Ducommun (DCO) 10-K2023 FY Annual report

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

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price of which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter ended July 1, 2023 was $635 million.

The number of shares of common stock outstanding on February 15, 2024 was 14,641,154.

The following documents are incorporated by reference:

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be preceded by, followed by or include words such as “could,” “may,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect,” “would,” or similar expressions. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of our management at the time such statements are made. Generally, forward-looking statements include information concerning our possible or assumed future actions, events or results of operations. Forward-looking statements specifically include, without limitation, the information in this Form 10-K regarding: future sales, earnings, cash flow, revenue recognition, uses of cash and other measures of financial performance, projections or expectations for future operations, including costs to complete contracts, goodwill impairment evaluations, useful life of intangible assets, unrecognized tax benefits and effective tax rate, environmental remediation costs, insurance recoveries, industry trends and expectations, including ramp up times for build rates, our plans with respect to restructuring activities, capital expenditures, completed acquisitions, future acquisitions and dispositions, and expected business opportunities that may be available to us.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those projected. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. All written and oral forward-looking statements made in connection with this Form 10-K that are attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by “Risk Factors” contained within Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K and other cautionary statements included herein.

There can be no assurance that other factors will not affect the accuracy of these forward-looking statements or that our actual results will not differ materially from the results anticipated in such forward-looking statements. While it is impossible to identify all such factors, some factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by us include, but are not limited to, those factors or conditions described under Risk Factors contained within Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K and the following:

We caution the reader that undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Form 10-K. We do not undertake any duty or responsibility to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Form 10-K except as required by law.

For example, on April 25, 2023, we acquired 100% of the outstanding equity interests of BLR Aerospace L.L.C. (“BLR”), a privately-held leading provider of aerodynamic systems that enhance the productivity, performance, and safety of rotary and fixed-wing aircraft on commercial and military platforms. The initial purchase price was $115.0 million, net of cash acquired. We paid a gross aggregate of $117.0 million in cash upon the closing of the transaction. We utilized the 2022 Revolving Credit Facility (as defined below) to complete the acquisition. The acquisition of BLR adds to our strategy to diversify and offer more customized, value-driven engineered products with aftermarket opportunities, and was included in our Structural Systems segment.

In response to customer needs and utilizing our in-depth engineering expertise, Electronic Systems is also considered a leading supplier of engineered products including, illuminated pushbutton switches and panels for aviation and test systems, microwave and millimeter switches and filters for radio frequency systems and test instrumentation, motors and resolvers for motion control, and lightning diversion systems.

Electronic Systems also provides engineering expertise for aerospace system design, development, integration, and testing. We leverage the knowledge base, capabilities, talent, and technologies of this focused capability into direct support of our customers.

In The Boeing Company’s (“Boeing”) 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), they indicated that in 2023, global air traffic largely recovered to 2019 levels with domestic travel continuing to be the most robust and the single-aisle market following closely. International travel has mostly recovered and the wide-body market continues to be paced by the international travel recovery. The transition in the international commercial market from recovery to normal market conditions is progressing slowly as China international travel remains below 2019 levels. Overall, Boeing is experiencing strong demand from its airline customers globally.

Our defense end-use market includes products used in military and space, including technologies and structures applications. The defense end-use market is highly cyclical and is impacted by the level of government defense spending. Government defense spending is impacted by national defense policies and priorities, political climates, fiscal budgetary constraints, U.S. Federal budget deficits, projected economic growth and the level of global military or security threats, or other conflicts. Revenues from the military and space end-use market in 2023 represented 53% of our total net revenues during 2023.

We believe our business in these markets in the long-term, is stable and we are well positioned in these markets even though the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting inflation, rising or high interest rates, and supply chain issues has had and will continue to have an impact on our business.

Military components manufactured by us are employed in many of the country’s front-line fighters, bombers, rotary-wing aircraft and support aircraft, as well as land and sea-based applications. Our defense business is diversified among a number of military manufacturers and programs. In the space sector, we are expanding our presence with unmanned aerial vehicles and continue to support various satellite programs.

Our sales into the Industrial end-use markets are customer focused in various markets and driven primarily by their capital spending and manufacturing outsourcing demands.

We continue to broaden and diversify our customer base in the end-use markets we serve by providing innovative product and service solutions by drawing on our core competencies, experience and technical expertise. Net revenues related to military and space, commercial aerospace, and Industrial end-use markets in 2023 and 2022 were as follows:

Many of our contracts are firm fixed price contracts subject to termination at the convenience of the customer (as well as for default). In the event of termination for convenience, the customer generally is required to pay the costs we have incurred and certain other fees through the date of termination, plus a reasonable profit. Larger, long-term government subcontracts may have provisions for milestone payments, progress payments or cash advances for purchase of inventory.

Our marketing efforts primarily consist of developing strong, long-term relationships with our customers, which provide the basis for future sales. These close relationships allow us to gain a better insight into each customer’s business needs, identify ways to provide greater value to the customer, and allow us to be designated early in the design process for various products and/or high volume products.

Net revenues from our customers, except the U.S. Government, are diversified over a number of different military and space, commercial aerospace, industrial, medical and other products. For additional information on revenues from major customers, see Note 16 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Form 10-K.

Structural Systems has been directed by California environmental agencies to investigate and take corrective action for groundwater contamination at its facilities located in Adelanto (a.k.a., El Mirage) and Monrovia, California. Based on currently available information, we have accrued $1.5 million at December 31, 2023 for our estimated liabilities related to these sites. For further information, see Note 15 in the accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Form 10-K. In addition, see Risk Factors contained within Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K for certain risks related to environmental matters.

Our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be affected by known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. We have summarized below the significant, known material risks to our business. Additional risk factors not currently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also impair our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Any of these risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause our future financial results to differ materially from recent financial results or from currently anticipated future financial results. The risk factors below should be considered together with the information included elsewhere in this Form 10-K as well as other required filings by us with the SEC.

