Quaker Chemical (KWR) 8-KOther Events

EXHIBIT 99.1

EXPLANATORY NOTE

As previously disclosed, during the first quarter of 2023, the Company reorganized its executive management team to align with its new business structure. The Company’s new structure includes three reportable segments: (i) Americas; (ii) Europe, Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”); and (iii) Asia/Pacific. Prior to the Company’s reorganization, the Company’s historical reportable segments were: (i) Americas; (ii) EMEA; (iii) Asia/Pacific; and (iv) Global Specialty Businesses.

This Current Report on Form 8-K (the “Report”) updates the information in the following sections of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 (the “2022 Form 10-K”), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 23, 2023 to reflect retrospective application of the change in reportable segments to conform to the new segment presentation:

This Report does not reflect any subsequent information or events other than the change in segment reporting noted above. Without limiting the foregoing, this Form 8-K does not purport to update Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in the 2022 Form 10-K for any information, uncertainties, transactions, risks, events, or trends occurring, or known to management, other than the events described above. More current information is contained in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023 (the “2023 Form 10-Qs”) and other filings with the SEC. This Form 8-K should be read in conjunction with the 2022 Form 10-K, the 2023 Form 10-Qs, and any other documents filed with the SEC subsequent to February 23, 2023.

PART I

As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Report”), the terms “Quaker Houghton,” the “Company,” “we,” and “our” refer to Quaker Chemical Corporation (doing business as Quaker Houghton), its subsidiaries, and associated companies, unless the context otherwise requires. The “Combination” refers to the Quaker combination with Houghton International, Inc. (“Houghton”).

The major product lines of Quaker Houghton include metal removal fluids, cleaning fluids, corrosion inhibitors, metal drawing and forming fluids, die cast mold releases, heat treatment and quenchants, metal forging fluids, hydraulic fluids, specialty greases, offshore sub-sea energy control fluids, rolling lubricants, rod and wire drawing fluids and surface treatment chemicals. The following are the respective contributions to consolidated net sales of each of our principal product lines representing more than 10% of consolidated net sales for any of the past three years based on the Company’s current product line segmentation:

The specialty chemical industry comprises a number of companies similar in size to the Company, as well as companies larger and smaller than Quaker Houghton. The Company cannot readily determine its precise competitive position in every industry it serves. However, the Company estimates it holds a leading global position in the market for industrial process fluids including significant global positions in the markets for process fluids in portions of the automotive and industrial markets, and a leading position in the market for process fluids to produce sheet steel and aluminum. The offerings of many of the Company’s competitors differ from those of Quaker Houghton; some offer a broad portfolio of fluids, including general lubricants, while others have more specialized product ranges. All competitors provide different levels of technical services to individual customers. Competition in the industry is based primarily on the ability to supply products that meet the needs of the customer and provide technical services and laboratory assistance to the customer, and to a lesser extent, on price.

In 2022, Quaker Houghton’s five largest customers (each composed of multiple subsidiaries or divisions with semi-autonomous purchasing authority) accounted for approximately 11% of consolidated net sales, with its largest customer accounting for approximately 3% of consolidated net sales. A significant portion of the Company’s revenues are realized from the sale of process fluids and services to manufacturers of steel, aluminum, automobiles, aircraft, industrial equipment, and durable goods and, therefore, Quaker Houghton is subject to the same business cycles as those experienced by these manufacturers and their customers.

The Company’s financial performance is generally correlated to the volume of global production within the industries it serves, rather than directly related to the financial performance of its customers. Furthermore, steel and aluminum customers typically have limited manufacturing locations compared to metalworking customers and generally use higher volumes of products at a single location.

Quaker Houghton uses approximately 3,000 raw materials, including animal fats, vegetable oils, mineral oils, oleochemicals, ethylene, solvents, surfactant agents, various chemical compounds that act as additives to our base formulations, and a wide variety of other organic and inorganic compounds and various derivatives of the foregoing. The price of mineral oil and its derivatives can be affected by the price of crude oil and industry refining capacity. Animal fat and vegetable oil prices, as well as the prices of other raw materials, are impacted by their own unique supply and demand factors, and by biodiesel consumption which is affected by the price of crude oil. Accordingly, significant fluctuations in the price of crude oil can have a material impact on the cost of these raw materials. In addition, many of the raw materials used by Quaker Houghton are commodity chemicals which can experience significant price volatility. As experienced during 2022, the Company’s earnings have been and could continue to be affected by market changes in raw material prices. Reference is made to the disclosure contained in Item 7A of this Report.

The Company maintains approximately thirty separate laboratory facilities worldwide that are primarily devoted to applied research and development. In addition, the Company maintains quality control labs at each of its manufacturing facilities. Quaker Houghton research and development is directed primarily toward applied technology since the nature of the Company’s business requires continual modification and improvement of formulations to provide specialty chemicals to satisfy customer requirements. If problems are encountered which cannot be resolved by local laboratories, the problem is referred to one of our ten principal laboratories, located in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania; Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Aurora, Illinois; Santa Fe Springs, California; Uithoorn, the Netherlands; Coventry, United Kingdom; Dortmund, Germany; Barcelona, Spain; Turin, Italy or Qingpu, China.

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 were $46.0 million, $44.9 million and $40.0 million, respectively.

The Company has completed several recent acquisitions that expand its strategic product offerings and increase the Company's presence in its core industries. The Company's 2022 acquisitions consist of:

Management continues to evaluate how COVID-19-related circumstances, such as remote work arrangements, illness or staffing shortages and travel restrictions, may impact financial reporting processes and systems, internal control over financial reporting, and disclosure controls and procedures. At this time, management does not believe that COVID-19 has had a material impact on financial reporting processes, internal controls over financial reporting, or disclosure controls and procedures.

In order to facilitate compliance with applicable federal, state, and local statutes and regulations relating to occupational health and safety and protection of the environment, the Company has an ongoing program of site assessment for the purpose of identifying capital expenditures or other actions that may be necessary to comply with such requirements. The program includes periodic inspections of each facility by the Company and/or independent experts, as well as ongoing inspections and training by on-site personnel. Such inspections address operational matters, record keeping, reporting requirements and capital improvements. Capital expenditures directed solely or primarily to regulatory compliance amounted to approximately $2.2 million, $4.2 million and $3.7 million during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

The Company’s operating segments, which are consistent with its reportable segments, reflect the structure of the Company’s internal organization, the method by which the Company’s resources are allocated and the manner by which the chief operating decision maker assesses the Company’s performance. The reportable segments presented in this Annual Report reflect the retrospective application of business structure the Company operates under as of January 1, 2023, which consists of three reportable segments: (i) Americas; (ii) EMEA; and (iii) Asia/Pacific. See Note 4 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report.

On December 31, 2022, Quaker Houghton had approximately 4,600 full-time employees globally of whom approximately 1,100 were employed by the parent company and its U.S. subsidiaries, and approximately 3,500 were employed by its non-U.S. subsidiaries. Associated companies of Quaker Houghton (in which it owns 50% or less and has significant influence) employed approximately 600 people on December 31, 2022.

Quaker Houghton considers its employees as its greatest strength in differentiating our business and strengthening our market positions. We have established core values that are inclusive of embracing diversity and creating a culture where we learn from and are inspired by the many cultures, backgrounds and knowledge of our team members. The Company’s goal is to have an organization that is inclusive of all its people and is representative of the communities in which we operate.

The Company’s core values are (i) live safe; (ii) act with integrity; (iii) drive results; (iv) exceed customer expectations; (v) embrace diversity; and (vi) do great things together. Our core values embody who we are as a company, guide our decisions and inspire us. Our commitment to these values, in words and actions, builds a safer, stronger Quaker Houghton, and these values guide the Company’s internal conduct and its relationship with the outside world. By fostering a culture and environment that exemplifies our core values, we gain, as a company, unique perspectives, backgrounds and varying experiences to ensure continued long-term success. The Company respects and values all of its employees and believes inclusion, diversity and equality are essential pillars to drive the Company’s success.

Aligned to our core values, in 2022 we evolved our enterprise-wide approach to volunteerism. Moving forward, all employees will be provided with access to two paid days off per year that can be leveraged to volunteer for local charity organizations, or local chapters of national charity organizations, that seek to improve the conditions and lives of the people living in the communities in which our employees live and work.

In 2020, we established the Board Sustainability Committee, which has specific responsibility to assist the Board of Directors (the “Board”) in its assessment, evaluation, and oversight of the Company’s sustainability programs and initiatives pertaining to the Company’s business, operations, and employees. In formulating our Sustainability strategy, our Executive Leadership Team (“ELT”) and Board consider certain risks and uncertainties that may materially impact our financial condition and results of operations. These risks and uncertainties are further described in Item 1A of this Report.

In 2021, we set a target to achieve carbon neutrality in our global operations by 2030 and net zero emissions across our entire value chain by 2050. In addition, the Company established 15 long-term environmental and social goals, based on the results of the Company's 2020 materiality assessment, which was completed with input from customers, investors, suppliers, and internal stakeholders. Our 15 long-term goals are closely aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We also identified short-term and medium-term milestones that may help support the achievement of our 2030 targets.

We strive to make Quaker Houghton a great place to work for all employees. We are committed to creating a workplace where employees feel valued, respected and challenged, while fostering an environment that attracts and engages a talented workforce that contributes to the Company’s growth and sustained success. Our Compensation and Human Resources Committee is responsible for overseeing our policies and strategies related to culture and human capital, including diversity, equity and inclusion.

Our Quaker Houghton University is available to all employees and provides a library of tools and resources for career development and growth. Through ongoing dialogue with leaders, employees are encouraged to plan for their development and leverage the tools available to create meaningful and actionable development plans that drive personal and company growth.

We endeavor to ensure that our leaders of tomorrow are members of the Company today. Leadership capability is critical in supporting our culture of inclusion and collaboration. As such, leaders have access to various structured development and learning experiences. This includes our global management program ("MAP") which provides guidance on applying sound and consistent management approaches to leading and developing teams. In addition, we provide custom development programs germane to the needs of our leaders today. Recent topics including Financial Acumen for Leaders, Building Resilient Teams and Leading Change.

We continue to invest in processes to help the organization assess and develop talent, including a formalized annual performance evaluation program, an annual critical skills and potential analysis, and succession planning for the organization’s most critical and senior roles.

Additionally, we regularly evaluate our Total Rewards offerings for our employees, including health and wellness benefits, paid-time off policies, monetary compensation, and educational reimbursements, to ensure that our total compensation and benefits packages are aligned with our business strategy, organizational culture, and diversity and inclusion approach while ensuring that we remain competitive in the markets we serve and follow local statutory wage and benefits laws. We pay particular attention to wellness and the well-being of our employees with specific investments on a variety of health related topics including forums for learning, dialogue, and enterprise collaboration. We strive to create a culture where recognition is ingrained within it, and do so by utilization of an enterprise reward and recognition program celebrating and incentivizing the results and behaviors of our employees and their impacts on our teams and company.

