Note
1
4
– Commitments
 
The Company leases property from
third
parties. The Company leases
three
of its U.S. facilities with terms expiring at various times from
2019
to
2022.
The Company also leases office space in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden and Italy with terms expiring at various times from
2019
to
2025.
The Company leases an office and manufacturing space in Japan, and the initial term expires in
April 2023.
The Company also leases manufacturing space in Germany with terms expiring at various times from
2019
to
2028.
 
Future minimum commitments under non-cancelable leases at
December 
31,
2018,
are as follows:
 
         
   
Operating
Leases
 
(in thousands)
       
Years Ending December 31,
 
 
 
 
2019
  $
3,411
 
2020
   
2,612
 
2021
   
2,266
 
2022
   
2,211
 
2023
   
975
 
After 2023
   
2,142
 
Total future minimum lease payments
  $
13,617
 
         
 
Rental expense was approximately
$4.2
million,
$3.0
million and
$3.6
million for the years ended
December 
31,
2018,
2017
and
2016,
respectively.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2018Feb 22, 2019Showing above
2017Feb 23, 2018
2016Feb 22, 2017
2015Feb 26, 2016

About Commitments Disclosures

Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.

Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.