In July 2022, we completed a refinancing of our then existing debt by entering into a new term loan (“2022 Term Loan”) and a new revolving credit facility (“2022 Revolving Credit Facility”). The 2022 Term Loan is a $250.0 million senior secured loan that matures in July 2027. The 2022 Revolving Credit Facility is a $200.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility that matures in July 2027. The 2022 Term Loan and 2022 Revolving Credit Facility, collectively are the new credit facilities (“2022 Credit Facilities”). The terms of the 2022 Term Loan require us to make installment payments of 0.625% of the initial outstanding principal balance on a quarterly basis during years one and two, 1.250% during years three and four, and 1.875% during year five, on the last business day of each calendar quarter. In addition, the undrawn portion of the commitment of the 2022 Revolving Credit Facility is subject to a commitment fee ranging from 0.175% to 0.275%, based upon the consolidated total net adjusted leverage ratio.

At December 31, 2023, we had a total of $266.0 million of outstanding long-term debt under the 2022 Credit Facilities. The total long-term debt was primarily the result of our acquisitions, including Lightning Diversion Systems, LLC (“LDS”) in September 2017, Certified Thermoplastics Co., LLC (“CTP”) in April 2018, Nobles Worldwide, Inc. (“Nobles”) in October 2019, and BLR Aerospace, L.L.C. (“BLR”) on April 25, 2023.

Our ability to obtain additional financing or complete a debt refinancing in the future may be limited. Should we not have ready access to capital markets, we may have to undertake alternative financing plans, such as selling assets; reducing or delaying scheduled expansions, acquisitions and/or capital investments; or seeking various other forms of capital. Our ability to complete reasonable alternative financing plans may be affected by circumstances and economic events outside of our control. We cannot ensure that we would be able to refinance our debt or enter into alternative financing plans in adequate amounts on commercially reasonable terms, terms acceptable to us or at all, or that such plans guarantee that we would be able to meet our debt obligations.

Our level of debt could:

The occurrence of any one of these events could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to satisfy our obligations in respect of our outstanding debt.

Our ability to make payments on our debt in the future and to fund planned capital expenditures and working capital needs, will depend upon our ability to generate significant cash in the future. Our ability to generate cash is subject to economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that may be beyond our control.

The terms of the 2022 Term Loan require us to make installment payments of 0.625% of the initial outstanding principal balance on a quarterly basis during years one and two, 1.250% during years three and four, and 1.875% during year five, on the last business day of each calendar quarter. In addition, the undrawn portion of the commitment of the 2022 Revolving Credit Facility is subject to a commitment fee ranging from 0.175% to 0.275%, based upon the consolidated total net adjusted leverage ratio.

On April 25, 2023, we acquired 100% of the outstanding equity interests of BLR for an initial purchase price of $115.0 million, net of cash acquired, all payable in cash. We paid a gross aggregate of $117.0 million in cash upon the closing of the transaction. We utilized the 2022 Revolving Credit Facility to complete the acquisition. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Form 10-K for further discussion.

In July 2022, as a result of completing a refinancing of our existing debt, we were required to complete an amendment of all the forward interest rate swaps (“Amended Forward Interest Rate Swaps”) we entered into in November 2021 that were based on U.S. dollar-one month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) to be based on one month Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) as borrowings can only be based on SOFR. The Amended Forward Interest Rate Swaps, with an aggregate total notional amount of $150.0 million and all with a seven year tenor, became effective on January 1, 2024. The weighted average fixed rate of the Amended Forward Interest Rate Swaps was 1.7%. At December 31, 2023, the outstanding balance on the 2022 Credit Facilities was $266.0 million with an average interest rate of 7.53%. Should interest rates increase significantly, our debt service cost on the variable portion of our debt will increase. Any inability to generate sufficient cash flow could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. See Note 1 and Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Form 10-K for further discussion.

While we expect to meet all of our financial obligations, we cannot ensure that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay our debt or to fund our other liquidity needs.

Our ability to reduce the debt outstanding under our 2022 Credit Facilities through voluntary principal prepayments will be a contributing factor to our ability to keep our interest rate towards the lower end of the interest rate range as defined in the 2022 Credit Facilities. Our ability to make such prepayments will depend upon our ability to generate significant cash in the future. We cannot ensure that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations to fund any such prepayments.

We are required to comply with a leverage covenant as defined in the 2022 Credit Facilities. The leverage covenant is defined as Consolidated Funded Indebtedness less unrestricted cash and cash equivalents in excess of $5.0 million, divided by consolidated earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) and other adjustments.

At December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with the leverage covenant under the 2022 Credit Facilities. However, there is no assurance that we will continue to be in compliance with the leverage covenant in future periods.

The 2022 Credit Facilities’ agreements contains a number of significant restrictions and covenants that limit our ability, among other things, to incur additional indebtedness, to create liens, to make certain payments, to make certain investments, to engage in transactions with affiliates, to sell certain assets or enter into mergers.

These covenants could materially and adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs. Furthermore, they may restrict our ability to expand, pursue our business strategies and otherwise conduct our business. Our ability to comply with these covenants may be affected by circumstances and events beyond our control, such as prevailing economic conditions and changes in regulations, and we cannot ensure that we will be able to comply with such covenants. These restrictions also limit our ability to obtain future financings to withstand a future downturn in our business or the economy in general.

A breach of any covenant in the 2022 Credit Facilities could result in a default under the 2022 Credit Facilities. A default, if not waived, could result in acceleration of the debt outstanding under the agreement. A default could permit our lenders to foreclose on any of our assets securing such debt. Even if new financing were available at that time, it may not be on terms or amounts that are acceptable to us or terms as favorable as our current agreements. If our debt is in default for any reason, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

The level of trading activity may vary daily and typically represents only a small percentage of outstanding shares. As a result, a stockholder who sells a significant amount of shares in a short period of time could negatively affect our share price.

We may sell additional shares of common stock or other equity securities to raise capital in the future, which could dilute the value of an investor’s holdings.

We sell our products into aerospace, defense, and industrial end-use markets, which are cyclical and have experienced periodic declines. Our sales are, therefore, unpredictable and may tend to fluctuate based on a number of factors, including global economic conditions, U.S. defense budgetary spending, geopolitical developments and conditions, pandemics, supply chain shortages, rising or high interest rates and other developments affecting our end-use markets and the customers served. Consequently, results of operations in any period should not be considered indicative of the operating results that may be experienced in any future period.

