Kulicke & Soffa (KLIC) Risk Analysis

The semiconductor equipment and packaging materials industries are very competitive. In the semiconductor equipment industry, significant competitive factors include price, speed/throughput, production yield, process control, footprint, delivery time, innovation, quality and customer support. In the semiconductor packaging materials industry, significant competitive factors include price, delivery and quality. In each of our markets, we face competition and the threat of competition from established competitors and potential new entrants. In addition, established competitors may combine to form larger, better-capitalized companies, or enter into strategic collaboration with major process partners. Some of our competitors have or may have significantly greater financial, engineering, manufacturing and marketing resources than we do. Some of these competitors are Asian and European companies that have had, and may continue to have, an advantage over us in supplying products to local customers who appear to prefer to purchase from local suppliers. Some of these competitors compete across many of our product lines, while others are primarily focused in a specific product area, all of which could result in lowering the barriers to entry. Some governments have provided, and will continue to provide, financial assistance or other support to some of our competitors or to new entrants, to advance the nation's growth in the semiconductor equipment and packaging materials industries. We expect our competitors to improve their current products' performance, and to introduce new products and materials with improved price and performance characteristics. Our competitors may independently develop technology similar to or better than ours. They may also appropriate our technology and our intellectual property to compete against us and we may not have adequate legal recourse. New product and material introductions by existing competitors or by new market entrants could hurt our sales. If a semiconductor manufacturer or subcontract assembler selects a competitor's product or materials for a particular assembly operation, we may not be able to sell products or materials to that manufacturer or assembler for a significant period of time. Manufacturers and assemblers sometimes develop lasting relationships with suppliers and assembly equipment providers in our industry and often go years without requiring replacement. In addition, we may have to lower our prices in response to price cuts by our competitors, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. If we cannot compete successfully, we could lose customers and experience reduced margins and profitability.

Our operations and business, and those of our customers and suppliers, can be disrupted by natural disasters, public health issues, interruptions of service from utilities, or other catastrophic events including as a result of climate change. In addition, global climate change can result in natural disasters occurring more frequently, with greater intensity and with less predictability. We also operate in seismic zones including Taiwan, which is located within a complex zone of convergence between the Philippines Sea Plate and Eurasian Plate. For example, in January 2025, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Tainan, Taiwan, resulting in a temporary suspension of business and services. Although our advanced dispensing manufacturing operations in Taiwan were not affected, the earthquake resulted in the temporary suspension of other semiconductor factories and suppliers who operate in Taiwan. The long-term effects of climate change on the global economy and the semiconductor industry in particular are unclear but could be severe, and could exacerbate the other risk factors described herein. Catastrophic events could make it difficult or impossible to manufacture or deliver products to our customers, receive materials from our suppliers, or perform critical functions, whether on a timely basis or at all, which could adversely affect our revenue and operations. Some of the systems we maintain as part of our business recovery plans cannot guarantee us protection from such disruptions. Furthermore, even if our operations are unaffected or if we managed to recover our operations quickly, if our customers or suppliers cannot timely resume their own operations due to a catastrophic event, we may be unable to fulfil our customers' orders, and may experience reduced or cancelled orders or other disruptions to our supply chain that may adversely affect our results of operations.

Because most of our foreign sales are denominated in U.S. dollar, an increase in value of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies will make our products more expensive than those offered by some of our foreign competitors. In addition, a weakening of the U.S. dollar against other currencies could make our costs in certain non-U.S. locations more expensive to fund. Our ability to compete overseas may therefore be materially and adversely affected by the fluctuations of the U.S. dollar against other currencies. Because nearly all of our business is conducted outside the U.S., we face exposure to adverse movements in foreign currency exchange rates which could have a material adverse impact on our financial results and cash flows. Historically, our primary exposures have related to net working capital exposures denominated in currencies other than the foreign subsidiaries' functional currency, and remeasurement of our foreign subsidiaries' net monetary assets from the subsidiaries' local currency into the subsidiaries' functional currency. In general, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar could require certain of our foreign subsidiaries to record translation and remeasurement gains. Conversely, a decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar could require certain of our foreign subsidiaries to record losses on translation and remeasurement. An increase in the value of the U.S. dollar could increase the cost to our customers of our products in those markets outside the U.S. where we sell in U.S. dollars, and a weakened U.S. dollar could increase the cost of local operating expenses and procurement of raw materials, both of which could have an adverse effect on our cash flows. Our primary exposures include the Singapore Dollar, Chinese Yuan, Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, Philippine Peso, Thai Baht, New Taiwan Dollar, South Korean Won, New Israeli Shekel, Malaysian Ringgit and Euro. Although we have entered into foreign exchange forward contracts from time to time to hedge our operating expenses against certain foreign currency exposure, our attempts to hedge against these risks may not be successful and may result in a material adverse impact on our financial results and cash flows.