As a global company, we want to build an organization that is inclusive of all people and representative of the communities in which we operate. Quaker Houghton provides equal employment opportunities and does not discriminate based on age, ethnicity, gender identity, disability / medical condition, race, religion, or sexual orientation. We believe that diversity and inclusion are embodied by having working norms and cultural familiarities whereby employees feel included, engaged, and rewarded, regardless of their background or where they sit in the organization. We seek to create an environment where every employee can feel their best allowing them to be their best.

Inclusion and diversity begin with the Board and ELT. The Board is comprised of twelve individuals with diverse experience and credentials, selected for their business acumen and ability to challenge and add value to management. Our current Board composition includes two female and four racially diverse directors out of a total of twelve directors. For additional information on the Company’s leadership, refer to Item 4(a) Information about our Executive Officers and Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

In 2022, we focused on and dedicated investment in our talent acquisition, talent development, and succession planning efforts as a means to diversify our workforce. We have continually provided minority and female leaders the opportunity to attend targeted world-class external development programs that speak to the unique experiences these employees can face in the workplace while investing in their continued growth both personally and professionally. In addition, our core principles of a culture of inclusion are reflected in required employee training programs, which we offer on our policies against harassment and discrimination of any kind.

We are committed to maintaining a strong safety culture and to emphasizing the importance of our employees’ role in identifying, mitigating and communicating safety risks. We maintain policies and operational practices that communicate a culture where all levels of employees are responsible for safety. We believe that the achievement of superior safety performance is both an important short-term and long-term strategic goal in managing our operations. We emphasize ten “lifesaving” rules which make a significant difference in preventing serious injuries and fatalities. We have launched several “Live Safe” initiatives to create an environment of openness and awareness in which all employees are actively engaged in meeting safety targets. We are keen in reporting near misses, hazard identifications and educating our employees on their “Stop Work Authority”, which are seen as leading indicators, helping us to get to zero incidents. Our leading indicators are proactive and preventive measures that can shed light about the effectiveness of safety and health activities and reveal potential problems in a safety and health program. We also require all employees to regularly complete safety training. Additionally, our ELT is closely involved in our safety programs and conducts regular reviews of safety performance metrics and reviews the Company’s safety performance during Company-wide meetings.

Financial results, news and other information about Quaker Houghton can be accessed from the Company’s website at https://www.quakerhoughton.com. This site includes important information on the Company’s locations, products and services, financial reports, news releases and career opportunities. The Company’s periodic and current reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, and other filings, including exhibits and supplemental schedules filed therewith, and amendments to those reports, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) are available on the Company’s website, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Information contained on, or that may be accessed through, the Company’s website is not incorporated by reference in this Report and, accordingly, you should not consider that information part of this Report.

(Cautionary Statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995)

Certain information included in this Report and other materials filed or to be filed by us with the SEC, as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by us, contain or may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. We have based these forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia and Ukraine conflict, inflation and global supply chain constraints on the Company’s business, results of operations, and financial condition, our expectation that we will maintain sufficient liquidity, remain in compliance with the terms of the Company’s credit facility, expectations about future demand and raw material costs, and statements regarding the impact of increased raw material costs and pricing initiatives on our current expectations about future events.

These forward-looking statements include statements with respect to our beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, anticipations, intentions, financial condition, results of operations, future performance, and business, including:

Such statements include information relating to current and future business activities, operational matters, capital spending, and financing sources. From time to time, forward-looking statements are also included in the Company’s other periodic reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, press releases, and other materials released to, or statements made to, the public.

Any or all of the forward-looking statements in this Report, in the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for 2022 and in any other public statements we make may turn out to be wrong. This can occur as a result of inaccurate assumptions or as a consequence of known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Many factors discussed in this Report will be important in determining our future performance. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from those that might be anticipated from our forward-looking statements.

We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. However, any further disclosures made on related subjects in the Company’s subsequent reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K and other related filings should be consulted. A major risk is that demand for the Company’s products and services is largely derived from the demand for our customers’ products, which subjects the Company to uncertainties related to downturns in a customer’s business and unanticipated customer production slowdowns and shutdowns, including as is currently being experienced by many automotive industry companies as a result of supply chain disruptions.

Other major risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the primary and secondary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including actions taken in response to the pandemic by various governments, which could exacerbate some or all of the other risks and uncertainties faced by the Company, as well as inflationary pressures, including the potential for continued significant increases in raw material costs, supply chain disruptions, customer financial instability, rising interest rates and the possibility of economic recession, worldwide economic and political disruptions including the impacts of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the economic and other sanctions imposed by other nations on Russia, suspensions of activities in Russia by many multinational companies and the potential expansion of military activity, foreign currency fluctuations, significant changes in applicable tax rates and regulations, future terrorist attacks and other acts of violence.

Furthermore, the Company is subject to the same business cycles as those experienced by our customers in the steel, automobile, aircraft, industrial equipment, and durable goods industries. Other factors could also adversely affect us, including those related to acquisitions and the integration of acquired businesses.

Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about the Company and its operations that are subject to change based on various important factors, some of which are beyond our control. These risks, uncertainties, and possible inaccurate assumptions relevant to our business could cause our actual results to differ materially from expected and historical results.

Therefore, we caution you not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. For more information regarding these risks and uncertainties as well as certain additional risks that we face, refer to the Risk Factors section, which appears in Item 1A of this Report and in our quarterly and other reports filed from time to time with the SEC. This discussion is provided as permitted by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

With the exception of the Conshohocken, Santa Fe Springs, Madison Heights, Lewisburg, Aurora, Karlshamn, Rayong, and Coventry sites, which are leased, the remaining principal facilities are owned by the Company and, as of December 31, 2022, were mortgage free. Quaker Houghton also leases sales, laboratory, manufacturing, and warehouse facilities in other locations.

As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Report”), the terms “Quaker Houghton,” the “Company,” “we,” and “our” refer to Quaker Chemical Corporation (doing business as Quaker Houghton), its subsidiaries, and associated companies, unless the context otherwise requires. The “Combination” refers to the Quaker combination with Houghton International, Inc. (“Houghton”).

Overall, 2022 was a successful year as the Company navigated through a challenging financial, economic and geopolitical backdrop, which included the direct and indirect impacts of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Zero-COVID policies in China, significant raw material cost escalation, inflationary pressures on manufacturing and generally, all other global costs, supply chain and logistics challenges, and significant foreign currency volatility. Net sales of $1,943.6 million in 2022 increased 10% compared to $1,761.2 million in 2021, primarily due to increases from selling price and product mix of approximately 22% and additional net sales from acquisitions of 1%, partially offset by a 7% decline in organic sales volumes and an unfavorable impact from foreign currency translation of 6%. The increase in selling price and product mix was primarily the result of strategic price increases implemented to offset the ongoing inflationary pressures that began at the onset of 2021 and continued throughout 2022. The decline in organic sales volumes compared to 2021 was primarily a result of softer end market conditions, particularly in Europe and Asia/Pacific, the wind-down of the tolling agreement for products previously divested related to the Combination and the direct and indirect impacts of the ongoing war in Ukraine, partially offset by higher volumes due to net new business wins.

The Company’s 2022 operating performance in each of its three reportable segments: (i) Americas; (ii) EMEA; and (iii) Asia/Pacific, reflect similar drivers to that of its consolidated performance as each of the Company’s reportable segments net sales benefited from double-digit year-over-year increases in selling price and product mix, while those increases in net sales were partially offset by the significant and unfavorable impact of foreign currency translation in the EMEA and Asia/Pacific. All segments had lower organic sales volumes. Operating earnings for the Americas increased due to higher net sales and an improvement in margins. Operating earnings declined slightly in Asia/Pacific due to slightly lower margins and a strong comparison in the first half of 2021. EMEA operating earnings declined compared to the prior year due to the persistent and significant inflationary pressures on raw materials and other costs and the negative impact of foreign currency translation, partially offset by price realization. Additional details of each segment’s operating performance are further discussed in the Company’s reportable segments review, in the Operations section of this Item 7, below.

The Company generated net operating cash flow of $41.8 million in 2022 compared to $48.9 million in 2021. The decrease in net operating cash flow year-over-year was primarily driven by a lower operating performance in 2022 compared to 2021 coupled with significant working capital investments in each year. The key drivers of the Company’s operating cash flow and overall liquidity are further discussed in the Company’s Liquidity and Capital Resources section of this Item 7, below.

Overall, the Company delivered solid results in 2022, primarily due to strong price realization, as a result of the Company’s ongoing value-based pricing initiatives, and positive net new business wins, in the face of extreme economic head wins. Looking ahead to 2023, we believe the business is well positioned to continue to outpace market growth rates by delivering value-added solutions and services to its customers. The Company is committed to improving its margins as we progress through 2023, through both price and cost actions, while balancing customer relationships with the value we provide and the overall raw material environment and customer relationships. Additionally, the Company expects to continue to invest in its long-term growth including advancing its customer intimate strategy, progressing with its sustainability program and positioning the Company to deliver earnings growth in 2023 and beyond.

Management continues to evaluate how COVID-19-related circumstances, such as remote work arrangements, illness or staffing shortages and travel restrictions have affected financial reporting processes and systems, internal control over financial reporting, and disclosure controls and procedures. At this time, management does not believe that COVID-19 has had a material impact on financial reporting processes, internal controls over financial reporting, or disclosure controls and procedures.

A significant portion of the Company’s revenues and earnings are generated by non-U.S. operations. This subjects the Company to political and economic risks that could adversely affect the Company’s business, liquidity, financial position and results of operations. The existence of military conflicts, for example the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, bring inherent risks such as the potential for supply chain disruptions, increased costs of resources including oil, decreased trade activity and other consequences related to economic or other sanctions. The U.S. government and other nations have imposed significant restrictions on most companies’ ability to do business in Russia as a result of the war between Russia and Ukraine. It is not possible to predict the broader or longer-term consequences of this conflict, which could include further sanctions, embargoes, regional instability, geopolitical shifts and adverse effects on macroeconomic conditions, security conditions, currency exchange rates and financial markets. The war between Russia and Ukraine has had a negative impact on the Company’s ability to sell to, ship products to, collect payments from, and support customers in certain regions based on trade restrictions, embargoes and export control law restrictions, and logistics restrictions including closures of air space. If this conflict continues or expands, it could increase the costs, risks and adverse impacts from these new challenges. The Company and its customers and suppliers may also be the subject of increased cyber-attacks.

During the second quarter of 2022, the Company decided to cease its operations in Russia. The Company’s operations in the conflict areas including Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus historically represented less than 2% of the Company’s consolidated net sales and less than 1% of the Company’s consolidated total assets. The Company’s primary exposure in the conflict areas related to outstanding customer accounts receivable. The Company is actively monitoring its outstanding Russian receivables for collections and has recorded incremental allowances for credit losses where warranted.