We currently generate the majority of our revenues from customers in the aerospace and defense industry. Our business depends, in part, on the level of new military and commercial aircraft orders. As a result, we have significant sales to certain

customers. Sales to The Boeing Company (“Boeing”), Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. (“Spirit”), and Viasat, Inc. (“Viasat”) comprise a significant portion of our commercial aerospace end-use market in 2023. A significant portion of our net sales in our military and space end-use markets are made under subcontracts with original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), under their prime contracts with the U. S. Government. We had significant sales to General Dynamics Corporation (“GD”), Northrop Grumman Corporation (“Northrop”), and RTX Corporation (f/k/a Raytheon Technologies Corporation) (“RTX”) in 2023 in our defense technologies end-use market.

Our customers may experience delays in the launch and certification of new products, labor strikes, diminished liquidity or credit unavailability, weak demand for their products, or other difficulties in their business. In addition, shifts in government spending priorities have caused and may continue to cause additional uncertainty in the placement of orders.

Our revenues from our top ten customers, which represented 59% of our total 2023 net revenues, were diversified over a number of different aerospace and defense products. Any significant change in production rates by these customers would have a material effect on our results of operations and cash flows. There is no assurance that our current significant customers will continue to buy products from us at current levels, or that we will retain any or all of our existing customers, or that we will be able to form new relationships with customers upon the loss of one or more of our existing customers. This risk may be further complicated by pricing pressures, competition prevalent in our industry and other factors. A significant reduction in sales to any of our major customers, the loss of a major customer, or a default of a major customer on accounts receivable could have a material adverse impact on our financial results.

Boeing was one of our largest customers in 2023, and the 737 MAX was one of our highest commercial end use market revenue platforms. While Boeing has received approval from all the major civil aviation regulators around the world for its 737 MAX to return to service, our production rates are still below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Further, as noted earlier, in early January 2024, the FAA initiated an investigation into Boeing’s quality control system. This was followed by the FAA announcing actions to increase its oversight of Boeing as well as not approving production rate increases or additional production lines for the 737 MAX until it is satisfied that Boeing is in full compliance with required quality control procedures. Revenue growth with our other commercial customers, including Airbus SE (“Airbus”), and continued solid demand from defense OEMs (also known as prime contractors) have helped to mitigate a significant portion of this risk for the time being. However, the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic along with inflationary forces, supply chain issues, and rising or high interest rates continues to dampen civil air travel demand in various segments and markets, and if traveler demand does not return in the near future, it may make it difficult to continue to offset a significant portion of this risk.

We generally make sales under purchase orders and contracts that are subject to cancellation, modification or rescheduling. Changes in the economic environment and the financial condition of the industries we serve could result in customer cancellation of contractual orders or requests for rescheduling. Some of our contracts have specific provisions relating to schedule and performance, and failure to deliver in accordance with such provisions could result in cancellations, modifications, rescheduling and/or penalties, in some cases at the customers’ convenience and without prior notice. While we have normally recovered our direct and indirect costs plus profit, such cancellations, modifications, or rescheduling that cannot be replaced in a timely fashion, could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

We derive a significant portion of our business from customers whose principal sales are to the U.S. Government. Accordingly, the success of our business depends upon government spending generally or for specific departments or agencies in particular. Such spending, among other factors, is subject to the uncertainties of governmental appropriations and national defense policies and priorities, constraints of the budgetary process, timing and potential changes in these policies and priorities, and the adoption of new laws or regulations or changes to existing laws or regulations.

These and other factors could cause the government and government agencies, or prime contractors that use us as a subcontractor, to reduce their purchases under existing contracts, to exercise their rights to terminate contracts for convenience or to abstain from exercising options to renew contracts, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We must comply with numerous laws and regulations relating to the export of some of our products before we are permitted to sell or manufacture those products outside the United States. Compliance often entails the submission and timely receipt of the necessary export approvals, licenses, or authorizations from the U.S. Government. Over the last several years, the U.S. export licensing environment for munitions has been adversely affected by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the changing geopolitical environment and heightened tensions with other countries (which shift and evolve over time). Accordingly, we can give no assurance that we will be successful in obtaining, in a timely manner or at all, the approvals, licenses or authorizations we need to sell or manufacture our products outside the United States, which may result in the cancellation of orders and significant penalties to our customers if we do not make deliveries and fulfill our contractual commitments. Any significant delay in, or impairment of, our ability to sell products outside of the United States could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Contracts with some of our customers, including Federal government contracts, contain provisions and are subject to laws and regulations that provide rights and remedies not typically found in commercial contracts. These provisions may allow our customers to:

If the U.S. Government terminates a contract for convenience, the counterparty with whom we have contracted on a subcontract may terminate its contract with us. As a result of any such termination, whether on a direct government contract or subcontract, we may recover only our incurred or committed costs, settlement expenses and profit on work completed prior to the termination. If the U.S. Government terminates a direct contract with us for default, we may not even recover those amounts and instead may be liable for excess costs incurred by the U.S. Government in procuring undelivered items and services from another source.

In addition, the U.S. Government is typically required to open all programs to competitive bidding and, therefore, may not automatically renew any of its prime contracts. If one or more of our customers’ government prime or subcontracts is terminated or canceled, our failure to replace sales generated from such contracts would result in lower sales and could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The aerospace and defense industry is experiencing significant consolidation, including our customers, competitors and suppliers. Consolidation among our customers may result in delays in the awarding of new contracts and losses of existing business. Consolidation among our competitors may result in larger competitors with greater resources and market share, which could adversely affect our ability to compete successfully. Consolidation among our suppliers may result in fewer sources of supply and increased cost to us.