We continually evaluate our portfolio of businesses and may decide to buy or sell businesses or enter into joint ventures or other strategic alliances. We may not find suitable acquisition candidates, we may not be able to close such acquisitions, and the acquisitions we complete may not be successful. We may be unable to successfully integrate acquired businesses with our existing businesses and successfully implement, improve and expand our systems, procedures and controls to accommodate these acquisitions. If we are not able to successfully integrate any acquired businesses with ours, the anticipated benefits of the acquisitions may not be realized fully or may take longer than expected to be realized. We may also incur higher than expected costs as a result of any acquisitions or experience an overall post-completion process that takes longer than originally anticipated. These transactions place additional demands on our management, our various functional teams and our current labor force. The combination of businesses may result in the loss of key personnel or an interruption of, or loss of momentum in, our existing businesses and/or the acquired business. In addition, we may need to divest existing businesses, which would cause a decline in revenue or profitability and may make our financial results more volatile. If we fail to integrate and manage acquired businesses successfully or to mitigate the risks associated with divestitures, joint ventures or other alliances, or if the time and costs associated with integration exceeds our expectations, or if our acquired business were to perform poorly, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially and adversely affected.

The U.S. and several other countries levy tariffs on certain goods and impose other trade restrictions that may impact our customers' investment in manufacturing equipment, reduce the competitiveness of our products, or inhibit our ability to sell products or purchase necessary equipment and supplies. In particular, trade tensions between the U.S. and China have been ongoing. There has been a further escalation of trade tensions between the U.S. and China since 2018, with U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods and retaliatory Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods. We cannot predict what further actions may ultimately be taken with respect to tariffs or trade relations between the U.S. and other countries, what products may be subject to such actions, or what actions may be taken by other countries in response. Further changes in trade policy, tariffs, additional taxes, restrictions on exports or other trade barriers, or restrictions on supplies, equipment, and raw materials, may limit our ability to produce products, increase our selling and/or manufacturing costs, reduce the competitiveness of our products, or inhibit our ability to sell products or purchase necessary equipment and supplies, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition. Though nearly all of our manufacturing activities take place outside of the U.S., certain of our advanced packaging products are subject to the EAR because they are based on U.S. technology or contain more than a de minimis amount of controlled U.S. content. The EAR require licenses for, and sometimes prohibit, the export of certain products. The CCL sets forth the types of goods and services controlled by the EAR, including civilian science, technology, and engineering dual use items. For products listed on the CCL, a license may be required as a condition to export depending on the end destination, end use or end user and any applicable license exceptions. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security ("BIS") amended the EAR to expand controls on certain foreign products based on U.S. technology and sold to Huawei and certain other companies. In October 2022, the BIS amended the EAR again to extend those foreign controls to numerous companies on BIS' so called Entity List. The 2020 and 2022 amendments impact some of our advanced packaging products, which are based on U.S. technology and are within the scope of the expanded EAR controls on Huawei and other Entity List companies. Therefore, these products cannot be sold to Huawei and other Entity List companies, and are subject to certain end use restrictions. To date, these amendments to the EAR have not had a material direct impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations and we do not expect that they will, although they could have indirect impact, including increasing tensions in U.S. and Chinese trade relations, potentially leading to negative sentiments towards U.S. based companies among Chinese consumers. Additionally, some end users may prefer to avoid the U.S. supply chain in its entirety to avoid the application of these regulations. In November 2023, the BIS issued additional rules to update export controls on advanced computing semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, as well as items that support supercomputing applications and end uses, to arms embargoed countries, including China. Further in December 2024, the BIS added new export controls pertaining to high-bandwidth memory, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and related items that enable advanced-node integrated circuit production. While the BIS rescinded its "Framework for AI Diffusion" in May 2025, there is a possibility of a replacement rule or other similar rules being introduced in the future. In September 2025, the BIS promulgated the new "Affiliates Rule", which applied restrictions on exports (and reexports and transfers) to any foreign entity that is at least 50% owned, individually or in the aggregate, by one or more entities named on the Entity List, the Military End-User List, or those designated with certain identifiers on the Specially Designated Nationals List of the Office of Foreign Assets Control. In November 2025, the BIS suspended the application of the Affiliates Rule until November 2026. We are taking appropriate measures to comply with all applicable BIS Rules. Where required, we will apply for export licenses from the BIS to avoid disruption to our customers' operations. Export licenses may be subject to a prolonged review and appeals process, to which there cannot be an assurance as to whether an export license may be granted, granted with conditions or eventually revoked due to subsequent challenge. Additionally, the rules promulgated by the BIS are typically complex, and the BIS could revise or expand them in response to public comments. Likewise, the BIS may issue guidance clarifying the scope of the rules. Such revisions, expansions or guidance could change the impact of the rules for our business. Future changes in, and responses to, the various export regulations, tariffs, or other trade regulations between the U.S. and other countries may be unpredictable. Such further changes may limit our ability to produce products, increase our selling or manufacturing costs, decrease margins, reduce the competitiveness of our products and cause our sales to decline, and therefore could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

