cost inflation, and an increase in strategic investments. Foreign currency impact decreased consolidated adjusted EBITDA by $9.5.

In this section, we discuss our ability to access cash to meet business needs.  We discuss how we see cash flow being affected for the next twelve months.  We describe actual results in generating and using cash by comparing 2023 to 2022.  Finally, we identify other significant matters, such as contractual obligations and contingent liabilities and commitments that could affect liquidity on an ongoing basis.

 

We have taken proactive measures to maintain financial flexibility. We believe the Company ended the fiscal year with and continues to have sufficient liquidity to operate in the current business environment.

With respect to the Facility, as of September 30, 2023, the Company had an outstanding balance of $505.1. As of September 30, 2023, the Company had $19.8 in outstanding letters of credit issued and $475.1 of available borrowing capacity under the Facility, all of which was immediately available based on our most restrictive covenant. The Company may request an increase of up to $600.0 in the total borrowing capacity under the Amended Credit Agreement, subject to approval of the lenders.

In the normal course of business, operating companies within our reportable operating segments provide to certain customers bank guarantees and other credit arrangements in support of performance, warranty, advance payment, and other contractual obligations. This form of trade finance is customary in the industry and, as a result, we maintain adequate capacity to provide the guarantees. As of September 30, 2023, we had guarantee arrangements totaling $587.9, under which $326.9 was utilized for this purpose. These arrangements include the Amended L/G Agreement (defined below) under which unsecured letters of credit, bank guarantees, or other surety bonds may be issued. The Company may request an increase to the total capacity under the Amended L/G Agreement by an additional €100, subject to approval of the lenders.

We have significant operations outside the U.S. We continue to assert that the basis differences in the majority of our foreign subsidiaries continue to be permanently reinvested outside of the U.S. We have recorded tax liabilities associated with distribution taxes on expected distributions of available cash and current earnings. The Company has made, and intends to continue to make, substantial investments in our businesses in foreign jurisdictions to support the ongoing development and growth of our international operations. As of September 30, 2023, we had a transition tax liability of $11.2 pursuant to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”). The cash at our international subsidiaries, including U.S. subsidiaries participating in non-U.S. cash pooling arrangements, totaled $193.2 at September 30, 2023. We continue to actively evaluate our global capital deployment and cash needs.

The Company’s net leverage (defined as debt, net of cash, to pro forma adjusted EBITDA) at September 30, 2023 was 3.2x. The Company remains committed to de-leveraging and intends to prioritize paying down its debt over the next twelve months.

On December 2, 2021, the Board of Directors authorized a new share repurchase program of up to $300.0, which replaced the previous $200.0 share repurchase program. The repurchase program has no expiration date but may be terminated by the Board of Directors at any time.  As of September 30, 2023, we repurchased 4,143,000 shares under the December 2, 2021 share repurchase program for approximately $175.0 in the aggregate. At September 30, 2023, we had approximately $125.0 remaining for share repurchases under the existing authorization by the Board of Directors. No purchases of our common stock were made during the year ended September 30, 2023.

We currently expect to pay approximately $15.6 in cash dividends each quarter in fiscal 2024 based on our outstanding common stock at September 30, 2023. We increased our quarterly dividend in 2023 to $0.2200 per common share from $0.2175 per common share paid in 2022.

We believe existing cash and cash equivalents, cash flows from operations, borrowings under existing arrangements, and the issuance of debt will be sufficient to fund our operating activities and cash commitments for investing and financing activities. Based on these factors, we believe our current liquidity position is sufficient and will continue to meet all of our financial commitments in the current business environment.

On June 22, 2023, the Company entered into an Amendment and Restatement Agreement (as amended, the “Amended L/G Agreement”), which amends and restates the L/G Facility Agreement. The Amended L/G Agreement includes, among other changes, an increase in the facility from €225 to €325 and the inclusion of requirements that would be triggered by a Collateral Springing Event. See Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K for further details on these amendments.