We have historically achieved a portion of our growth through acquisitions and expect to evaluate selected future acquisitions as part of our strategy for growth. Any acquisition of another business entails risks and it is possible that we may not realize the expected benefits from an acquisition or that an acquisition could adversely affect our existing operations. Acquisitions entail certain risks, including:

In recent years, we have implemented a number of restructuring, realignment, and cost reduction initiatives, including performance center consolidations, organizational realignments, and reductions in our workforce. While we have realized some efficiencies from these actions, we may not realize the benefits of these initiatives to the extent we anticipated. Further, such benefits may be realized later than expected, and the ongoing difficulties in implementing these measures may be greater than anticipated, which could cause us to incur additional costs or result in business disruptions. In addition, if these measures are not successful or sustainable, we may have to undertake additional realignment and cost reduction efforts, which could result in significant additional charges. Moreover, if our restructuring and realignment efforts prove ineffective, our ability to achieve our other strategic and business plan goals may be adversely impacted.

We may encounter difficulties as we execute our growth strategy to move up the value chain to become a more value added supplier of more complex assemblies. Difficulties we may encounter include, but are not limited to, the need for enhanced and expanded product design skills, enhanced ability to control and influence our suppliers, enhanced quality control systems and infrastructure, enhanced large-scale project management skills, and expanded industry certifications. Assuming incremental project design responsibilities would require us to assume additional risk in developing cost estimates and could expose us to increased risk of losses. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in obtaining the enhanced skills required to move up the value chain or that our customers will outsource such functions to us.

We have a manufacturing facility that we lease in Mexico and also derive a portion of our net revenues from direct foreign sales. Further, our customers may derive portions of their revenues from non-U.S. customers. As a result, we are subject to the risks of conducting and operating our business internationally, including:

While the impact of these factors is difficult to predict, we believe any one or more of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

The markets we serve are highly competitive and price sensitive. We compete worldwide with a number of domestic and international companies that have substantially greater manufacturing, purchasing, marketing and financial resources than we do. Many of our customers have the in-house capability to fulfill their manufacturing requirements. Our larger competitors may be able to compete more effectively for very large-scale contracts than we can by providing different or greater capabilities or benefits such as technical qualifications, past performance on large-scale contracts, geographic presence, price and availability of key professional personnel. If we are unable to successfully compete for new business, our net revenues growth and operating margins may decline.

Some of our major customers have completed extensive cost containment efforts and we expect continued pricing pressures in 2024 and beyond. Competitive pricing pressures may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results. Further, there can be no assurance that competition from existing or potential competitors in other segments of our business will not have a material adverse effect on our financial results. If we do not continue to compete effectively and win contracts, our future business, financial condition, results of operations and our ability to meet our financial obligations may be materially compromised.

The future success of our business depends in large part upon our and our customers’ ability to maintain and enhance technological capabilities, develop and market manufacturing services that meet changing customer needs and successfully anticipate or respond to technological advances in manufacturing processes such as the incorporation of artificial intelligence and other disruptive technologies on a cost-effective and timely basis, while meeting evolving industry and regulatory standards. To address these risks, we invest in product design and development, and incur related capital expenditures. There can be no guarantee that our product design and development efforts will be successful, or that funds required to be invested in product design and development or incurred as capital expenditures will not increase materially in the future.

Certain of our manufacturing facilities and offices are leased and have lease terms that expire between 2024 and 2032. The majority of these leases provide renewal options at the fair market rental rate at the time of renewal, which, if renewed, could be significantly higher than our current rental rates. We may be unable to offset these cost increases by charging more for our products and services. Furthermore, continued economic conditions may continue to negatively impact and create greater pressure in the commercial real estate market, causing higher incidences of landlord default and/or lender foreclosure of properties, including properties occupied by us. While we maintain certain non-disturbance rights in most cases, it is not certain that such rights will in all cases be upheld and our continued right of occupancy in such instances could be potentially jeopardized. An occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

Additionally, if we choose to move any of our operations, those operations may be subject to additional relocation costs and associated risks of business interruption.

We must comply with and are affected by laws and regulations relating to the award, administration and performance of U.S. Government contracts. Government contract laws and regulations affect how we do business with our customers and impose certain risks and costs on our business. A violation of specific laws and regulations, by us, our employees, or others working on our behalf, such as a supplier or a venture partner, could harm our reputation and result in the imposition of fines and penalties, the termination of our contracts, suspension or debarment from bidding on or being awarded contracts, loss of our ability to export products or services and civil or criminal investigations or proceedings.

Prime contracts with our major customers that have contracts with various agencies of the U.S. Government are subject to numerous laws, regulations and certifications, which affect how we do business with our customers and may impose added costs to our business. As a result, our contracts and operations are subject to numerous extensive, complex, costly and evolving laws, regulations and restrictions, principally by the U.S. Government or their agencies. These laws, regulations and restrictions govern items including, but not limited to, the formation, administration and performance of U.S. Government contracts, disclosure of cost and pricing data, civil penalties for violations of false claims to the U.S. Government for payment, defining reimbursable costs, establishing ethical standards for the procurement process, controlling the import and export of defense articles and services, and cybersecurity requirements, such as Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”).

In addition, the U.S. Government may revise its procurement practices or adopt new contract rules and regulations at any time, including increased usage of fixed-price contracts, procurement reform, and compliance with cybersecurity requirements. Such changes could impair our ability to obtain new contracts or subcontracts or renew contracts or subcontracts under which we currently perform when those contracts are put up for competitive bidding. Any new contracting methods could be costly or administratively difficult for us to implement and could adversely affect our future net revenues.

In addition, our international operations subject us to numerous U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, including, without limitation, regulations relating to import-export control, technology transfer restrictions, repatriation of earnings, exchange controls, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and the anti-boycott provisions of the U.S. Export Administration Act. Changes in regulations or political environments may affect our ability to conduct business in foreign markets including investment, procurement and repatriation of earnings. Failure by us or our sales representatives or consultants to comply with these laws and regulations could result in certain liabilities and could possibly result in suspension or debarment from government contracts or suspension of our export privileges, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

We are subject to various federal, local, and foreign environmental laws and regulations, including those relating to the use, storage, transport, discharge and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals and materials used and emissions generated during our manufacturing process. We do not carry insurance for these potential environmental liabilities. Any failure by us to comply with present or future regulations could subject us to future liabilities or the suspension of production, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results. Moreover, some environmental laws relating to contaminated sites can impose joint and several liability retroactively regardless of fault or the legality of the activities giving rise to the contamination. Compliance with existing or future environmental laws and regulations may require extensive capital expenditures, increase our cost or impact our production capabilities. Even if such expenditures are made, there can be no assurance that we will be able to comply. We have been directed to investigate and take corrective action for groundwater

contamination at certain sites and our ultimate liability for such matters will depend upon a number of factors. See Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Form 10-K for further information.