Quaker Houghton’s discussion and analysis of its financial condition and results of operations are based upon its consolidated financial statements which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of these financial statements requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to customer sales incentives, product returns, credit losses, inventories, property, plant and equipment (“PP&E”), investments, goodwill, intangible assets, income taxes, business combinations, restructuring, incentive compensation plans (including equity-based compensation), pensions and other postretirement benefits, contingencies and litigation. Quaker Houghton bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under such circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. However, actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Quaker Houghton believes the following critical accounting policies describe the more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements:

The Company also records valuation allowances when necessary to reduce its deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. While the Company has considered future taxable income and assesses the need for a valuation allowance, in the event Quaker Houghton were to determine that it would be able to realize its deferred tax assets in the future in excess of its net recorded amount, an adjustment to the deferred tax asset would increase income in the period such determination was made. Likewise, should the Company determine that it would not be able to realize all or part of its net deferred tax assets in the future, an adjustment to the deferred tax asset would be charged to income in the period such determination was made. Both determinations could have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

The Company amortizes definite-lived intangible assets on a straight-line basis over their useful lives. Goodwill and intangible assets that have indefinite lives are not amortized and are required to be assessed at least annually for impairment. The Company completes its annual goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment test during the fourth quarter of each year, or more frequently if triggering events indicate a possible impairment. The Company’s consolidated goodwill at December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $515.0 million and $631.2 million, respectively. The Company has four indefinite-lived intangible assets totaling $189.1 million as of December 31, 2022, including $188.0 million of indefinite-lived intangible assets for trademarks and tradename associated with the Combination. Comparatively, the Company had four indefinite-lived intangible assets for trademarks and tradename totaling $196.9 million as of December 31, 2021.

The Company completes its annual goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment test during the fourth quarter of each year, or more frequently if triggering events indicate a possible impairment in one or more of its reporting units. The Company completed its annual impairment assessment as of October 1, 2022 and concluded no impairment charge was warranted. The Company continually evaluates financial performance, economic conditions and other recent developments in assessing if a triggering event indicates that the carrying values of goodwill, indefinite-lived, or long-lived assets are impaired.

In completing the interim quantitative impairment assessment, the Company used a WACC assumption of approximately 12.0% and holding all other assumptions constant, the WACC would have to increase by approximately 0.8 percentage points before the Company’s EMEA reporting unit’s remaining goodwill would be fully impaired. In addition, holding EBITDA margins and all other assumptions constant, the Company’s compound annual revenue growth rate during the entire projection period would need to decline by approximately 1.6 percentage points before the Company’s EMEA reporting unit’s remaining goodwill would be fully impaired. Similarly, holding revenue growth rates and all other assumptions constant, the Company’s average EBITDA margins throughout the discreet projection period would need to decline by approximately 2.3 percentage points before the Company’s EMEA reporting unit’s remaining goodwill would be fully impaired.

Notwithstanding the results of the Company’s annual and trigger based interim impairment assessments during 2022 and the goodwill impairment charge taken in the fourth quarter of 2022, if the Company is unable to successfully implement actions aimed at more than offsetting raw material costs and ongoing inflationary pressures and the financial performance of the EMEA reporting unit declines further, or interest rates continue to rise and this leads to an increase in the cost of capital, then it is possible these financial, economic and geopolitical conditions could result in another triggering event for the EMEA reporting unit in the future and could potentially lead to an additional impairment of the EMEA reporting unit’s remaining goodwill or other indefinite-lived or long-lived assets. See Note 16 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report.

In connection with the Company’s reorganization and the associated change in reportable segments and reporting units during the first quarter of 2023, the Company performed the required impairment assessments directly before and immediately after the change in reporting units and concluded that it was not more likely than not that the fair values of any of the Company’s previous or new reporting units were less than its carrying amount. These assessments were completed after the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $93.0 million during the fourth quarter of 2022 to write down the carrying value of the prior EMEA reporting unit’s Goodwill to its estimated fair values.

See Note 3 of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report for a discussion regarding recently issued accounting standards.

At December 31, 2022, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $181.0 million. Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash was $165.2 million at December 31, 2021. The $15.8 million increase in cash and cash equivalents was the net result of $41.8 million of cash provided by operating activities and $24.7 million of cash provided by financing activities partially offset by $40.2 million of cash used in investing activities and approximately $10.5 million of negative impacts due to the effect of foreign currency translation on cash.

Net cash flows provided by operating activities were $41.8 million in 2022 compared to $48.9 million in 2021. The Company’s slightly lower current year net operating cash flow was primarily driven by lower earnings in 2022 as compared to 2021, partially offset by a lower working capital investment year-over-year. While the Company experienced ongoing working capital investment in 2022, the amount decelerated as compared to 2021. The year-over-year increase in net sales was larger in 2021 than in 2022, resulting in a smaller increase in accounts receivable in the current year. In addition, during 2022, the Company utilized certain non-income tax credits which were recognized during 2021, resulting in a decrease in working capital during the current year. Lastly, during 2021 there was a larger increase in inventory as a result of higher costs and, to a lesser extent, a build in certain inventory in response to global supply chain and logistics challenges, however, this larger prior year increase in inventory was partially offset by higher levels of accounts payable in the prior year as well, due to timing of purchases.

Net cash flows used in investing activities were $40.2 million in 2022 compared to $49.1 million in 2021. This $8.9 million decrease in cash outflows used in investing activities was due to lower cash payments related to acquisitions as a result of the level of acquisition activity in each year, partially offset by lower cash proceeds from the disposition of assets which includes the sale of certain held-for-sale real property assets related to the Combination, and higher capital expenditures in the current year largely related to certain infrastructure and sustainability-related spending.

Net cash flows provided by financing activities were $24.7 million in 2022 compared to net cash flows used in financing activities of $13.5 million in 2021. The $38.1 million increase in net cash inflows from financing activities was primarily driven by an increase in borrowings in the current year under the Company’s primary credit facility (described below), including the impact of new borrowings, net of repayments of old borrowings and current year debt issuance costs, related to the June 2022 credit facility amendment. In addition, the Company paid $30.1 million of cash dividends during 2022, a $1.5 million or 5.3% increase in cash dividends compared to the prior year due to cash dividend per share increases.

The Company, its wholly owned subsidiary, Quaker Chemical B.V., as borrowers, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, U.S. Dollar swing line lender and letter of credit issuer, and the other lenders party thereto, entered into a credit agreement on August 1, 2019, as amended (the “Original Credit Facility”). The Original Credit Facility was comprised of a $400.0 million multicurrency revolver (the “Original Revolver”), a $600.0 million term loan (the “Original U.S. Term Loan”), each with the Company as borrower, and a $150.0 million (as of August 1, 2019) Euro equivalent term loan (the “Original EURO Term Loan”), with Quaker Chemical B.V., a Dutch subsidiary of the Company as borrower, each with a five-year term, maturing in August 2024.

During June 2022, the Company, and its wholly owned subsidiary, Quaker Houghton B.V., as borrowers, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, U.S. Dollar swing line lender and letter of credit issuer, Bank of America Europe Designated Active Company, as Euro Swing Line Lender, certain guarantors and other lenders entered into an amendment to the Original Credit Facility (the “Amended Credit Facility”). The Amended Credit Facility established (A) a new $150.0 million Euro equivalent senior secured term loan (the “Amended Euro Term Loan”), (B) a new $600.0 million senior secured term loan (the “Amended U.S. Term Loan”), and (C) a new $500.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Amended Revolver”). The Company has the right to increase the amount of the Amended Credit Facility by an aggregate amount not to exceed the greater of $300.0 million or 100% of Consolidated EBITDA, subject to certain conditions. In addition, the Amended Credit Facility also:

(i) eliminated the requirement that material foreign subsidiaries must guaranty the Original Euro Term Loan;

(ii) replaced the U.S. Dollar borrowings reference rate from LIBOR to Term SOFR;

(iii) extended the maturity date of the Original Credit Facility from August 2024 to June 2027; and

(iv) effected certain other changes to the Original Credit Facility as set forth in the Amended Credit Facility.

The Company used the proceeds of the Amended Credit Facility to repay all outstanding loans under the Original Credit Facility, unpaid accrued interest and fees on the closing date under the Original Credit Facility and certain expenses and fees. U.S. Dollar-denominated borrowings under the Amended Credit Facility bear interest, at the Company’s election, at the base rate or term SOFR plus an applicable rate ranging from 1.00% to 1.75% for Term SOFR loans and from 0.00% to 0.75% for base rate loans, depending upon the Company’s consolidated net leverage ratio. Loans based on term SOFR also include a spread adjustment equal to 0.10% per annum. Borrowings under the Amended Credit Facility denominated in currencies other than U.S. Dollars bear interest at the alternative currency term rate plus the applicable rate ranging from 1.00% to 1.75%

The Amended Credit Facility contains affirmative and negative covenants, financial covenants and events of default, including without limitation restrictions on (a) the incurrence of additional indebtedness; (b) investments in and acquisitions of other businesses, lines of business and divisions; (c) the making of dividends or share purchases; and (d) dispositions of assets. Dividends and share repurchases are permitted in annual amounts not exceeding the greater of $75 million annually and 25% of consolidated EBITDA if there is no default. If the consolidated net leverage ratio is less than 2.50 to 1.00, then the Company is no longer subject to restricted payments.

Financial covenants contained in the Amended Credit Facility include a consolidated interest coverage ratio test and a consolidated net leverage ratio test. The consolidated net leverage ratio at the end of a quarter may not be greater than 4.00 to 1.00, subject to a permitted increase during a four-quarter period after certain acquisitions. The Company has the option of replacing the consolidated net leverage ratio test with a consolidated senior net leverage ratio test if the Company issues certain types of unsecured notes, subject to certain limitations. Events of default in the Amended Credit Facility include without limitation defaults for non-payment, breach of representations and warranties, non-performance of covenants, cross-defaults, insolvency, and a change of control in certain circumstances. The occurrence of an event of default under the Amended Credit Facility could result in all loans and other obligations becoming immediately due and payable and the Amended Credit Facility being terminated. As of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company was in compliance with all of the Amended and Original Credit Facility covenants.

The weighted average variable interest rate incurred on the outstanding borrowings under the Original Credit Facility and the Amended Credit Facility during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 was approximately 3.0%. As of December 31, 2022, the interest rate on the outstanding borrowings under the Amended Credit Facility was approximately 4.9%. In addition to paying interest on outstanding principal under the Original Credit Facility, the Company was required to pay a commitment fee ranging from 0.2% to 0.3% depending on the Company’s consolidated net leverage ratio under the Original Revolver in respect of the unutilized commitments thereunder. As part of the Amended Credit Facility, the Company is required to pay a commitment fee ranging from 0.150% to 0.275% related to unutilized commitments under the Amended Revolver, depending on the Company’s consolidated net leverage ratio.