 

Operating activities provided $207.0 of cash during 2023, and provided $63.3 of cash during 2022, a $143.7 (227%) increase.  The increase in operating cash flow was primarily due to favorable timing of working capital requirements related to large plastics projects and a decrease in inventory.

Working capital requirements for our reportable operating segments fluctuate and may continue to fluctuate in the future due primarily to the type of product and geography of customer projects in process at any point in time. Working capital needs are lower when advance payments from customers are more heavily weighted toward the beginning of the project. Conversely, working capital needs are higher when a larger portion of the cash is to be received in later stages of manufacturing.

 

The $590.6 decrease in net cash flows from investing activities during 2023 was primarily due to the acquisitions of FPM, Linxis and Peerless, and an increase in capital expenditures, partially offset by the proceeds received on the divestiture of the historical Batesville reportable operating segment. See Notes 4 and 5 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8, of this Form 10-K for further information on these acquisitions and divestitures.

 

Cash provided by financing activities was largely impacted by net borrowing activity and share repurchases. Our general practice is to use available cash to pay down debt unless it is needed for an acquisition. Daily borrowing and repayment activity under the Amended Credit Agreement may fluctuate significantly between periods as we fulfill the capital needs of our business units. Cash provided by financing activities during 2023 was $693.4, an increase of $937.6 from 2022. The increase was primarily due to higher borrowing activity to fund acquisitions, partially offset by a decreases in repurchases of common stock.

We returned $61.3 to shareholders in 2023 in the form of quarterly dividends compared to $62.0 in 2022.  We increased our quarterly dividend in 2023 to $0.2200 per common share from $0.2175 paid during 2022. 

 

As part of its normal course of business, Hillenbrand is a party to various financial guarantees and other commitments. These arrangements involve elements of performance and credit risk that are not included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The possibility that Hillenbrand would have to make actual cash expenditures in connection with these obligations is largely dependent on the performance of the guaranteed party, or the occurrence of future events that Hillenbrand is unable to predict. We have no off-balance sheet financing agreements or guarantees as of September 30, 2023 that we believe are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

 

 

The following table summarizes our future obligations not quantified and disclosed elsewhere in this Form 10-K as of September 30, 2023.  This will help give you an understanding of the significance of cash outlays that are fixed beyond the normal accounts payable and other obligations we have already incurred, have recorded, and disclosed in the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8, of this Form 10-K. 

Summarized financial information of Hillenbrand (the “Parent”) and our subsidiaries that are guarantors of our senior unsecured notes (the “Guarantor Subsidiaries”) is shown below on a combined basis as the “Obligor Group.” The Company’s senior unsecured notes are guaranteed by certain of our wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries and rank equally in right of payment with all of our existing and financial information of the Obligor Group. All intercompany balances and transactions between the Parent and Guarantor Subsidiaries have been eliminated and all information excludes subsidiaries that are not issuers or guarantors of our senior unsecured notes, including earnings from and investments in these entities.

Upon the divestiture of Batesville on February 1, 2023, each of the subsidiaries of Batesville that were Guarantor Subsidiaries ceased to be a guarantor of the senior unsecured notes.

 

For a summary of recently issued and adopted accounting standards applicable to us, see Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8, of this Form 10-K, none of which has or is expected to have a material impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements. 

In this section, we tell you about market risks we think could have a significant impact on our bottom line or the financial strength of our Company.  The term “market risk” generally means how results of operations and the value of assets and liabilities could be affected by market factors such as interest rates, currency exchange rates, the value of commodities, and debt and equity price risks.  If those factors change significantly, it could help or hurt our bottom line, depending on how we react to them.

We are exposed to various market risks.  We have established policies, procedures, and internal processes governing our management of market risks and the use of financial instruments to manage our exposure to such risks.  Our primary exposures are typically to: fluctuations in market prices for purchases of certain commodities; volatility in interest rates associated with the Facility; volatility in the fair value of the assets held by our pension plans; and variability in exchange rates in foreign locations.