We face potential liability for property damage, personal injury, or death as a result of the failure of products designed or manufactured by us. Although we currently maintain product liability insurance (including aircraft product liability insurance), any material product liability not covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We enter into contracts providing for a firm, fixed-price for the sale of a majority of our products, regardless of the production costs incurred by us. In many cases, we make multi-year firm, fixed-price commitments to our customers, without assurance that our anticipated production costs will be achieved. Contract bidding and accounting require judgment relative to assessing risks, estimating contract net sales and costs, including estimating cost increases over time and efficiencies to be gained, and making assumptions for supplier sourcing and quality, manufacturing scheduling and technical issues over the life of the contract. Such assumptions can be particularly difficult to estimate for contracts with new customers. Inaccurate estimates of these costs could result in reduced profits or incurred losses. Due to the significance of the judgments and estimates involved, it is possible that materially different amounts could be obtained if different assumptions were used or if the underlying circumstances were to change. Therefore, any changes in our underlying assumptions, circumstances or estimates could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

Goodwill is tested for impairment on an annual basis as of the first day of our fourth quarter or more frequently if events or circumstances occur which could indicate potential impairment. In assessing the recoverability of goodwill, management is required to make certain critical estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions include projected sales levels, including the addition of new customers, programs or platforms and increased content on existing programs or platforms, improvements in manufacturing efficiency, and reductions in operating costs. Due to many variables inherent in the estimation of a business’s fair value and the relative size of our recorded goodwill, changes in estimates and assumptions may have a material effect on the results of our impairment analysis. If any of these or other estimates and assumptions are not realized in the future, or if market multiples decline, we may be required to record an impairment charge for goodwill.

We also test intangible assets with indefinite life periods for potential impairment annually and on an interim basis if there are indicators of potential impairment.

In addition, we evaluate amortizable intangible assets, fixed assets, production cost of contracts, and lease right-of-use assets for impairment if there are indicators of a potential impairment.

Further, impairment charges may be incurred against other intangible assets or long-term assets if asset utilization declines, customer demand declines or other circumstances indicate that the asset carrying value may not be recoverable.

Our goodwill and other intangible assets as of December 31, 2023 were $410.9 million, or 37% of total assets. If our goodwill and/or other assets are impaired, it could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. See “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” in Note 7 of our consolidated financial statements included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Form 10-K for further information.

The SEC recently adopted a rule, “Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance, and Incident Disclosure,” that enhances and standardizes disclosures regarding cybersecurity risk management and governance, as well as material cybersecurity incidents. Under this new rule, public companies are now required to make annual disclosures describing their processes for identifying and managing material cybersecurity risks, management’s role in assessing and managing such risks, and the Board of Directors’ oversight of cybersecurity risks. Companies also must disclose in a Form 8-K, the nature, scope, and timing of any material cybersecurity incidents identified and the material impact or reasonably likely material impact on the company within four business days of determining a cybersecurity incident is material. We expect to face increased costs to comply with this new SEC cybersecurity rule, including increased costs for cybersecurity training, staffing, and management. In addition, the requirement to report cybersecurity incidents within such a short timeframe could mean there may not be sufficient time to halt a breach before having to report it, potentially giving the hackers an advantage.

Significant judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes. In the ordinary course of our business, there are transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Furthermore, changes in income tax laws and regulations, or their interpretation, could result in higher or lower income tax rates assessed or changes in the taxability of certain sales or the deductibility of certain expenses, thereby affecting our income tax expense and profitability. In addition, we are regularly under audit by tax authorities. The final determination of tax audits and any related litigation could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals.

We have concluded that there is a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as we did not design and maintain effective controls over the accuracy of contract terms and the reasonableness of gross margin assumptions used to recognize revenue. Specifically, we did not verify that amendments to purchase orders and gross margin percentage assumptions used in the Company’s revenue recognition analysis were properly reviewed at a sufficient level of precision. The material weakness resulted in immaterial adjustments to net revenues and contract assets as of and for the quarterly and annual periods ending December 31, 2023. Additionally, until remediated, this material weakness could result in future misstatements of net revenues and contract assets that would result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected. Thus, management has determined that our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting were not effective as of December 31, 2023.

Under standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), a material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis. The existence of this issue could adversely affect us, our reputation or investor perceptions of us. We have and will continue to take additional measures to remediate the underlying causes of the material weakness noted above. As we continue to evaluate and work to remediate the material weakness, we may determine to take additional measures to address the control deficiencies. Also, see Item 9A in Part II of this Form 10-K.

Although we plan to complete this remediation process as quickly as possible, our measures may not prove to be successful in remediating this material weakness. If our remedial measures are insufficient to address the material weakness, or if additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting are discovered or occur in the future, our consolidated financial statements may contain material misstatements and we could be required to restate our financial results. In addition, if we are unable to successfully remediate this material weakness and if we are unable to produce accurate and timely financial statements, our stock price may be adversely affected and we may be unable to maintain compliance with applicable stock exchange listing requirements and debt covenant requirements.

The accuracy of our financial reporting is dependent on the effectiveness of our internal controls. We are required to provide a report from management to our shareholders on our internal control over financial reporting that includes an assessment of the effectiveness of these controls. Internal control over financial reporting has inherent limitations, including human error, the possibility that controls could be circumvented or become inadequate as a result of changed conditions, and fraud. Due to these

inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting might not prevent or detect all misstatements or fraud. If we cannot maintain and execute adequate internal control over financial reporting or implement required new or improved controls that provide reasonable assurance of the reliability of the financial reporting and preparation of our financial statements for external use, our ability to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud could be adversely affected.