The Company previously capitalized $23.7 million of certain third-party debt issuance costs in connection with executing the Original Credit Facility. Approximately $15.5 million of the capitalized costs were attributed to the Original Term Loans and recorded as a direct reduction of Long-term debt on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. Approximately $8.3 million of the capitalized costs were attributed to the Original Revolver and recorded within Other assets on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. These capitalized costs are being amortized into interest expense over the five year term of the Original Credit Facility. Prior to executing the Amended Credit Facility, as of December 31, 2021, the Company had $8.0 million of debt issuance costs recorded as a reduction of Long-term debt attributable to the Original Credit Facility and $4.3 million of debt issuance costs recorded within Other assets attributable to the Original Credit Facility.

The Original Credit Facility required the Company to fix its variable interest rates on at least 20% of its total Term Loans. In order to satisfy this requirement as well as to manage the Company’s exposure to variable interest rate risk associated with the Original Credit Facility, in November 2019, the Company entered into $170.0 million notional amounts of three year interest rate swaps at a base rate of 1.64% plus an applicable margin as provided in the Original Credit Facility, based on the Company’s consolidated net leverage ratio. In October 2022, the Company’s interest rate swap contracts expired. Upon expiration, the Company received a cash payment from the counterparties of $0.2 million. See Note 25 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had Amended Credit Facility borrowings outstanding of $943.5 million. The Company had unused capacity under the Amended Revolver of approximately $301 million, which is net of bank letters of credit of approximately $3 million, as of December 31, 2022. The Company’s other debt obligations are primarily industrial development bonds, bank lines of credit and municipality-related loans, which totaled $11.3 million as of December 31, 2022. Total unused capacity under these arrangements as of December 31, 2022 was approximately $35 million. The Company’s total net debt as of December 31, 2022 was $773.8 million.

During 2022, the Company incurred $14.4 million of strategic planning expenses. The Company expects that these additional operating costs and associated cash flows, as well as higher capital expenditures related to strategic planning, process optimization and the next phase of the Company’s long-term integration to further optimize its footprint, processes and other functions will continue in 2023 and extend into the next several years.

Quaker Houghton’s management approved, and the Company initiated, a global restructuring plan (the “QH Program”) in 2019 as part of its planned cost synergies associated with the Combination. The QH Program included restructuring and associated severance costs to reduce total headcount by approximately 400 people globally and plans for the closure of certain manufacturing and non-manufacturing facilities. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has substantially completed all of the initiatives under the QH Program with only an immaterial amount of remaining severance still to be paid, which is expected to be completed during 2023.

In response to current macroeconomic headwinds and softer operating conditions in 2022, the Company’s Management initiated a global cost and optimization program to improve its cost structure and drive a more profitable and productive organization. This program has and will include certain restructuring activities as part of the plan to further optimize and strengthen the Company’s footprint, optimize the go-to-market strategy, simplify the portfolio and organization, and enable the Company to deliver on its strategic plan. During the fourth quarter of 2022, initial actions under this program included restructuring and associated severance costs to reduce headcount by approximately 40 positions globally. These headcount reductions began in the fourth quarter of 2022 and are expected to be completed in 2023. The Company is continuing to evaluate and expects to implement further actions under this program, and as a result, additional headcount reductions and restructuring costs may be incurred in the future. Under the Company’s restructuring programs, employee separation benefits varied depending on local regulations within certain foreign countries and included severance and other benefits. The exact timing to complete all actions and final costs associated will depend on a number of factors and are subject to change.

The Company recognized $3.2 million, $1.4 million and $5.5 million of restructuring and related charges for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively, as a result of these programs. The Company made cash payments related to the settlement of restructuring liabilities for these programs of $1.5 million and $5.3 million during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company’s gross liability for uncertain tax positions, including interest and penalties, was $20.3 million. The Company cannot determine a reliable estimate of the timing of cash flows by period related to its uncertain tax position liability. However, should the entire liability be paid, the amount of the payment may be reduced by up to $6.1 million as a result of offsetting benefits in other tax jurisdictions. During 2021, the Company recorded $13.1 million of non-income tax credits for certain of its Brazilian subsidiaries. The Company utilized these credits to offset certain Brazilian federal tax payments during 2022. See Note 26 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report.

During 2021, two of the Company’s locations suffered property damage as a result of flooding and electrical fire, respectively. The Company maintains property insurance for all of its locations globally. The Company, its insurance adjuster, and insurance carrier are actively managing the remediation and restoration activities associated with each of these events. Based on all available information and discussions with its insurance adjuster and insurance carrier, that the losses incurred during 2021 are expected to be covered under the Company’s property insurance coverage, net of an aggregate deductible of $2.0 million. To date, the Company has received payments from its insurers of $4.6 million and has recorded an insurance receivable associated with these events of $0.2 million as of December 31, 2022. The Company and its insurance carrier continue to review the impact of the electrical fire on the production facility’s operations as it relates to a potential business interruption insurance claim; however, as of the date of this Report, the Company cannot reasonably estimate any probable amount of business interruption insurance claim recoverable. Therefore, the Company has not recorded a gain contingency for a possible business interruption insurance claim as of December 31, 2022. See Note 26 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report.

The Company believes that its existing cash, anticipated cash flows from operations and available additional liquidity will be sufficient to support its operating requirements and fund its business objectives for at least the next twelve months and beyond, including but not limited to, payments of dividends to shareholders, payments for restructuring activities including further strategic and optimization initiatives, pension plan contributions, capital expenditures, other business opportunities (including potential acquisitions), implementing actions to achieve the Company’s sustainability goals and other potential contingencies. The Company’s liquidity is affected by many factors, some based on normal operations of our business and others related to the impact of the pandemic and other events on our business and on global economic conditions as well as industry uncertainties, which we cannot predict. We also cannot predict economic conditions and industry downturns or the timing, strength or duration of recoveries. We may seek, as we believe appropriate, additional debt or equity financing which would provide capital for corporate purposes, working capital funding, additional liquidity needs or to fund future growth opportunities, including possible acquisitions and investments. The timing and amount of potential capital requirements cannot be determined at this time and will depend on a number of factors, including the actual and projected demand for our products, specialty chemical industry conditions, competitive factors, and the condition of financial markets, among others.

The following table summarizes the Company’s contractual obligations as of December 31, 2022, and the effect such obligations are expected to have on its liquidity and cash flows in future periods. Pension and postretirement plan contributions beyond 2022 are not determinable since the amount of any contribution is heavily dependent on the future economic environment and investment returns on pension trust assets. The timing of payments related to other long-term liabilities which consists primarily of deferred compensation agreements and environmental reserves, also cannot be readily determined due to their uncertainty. Interest obligations on the Company’s long-term debt and capital leases assume the current debt levels will be outstanding for the entire respective period and apply the interest rates in effect as of December 31, 2022.

The information in this Form 10-K filing includes non-GAAP (unaudited) financial information that includes EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share. The Company believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information as they enhance a reader’s understanding of the financial performance of the Company, are indicative of future operating performance of the Company, and facilitate a comparison among fiscal periods, as the non-GAAP financial measures exclude items that are not indicative of future operating performance or not considered core to the Company’s operations. Non-GAAP results are presented for supplemental informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for the financial information presented in accordance with GAAP.

The Company presents EBITDA which is calculated as net income attributable to the Company before depreciation and amortization, interest expense, net, and taxes on income before equity in net income of associated companies. The Company also presents adjusted EBITDA which is calculated as EBITDA plus or minus certain items that are not indicative of future operating performance or not considered core to the Company’s operations. In addition, the Company presents non-GAAP operating income which is calculated as operating income plus or minus certain items that are not indicative of future operating performance or not considered core to the Company’s operations. Adjusted EBITDA margin and non-GAAP operating margin are calculated as the percentage of adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP operating income to consolidated net sales, respectively. The Company believes these non-GAAP measures provide transparent and useful information and are widely used by analysts, investors, and competitors in our industry as well as by management in assessing the operating performance of the Company on a consistent basis.

Additionally, the Company presents non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share as additional performance measures. Non-GAAP net income is calculated as adjusted EBITDA, defined above, less depreciation and amortization, interest expense, net, and taxes on income before equity in net income of associated companies, in each case adjusted, as applicable, for any depreciation, amortization, interest or tax impacts resulting from the non-core items identified in the reconciliation of net income attributable to the Company to adjusted EBITDA. Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share is calculated as non-GAAP net income per diluted share as accounted for under the “two-class share method.” The Company believes that non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share provide transparent and useful information and are widely used by analysts, investors, and competitors in our industry as well as by management in assessing the operating performance of the Company on a consistent basis.

Certain of the prior period non-GAAP financial measures presented in the following tables have been adjusted to conform with current period presentation. The following tables reconcile the Company’s non-GAAP financial measures (unaudited) to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures (dollars in thousands, unless otherwise noted, except per share amounts):

The Company had no material off-balance sheet commitments or obligations as of December 31, 2022. The Company’s only off-balance sheet commitments or obligations outstanding as of December 31, 2022 represented approximately $5 million of total bank letters of credit and guarantees. The bank letters of credit and guarantees are not significant to the Company’s liquidity or capital resources. See Note 20 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report.

Consolidated Operations Review – Comparison of 2022 with 2021

Net sales were a record $1,943.6 million in 2022 compared to $1,761.2 million in 2021. The increase in net sales of approximately $182.4 million or 10% year-over-year was primarily due to an increase in selling price and product mix of approximately 22% and additional net sales from acquisitions of 1%, partially offset by a decline in organic sales volumes of approximately 7% and the unfavorable impact from foreign currency translation of approximately 6%. The increase in selling price and product mix was primarily driven by price increases implemented to offset the significant increases in raw material and other input costs that began during 2021 and continued throughout 2022. The decline in organic sales volumes was primarily attributable to softer end market demand, particularly in the EMEA and Asia/Pacific segments, the wind-down of the tolling agreement for products previously divested related to the Combination and the impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine, partially offset by net new business wins, including the impact of the Company’s ongoing value-based pricing initiatives. The impact from foreign currency translation is primarily the result of the year-over-year strengthening of the U.S. Dollar compared to major world currencies including the Euro and the Chinese renminbi.

COGS were $1,330.9 million in 2022 compared to $1,166.5 million in 2021. The increase in COGS of 14% was driven by the continued increases in the Company’s global raw material, manufacturing and supply chain and logistics costs compared to the prior year.

Gross profit in 2022 of $612.7 million increased $18.0 million or approximately 3% from 2021. The Company’s reported gross margin in 2022 was 31.5% compared to 33.8% in 2021. The Company’s current year gross margin reflects a significant increase in raw material and other input costs and the impacts of constraints on the global supply chain, partially offset by the Company’s ongoing value-based pricing initiatives.

SG&A in 2022 increased $36.6 million compared to 2021 due primarily to the impact of sales increases on direct selling costs, higher operating costs due to inflationary pressures, costs associated with strategic planning initiatives (see the Non-GAAP Measures section of this Item, above), and additional SG&A from recent acquisitions, partially offset by lower SG&A due to foreign currency translation compared to the prior year. In addition, SG&A was lower in the prior year period as a result of continued temporary cost saving measures the Company implemented in response to the onset of COVID-19.