 

We are subject to market risk from fluctuating market prices of certain purchased commodity raw materials including steel.  While these materials are typically available from multiple suppliers, commodity raw materials are subject to market price fluctuations.  We generally buy these commodities based upon market prices that are established with the supplier as part of the purchasing process.  We generally attempt to obtain firm pricing from our larger suppliers for volumes consistent with planned production.  To the extent that commodity prices increase and we do not have firm pricing from our suppliers, or if our

suppliers are not able to honor such prices, we may experience a decline in our gross margins to the extent we are not able to increase selling prices of our products or obtain supply chain efficiencies, including as a result of current global supply chain disruptions, to offset increases in commodity costs.

At September 30, 2023, our variable rate debt obligations were $892.6, which included borrowings on the Facility. We are subject to interest rate risk associated with such borrowings, which bear a variable rate of interest that is based upon, at the Company’s option, (A) if denominated in US dollars, at the Term SOFR Rate or the Alternate Base Rate (each as defined in the Amended Credit Agreement), (B) if denominated in Japanese Yen, Canadian dollars or Euros, at rates based on the rates offered for deposits in the applicable interbank markets for such currencies and (C) if denominated in Pounds Sterling or Swiss Francs, at SONIA and SARON, respectively (each as defined in the Credit Agreement), plus, in each case, a margin based on the Company’s leverage ratio. The interest we pay on such borrowings is dependent on interest rate conditions and the timing of our financing needs. If we assumed borrowings under our variable rate debt obligations remained unchanged for the next fiscal year, a one percentage point change in the related interest rates would decrease or increase our annual interest expense by approximately $8.9.

Our pension plans’ assets are also subject to volatility that can be caused by fluctuations in general economic conditions.  Plan assets are invested by the plans’ fiduciaries, which direct investments according to specific policies.  Those policies subject investments to the following restrictions in our domestic plan: short-term securities must be rated A1/P1, liability-hedging fixed income securities must have an average quality credit rating of investment grade, and investments in equities in any one company may not exceed 10% of the equity portfolio.  Favorable or unfavorable investment performance over the long term will impact our pension expense if it deviates from our assumption related to future rate of return.

We are subject to variability in foreign currency exchange rates in our international operations.  Exposure to this variability is periodically managed through the use of natural hedges and also by entering into currency exchange agreements.  The aggregate notional amount of all derivative instruments was $164.6 and $156 at September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The carrying value of all of the Company’s derivative instruments at fair value resulted in assets of $1.5 and $2.6 (included in prepaid expenses and other current assets) and liabilities of $1.7 and $8.0 (included in other current liabilities and other long-term liabilities) at September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The fair value of these financial instruments would hypothetically change by $1.2 and $7.6 as of September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, if there were a 10% movement in end-of-period market rates.

 

The translation of the financial statements of our non-U.S. operations from local currencies into U.S. dollars is also sensitive to changes in foreign exchange rates.  These translation gains or losses are recorded as cumulative translation adjustments (“CTA”) within accumulated other comprehensive loss on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.  The hypothetical change in CTA is calculated by multiplying the net assets of our non-U.S. operations by a 10% change in the applicable foreign exchange rates.  The result of the appreciation or depreciation of all applicable currencies against the U.S. dollar would be a change in shareholders’ equity of $122.0 and $118.6 as of September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Management has excluded Linxis, Peerless, and FPM from its assessment of internal controls over financial reporting as of September 30, 2023, because the Company acquired Linxis effective October 6, 2022, Peerless effective December 1, 2022, and FPM effective September 1, 2023. Linxis, Peerless, and FPM are included in the 2023 consolidated financial statements of Hillenbrand, Inc. and constituted approximately 35% of total consolidated assets as of September 30, 2023 and approximately 15% of total consolidated net revenue for the year then ended.

 

The effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2023, has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report included herein.

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Hillenbrand, Inc.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2019.