Our success depends in part upon our ability to attract and retain key engineering, technical and managerial personnel, at both the executive and performance center level. We face competition for management, engineering and technical personnel from other companies and organizations. The loss of members of our senior management group, or key engineering and technical personnel, could negatively impact our ability to grow and remain competitive in the future and could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

As of December 31, 2023, we employed 2,265 people. Two of our performance centers are parties to collective bargaining agreements, covering 97 full time hourly employees in one of those performance centers and 271 full time hourly employees in the other performance center, which will expire in June 2024 and April 2025, respectively. However, the Monrovia, California performance center that employs 97 of our collective bargaining employees that are covered by an agreement that expires in June 2024 will be ceasing production and the facility is currently expected to close by the middle of 2024. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Form 10-K for further information. Although we have not experienced any material labor-related work stoppage and consider our relations with our employees to be good, labor stoppages may occur in the future. If the unionized workers were to engage in a strike or other work stoppage, if we are unable to negotiate acceptable collective bargaining agreements with the unions or if other employees were to become unionized, we could experience a significant disruption of our operations, higher ongoing labor costs and possible loss of customer contracts, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our ability to deliver our products and services on schedule and to satisfy specific quality levels is dependent upon a variety of factors, including execution of internal performance plans, availability of raw materials, internal and supplier produced parts and structures, conversion of raw materials into parts and assemblies, and performance of suppliers and others.

We rely on numerous third-party suppliers for raw materials and a large proportion of the components used in our production process. Certain of these raw materials and components are available only from single sources or a limited number of suppliers, or similarly, customers’ specifications may require us to obtain raw materials and/or components from a single source or certain suppliers. Many of our suppliers are small companies with limited financial resources and manufacturing capabilities. We do not currently have the ability to manufacture these components ourselves. These and other factors, including the impact from import tariffs, the loss of a critical supplier or raw materials and/or component shortages, could cause disruptions or cost inefficiencies in our operations. Additionally, our competitors that have greater direct purchasing power, may have product cost advantages which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

While the commercial aerospace industry continues to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, new variants of that disease, along with other similar public health threats may have or may continue to have an adverse impact on our employees, operations, businesses of our customers, suppliers and distribution partners, and volatility in the financial markets. Changes in our operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other health threats or employee illnesses resulting from such diseases, has resulted in and may continue to result in inefficiencies or delays, including in sales and product development efforts and our manufacturing and supply chain, and additional costs related to business continuity initiatives, that cannot be fully mitigated through succession planning, employees working remotely, or teleconferencing technologies. The long-term impact to our business remains unknown due to the numerous uncertainties that have risen from such health threats, including the severity of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, the likelihood of resurgences of the outbreak, including the emergence and spread of variants, actions that may be taken by governmental authorities in response to the disease, the timing, distribution, efficacy and public acceptance of vaccines, long-term impact from diseases or vaccines, and related unintended or unanticipated consequences.

Our ability to continue to manufacture products is highly dependent on our ability to maintain the safety and health of our performance center employees. While we continue to follow guidelines and requirements of governmental authorities and taking preventive and protective measures to prioritize the safety and well-being of our employees, these measures are not always successful. Thus far, the ability of our employees to work has not been significantly impacted by individuals contracting or being exposed to COVID-19 or its variants. However, if an outbreak of COVID-19 or other viruses does occur at any of our performance centers, it may disrupt our ability to manufacture products and thus, have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

There is an increasing focus from certain investors, customers, and other key stakeholders concerning corporate responsibility, specifically related to environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) factors. Some investors may use ESG criteria to guide their investment strategies and, in some cases, may choose not to invest in us if they believe our policies relating to corporate responsibilities are inadequate. Lenders may also use ESG criteria to guide their lending practices and, in some cases, may choose not to lend to us.

The ESG factors by which companies’ corporate responsibility practices are assessed may change. This could result in greater expectations of us and cause us to undertake costly initiatives to satisfy such new criteria. If we are unable to satisfy the new corporate responsibility criteria, investors may view our policies related to corporate responsibility as inadequate. We risk damage to our reputation in the event our corporate responsibility procedures or goals do not meet the standards or goals set by various constituencies. In addition, if our competitors’ corporate responsibility performance is perceived to be greater than ours, potential or current investors may elect to invest in our competitors instead. Further, in the event we communicate certain initiatives or goals related to ESG, we could fail, or be perceived to have failed, in our achievement of such initiatives or goals. If we fail to satisfy the expectations of investors and other key stakeholders, or our initiatives are not executed as planned, our reputation, employee retention, and willingness of our customers and suppliers to do business with us, financial results, and stock price could be materially and adversely affected.

Any system or service disruptions, including those caused by projects to improve our information technology systems, if not anticipated and appropriately mitigated, could disrupt our business and impair our ability to effectively provide products and related services to our customers and could have a material adverse effect on our business. We could also be subject to systems failures, including network, software or hardware failures, whether caused by us, third-party service providers, intruders or hackers, computer viruses, natural disasters, power shortages or terrorist attacks. Cybersecurity threats are evolving and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, unauthorized attempts to gain access to sensitive, confidential or otherwise protected information related to us or our products, our employees, customers or suppliers, or other acts that could lead to disruptions in our business, which risk may be heightened by the increased prevalence and use of artificial intelligence. Any such failures could cause loss of data and interruptions or delays in our business, cause us to incur remediation costs, subject us to claims and damage our reputation. In addition, such cybersecurity attacks may result in a significant ransom demand. Further, the failure or disruption of our communications or utilities could cause us to interrupt or suspend our operations or otherwise adversely affect our business. Our property and business interruption insurance may be inadequate to compensate us for all losses that may occur as a result of any system or operational failure or disruption which would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our intellectual property rights may not be sufficiently broad or otherwise may not provide us a significant competitive advantage, and patents may not be issued for pending or future patent applications owned by or licensed to us. As patents expire, we could face increased competition, which could negatively impact our operating results. Infringement of our intellectual property and other proprietary rights by a third party, or copying of our technology in countries where we do not hold patents, could result in uncompensated lost market and revenue opportunities. We cannot be certain that the measures we have implemented will prevent our intellectual property from being improperly disclosed, challenged, invalidated, or circumvented, particularly in countries where intellectual property rights are not highly developed or protected. For example, competitors may avoid infringement liability by developing non-infringing competing technologies or by effectively concealing infringement. We may need to spend significant resources monitoring and enforcing our intellectual property rights and we may not be aware of or able to detect or prove infringement by third parties. Our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights is subject to litigation risks, as well as uncertainty as to the protection and enforceability of those rights in some countries. If we seek to enforce our intellectual property rights, we may be subject to claims that those rights are invalid or unenforceable, and