During 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $8.8 million and $23.9 million, respectively, of Combination, integration and other acquisition-related expenses. See the Non-GAAP Measures section of this Item, above.

The Company incurred restructuring expenses of $3.2 million and $1.4 million during 2022 and 2021, respectively, related to the Company’s restructuring programs. See the Non-GAAP Measures section of this Item, above.

In 2022, the Company recorded a $93.0 million non-cash impairment charge to write down the value of goodwill associated with the Company’s EMEA reportable segment. This non-cash impairment charge is the result of the Company’s trigger based fourth quarter of 2022 impairment assessment. There were no similar impairment charges in 2022 and no charges in 2021. See the Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates section as well as the Non-GAAP Measures section, of this Item, above.

Operating income in 2022 was $52.3 million compared to $150.5 million in 2021. Excluding the non-cash impairment charge, as well as other non-core items that are not indicative of future operating performance, the Company’s current year non-GAAP operating income was $177.9 million compared to $182.6 million in the prior year. The decline in non-GAAP operating income was primarily due to the higher SG&A, as described above.

Other expense in 2022 includes $6.8 million of loss on extinguishment of debt related to the Company’s refinancing the Original Credit Facility, partially offset by $1.8 million of facility remediation insurance recoveries and $2.4 million of other income related to an indemnification asset. Other income in 2021 includes $13.1 million of non-income tax credits recorded by the Company’s Brazilian subsidiaries as well as a $4.8 million gain on the sale of certain held-for-sale real property assets. See the Non-GAAP Measures section of this Item, above. In addition, foreign exchange losses, net, were higher in 2022 as compared to 2021.

Interest expense, net, increased $10.3 million compared to 2021, primarily driven by increases in the average borrowings outstanding coupled with an increase in interest rates year-over-year as the weighted average interest rate incurred on borrowings under the Company’s primary credit facility was approximately 3.0% during 2022 compared to approximately 1.6% during 2021. This was partially offset by lower amortization of debt issuance costs in 2022 as compared to 2021 due to the June 2022 credit facility amendment and write off of certain previously capitalized debt issuance costs.

The Company’s effective tax rates for 2022 and 2021 were an expense of 350.2% and an expense of 23.8%, respectively. The Company’s current year effective tax rate was largely driven by the non-cash impairment charge described above and to a lesser extent a decline in profits, earnings mix, foreign tax inclusions and withholding taxes, partially offset by a reduction in reserves for uncertain tax positions and changes in the valuation allowance for foreign tax credits. The Company’s 2021 effective tax rate was driven by a higher level of pre-tax earnings and mix of earnings, as well as a deferred tax expense related to the planned repatriation of non-U.S. earnings. In addition, the rate was impacted by certain one-time charges and benefits related to an intercompany intangible asset transfer and related royalty income recognition offset by changes in the valuation allowance for foreign tax credits. Excluding the impact of all non-core items in each year, described in the Non-GAAP Measures section of this Item, above, the Company estimates that the 2022 and 2021 effective tax rates would have been approximately 27% and 26%, respectively. The higher estimated current year tax rate was primarily driven by a lower level of pre-tax earnings and the impact of changes in mix of earnings. The Company may experience continued volatility in its effective tax rates due to several factors, including the timing of tax audits and the expiration of applicable statutes of limitations as they relate to uncertain tax positions, the unpredictability of the timing and amount of certain incentives in various tax jurisdictions, the treatment of certain acquisition-related costs and the timing and amount of certain share-based compensation-related tax benefits, among other factors. In addition, the foreign tax credit valuation allowance, or absence thereof, is based on a number of variables, including forecasted earnings, which may vary.

Equity in net income of associated companies decreased $7.4 million in 2022 compared to 2021, primarily due to lower current year income from the Company’s interest in a captive insurance company (see the Non-GAAP Measures section of this Item, above) due to lower market performance on equity investments and from the Company’s 50% interest in a joint venture in Korea due to overall market challenges.

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest was less than $0.1 million for both 2022 and 2021.

Foreign exchange negatively impacted the Company’s yearly results by approximately 8% driven by the negative impact from foreign currency translation on earnings as well as higher foreign exchange transaction losses in the current year as compared to the prior year.

Consolidated Operations Review – Comparison of 2021 with 2020

Net sales were $1,761.2 million in 2021 compared to $1,417.7 million in 2020. The net sales increase of approximately $343.5 million or 24% year-over-year was primarily due to higher sales volumes of 13%, which includes additional net sales from recent acquisitions of 4%, increases from selling price and product mix of 8% and the positive impact of foreign currency translation of 3%. The increase in organic sales volumes compared to 2020 was primarily the result of the continued year-over-year improvement in end market conditions from the prior year impacts of COVID-19 and continued market share gains. Sales from acquisitions are primarily driven by the Company’s acquisition of Coral Chemical Company (“Coral”) in December 2020 and the tin-plating solutions business acquired in February 2021. The increase from selling price and product mix includes the impact of current year selling price increases implemented in response to the increases in raw material costs experienced in 2021. The positive impact from foreign currency translation is primarily the result of the strengthening of the Chinese renminbi, euro, Mexican peso, the Canadian dollar and the British pound against the U.S. dollar year-over-year.

COGS were $1,166.5 million in 2021 compared to $904.2 million in 2020. The increase in COGS of 29% was driven by the associated COGS on the increase in net sales described above, and continued increases in the Company’s global raw material costs compared to the prior year and the impacts of supply constraints in the current year.

Gross profit in 2021 of $594.6 million increased $81.2 million or approximately 16% from 2020, due primarily to the increase in net sales noted above. The Company’s reported gross margin in 2021 was 33.8% compared to 36.2% in 2020. The lower current year gross margin is primarily attributable to increased raw materials and other costs that began in the fourth quarter of 2020 and have continued throughout 2021 and the impacts of constraints on the world’s global supply chain partially offset by the Company’s ongoing pricing initiatives.

SG&A in 2021 increased $38.1 million compared to 2020 due primarily to the impact of sales increases on direct selling costs, year-over-year inflation increases, additional SG&A from recent acquisitions and higher SG&A due to foreign currency translation, partially offset by lower incentive compensation year-over-year as well as the benefits of additional realized cost synergies associated with the Combination year-over-year. In addition, SG&A was lower in the prior year period as a result of temporary cost saving measures the Company implemented in response to COVID-19. While the Company continues to manage costs during the ongoing pandemic, it has incurred higher SG&A year-over-year as the global economy continues to gradually rebound.

During 2021 and 2020, the Company incurred $23.9 million and $29.8 million, respectively, of Combination, integration and other acquisition-related expenses primarily for professional fees related to Houghton integration and other acquisition-related activities. See the Non-GAAP Measures section of this Item, above.

The Company initiated a restructuring program during 2019 as part of its global plan to realize cost synergies associated with the Combination. The Company incurred restructuring and related charges for reductions in headcount and site closures under this program, net of adjustments to initial estimates for severance, of an expense of $1.4 million and $5.5 million during 2021 and 2020, respectively. See the Non-GAAP Measures section of this Item, above.

Operating income in 2021 was $150.5 million compared to $59.4 million in 2020. Excluding Combination, integration and other acquisition-related expenses, restructuring and related charges and other non-core items, the Company’s current year non-GAAP operating income of $182.6 million increased compared to $134.0 million in the prior year, primarily due to the increase in net sales described above and the benefits from cost savings related to the Combination offset by an increase in SG&A as well as the significant increases in raw material costs year-over-year. The Company estimates that it realized cost synergies associated with the Combination of approximately $75 million during 2021 compared to approximately $58 million during 2020.

The Company had other (expense) income, net, of $18.9 million in 2021 compared to other expense, net, of $5.6 million in 2020. The year-over-year change was primarily a result of other income related to certain non-income tax credits recorded by the Company’s Brazilian subsidiaries, the gain on the sale of certain held-for-sale real property assets and lower foreign currency transaction losses in 2021 as compared to the prior year. The Company had non-service components of pension and postretirement benefit income in the current year compared to an expense in the prior year as a result of the $22.7 million pension settlement charge directly related to the termination of a noncontributory U.S. pension plan partially offset by a $18.1 million gain related to the lapse of restrictions over certain cash that was previously designated solely for the settlement of asbestos claims at an inactive subsidiary, all of which are described in the Non-GAAP Measures section of this Item, above.

Interest expense, net, decreased $4.3 million compared to 2020 driven by lower current year average borrowings outstanding as a result of the additional revolver borrowings drawn during part of 2020 at the onset of the pandemic to add additional liquidity, coupled with a decline in overall interest rates year-over-year, as the weighted average interest rate incurred on borrowings under the Company’s credit facility was approximately 1.6% during 2021 compared to approximately 2.2% during 2020.

The Company’s effective tax rates for 2021 and 2020 were an expense of 23.8% and benefit of 19.5%, respectively. The Company’s higher current year effective tax rate is driven by a higher level of pre-tax earnings and mix of earnings, as well as deferred tax expense related to the planned repatriation of non-U.S. earnings. In addition, the rate was impacted by certain one-time charges and benefits related to an intercompany intangible asset transfer and related royalty income recognition offset by changes in the valuation allowance for foreign tax credits. Comparatively, the prior year effective tax rate was impacted by the tax effect of certain one-time tax charges and benefits related to a 2020 intercompany intangible asset transfer, additional charges for uncertain tax positions relating to certain foreign tax audits, and the tax impact of the Company’s termination of a noncontributory U.S. pension plan. Excluding the impact of these items as well as all other non-core items in each year, described in the Non-GAAP Measures section of this Item, above, the Company estimates that the 2021 and 2020 effective tax rates would have been approximately 26% and 25%, respectively. The higher estimated current year tax rate was primarily driven by a higher level of pre-tax earnings and the impact of changes in mix of earnings, deferred taxes related to the planned repatriation of non-U.S. earnings, and provision to return adjustments in the prior period. The Company may experience continued volatility in its effective tax rates due to several factors, including the timing of tax audits and the expiration of applicable statutes of limitations as they relate to uncertain tax positions, the unpredictability of the timing and amount of certain incentives in various tax jurisdictions, the treatment of certain acquisition-related costs and the timing and amount of certain share-based compensation-related tax benefits, among other factors. In addition, the foreign tax credit valuation allowance, or absence thereof, is based on a number of variables, including forecasted earnings, which may vary.

Equity in net income of associated companies increased $2.0 million in 2021 compared to 2020, primarily due to higher current year income from the Company’s interest in a captive insurance company partially offset by lower earnings from the Company’s 50% interest in a joint venture in Korea compared to the prior year. See the Non-GAAP Measures section of this Item, above.

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest was less than $0.1 million in 2021 compared to $0.1 million in 2020 primarily a result of the first quarter of 2020 acquisition of the remaining ownership interest in one of the Company’s South African affiliates.

Foreign exchange positively impacted the Company’s yearly results by approximately 6% driven by the positive impact from foreign currency translation on earnings as well as lower foreign exchange transaction losses in the current year as compared to the prior year.