On March 25, 2025, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a strategic plan related to the cessation of the Company's Electronics Assembly ("EA") equipment business. As part of the plan, the Company began the process of winding down the EA equipment business in an effort to prioritize core semiconductor assembly business opportunities and enhance overall through-cycle financial performance. The cessation of the EA equipment business is subject to a consultation process with the applicable works council and union representatives, which the Company initiated in the third fiscal quarter of 2025 and, as of October 4, 2025, had substantially completed. The wind down activities remain ongoing and are expected to be substantially completed by fiscal 2026, after which there will be some service support activities to serve out the remaining customer obligations. As we work towards the cessation of the EA equipment business, we may discover other facts that could require us to incur additional expenses and/or record additional charges that may be different from our initial expectations. In addition, we may not be able to complete the wind down in all respects or on time, due to factors outside of our control. If actual amounts were to differ from our estimates, or if the full and complete wind down takes longer than expected, our results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

Our future success depends on our ability to hire and retain qualified management, sales, finance, accounting and technical employees, including senior management. We depend on the continued services and performance of our key personnel, including our executive officers. If one or more of our executive officers or other key employees were unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we may not be able to replace them easily or at all, and our business may be seriously harmed. Experienced personnel with the relevant and necessary skill sets in our industry are in high demand and competition for their talents is intense, especially in Asia, where most of the Company's key personnel are located. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain the engineering, managerial, sales, supply chain, marketing, finance, field service and technical personnel we require, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially and adversely affected. Effective succession planning is also important to our long-term success. Failure to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and smooth transitions involving senior management could hinder our strategic planning and execution. From time to time, senior management or other key employees may leave our Company, such as the recent departure of our president and chief executive officer on October 28, 2025, and the loss of any key employee could result in significant disruptions to our operations, including adversely affecting the timeliness of product releases, the successful implementation and completion of company initiatives, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal control over financial reporting, and the results of our operations. Changes in immigration policies may also impair our ability to recruit and hire technical and professional talent. In addition, hiring, training, and successfully integrating replacement critical personnel could be time consuming, may cause additional disruptions to our operations, and may be unsuccessful, which could negatively impact future revenues.

Our products are complex and require raw materials, components and subassemblies having a high degree of reliability, accuracy and performance. We rely on subcontractors to manufacture many of these components and subassemblies and we rely on sole source suppliers for certain key technology parts and raw materials. As a result, we are exposed to a number of significant risks, including: - decreased control over the manufacturing process for components and subassemblies;- changes in our manufacturing processes in response to changes in the market, which may delay our shipments;- our inadvertent use of defective or contaminated raw materials;- the relatively small operations and limited manufacturing resources of some of our suppliers, which may limit their ability to manufacture and sell subassemblies, components or parts in the volumes we require and at acceptable quality levels and prices;- restrictions on our ability to rely on suppliers due to changes in trade regulation as well as laws and regulations enacted in response to concerns related to climate change, conflict minerals, or responsible sourcing practices;- the inability of suppliers to meet our or other customer demand requirements;- reliability or quality issues with certain key subassemblies provided by single source suppliers as to which we may not have any short-term alternative;- shortages caused by disruptions at our suppliers and subcontractors for a variety of reasons, including public health emergencies and associated containment measures, war or geopolitical tensions (such as the prolonged tensions in the Middle East and the Ukraine/Russia conflict), significant natural disasters (including as a result of climate change) or significant price changes (including as a result of inflationary pressures);- delays in the delivery of raw materials or subassemblies, which, in turn, may delay shipments to our customers;- loss of suppliers as a result of consolidation of suppliers in the industry; and - loss of suppliers because of their bankruptcy or insolvency. If any of these risks were to materialize, we might be unable to deliver our products to our customers on time and at expected cost, or at all. While we observed some easing of the industry-wide supply constraints in fiscal 2024, we expect some constraints to continue from time to time and the duration of such constraints or their long-term impact on our business cannot be predicted at this time. As part of our supply chain management, we may from time to time increase our inventory levels to mitigate against anticipated future component shortages. These increases in our inventory levels may lead to an excess of materials in the future in the event that the demand for our products is lower than our expectations or if we otherwise fail to anticipate future customer demand properly. Excess inventory levels could result in inventory write-downs at discounted prices, which could adversely affect our cash flows or gross margins. As a result, our business, financial condition and operating results would be materially and adversely affected.

As part of our ongoing efforts to drive further efficiency, we may consolidate or relocate our manufacturing and other facilities or entities. Should we consolidate or relocate, we may experience unanticipated events, including the actions of governments, suppliers, employees, union representatives or customers, which may result in unanticipated costs and disruptions to our business. We may also incur restructuring charges, severance costs, asset impairments, loss of accumulated knowledge, inefficiency during transitional periods, employee attrition and other effects that could negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.