others may seek counterclaims against us, which could have a negative impact on our business. In addition, changes in intellectual property laws or their interpretation may impact our ability to protect and assert our intellectual property rights, increase costs and uncertainties in the prosecution of patent applications and enforcement or defense of issued patents, and diminish the value of our intellectual property. If we do not protect and enforce our intellectual property rights successfully, or if they are circumvented, invalidated, or rendered obsolete by the rapid pace of technological change, it could have an adverse impact on our competitive position and our operating results.

Third parties may claim that we, our customers, licensees, or parties indemnified by us are infringing upon or otherwise violating their intellectual property rights. Such claims may be made by competitors seeking to obtain a competitive advantage or by other parties. Additionally, in recent years, individuals and groups have begun purchasing intellectual property assets for the purpose of making claims of infringement and attempting to extract settlements from companies like ours.

We have operations located in regions of the U.S. and Mexico that may be exposed to damaging storms, earthquakes, fires and other natural disasters. Although we maintain standard property casualty insurance covering our properties and may be able to recover costs associated with certain natural disasters through insurance, we do not carry any earthquake insurance because of the cost of such insurance. Many of our properties are located in Southern California, an area subject to earthquake activity. Our California performance centers generated $185.9 million in net revenues during 2023. Even if covered by insurance, any significant damage or destruction of our facilities due to storms, earthquakes, fires or other natural disasters could result in our inability to meet customer delivery schedules and may result in the loss of customers and significant additional costs to us. Thus, any significant damage or destruction of our properties could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. See discussion of a fire in June 2020 which severely damaged our Guaymas, Mexico performance center in Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Form 10-K for further information.

We use Adjusted EBITDA as a non-GAAP operating performance measure internally as a complementary financial measure to evaluate the performance and trends of our businesses. We present Adjusted EBITDA and the related financial ratios, as applicable, because we believe that measures such as these provide useful information with respect to our ability to meet our operating commitments.

Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations include:

As a result of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA and the related financial ratios should not be considered as measures of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business or as a measure of cash that will be available to us to meet our obligations. You should compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using Adjusted EBITDA only as supplemental information. See our consolidated financial statements contained in this Form 10-K.

Even with the limitations above, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to an investor in evaluating our results of operations as this measure:

The following financial items have been added back to or subtracted from our net income when calculating Adjusted EBITDA:

nm = not meaningful

Net revenues for 2023 were $757.0 million compared to $712.5 million for 2022. The year-over-year increase was primarily due to the following:

Our unrecognized tax benefits were $4.5 million and $4.9 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. We record interest and penalty charges, if any, related to uncertain tax positions as a component of tax expense and unrecognized tax benefits. The amounts accrued for interest and penalty charges as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 were not significant. If recognized, $2.6 million would affect the effective income tax rate. As a result of statute of limitations set to expire in 2024, we expect decreases to our unrecognized tax benefits of $0.8 million in the next twelve months.

We file U.S. Federal and state income tax returns. We are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for tax years after 2019 and by state taxing authorities for tax years after 2018. While we are no longer subject to examination prior to those periods, carryforwards generated prior to those periods may still be adjusted upon examination by the IRS or state taxing authority if they either have been or will be used in a subsequent period. We believe we have adequately accrued for tax deficiencies or reductions in tax benefits, if any, that could result from the examination and all open audit years.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”), which was signed into U.S. law in December 2017, eliminated the option to immediately deduct research and development expenditures in the year incurred under Section 174 effective January 1, 2022. The amended provision under Section 174 requires us to capitalize and amortize these expenditures over five years (for U.S.-based research). For the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded an increase to income taxes payable of $9.7 million and a decrease to net deferred tax liabilities of a similar amount. We are monitoring legislation for any further changes to Section 174 and the potential impact to our financial statements in 2024.

In August 2022, the U.S. enacted the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”) which aims to curb inflation by reducing the deficit, lowering prescription drug prices, and investing in domestic energy production while promoting clean energy. We considered the provisions in the IRA and determined they have no or minimal impact to our overall income taxes.

In August 2022, the U.S. enacted the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors Act of 2022 (“CHIPS Act”) which provides new funding to boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors in the United States. We considered the provisions in the CHIPS Act and determined they have no or minimal impact to our overall income taxes.

In July 2022, we completed a refinancing of all our existing debt by entering into a new term loan (“2022 Term Loan”) and a new revolving credit facility (“2022 Revolving Credit Facility”). The 2022 Term Loan is a $250.0 million senior secured loan that matures on July 14, 2027. The 2022 Revolving Credit Facility is a $200.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility that matures on July 14, 2027. The 2022 Term Loan and 2022 Revolving Credit Facility, collectively are the new credit facilities (“2022 Credit Facilities”). In conjunction with the closing of the 2022 Credit Facilities, we utilized the entire $250.0 million of proceeds from the 2022 Term Loan plus our existing cash on hand to pay off our entire debt balance outstanding of $254.2 million under our prior credit facilities. At the same leverage ratio, the interest rate spread in the 2022 Credit Facilities is lower than the interest rate spread under our prior credit facilities. Interest payments are typically paid on a monthly or quarterly basis, depending on the interest rate selected, on the last business day each month or quarter. In addition, the 2022 Term Loan requires quarterly amortization payments of 0.625% during year one and year two, 1.250% during year three and year four, and 1.875% during year five of the original outstanding principal balance of the 2022 Term Loan amount, on the last business day each quarter. Further, the undrawn portion of the commitment of the 2022 Revolving Credit Facility is subject to a commitment

fee ranging from 0.175% to 0.275%, based upon the consolidated total net adjusted leverage ratio, typically paid on a quarterly basis, on the last business day each quarter. However, the 2022 Revolving Credit Facility does not require any principal installment payments. As of December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with all covenants required under the 2022 Credit Facilities. See Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Form 10-K for further information.