Reportable Segments Review - Comparison of 2022 with 2021

The Company’s reportable segments reflect the structure of the Company’s internal organization, the method by which the Company’s resources are allocated and the manner by which the chief operating decision maker of the Company assesses its performance. The Company has three reportable segments: (i) Americas; (ii) EMEA; and (iii) Asia/Pacific. The segments are composed of the net sales and operations in each respective region.

Segment operating earnings for the Company’s reportable segments are comprised of net sales less COGS and SG&A directly related to the respective segment’s sales of products and services. Operating expenses not directly attributable to the net sales of each respective segment, such as certain corporate and administrative costs, Combination, integration and other acquisition-related expenses, Restructuring and related charges, and COGS related to acquired inventory sold, which is adjusted to fair value as part of purchase accounting, are not included in segment operating earnings. Other items not specifically identified with the Company’s reportable segments include interest expense, net, and other income (expense), net.

Americas represented approximately 49% of the Company’s consolidated net sales in 2022. The segment’s net sales were $946.5 million, an increase of $184.3 million or 24% compared to 2021. The increase in net sales was due to higher selling price and product mix of 28% and additional net sales from acquisition of 1%, partially offset by a decrease in organic sales volumes of approximately 5%. The increase in selling price and product mix is primarily driven by price increases implemented to offset the significant increases in raw material, manufacturing and other input costs that began during 2021 and continued through 2022. The current year decline in organic sales volumes was primarily driven by softer end market conditions, primarily in the automotive industry, due to the semiconductor supply constraints and to a lesser extent the primary metals markets, the wind-down of the tolling agreement for products previously divested related to the Combination, the Company’s ongoing value-based pricing initiatives, partially offset by net new business wins. This segment’s operating earnings were $223.6 million, an increase of $47.4 million or 27% compared to 2021 primarily driven by higher margins as the Company’s ongoing value-based pricing initiatives offset the ongoing inflationary pressures on the business.

EMEA represented approximately 29% of the Company’s consolidated net sales in 2022. The segment’s net sales were $562.5 million, a decrease of $1.6 million or less than 1% compared to 2021. The decrease in net sales was a result of a 20% increase in selling price and product mix and additional net sales from acquisition of 2% which was more than offset by an unfavorable impact of foreign currency translation of 15% and a decrease in sales volumes of 7%. The increase in selling price and product mix was primarily driven by price increases implemented to offset the significant increases in raw material, manufacturing and other input costs that began during 2021 and continued through 2022. The decline in sales volumes was primarily driven by current geopolitical and macroeconomic pressures including the direct and indirect impacts of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the impact of the economic and other sanctions by other nations on Russia in response to the war, as well as the wind-down of the tolling agreement for products previously divested related to the Combination and softer economic conditions in the region. The significant and unfavorable foreign currency translation impact was primarily due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the euro as this exchange rate averaged 1.05 in 2022 compared to 1.18 in 2021. This segment’s operating earnings were $76.4 million, a decrease of $34.6 million or 31% compared to 2021. The decrease in segment operating earnings was primarily a result of lower net sales, lower gross margins, and inflationary pressures on other costs, including SG&A.

Asia/Pacific represented approximately 22% of the Company’s consolidated net sales in 2022. The segment’s net sales were $434.6 million, a decrease of less than 1% or approximately $0.3 million compared to 2021. The decrease in net sales was a result of a 15% increase in selling price and product mix offset by lower sales volumes of 10% and an unfavorable impact from foreign currency translation of 5%. The increase in selling price and product mix was primarily driven by price increases implemented to offset the significant increases in raw material, manufacturing and other input costs that began during 2021 and continued through 2022. The decline in organic sales volumes was primarily driven by softer market conditions, primarily in China, in part as a result of the government imposed COVID-19 quarantine and related production disruptions implemented at the end of March 2022 and continued throughout 2022, partially offset by net new business wins. The unfavorable foreign exchange impact was primarily due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the Chinese renminbi as this exchange rate averaged 6.71 Chinese renminbi per USD in 2022 compared to 6.45 Chinese renminbi per USD in 2021. This segment’s operating earnings were $105.8 million, a decrease of $3.4 million or 3% compared to 2021 as a result of lower net sales, lower gross margins, and inflationary pressures on other costs, including SG&A.

Reportable Segments Review – Comparison of 2021 with 2020

Americas represented approximately 43% of the Company’s consolidated net sales in 2021. The segment’s net sales were $762.2 million, an increase of $155.2 million or 26% compared to 2020. The increase in net sales was driven by a benefit in selling price and product mix of 3%, increases in organic volumes of approximately 17%, additional net sales from acquisitions of 5%, and the positive impact of foreign currency translation of 1%. The current year organic volume increase was driven by the continued improvement in end market conditions compared to the prior year which was impacted by COVID-19. The increase in selling price and product mix is primarily driven by price increases implemented to help offset the significant increases in raw material and other input costs incurred during 2021. The foreign exchange impact was primarily driven by the strengthening of the Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar, as this exchange rate averaged 20.27 in 2021 compared to 21.34 during 2020. This segment’s operating earnings were $176.3 million, an increase of $34.4 million or 24% compared to 2020. The increase in segment operating earnings reflects the higher net sales, described above, partially offset by lower gross margins driven by the continued raw material cost increases and global supply chain and logistics pressures coupled with higher SG&A including an increase in direct selling costs associated with higher net sales, SG&A from acquisitions and an increase in SG&A as the prior year included temporary cost savings measures implemented in response to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

EMEA represented approximately 32% of the Company’s consolidated net sales in 2021. The segment’s net sales were $564.1 million, an increase of $108.2 million or 24% compared to 2020. The increase in net sales was driven by a benefit from selling price and product mix of 8%, increases in organic volumes of approximately 11%, the positive impact of foreign currency translation of 3%, and additional net sales from acquisitions of 2%. The increase in selling price and product mix is primarily driven by price increases implemented to offset the significant increase in raw material and other input costs incurred during 2021. The current year volume increase was driven by the continued improvement in end market conditions compared to the prior year which was heavily impacted by COVID-19. The foreign exchange impact was primarily driven by the strengthening of the euro against the U.S. dollar as this exchange rate averaged 1.18 in 2021 compared to 1.14 in 2020. This segment’s operating earnings were $111.0 million, an increase of $18.5 million or 20% compared to 2020. The increase in segment operating earnings reflects the higher net sales described above, partially offset by lower current year gross margins driven by the continued raw material cost increases and global supply chain and logistics pressures as well as higher SG&A including increases in direct selling costs associated with higher net sales as well as increases as the prior year included temporary cost savings measures implemented in response to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Asia/Pacific represented approximately 25% of the Company’s consolidated net sales in 2021. The segment’s net sales were $434.8 million, an increase of approximately $80.1 million or 23% compared to 2020. The increase in net sales year-over-year was driven by increases in volumes of approximately 10%, the positive impact of foreign currency translation of 4%, increases from selling price and product mix of 8% and additional net sales from acquisitions of 1%. The current year volume increase was driven by the continued improvement in end market conditions compared to the prior year which was impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, changes in selling price and product mix and sales volumes were driven by higher amounts of shipments of a lower priced product in the Company’s mining business in the prior year. The foreign exchange impact was primarily due to the strengthening of the Chinese renminbi against the U.S. dollar as this exchange rate averaged 6.45 in 2021 compared to 6.90 in 2020. This segment’s operating earnings were $109.2 million, an increase of $9.0 million or 9% compared to 2020. The increase in segment operating earnings was driven by the higher net sales described above, partially offset by lower gross margins driven by the continued raw material cost increases and global supply chain and logistics pressures as well as higher direct selling costs associated with higher net sales and an increase in SG&A as the prior year included temporary cost savings measures implemented in response to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Company is involved in environmental clean-up activities in connection with an existing plant location and former waste disposal sites. This includes certain soil and groundwater contamination the Company identified in 1992 at AC Products, Inc. (“ACP”), a wholly owned subsidiary. In voluntary coordination with the Santa Ana California Regional Water Quality Board, ACP has been remediating the contamination. In 2007, ACP agreed to operate two groundwater treatment systems, so as to hydraulically contain groundwater contamination emanating from ACP’s site until such time as the concentrations of contaminants are below the current Federal maximum contaminant level for four consecutive quarterly sampling events. In 2014, ACP ceased operation at one of its two groundwater treatment systems, as it had met the above condition for closure. In 2020, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board asked that ACP conduct some additional indoor and outdoor soil vapor testing on and near the ACP site to confirm that ACP continues to meet the applicable local standards and ACP has begun the testing program. Such testing began in 2020 and continued into 2021. As of December 31, 2022, ACP believes it is close to meeting the conditions for closure of the remaining groundwater treatment system but continues to operate this system while in discussions with the relevant authorities.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company believes that the range of potential-known liabilities associated with the balance of ACP water remediation program is approximately $0.1 million to $1.0 million. The low and high ends of the range are based on the length of operation of the treatment system as determined by groundwater modeling. Costs of operation include the operation and maintenance of the extraction well, groundwater monitoring, program management, and soil vapor testing.

The Company is also party to environmental matters related to certain domestic and foreign properties. These environmental matters primarily require the Company to perform long-term monitoring as well as operating and maintenance at each of the applicable sites. During the year ended December 31, 2022, there have been no significant changes to the facts or circumstances of these matters, aside from ongoing monitoring and maintenance activities and routine payments associated with each of these sites. The Company continually evaluates its obligations related to such matters, and based on historical costs incurred and projected costs to be incurred over the next 26 years, has estimated the present value range of costs for all of these environmental matters, on a discounted basis, to be between approximately $5.0 million and $6.0 million as of December 31, 2022, for which $5.3 million is accrued within other accrued liabilities and other non-current liabilities on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2022. Comparatively, as of December 31, 2021, the Company had $5.6 million accrued for with respect to these matters.

The Company’s Sao Paulo, Brazil site was required under Brazilian environmental, health and safety regulations to perform an environmental assessment as part of a permit renewal process. Initial investigations identified soil and ground water contamination in select areas of the site. The site has conducted a multi-year soil and groundwater investigation and corresponding risk assessments based on the result of the investigations. In 2017, the site had to submit a new 5-year permit renewal request and was asked to complete additional investigations to further delineate the site based on review of the technical data by the local regulatory agency, Companhia Ambiental do Estado de São Paulo (“CETESB”). Based on review of the updated investigation data, CETESB issued a Technical Opinion regarding the investigation and remedial actions taken to date. The site developed an action plan and submitted it to CETESB in 2018 based on CETESB requirements. The site intervention plan primarily requires the site, among other actions, to conduct periodic monitoring for methane in soil vapors, source zone delineation, groundwater plume delineation, bedrock aquifer assessment, update the human health risk assessment, develop a current site conceptual model and conduct a remedial feasibility study and provide a revised intervention plan. In 2019, the site submitted a report on the activities completed including the revised site conceptual model and results of the remedial feasibility study and recommended remedial strategy for the site. Other environmental matters include participation in certain payments in connection with four currently active environmental consent orders related to certain hazardous waste cleanup activities under the U.S. Federal Superfund statute. The Company has been designated a potentially responsible party (“PRP”) by the Environmental Protection Agency along with other PRPs depending on the site, and has other obligations to perform cleanup activities at certain other foreign subsidiaries. These environmental matters primarily require the Company to perform long-term monitoring as well as operating and maintenance at each of the applicable sites.

