18. Commitments and contingencies

 

Commercial Commitments

 

During the normal course of business, we enter into commercial commitments in the form of letters of credit and bank guarantees to provide financial and performance assurance to third parties.

 

We entered into contractual commitments for the acquisition of property, plant and equipment totaling $52.0 million and $31.1 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. We also entered into purchase commitments related to inventory on an as-needed basis. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, inventory purchase commitments were $17.1 million and $31.0 million, respectively.

 

We are committed under various lease agreements primarily related to real estate, vehicles and certain equipment that expire at various dates throughout the next several years. Refer to Note 17 “Leases” for further details.

 

Contingencies

 

Certain conditions may exist as of the date our consolidated financial statements are issued that may result in a loss to us, but which will only be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. Our management, with input from legal counsel, assesses such contingent liabilities, and such assessment inherently involves an exercise of judgment. In assessing loss contingencies related to legal proceedings pending against us or unasserted claims that may result in proceedings, our management, with input from legal counsel, evaluates the perceived merits of any legal proceedings or unasserted claims as well as the perceived merits of the amount of relief sought or expected to be sought therein.

 

If the assessment of a contingency indicates it is probable a material loss has been incurred and the amount of liability can be reasonably estimated, then the estimated liability would be accrued in our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. If the assessment indicates a potentially material loss contingency is not probable but is reasonably possible, or is probable but cannot be estimated, then the nature of the contingent liability, together with an estimate of the range of possible loss if determinable and material, is disclosed.

 

Loss contingencies considered remote are generally not disclosed unless they involve guarantees, in which case the guarantees would be disclosed. We are the subject of lawsuits and claims arising in the ordinary course of business from time to time. A liability is accrued when a loss is both probable and can be reasonably estimated. We had no material accruals for loss contingencies, individually or in the aggregate, as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024. We believe the probability is remote that the ultimate outcome of these matters would have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

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.