Stepan Company (96S) Risk Analysis

Manufacturing facilities in the Company's industry are subject to planned and unplanned production slowdowns and shutdowns, turnarounds and outages. Unplanned production disruptions may occur for external reasons, such as natural disasters, weather, disease, pandemics, strikes, transportation interruption, government regulation, political unrest or terrorism, or internal reasons, such as fire, explosions, mechanical failure, labor-related work stoppages or slowdowns, maintenance, discharges, contamination, environmental remediation or other manufacturing problems. For example, in 2024, the operations of the Company's Elwood, Illinois (Millsdale) facility were negatively affected by a flood event. Certain of our production facilities are, and production facilities acquired or built in the future may be, located in areas where unplanned disruptions are more likely. Alternative facilities with sufficient capacity may not be available, may cost substantially more or may take a significant amount of time to increase production or qualify with Company customers, each of which could negatively impact the Company's business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Further, some of the Company's products cannot currently be made, or made in the volume required, at more than one of the Company's locations. For some of these products, the Company has access to external market suppliers, but the Company cannot guarantee that these products will be available to it in amounts sufficient to meet its requirements or at a cost that is competitive with the Company's cost of manufacturing these products. Long-term production disruptions may cause Company customers to seek alternative supply, which could further adversely affect Company profitability. The hazards associated with chemical manufacturing and the related storage and transportation of raw materials, products and wastes are inherent in our operations. We cannot eliminate the risk of accidental contamination, discharge or injury resulting from those materials. Also, our suppliers and customers may use and/or generate hazardous materials, and we may be required to indemnify our suppliers, customers or waste disposal contractors against damages and other liabilities arising out of the production, handling or storage of our products or raw materials or the disposal of related wastes. Potential risks include explosions and fires, chemical spills and other discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances or gases, and pipeline and storage tank leaks and ruptures. Those hazards may result in personal injury and loss of life, damage to property, damages to public health and contamination of the environment, which may result in a suspension of operations and the imposition of civil or criminal fines, penalties and other sanctions, cleanup costs, and claims by governmental entities or third parties. Furthermore, the Company is subject to present claims, and may be subject to future claims, with respect to workplace exposure, contractor exposure to toxic or hazardous substances on the Company's premises as well as other persons located nearby, workers' compensation and other matters. We are dependent on the continued operation of our production facilities and the loss or shutdown of operations over an extended period could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The Company maintains property, business interruption, products liability and casualty insurance policies, as well as insurance policies covering other types of risks, including pollution legal liability insurance. However, some of these potential manufacturing hazards and risks may not be insurable. Moreover, even when such hazards and risks are insurable, the insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover all losses resulting from the occurrence of any of these events. Each of these insurance policies is subject to customary exclusions, deductibles and coverage limits, in accordance with industry standards and practices. As a result of market conditions, premiums and deductibles for certain insurance policies can increase substantially and, in some instances, certain insurance may become unavailable or available only with reduced amounts of coverage. There is also a risk, beyond the reasonable control of the Company, that an insurance carrier may not have the financial resources to cover an insurable loss. As a result, the occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.