The Company believes, although there can be no assurance regarding the outcome of other unrelated environmental matters, that it has made adequate accruals for costs associated with other environmental problems of which it is aware. Approximately $0.3 million and $0.4 million were accrued as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, to provide for such anticipated future environmental assessments and remediation costs.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company cannot be certain that future liabilities in the form of remediation expenses and damages will not exceed amounts reserved. See Note 26 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report

QUAKER CHEMICAL CORPORATION

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

February 23, 2023, except with respect to our opinion on the consolidated financial statements insofar as it relates to the change in reportable segments discussed in Note 1, as to which the date is August 3, 2023.

(Dollars in thousands)

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

As used in these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, the terms “Quaker,” “Quaker Houghton,” the “Company,” “we,” and “our” refer to Quaker Chemical Corporation (doing business as Quaker Houghton), its subsidiaries, and associated companies, unless the context otherwise requires. The “Combination” refers to the Quaker combination with Houghton International, Inc. (“Houghton”).

The Company uses the stated borrowing rate for a lease when readily determinable. When a stated borrowing rate is not available in a lease agreement, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on information available at the lease’s commencement date to determine the present value of its lease payments. In determining the incremental borrowing rate used to present value each of its leases, the Company considers certain information including fully secured borrowing rates readily available to the Company and its subsidiaries. The Company includes finance leases in Property, plant and equipment (“PP&E”), current portion of long-term debt and long-term debt on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

The Company identifies a performance obligation in a contract for each promised good or service that is separately identifiable from other obligations in the contract and for which the customer can benefit from the good or service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available to the customer. The Company determines the transaction price as the amount of consideration it expects to be entitled to in exchange for fulfilling the performance obligations, including the effects of any variable consideration, significant financing elements, amounts payable to the customer or noncash consideration. For any contracts that have more than one performance obligation, the Company allocates the transaction price to each performance obligation in an amount that depicts the amount of consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for satisfying each performance obligation.

The Company does not have standard payment terms for all customers, however the Company’s general payment terms require customers to pay for products or services provided after the performance obligation is satisfied. The Company does not have significant financing arrangements with its customers. Therefore, the Company does not adjust the promised amount of consideration for the effects of a significant financing component as the Company expects, at contract inception, that the period between when the Company transfers a promised good or service to the customer and when the customer pays for that good or service will be one year or less.

In addition, the Company expenses costs to obtain a contract as incurred when the expected period of benefit, and therefore the amortization period, is one year or less. In addition, the Company excludes from the measurement of the transaction price all taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction and collected by the entity from a customer, including sales, use, value added, excise and various other taxes. Lastly, the Company has elected to account for shipping and handling activities that occur after the customer has obtained control of a good as a fulfillment cost, rather than an additional promised service. The Company does not have significant amounts of variable consideration in its contracts with customers and where applicable, the Company’s estimates of variable consideration are not constrained.

The Company records certain third-party license fees in other income (expense), net, in its Consolidated Statement of Operations, which generally include sales-based royalties in exchange for the license of intellectual property. These license fees are recognized in accordance with their agreed-upon terms and when performance obligations are satisfied, which is generally when the third party has a subsequent sale.

The Company recognizes a contract asset or receivable on its Consolidated Balance Sheet when the Company performs a service or transfers a good in advance of receiving consideration. A receivable is the Company’s right to consideration that is unconditional and only the passage of time is required before payment of that consideration is due. A contract asset is the Company’s right to consideration in exchange for goods or services that the Company has transferred to a customer.

A contract liability is recognized when the Company receives consideration, or if it has the unconditional right to receive consideration, in advance of performance. A contract liability is the Company’s obligation to transfer goods or services to a customer for which the Company has received consideration, or a specified amount of consideration is due, from the customer.

See Note 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Company’s global pension investment policies are designed to ensure that pension assets are invested in a manner consistent with meeting the future benefit obligations of the pension plans and maintaining compliance with various laws and regulations including the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. The Company establishes strategic asset allocation percentage targets and benchmarks for significant asset classes with the aim of achieving a prudent balance between return and risk. The Company’s investment horizon is generally long term, and, accordingly, the target asset allocations encompass a long-term perspective of capital markets, expected risk and return and perceived future economic conditions while also considering the profile of plan liabilities. To the extent feasible, the short-term investment portfolio is managed to match the short-term obligations, the intermediate portfolio duration is matched to reduce the risk of volatility in intermediate plan distributions, and the total return portfolio is managed to maximize the long-term real growth of plan assets. The critical investment principles of diversification, assessment of risk and targeting the optimal expected returns for given levels of risk are applied. The Company’s investment guidelines prohibit the use of securities such as letter stock and other unregistered securities, commodities or commodity contracts, short sales, margin transactions, private placements (unless specifically addressed by addendum), or any derivatives, options or futures for the purpose of portfolio leveraging.

The target asset allocation is reviewed periodically and is determined based on a long-term projection of capital market outcomes, inflation rates, fixed income yields, returns, volatilities and correlation relationships. The interaction between plan assets and benefit obligations is periodically studied to assist in establishing such strategic asset allocation targets. Asset performance is monitored with an overall expectation that plan assets will meet or exceed benchmark performance over rolling five year periods. The Company’s pension committee, as authorized by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), has discretion to manage the assets within established asset allocation ranges approved by senior management of the Company. See Note 21 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Pursuant to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“U.S. Tax Reform”), specifically the one-time tax on deemed repatriation (the “Transition Tax”), the Company has provided for U.S. income tax on its undistributed earnings of non-U.S. subsidiaries, however, the Company is subject to and will incur other taxes, such as withholding taxes and dividend distribution taxes, if these undistributed earnings were ultimately remitted to the U.S. The Company currently intends to reinvest its future undistributed earnings of non-U.S. subsidiaries to support working capital needs and certain other growth initiatives of those subsidiaries. However, in certain cases the Company has and may in the future change its indefinite reinvestment assertion for any or all of these undistributed earnings. In this case, the Company would estimate and record a tax liability and corresponding tax expense for the amount of non-U.S. income taxes it would incur to ultimately remit these earnings to the U.S. See Note 10 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

In addition, while the Company is permitted to make an accounting policy election to account for forfeitures as they occur for service condition aspects of certain share-based awards, the Company has decided not to elect this accounting policy and instead has elected to continue utilizing a forfeiture rate assumption. Based on historical experience, the Company generally has assumed a forfeiture rate of 13% on certain of its nonvested stock awards. The Company will record additional expense if the actual forfeiture rate is lower than estimated and will record a recovery of prior expense if the actual forfeiture is higher than estimated.

The Company also issues performance-dependent stock awards as a component of its LTIP. The fair value of the performance-dependent stock awards is based on their grant-date market value adjusted for the likelihood of attaining certain predetermined performance goals and is calculated by utilizing a Monte Carlo simulation model. Compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period, generally three years.

See Note 8 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Argentina’s and Türkiye’s economies were considered hyper-inflationary effective July 1, 2018 and April 1, 2022, respectively. As of, and for the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company's Argentine and Turkish subsidiaries represented a combined 1% and 2% of the Company’s consolidated total assets and net sales, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, the Company recorded $1.6 million, $0.6 million, and $0.4 million, respectively, of remeasurement losses associated with the applicable currency conversions related to Argentina and Türkiye. These losses were recorded within foreign exchange losses, net, which is a component of Other (expense) income, net, in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.

2022 Acquisitions

In October 2022, the Company acquired a business that provides pickling and rinsing products and services, which is part of the EMEA reportable segment, for approximately 3.5 million EUR or approximately $3.5 million. This acquisition, along with the Company’s January 2022 acquisition in the Americas reportable segment (described below), which had similar specializations and product offerings, strengthens Quaker Houghton’s position in pickling inhibitors and additives, enabling the Company to better support and optimize production processes for customers across the Metals industry. The Company allocated $2.8 million of the purchase price to intangible assets, comprised of $2.3 million of customer relationships to be amortized over 10 years; $0.2 million of existing product technologies to be amortized over 10 years; and $0.3 million of licensed trademarks to be amortized over 10 years. In addition, the Company recorded $0.8 million of goodwill related to expected value not allocated to other acquired assets.

In January 2022, the Company acquired a business that provides pickling inhibitor technologies, drawing lubricants and stamping oil, and various other lubrication, rust preventative, and cleaner applications, which is part of the Americas reportable segment for approximately $8.0 million. This business broadens the Company’s product offerings within its existing metals and metalworking business in the Americas region. The Company allocated $5.6 million of the purchase price to intangible assets, comprised of $5.1 million of customer relationships to be amortized over 14 years; and $0.5 million of existing product technologies to be amortized over 14 years. In addition, the Company recorded $1.8 million of goodwill related to expected value not allocated to other acquired assets, all of which is expected to be tax deductible in various jurisdictions in which the Company operates. During the third quarter of 2022 the Company finalized post-closing adjustments that resulted in the Company paying less than $0.1 million of additional purchase consideration. Factors contributing to the purchase price that resulted in goodwill included the acquisition of business processes and personnel that will allow Quaker Houghton to better serve its customers.

In January 2022, the Company acquired a business related to the sealing and impregnation of metal castings for the automotive sector, as well as impregnation resin and impregnation systems for metal parts in Europe for approximately 1.2 million EUR or approximately $1.4 million. This business broadens its product offerings and service capabilities within its existing impregnation business.

Other Previous Acquisitions

In November 2021, the Company acquired Baron Industries (“Baron”), a privately held company that provides vacuum impregnation services of castings, powder metals and electrical components in the United States for $11.0 million, including an initial cash payment of $7.1 million, subject to post-closing adjustments as well as certain earn-out provisions that are payable at various times from 2022 through 2025. The earn-out provisions could total a maximum of $4.5 million. In September 2022, the Company paid $2.5 million related to certain of these earnout provisions. The Company recorded an incremental earn-out expense of $0.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 related to these earnout provisions, recorded within the financial statement caption “Combination, integration and other acquisition-related expenses” on the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has remaining earnout liabilities recorded on its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet of $1.6 million. The Company allocated $8.0 million of the purchase price to intangible assets, $1.1 million of property, plant and equipment and $1.5 million of other assets acquired net of liabilities assumed, which includes $0.3 million of cash acquired. In addition, the Company recorded $0.4 million of goodwill, none of which is expected to be tax deductible. Intangible assets comprised $7.2 million of customer relationships to be amortized over 15 years; and $0.8 million of existing product technology to be amortized over 13 years. Factors contributing to the purchase price that resulted in goodwill included the acquisition of business processes and personnel that will allow Quaker Houghton to better serve its customers. During the third quarter of 2022 the Company finalized post-closing adjustments that resulted in the Company receiving less than $0.1 million.