In April 2022, management approved and commenced a restructuring plan that will position us for stronger performance. The restructuring plan mainly reduces headcount and consolidate facilities. As a result of this restructuring plan, we analyzed the need to write-down inventory and impair long-lived assets, including operating lease right-of-use assets. As of December 31, 2023, we estimate the remaining amount of charges related to this initiative to be $5.0 million to $7.0 million in total pre-tax restructuring charges through 2023. Of these charges, we estimate $4.5 million to $6.0 million to be cash payments for employee separation and other facility consolidation related expenses, and $0.5 million to $1.0 million to be non-cash charges for impairment of long-lived assets. On an annualized basis, we anticipate these restructuring actions will result in total cost savings of $11.0 million to $13.0 million. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Form 10-K for further information.

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Ducommun Incorporated

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The material weakness referred to above is described in Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. We considered this material weakness in determining the nature, timing, and extent of audit tests applied in our audit of the 2023 consolidated financial statements, and our opinion regarding the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting does not affect our opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (i) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (ii) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

As described in Notes 1 and 7 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s consolidated goodwill balance was $244.6 million as of December 31, 2023, and the goodwill associated with the Structural Systems reporting unit was $127.2 million. Goodwill is evaluated for impairment on an annual basis on the first day of the fourth fiscal quarter. If certain factors occur, management may be required to perform an interim impairment test prior to the fourth quarter. The quantitative approach for potential impairment analysis is performed by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. Fair value is estimated by management using a combination of the income approach (which is based on a discounted cash flow model) and the market approach. Management’s cash flow projections include significant judgments and assumptions, including the amount and timing of expected cash flows, long-term growth rates, and discount rates. The cash flows used in the discounted cash flow model are based on management’s best estimate of future revenues, gross margins, and adjusted after-tax earnings. The market approach also requires management judgment in selecting comparable companies, business acquisitions and the transaction values observed and its related control premiums.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the goodwill impairment assessment of the Structural Systems reporting unit is a critical audit matter are (i) the significant judgment by management when developing the fair value estimate of the Structural Systems reporting unit based on a discounted cash flow model; (ii) a high degree of auditor judgment, subjectivity, and effort in performing procedures and evaluating management’s significant assumptions related to the estimate of gross margins and the discount rate; and (iii) the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to management’s goodwill impairment assessment, including controls over the valuation of the Structural Systems reporting unit. These procedures also included, among others (i) testing management’s process for developing the fair value estimate of the Structural Systems reporting unit based on a discounted cash flow model; (ii) evaluating the appropriateness of the discounted cash flow model used by management; (iii) testing the completeness and accuracy of underlying data used in the discounted cash flow model; and (iv) evaluating the reasonableness of the significant assumptions used by management related to the estimate of gross margins and the discount rate. Evaluating management’s assumption related to the estimate of gross margins involved evaluating whether the assumption used by management was reasonable considering (i) the current and past performance of the Structural Systems reporting unit; (ii) the consistency with external market and industry data; and (iii) whether the assumption was consistent with evidence obtained in other areas of the audit. Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in evaluating (i) the appropriateness of the discounted cash flow model and (ii) the reasonableness of the discount rate assumption.

As described in Notes 1 and 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company completed the acquisition of BLR Aerospace, L.L.C. for $114.4 million, net of cash acquired, on April 25, 2023. The acquisition resulted in $35.6 million of technology and $15.0 million of customer relationships, of which a significant portion relates to certain technology and certain customer relationships, which were determined using valuation techniques consistent with the income approach to measure fair value. Management estimated fair value using the relief from royalty methodology for technology and the multi-period excess earnings approach for customer relationships. Inputs to the income approach models require judgment. The more significant inputs used in the technology intangible asset valuation included (i) future revenues, (ii) the technology decay rate, (iii) the royalty rate, and (iv) the discount rate. The more significant inputs used in the customer relationships intangible asset valuation included (i) future revenues, (ii) the projected earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization (EBITA) margins, (iii) the customer attrition rates, and (iv) the discount rate.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the valuation of certain technology and certain customer relationships intangible assets acquired in the acquisition of BLR Aerospace, L.L.C. is a critical audit matter are (i) the significant judgment by management when developing the fair value estimate of certain technology and certain customer relationships intangible assets acquired; (ii) a high degree of auditor judgment, subjectivity, and effort in performing procedures and evaluating management’s significant assumptions related to future revenues, the technology decay rate, the royalty rate, and the discount rate for certain technology and future revenues, the projected EBITA margins, the customer attrition rate, and the discount rate for certain customer relationships; and (iii) the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to the acquisition accounting, including controls over management’s valuation of certain technology and certain customer relationships intangible assets acquired. These procedures also included, among others (i) reading the purchase agreement; (ii) testing management’s process for developing the fair value estimate of certain technology and certain customer relationships intangible assets acquired; (iii) evaluating the appropriateness of the relief from royalty methodology and the multi-period excess earnings approach used by management; (iv) testing the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data used in the relief from royalty methodology and the multi-period excess earnings approach; and (v) evaluating the reasonableness of the significant assumptions used by management related to future revenues, the technology decay rate, the royalty rate, and the discount rate for certain technology and future revenues, the projected EBITA margins, the customer attrition rate, and the discount rate for certain customer relationships. Evaluating management’s assumptions related to future revenues for certain technology and future revenues and the projected EBITA margins for certain customer relationships involved considering (i) the current and past performance of BLR Aerospace, L.L.C. and (ii) the consistency with external market and industry data. Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in evaluating (i) the appropriateness of the relief from royalty methodology and the multi-period excess earnings approach and (ii) the reasonableness of the technology decay rate, the royalty rate, and the discount rate assumptions for certain technology and the customer attrition rate and the discount rate assumptions for certain customer relationships.

Irvine, California

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1989.