In November 2021, the Company acquired a business that provides hydraulic fluids, coolants, cleaners, and rust preventative oils in Türkiye for its EMEA reportable segment for 3.2 million EUR or approximately $3.7 million.

In September 2021, the Company acquired the remaining interest in Grindaix-GmbH (“Grindaix”), a Germany-based, high-tech provider of coolant control and delivery systems for its EMEA reportable segment for 2.4 million EUR or approximately $2.9 million, which is gross of approximately $0.3 million of cash acquired. Previously, in February 2021, the Company acquired a 38% ownership interest in Grindaix for 1.4 million EUR or approximately $1.7 million. The Company recorded its initial investment as an equity method investment within the Consolidated Financial Statements and accounted for the purchase of the remaining interest as a step acquisition whereby the Company remeasured the previously held equity method investment to its fair value.

In June 2021, the Company acquired certain assets for its chemical milling maskants product line in Europe for 2.3 million EUR or approximately $2.8 million.

In February 2021, the Company acquired a tin-plating solutions business for the steel end market for $25.0 million. This acquisition is part of each of the Company’s reportable segments. The Company allocated $19.6 million of the purchase price to intangible assets, comprised of $18.3 million of customer relationships, to be amortized over 19 years; $0.9 million of existing product technology to be amortized over 14 years; and $0.4 million of a licensed trademark to be amortized over 3 years. In addition, the Company recorded $5.0 million of goodwill, all of which is expected to be tax deductible in various jurisdictions in which we operate. Factors contributing to the purchase price that resulted in goodwill included the acquisition of business processes and personnel that will allow Quaker Houghton to better serve its customers.

In December 2020, the Company completed its acquisition of Coral Chemical Company (“Coral”), a privately held, U.S.-based provider of metal finishing fluid solutions. The acquisition provides technical expertise and product solutions for pre-treatment, metalworking and wastewater treatment applications to the beverage cans and general industrial end markets. The original purchase price was approximately $54.1 million, subject to routine and customary post-closing adjustments related to working capital and net indebtedness levels. Subsequent to the acquisition, the Company and the sellers of Coral (the “Sellers”) have worked to finalize certain post-closing adjustments. During the second quarter of 2022, after failing to reach resolution, the Sellers filed suit asserting certain amounts owed related to tax attributes of the acquisition. Since the second quarter of 2022, there have been no material changes to the facts and circumstances of the claim asserted by the Sellers, and the Company continues to believe the potential range of exposure for this claim is $0 to $1.5 million.

In May 2020, the Company acquired Tel Nordic ApS (“TEL”), a company that specializes in lubricants and engineering primarily in high pressure aluminum die casting for its EMEA reportable segment. Consideration paid was in the form of a convertible promissory note in the amount of 20.0 million DKK, or approximately $2.9 million, which was subsequently converted into shares of the Company’s common stock. An adjustment to the purchase price of approximately 0.4 million DKK, or less than $0.1 million, was made as a result of finalizing a post-closing settlement in the second quarter of 2020. The Company allocated approximately $2.4 million of the purchase price to intangible assets to be amortized over 17 years. In addition, the Company recorded approximately $0.5 million of goodwill, related to expected value not allocated to other acquired assets, none of which will be tax deductible.

In March 2020, the Company acquired the remaining 49% ownership interest in one of its South African affiliates, Quaker Chemical South Africa Limited (“QSA”) for 16.7 million ZAR, or approximately $1.0 million, from its joint venture partner PQ Holdings South Africa. QSA is a part of the Company’s EMEA reportable segment. As this acquisition was a change in an existing controlling ownership, the Company recorded $0.7 million of excess purchase price over the carrying value of the noncontrolling interest in Capital in excess of par value.

During the first quarter of 2020, the Company finalized its post-closing adjustments for the Norman Hay plc (“Norman Hay”) acquisition and paid approximately 2.5 million GBP to settle post-closing adjustments.

As of December 31, 2022, the allocation of the purchase price of each of the 2022 acquisitions has not been finalized and the one year measurement period has not ended for any of these acquisitions. Further adjustments may be necessary as a result of the Company’s on-going assessment of additional information related to the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. As of December 31, 2022, the allocation of the purchase price for all other previous acquisitions was finalized and the one year measurement period ended.

The results of operations of each acquisition subsequent to the respective acquisition dates are included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Applicable transaction expenses associated with these acquisitions are included in Combination, integration and other acquisition-related expenses in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations. Certain pro forma and other information is not presented, as the operations of the acquired assets and businesses are not considered material to the overall operations of the Company for the periods presented.

The Company’s operating segments, which are consistent with its reportable segments, reflect the structure of the Company’s internal organization, the method by which the Company’s resources are allocated and the manner by which the chief operating decision maker assesses the Company’s performance. The Company has three reportable segments: (i) Americas; (ii) EMEA; and (iii) Asia/Pacific. The segments are composed of the net sales and operations in each respective region. All prior period information has been recast to reflect the Company’s new reportable segments.

Segment operating earnings for each of the Company’s reportable segments are comprised of the segment’s net sales less directly related COGS and SG&A. Operating expenses not directly attributable to the net sales of each respective segment, such as certain corporate and administrative costs, Combination, integration and other acquisition-related expenses, and Restructuring and related charges, are not included in segment operating earnings. The figures presented for all periods reflect the Company’s current definition of directly related segment operating expenses and operating expenses not directly attributable to the net sales of each respective segment. As applicable, immaterial prior year reclassifications have been reflected to conform with the current year presentation. Other items not specifically identified with the Company’s reportable segments include Interest expense, net and Other (expense) income, net.

The following tables present information about the performance of the Company’s reportable segments for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020.

The following tables present information regarding the Company’s reportable segments’ assets and long-lived assets, excluding goodwill, as of December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020. Management does not use goodwill by segment to evaluate performance or allocate resources.

The following tables present information regarding the Company’s reportable segments’ capital expenditures and depreciation for identifiable assets for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020:

During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, the Company had approximately $1,246.7 million, $1,198.4 million and $963.2 million of net sales, respectively, attributable to non-U.S. operations. As of December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, the Company had approximately $156.4 million, $155.2 million and $176.6 million of long-lived assets, respectively, attributable to non-U.S. operations.

Inter-segment revenue for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 was $11.6 million, $13.3 million and $16.8 million for Americas, $44.6 million, $40.4 million and $28.1 million for EMEA, $1.0 million, and $2.0 million and $0.9 million for Asia/Pacific, respectively. However, all inter-segment transactions have been eliminated from each reportable operating segment’s net sales and earnings for all periods presented in the above tables.

A significant portion of the Company’s revenues are realized from the sale of process fluids and services to manufacturers of steel, aluminum, automobiles, aircraft, industrial equipment, and durable goods. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company’s five largest customers (each composed of multiple subsidiaries or divisions with semiautonomous purchasing authority) accounted for approximately 11% of consolidated net sales, with its largest customer accounting for approximately 3% of consolidated net sales.

The Company had no material contract assets recorded on its Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.

The Company had approximately $5.7 million and $7.0 million of deferred revenue as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, the Company satisfied all of the associated performance obligations and recognized into revenue the advance payments received and recorded as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

The Company sells its various industrial process fluids, its specialty chemicals and its technical expertise as a global product portfolio. The Company generally manages and evaluates its performance by segment first, and then by customer industry, rather than by individual product lines. Also, net sales of each of the Company’s major product lines are generally spread throughout all three of the Company’s geographic regions, and in most cases, approximately proportionate to the level of total sales in each region.

The following tables present disaggregated information regarding the Company’s net sales, first by major product lines that represent more than 10% of the Company’s consolidated net sales for any of the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, and followed then by a disaggregation of the Company’s net sales by segment, geographic region, customer industry, and timing of revenue recognized for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020.

The Company has operating leases for certain facilities, vehicles and machinery and equipment with remaining lease terms up to 9 years. In addition, the Company has certain land use leases with remaining lease terms up to 93 years.

The Company’s finance leases are included in PP&E on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. See Note 15 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company has no material variable lease costs or sublease income for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020. The following table sets forth the components of the Company’s lease cost for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020:

Supplemental cash flow information related to the Company’s leases is as follows:

Supplemental balance sheet information related to the Company’s leases is as follows:

Maturities of operating lease liabilities as of December 31, 2022 were as follows:

The Company’s Management approved a global restructuring plan (the “QH Program”) as part of its initial plan to realize certain cost synergies associated with the Combination in the third quarter of 2019. The QH Program included restructuring and associated severance costs to reduce total headcount by approximately 400 people globally, as well as plans for the closure of certain manufacturing and non-manufacturing facilities. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has substantially completed all of the initiatives under the QH Program with only an immaterial amount of remaining severance still to be paid, which is expected to be completed during 2023.

In response to current macroeconomic headwinds and softer operating conditions, in 2022, the Company’s Management initiated a global cost and optimization program to improve its cost structure and drive a more profitable and productive organization. This program has and will include certain restructuring activities as part of the plan to further optimize and strengthen the Company’s footprint, optimize the go-to-market strategy, simplify the portfolio and organization, and enable the Company to deliver on its strategic plan. During the fourth quarter of 2022, initial actions under this program included restructuring and associated severance costs to reduce headcount by approximately 40 positions globally. These headcount reductions began in the fourth quarter of 2022 and are expected to be completed in 2023.

Under the Company’s restructuring programs, employee separation benefits varied depending on local regulations within certain foreign countries and included severance and other benefits. The exact timing to complete all actions and final costs associated will depend on a number of factors and are subject to change. Restructuring costs incurred during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 include severance costs to reduce headcount, including customary and routine adjustments to initial estimates for employee separation costs, as well as costs to close certain facilities and are recorded in Restructuring and related charges in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.

In connection with the plans for closure of certain manufacturing and non-manufacturing facilities, the Company has made available for sale certain facilities and property. During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, certain of these facilities were sold and the Company recognized a gain of $0.2 million in 2022 and $5.4 million in 2021 and a loss of approximately $0.6 million in 2020, which is included within Other (expense) income, net on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Additionally, certain land with an aggregate book value of approximately $0.6 million continues to be held-for-sale as of December 31, 2022 and is recorded in Prepaid expenses and other current assets on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company expects to complete the sale of this land in 2023. The Company will continue to evaluate actions to strengthen and optimize its existing facilities and footprint and this may include making certain other facilities or property available for sale in the future. As described in Note 4 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Restructuring and related charges are not included in the Company’s calculation of reportable segments’ measure of operating earnings and therefore these costs are not reviewed by or recorded to reportable segments.

The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 was approximately $0.8 million, $2.7 million and $6.5 million, respectively. Intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the current market price of the underlying security and the strike price of a related option.

A summary of the Company’s outstanding stock options as of December 31, 2022 is as follows: