CTS CORP - Annual Report: 2021 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

OR

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number: 1-4639

CTS CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 630-577-8800

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    ☒ Yes      ☐ No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.   ☐ Yes    ☒ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.   ☒ Yes     ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).     ☒ Yes     ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer", "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13 (a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).     ☐  Yes   ☒ No

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting stock held by non-affiliates of CTS Corporation, based upon the closing sales price of CTS common stock on June 30, 2021, was approximately $1,185,691,656. There were 32,152,367 shares of common stock, without par value, outstanding on February 22, 2022.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CTS CORPORATION 2

Table of Contents

Safe Harbor

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains statements that are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, any financial or other guidance, statements that reflect our current expectations concerning future results and events, and any other statements that are not based solely on historical fact. Forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations, certain assumptions and currently available information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof and are based on various assumptions as to future events, the occurrence of which necessarily are subject to uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are made subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause CTS’ actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those presented in the forward-looking statements. Examples of factors that may affect future operating results and financial condition include, but are not limited to: the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CTS’ business, results of operations or financial condition; changes in the economy generally and in respect to the business in which CTS operates; unanticipated issues in integrating acquisitions; the results of actions to reposition CTS’ business; rapid technological change; general market conditions in the transportation, as well as conditions in the industrial, aerospace and defense, and medical markets; reliance on key customers; unanticipated public health crises, natural disasters or other events; environmental compliance and remediation expenses; the ability to protect CTS’ intellectual property; pricing pressures and demand for CTS’ products; and risks associated with CTS’ international operations, including trade and tariff barriers, exchange rates and political and geopolitical risks. Many of these, and other risks and uncertainties, are discussed in further detail in Item 1A. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings made with SEC. CTS undertakes no obligation to publicly update CTS’ forward-looking statements to reflect new information or events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof, including market or industry changes.

CTS CORPORATION 3

PART I

Item 1.  Business

CTS Corporation ("CTS", "we", "our", "us" or the "Company") is a global manufacturer of sensors, connectivity components, and actuators. CTS was established in 1896 as a provider of high-quality telephone products and was incorporated as an Indiana corporation in February 1929. Our principal executive offices are located in Lisle, Illinois.

We design, manufacture, and sell a broad line of sensors, connectivity components, and actuators primarily to original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") and tier one suppliers for the aerospace and defense, industrial, medical, and transportation markets. Our vision is to be a leading provider of sensing and motion devices as well as connectivity components, enabling an intelligent and seamless world. These devices are categorized by their ability to Sense, Connect or Move. Sense products provide vital inputs to electronic systems. Connect products allow systems to function in synchronization with other systems. Move products ensure required movements are effectively and accurately executed. We are committed to achieving our vision by continuing to invest in the development of products, technologies, and talent within these categories.

We operate manufacturing facilities in North America, Asia, and Europe. Sales and marketing are accomplished through our sales engineers, independent manufacturers' representatives, and distributors.

See the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for financial information regarding the Company.

PRODUCTS BY MAJOR MARKETS

Our products perform specific electronic functions for a given product family and are intended for use in customer assemblies. Our major products consist principally of sensors and actuators used in passenger or commercial vehicles, connectivity components used in telecommunications infrastructure, information technology and other high-speed applications, switches, temperature sensors, and potentiometers supplied to multiple markets, and fabricated piezoelectric materials and substrates used primarily in the medical, industrial, and aerospace and defense markets.

The following table identifies major products by industry. Products are sold to several industry OEMs, tier one suppliers, and distributors.

The following table provides a breakdown of net sales by industry as a percent of consolidated net sales:

In the above table, Telecommunications & IT are included in the Industrial end-market for all periods presented.

MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION

Sales and marketing to customers is accomplished through our sales engineers, independent manufacturers' representatives, and distributors. We maintain sales offices in China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States. Approximately 92% of 2021 net sales were attributable to our sales engineers.

CTS CORPORATION 4

Table of Contents

Our sales engineers generally service our largest customers with application-specific products. A vast majority of our products are engineered solutions. The sales engineers work closely with major customers in designing and developing products to meet specific customer requirements.

In 2021, independent distributors accounted for approximately 6% of net sales. We use distributors for a small portion of our product portfolio that are standard and require less design support, to service smaller customers, and to provide supply chain fulfillment for certain customers. Our key distribution partners include large global and regional distributors such as Avnet, Inc., Digi-Key Electronics, Master Electronics, Future Electronics, and TTI, Inc. In addition, we also utilize the services of independent manufacturers' representatives for customers not serviced directly by our sales engineers. Independent manufacturers' representatives receive commissions from us. During 2021, approximately 2% of net sales were attributable to independent manufacturers' representatives.  

RAW MATERIALS

We utilize a wide variety of raw materials and purchased parts in our manufacturing processes. The following are the most significant raw materials and purchased components:

Conductive inks and contactors, passive connectivity components, integrated circuits and semiconductors, certain rare earth elements ("REEs"), ceramic powders, plastic components, molding compounds, printed circuit boards and assemblies, quartz blanks and crystals, wire harness assemblies, copper, brass, silver, gold, platinum, lead, aluminum, and steel-based raw materials and components.

These raw materials and parts are purchased from a number of suppliers, and we generally do not believe we are dependent upon one or a limited number of suppliers. Although we purchase all of our semiconductors, REEs, conductive inks, and silver pastes from a limited number of suppliers, alternative sources are generally available.

Lead times between the placement of orders for certain raw materials and purchased parts and actual delivery to us may vary. Occasionally, we may need to order raw materials in greater quantities and at higher prices to compensate for the variability of lead times for delivery. The price and availability of raw materials and manufactured components is subject to change due to, among other things, new laws and regulations, global economic and political events including strikes, and public health and safety concerns.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have experienced supply chain disruptions as well as supply inflationary pressures in fiscal 2021. In particular, semiconductor and resin shortages have impacted our OEM customers’ ability to finish assembly of vehicles, which in turn have adversely impacted our results of operations and cash flows. These pressures are expected to continue in fiscal 2022.

PATENTS, TRADEMARKS, AND LICENSES

We maintain a program of obtaining and protecting U.S. and non-U.S. patents relating to products that we have designed and manufactured, as well as processes and equipment used in our manufacturing technology. We were issued 7 new U.S. patents and 19 non-U.S. patents in 2021 and currently hold 134 U.S. patents and 126 non-U.S. patents. We have 10 registered U.S. trademarks, 24 registered foreign trademarks and 4 international trademark registrations. We have licensed the right to use several of our patents. In 2021, license and royalty income was less than 1% of net sales.

MAJOR CUSTOMERS

Our net sales to significant customers as a percentage of total net sales were as follows:

We sell parts to these two transportation customers for certain vehicle platforms under purchase agreements that have program lifetime volume estimates and are subject to purchase orders issued from time to time.

No other customer accounted for 10% or more of total net sales during these periods. We continue to focus on broadening our customer base to diversify our end market exposure.

CTS CORPORATION 5

Changes in the level of our customers' orders have, in the past, had a significant impact on our operating results. If a major customer reduces the amount of business it transacts with us, or substantially changes the terms of that business, there could be an adverse impact on our operating results.

ORDER BACKLOG

Order backlog is comprised of firm open purchase orders we have received from our customers and generally represents one to two months of sales for certain products. Our business is a mix of purchase order-based business, shorter-term contracts, and multi-year awards, such as with customers who serve the automotive end market. As such, order backlog does not provide a meaningful indication of future sales.

COMPETITION

We compete with domestic and foreign manufacturers principally based on product features, technology, price, quality, reliability, delivery, and service. Most of our product lines encounter significant global competition. The number of competitors varies from product line to product line. No one competitor competes with us in every product line, but some competitors are larger and more diversified than we are.

Some customers have reduced or plan to reduce their number of suppliers, while increasing their volume of purchases. Customers demand lower cost and higher quality, reliability, and delivery standards from us as well as from our competitors. These trends create opportunities for us, but also increase the risk of loss of business to competitors. We are subject to competitive risks that are typical in our end markets, including technical obsolescence.

We believe we compete most successfully in custom engineered products manufactured to meet specific applications of major OEMs.

NON-U.S. REVENUES AND OPERATIONS

Our net sales to customers originating from our non-U.S. operations as a percentage of total net sales were as follows:

We believe the business risks to our non-U.S. operations, though substantial, are normal risks for global businesses. These risks include currency controls and changes in currency exchange rates, longer collection cycles, political and transportation risks, economic downturns and inflation, government regulations, and expropriation. Our non-U.S. manufacturing facilities are located in China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Mexico, Philippines, and Taiwan. Additional information regarding the Company’s sales by geographic area and long-lived tangible assets in different geographic areas is included in Note 20 - Geographic Data of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

CTS CORPORATION 6

Table of Contents

HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT AND OUR CULTURE

We employed 3,820 people as of December 31, 2021, with 86% of these employees located outside the U.S. We employed 3,786 people as of December 31, 2020, with 87% of these employees located outside the U.S.

We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and engaged workforce across our organization.  We have a global business, and our employees reflect the diversity of our geographic footprint.  We promote and maintain a culture of respect and appreciation of differences in our employees.  Our management teams and all of our employees are expected to exhibit the principles of fairness, honesty and integrity in the actions we undertake. Our employees must adhere to a Code of Ethics that sets standards for appropriate behavior and includes required annual training on preventing, identifying, reporting and stopping any type of unlawful discrimination or unethical actions. A copy of our Code of Ethics is available for review on our Company’s website ctscorp.com.

We have a global talent review and succession planning process designed to align our talent plans with the current and future strategies of the business. This includes the identification of key positions, assessment of internal talent and potential successors and plans for talent acquisition and development.

We strive to align compensation with the external market and maintain equity within the organization. In addition, we offer a broad range of company-paid benefits, which we believe are competitive in our industry.

The safety and well-being of our employees is a priority and vital to our success. Our health and safety activities are overseen by our corporate environmental, health and safety function and are managed by employees in our locations, who coordinate on-site safety programs, resources, reporting and training in our locations. Our employees are regularly trained on safety-related topics and we monitor and measure the effectiveness of our programs at all of our locations.

Throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic we have taken action to protect our employees’ safety and health, including equipping employees with personal protective equipment, establishing minimum staffing and social distancing policies,  sanitizing workspaces more frequently, adopting alternate work schedules including remote work arrangements, and instituting other measures aimed at minimizing the transmission of COVID-19 while sustaining production and related services. In addition, we modified the way we conduct many aspects of our business to reduce the number of in-person interactions. For example, we significantly expanded the use of virtual interactions in many aspects of our business, including customer facing activities.

We recognize that we have a responsibility to be a positive influence in the communities in which we do business around the world.  In the past most of our community involvement and charitable programs has been organized by our locations, which has helped to ensure that our efforts are working in support of the local communities in which our employees live and work.  However, in 2021, we further enhanced our commitment to community outreach and support through the launch of CTS CARES – our global program designed to support our charitable giving and community involvement initiatives. The CTS CARES platform advanced this past quarter as our employees across the globe participated in several community activities and contributed to community projects.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY

Executive Officers.    The following serve as executive officers of CTS as of December 31, 2021.

Kieran O’Sullivan – 59 – President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Mr. O’Sullivan joined CTS on January 7, 2013. Before joining CTS, Mr. O’Sullivan served as Executive Vice President of Continental AG’s Global Infotainment and Connectivity Business and led the NAFTA Interior Division, having joined Continental AG, a global automotive supplier, in 2006. Mr. O’Sullivan is a member of the board of directors of LCI Industries, a supplier of engineered components for manufacturers of recreational vehicles, manufactured homes, marine applications, and for the related aftermarkets, serving as the chairperson of the risk committee, and as a member of the corporate governance, nominating and sustainability and audit committees.

Ashish Agrawal - 51 - Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. On November 11, 2013, Mr. Agrawal was elected Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of CTS. Mr. Agrawal joined CTS in June 2011 as Vice President, Treasury and Corporate Development, and was elected as Treasurer on September 1, 2011. Before joining CTS, Mr. Agrawal was with Dometic Group AB, a manufacturer of refrigerators, awnings and air conditioners, as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Americas, beginning in 2007. Prior to that, Mr. Agrawal was with General Electric Co. in various positions beginning in December 1994.

CTS CORPORATION 7

Scott D’Angelo - 51 - Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Mr. D’Angelo joined CTS in February 2021 and was elected General Counsel and Secretary on February 11, 2021. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. D’Angelo was a member of the International Commercial and Trade Practice Group of Baker McKenzie, LLP from March 2019, and served as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer of Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc., a leading home and security products company, from May 2015 and, prior to that, served in several senior roles with McDonald’s Corporation.

Information with respect to the Company’s Directors and corporate governance policies and practices may be found in our definitive proxy statement to be delivered to shareholders in connection with our 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Such information is incorporated herein by reference.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We are incorporated in the State of Indiana. Our principal corporate office is located at 4925 Indiana Avenue Lisle, Illinois 60532.

Our internet address is www.ctscorp.com. We make available free of charge through our website our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Other than the documents that we file with or furnish to the SEC that are incorporated by reference herein, the information contained on or accessible through our website is not part of this or any other report we file or furnish to the SEC.

Investors and others should note that we announce material financial information to our investors using the Investors section of our website (ctscorp.com/investors), SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. We use these channels as well as social media and blogs to communicate with our investors and the public about our company, our services and other issues. It is possible that the information we post on social media and blogs could be deemed to be material information.

Item 1A.  Risk Factors

The following are certain risk factors that could affect our business, financial condition and operating results. These risk factors should be considered in connection with evaluating forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other reports filed or furnished by us, because these factors could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those projected in any such forward-looking statements. Before you invest in us, you should know that making such an investment involves risks, including the risks described below. Although the risks are organized by headings, and each risk is discussed separately, many are interrelated. You should not interpret the disclosure of any risk factor to imply that the risk has not already materialized. The risks that are highlighted below are not the only ones that we face. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition and operating results could be negatively affected.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Because we currently derive a substantial portion of our revenues from a small number of customers, any decrease in orders from these customers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

We depend on a small number of customers for a substantial portion of our business, and changes in the level of our customers' orders have, in the past, had a significant impact on our results of operations. If a major customer significantly delays, reduces, or cancels the level of business it does with us, there could be an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. Significant pricing and margin pressures exerted by a major customer could also materially adversely affect our operating results. In addition, we generate significant accounts receivable from sales to our major customers. If one or more of our major customers were to become insolvent or otherwise unable to pay or were to delay payment for our products, our business, financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected.

Our customers may cancel their orders, change production quantities or locations or delay production.

We generally receive volume estimates, but not firm volume commitments from our customers, and may experience reduced or extended lead times in customer orders. Customers may cancel orders, change production quantities and delay production for a number of reasons. Uncertain economic and geopolitical conditions may result in some of our customers delaying the delivery of some of the products we manufacture for them and placing purchase orders for lower volumes of products than previously anticipated. Cancellations, reductions or delays by a significant customer or by a number of customers may harm our results of operations by reducing the volumes of products we manufacture and sell, as well as by causing a delay in the recovery of our expenditures for inventory in preparation for customer orders, or by reducing our asset utilization, resulting in lower profitability.

CTS CORPORATION 8

Table of Contents

In addition, customers may request that manufacturing of their products be transitioned from one of our facilities to another to achieve cost reductions and other objectives. Such transfers may result in inefficiencies and costs due to resulting excess capacity and overhead at one facility and capacity constraints and the inability to fulfill all orders at another. In addition, we make key decisions based on our estimates of customer requirements, including determining the levels of orders that we will seek and accept, production schedules, component procurement commitments, personnel needs and other resource requirements. Changes in demand for our customers’ products may reduce our ability to estimate future customer requirements accurately. This may make it difficult to schedule production and maximize utilization of our manufacturing capacity. Anticipated orders may not materialize and delivery schedules may be deferred as a result of changes in demand for our products or our customers' products. We often increase staffing and capacity, and incur other expenses to meet the anticipated demand of our customers, which causes reductions in our gross margins if customer orders are delayed or canceled. On occasion, customers may require rapid increases in production, which may stress our resources and reduce margins. We may not have sufficient capacity at any given time to meet our customers' demands. In addition, because many of our costs and operating expenses are relatively fixed over the short-term, a reduction in customer demand could harm our gross margin and operating income until such time as adjustments can be made to activity and operating levels or to structural costs.

We sell products to customers in cyclical industries that are subject to significant downturns that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We sell products to customers in cyclical industries that have experienced economic and industry downturns. The markets for our products have softened in the past and may again soften in the future. We may face reduced end-customer demand, underutilization of our manufacturing capacity, changes in our revenue mix and other factors that could adversely affect our results.

We are susceptible to trends and factors affecting industries that we serve.

Factors negatively affecting the industries we serve and the demand for their products could negatively affect our business, financial condition and operating results. Any adverse occurrence, including among others, industry slowdown, recession, public health crisis, political instability, costly or constraining regulations, increased tariffs, reduced government budgets and spending, armed hostilities, terrorism, excessive inflation, including the current high inflationary environment, prolonged disruptions in one or more of our customers' production schedules or labor disturbances, that results in a decline in the volume of sales in these industries, or in an overall downturn in the business and operations of our customers in these industries, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. These industries may be unionized and some of our customers have experienced labor disruptions in the past. Furthermore, these industries can be highly cyclical in nature and sensitive to changes in general economic conditions, consumer preferences and interest rates. The insolvency of customers that we serve may result in the failure to receive payment in full for products sold in the past and an abrupt reduction in demand for certain products. Weakness in demand, the insolvency of customers that we serve or their suppliers, and constriction of credit markets may negatively and materially affect our facility utilization, cost structure, financial condition, and operating results.

Our operating results may vary significantly from period to period.

We experience fluctuations in our operating results. Some of the principal factors that contribute to these fluctuations are: changes in demand for our products; our effectiveness in managing manufacturing processes, costs and timing of our component purchases so that components are available when needed for production, while mitigating the risks of purchasing inventory in excess of immediate production needs; the degree to which we are able to utilize our available manufacturing capacity; changes in the cost and availability of components, which often occur in the electronics manufacturing industry and which affect our margins and our ability to meet delivery schedules; general economic and served industry conditions; and local conditions and events that may affect our production volumes, such as labor conditions or political instability.

We may experience shortages and increased costs of raw material and required electronic components.

Unanticipated raw material or electronic component shortages may prevent us from making scheduled shipments to customers. Our inability to make scheduled shipments could cause us to experience a shortfall in revenue, increase our costs and adversely affect our relationship with affected customers and our reputation as a reliable supplier. We may be required to pay higher prices for raw materials or electronic components in short supply and order these raw materials or electronic components in greater quantities to compensate for variable delivery times. We may also be required to pay higher prices for raw materials or electronic components due to inflationary trends regardless of supply, including the current high inflationary environment. We are also dependent on our suppliers' ability to supply and deliver raw materials on a timely basis at negotiated prices. Any delay or inability to deliver raw materials by our suppliers may require that we attempt to mitigate such failure or fail to make deliveries to our customers on a timely basis. As a result, raw material or electronic component shortages, price increases, or failure to perform by our suppliers could adversely affect our operating results for a particular period due to the resulting revenue shortfall and/or increased costs.

CTS CORPORATION 9

In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent supply chain uncertainties have had a significant negative impact on the global economy in 2020 and 2021, including negatively impacting the global supply chain and increasing the cost of materials and operations, particularly within the global automotive industry. Key semiconductor chip and other critical part shortages continue to force original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) to shut down production, often on short notice. With customers changing orders on short notice, we run the risk of carrying excess inventory in these situations. In addition, the supply chain shortages have negatively impacted, and could continue to negatively impact, our manufacturing costs and logistics costs and, in turn, our gross margins. 

We may pursue acquisition opportunities that complement or expand our business as well as divestitures that could impact our business operations. We may not be able to complete these transactions, and these transactions, if executed, may pose risks that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

On an ongoing basis we explore opportunities to buy other businesses or technologies that could complement, enhance or expand our current business or product lines or that might otherwise offer us growth opportunities. We may have difficulty finding suitable opportunities or, if we do identify these opportunities, we may not be able to complete the transactions for any number of reasons including a failure to secure financing. In addition, we may not be able to successfully or profitably integrate, operate, maintain and manage our newly acquired operations or employees. Any transactions that we are able to identify and complete may involve a number of risks, including: the diversion of management's attention from our existing business to integrate the operations and personnel of the acquired or combined business; possible adverse effects on our operating results during the integration process; difficulties managing and integrating operations in geographically dispersed locations; increases in our expenses and working capital requirements, which could reduce our return on invested capital; exposure to unanticipated liabilities of acquired companies; and our possible inability to achieve the intended objectives of the transaction. Even if we are initially successful in integrating a new operation, we may not be able to maintain uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies, and this may lead to operational inefficiencies. In addition, future acquisitions may result in dilutive issuances of equity securities or the incurrence of additional debt. These and other factors could harm our ability to achieve anticipated levels of profitability from acquired operations or realize other anticipated benefits of an acquisition and could adversely affect our business and operating results.

We have in the past, and may in the future, consider divesting certain business operations. Divestitures may involve a number of risks, including the diversion of management's attention, significant costs and expenses, the loss of customer relationships and cash flow, and the disruption of operations in the affected business. Failure to timely complete or consummate a divestiture may negatively affect valuation of the affected business or result in restructuring charges.

We may restructure our operations or fail to execute capital projects as planned, which may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We have announced and initiated restructuring plans or capital projects at various times in the recent past designed to revise and consolidate certain aspects of our operations for the purpose of improving our cost structure and operational efficiency. We may incur restructuring and impairment charges in the future if circumstances warrant. Additionally, if we are unsuccessful in implementing restructuring plans or in executing capital projects, we may experience disruptions in our operations and higher ongoing costs, which may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We may be unable to compete effectively against competitors.

The industries in which we operate are highly competitive and characterized by price erosion and rapid technological change. We compete against many domestic and foreign companies, some of which have substantially greater manufacturing, financial, research and development, and marketing resources than we do. If any customer becomes dissatisfied with our prices, quality, or timeliness of delivery, among other things, it could award business to our competitors. Moreover, some of our customers could choose to manufacture and develop particular products themselves rather than purchase them from us. Increased competition could result in price reductions, reduced profit margins and loss of market share, each of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. These developments also may materially adversely affect our ability to compete successfully going forward. We cannot assure you that our products will continue to compete successfully with our competitors' products.

We may be unable to keep pace with rapid technological changes that could make some of our products or processes obsolete before we realize a return on our investment.

The technologies relating to some of our products have undergone and are continuing to undergo changes. End markets for our products are characterized by technological change, frequent new product introductions and enhancements, changes in customer requirements, and emerging industry standards. The introduction of products embodying new technologies and the emergence of new industry standards could render our existing products obsolete and unmarketable before we can recover any or all of our research, development and commercialization expenses, or our capital investments. Furthermore, the life cycles of our products and the products we manufacture for others vary, may change, and are difficult to estimate.

CTS CORPORATION 10

Table of Contents

We may experience difficulties that could delay or prevent the successful development, introduction and marketing of new products or product enhancements and our new products or product enhancements may not adequately meet the requirements of the marketplace or achieve market acceptance. If we are unable, for technological or other reasons, to develop and market new products or product enhancements in a timely and cost-effective manner, our business, financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected.

Products we manufacture may contain design or manufacturing defects that could result in reduced demand for our products or services and liability claims against us.

Despite our quality control and quality assurance efforts, defects may occur in the products we manufacture due to design or manufacturing errors, supplier quality issues, or component failure. Product defects could result in delayed shipments and reduced demand for our products. We may be subject to increased costs due to warranty claims on defective products. Product defects could result in product liability claims against us where defects cause, or are alleged to cause, property damage, bodily injury or death. As we grow our business, the risk of exposure to product liability litigation increases. We may be required to participate in a recall involving products which are, or are alleged to be, defective. We carry insurance for certain legal matters involving product liability; however, costs related to product defects and the costs of such claims, including costs of defense and settlement, may exceed our available coverage. Accordingly, our results of operations, cash flow and financial position could be adversely affected.

We are subject to government regulations, including environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations, that expose us to potential financial liability.

Our operations are regulated by a number of federal, state, local and foreign government regulations, including those pertaining to environmental, health, and safety (“EHS”) that govern, among other things, air and water emissions, worker protection, and the handling, storage and disposal of hazardous materials. Compliance with EHS laws and regulations is a major consideration for us because we use hazardous materials in our manufacturing processes. If we violate EHS laws and regulations, we could be liable for substantial fines, penalties, and costs of mandated remedial actions and we could suffer reputational damages due to any such violations. Our environmental permits could also be revoked or modified, which could require us to cease or limit production at one or more of our facilities, thereby materially adversely affecting our business, financial condition and operating results. EHS laws and regulations have generally become more stringent over time and could continue to do so, imposing greater compliance costs and increasing risks and penalties associated with any violation, which also could materially affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We have been notified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state environmental agencies and, in some cases, groups of potentially responsible parties, that we are potentially liable for environmental contamination at several sites currently and formerly owned or operated by us, including sites designated as National Priorities List sites under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program. Superfund liability is joint and several and we may be held responsible for more than our share of contamination at a site. Although we estimate our potential environmental liability and reserve for such matters, we cannot assure you that our reserves will be sufficient to cover the actual costs that we incur as a result of these matters.

Future events, such as the notification of potential liability at new sites, the discovery of additional contamination or changes to an approved remedy at existing sites, changes to existing EHS laws and regulations or their interpretation, and more rigorous regulatory action by government authorities, may require additional expenditures by us, which could have a negative impact on our operations.

In addition, we could be affected by future laws or regulations imposed in response to climate change concerns. Such laws or regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Climate change initiatives may result in significant operational changes and expenditures, reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our business. We recognize that climate change is a global environmental concern. Continuing political and social attention to the issue of climate change has resulted in both existing and pending international agreements and national, regional or local legislation and regulatory measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions. These agreements and measures may require equipment modifications, operational changes, taxes, or purchase of emission credits to reduce emission of greenhouse gases from our operations, which may result in substantial capital expenditures and compliance, operating, maintenance and remediation costs. Regulatory initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas usage may also adversely impact some of the industries we serve and our supply chain, adversely impacting our sales and the value of our business.

Regulations related to conflict minerals could adversely impact our business.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act contains provisions to improve transparency and accountability concerning the supply of certain minerals, known as conflict minerals, originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo ("DRC") and adjoining countries. As a result, the SEC adopted annual disclosure and reporting requirements for those companies who may use conflict minerals mined from the DRC and adjoining countries in their products. There have been and will continue to be costs associated with complying with these disclosure requirements, including diligence costs to determine the sources of minerals used in

CTS CORPORATION 11

our products and other potential changes to products, processes or sources of supply to the extent necessary as a consequence of such verification activities. These rules could adversely affect the sourcing, supply and pricing of materials used in our products. As there may be only a limited number of suppliers offering conflict-free minerals, we cannot be sure that we will be able to obtain necessary conflict-free minerals from such suppliers in sufficient quantities or at competitive prices. Also, we may face reputational challenges if we determine that certain of our products contain conflict minerals or if we are unable to sufficiently verify the origins for all minerals used in our products through the procedures we may implement.

Negative or unexpected tax consequences could adversely affect our results of operations.

We operate globally and changes in tax laws could adversely affect our results. The international tax environment continues to change as a result of both coordinated actions by governments and unilateral measures enacted by individual countries, such as the comprehensive tax reform enacted in the U.S. in 2017, which could significantly impact our effective tax rate, tax liabilities, and ability to utilize deferred tax assets.

Adverse changes in the underlying profitability and financial outlook of our operations in several jurisdictions could lead to changes in our valuation allowances against deferred tax assets and other tax accruals that could materially and adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, acquisitions or divestitures may cause our effective tax rate to change.

We base our tax positions upon the anticipated nature and conduct of our business and upon our understanding of the tax laws of the various countries in which we have assets or conduct activities. However, our tax positions are subject to review and possible challenge by taxing authorities and to possible changes in law, which may have a retroactive effect.

Future dividends on our common stock may be restricted or eliminated.

Dividends are declared at the discretion of our Board of Directors, and future dividends will depend on our future earnings, cash flow, financial requirements and other factors. Our ability to pay cash dividends on our common stock is limited under the terms of our credit agreements. Under the most restrictive terms of our credit agreements, our ability to pay cash dividends on our common stock is limited, as described under “Risks Related to Indebtedness and Financing.” There can be no assurance that we will continue to pay dividends in the future.

Risks Related to Indebtedness and Financing

Our indebtedness may adversely affect our financial health.

Our indebtedness could, among other things: increase our vulnerability to general economic and industry conditions, including recessions; require us to use cash flow from operations to service our indebtedness, thereby reducing our ability to fund working capital, capital expenditures, research and development efforts and other expenses; limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industries in which we operate; place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to competitors that have less indebtedness; or limit our ability to borrow additional funds that may be needed to operate and expand our business.

Our credit facility contains provisions that could materially restrict our business.

Our revolving credit facility contains restrictions limiting our ability to: dispose of assets; incur certain additional debt; repay other debt or amend subordinated debt instruments; create liens on assets; make investments, loans or advances; make acquisitions or engage in mergers or consolidations; engage in certain transactions with our subsidiaries and affiliates; repurchase stock; or make dividend payments above a certain amount.

The restrictions contained in our credit facility could limit our ability to plan for or react to changes in market conditions or meet capital needs or could otherwise restrict our activities or business plans. These restrictions could adversely affect our ability to finance our operations, make strategic acquisitions, fund investments or other capital needs or engage in other business activities that could be in our interest.

Further, our ability to comply with our loan covenants may be affected by events beyond our control that could result in an event of default under our credit facility, or documents governing any other existing or future indebtedness. A default, if not cured or waived, may permit acceleration of our indebtedness. In addition, our lenders could terminate their commitments to make further extensions of credit under our credit facility. If our indebtedness is accelerated, we cannot be certain that we will have sufficient funds to pay the accelerated indebtedness or that we will have the ability to refinance accelerated indebtedness on terms favorable to us, or at all.

The discontinuation of London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate may negatively impact our liquidity, financial condition, and results of operations.

CTS CORPORATION 12

Table of Contents

Borrowings under our amended and restated unsecured Revolving Credit Facility may bear interest, at our election, at a rate per annum that is based upon the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). Although SOFR has been endorsed by the Alternative Reference Rates Committee as its preferred replacement for LIBOR, it remains uncertain whether or when SOFR or other alternative reference rates will be widely accepted by lenders as the replacement for LIBOR. This may, in turn, impact the liquidity of the SOFR loan market, and SOFR itself. Since the initial publication of SOFR, daily changes in the rate have, on occasion, been more volatile than daily changes in comparable benchmark or market rates, and SOFR over time may bear little or no relation to the historical actual or historical indicative data. Additionally, our Revolving Credit Facility includes a credit adjustment on SOFR due to LIBOR representing an unsecured lending rate while SOFR represents a secured lending rate. The possible volatility of and uncertainty around SOFR as a LIBOR replacement rate and the applicable credit adjustment could result in higher borrowing costs for us, which would adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, our Revolving Credit Facility provides the ability to borrow in alternative currencies to the us dollar. These borrowings would also be at alternative reference rates to LIBOR that, in some cases, are still being developed. In each case, the funds are subject to an applicable rate as well as an applicable credit adjustment. If funds are drawn under these currencies, it may also result in higher borrowing costs for us, which would adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition, and results of operations.

Risks Related to COVID-19 Pandemic and Other External Factors

Public health issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic have adversely affected, and could in the future, adversely affect our business or financial results.

Any outbreaks of contagious diseases and other adverse public health developments in countries where we operate could have a material and adverse effect on our business, operations, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our offices and manufacturing facilities throughout the world, as well as the facilities of our suppliers, customers and their customers. The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruptions to our Company during the first half of 2020, and to a lesser extent, those disruptions continued during the second half of 2020 and throughout all of 2021. As of December 31, 2021, we continue to experience some disruptions, and at a minimum, particularly given the surge of COVID-19 cases resulting from the Omicron variant, we expect those disruptions to continue into 2022 and potentially beyond. These disruptions have included and may continue to include government regulations that inhibit our ability to operate certain of our facilities in the ordinary course, travel restrictions, supplier constraints, supply-chain interruptions, logistics challenges and limitations, labor disruptions and reduced demand from certain customers. During 2021 and into 2022, there have been resurgences in COVID-19 cases in several regions around the world, particularly related to new variant strains, including Delta and Omicron. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impact our business and financial results going forward will be dependent on future developments such as the length and severity of the crisis, the impact of the recent resurgence of the crisis due to the Omicron variant, as well as any additional future resurgences from known or new variants, future government regulations and actions in response to the crisis, the timing, availability, effectiveness and adoption rates of vaccines and treatments, and the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and capital markets, among many other factors, all of which remain highly uncertain and unpredictable. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic could impact the health of our management team and other employees. Given these uncertainties, we expect the pandemic to continue to have an impact on our business, operations, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations in 2022 and potentially beyond. There can be no assurance that the COVID-19 pandemic will not have a material and adverse effect on our business, operations, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations in the future.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has and continues to increase the likelihood and potential severity of other risks (some discussed separately within this Item 1A. Risk Factors), including but not limited to, the following:

CTS CORPORATION 13

Natural disasters and adverse weather conditions may adversely impact our capability to supply product to our customers.

Natural disasters, such as storms, flooding and associated power outages, and adverse weather conditions (including that caused by climate change) occurring at any of our locations or supplier locations may lead to disruption of our manufacturing operations and supply chain, adversely impacting our capability to supply product to our customers. In the event of a natural disaster or adverse weather conditions, it may not be possible for us to find an alternate manufacturing location for certain product lines, further impacting our capability to recover from such a disruption.

Climate related events and climate change legislation could adversely impact our business.

The effects of climate change and the ongoing efforts to mitigate its impact, including through climate change-related legislation and regulation, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.  The physical effects of climate change, including extreme weather and natural disasters (including those risks discussed under the heading “Natural disasters and adverse weather conditions may adversely impact our capability to supply products to our customers”) may disrupt our operations and those of our customers and suppliers.  In addition, changes to laws or regulations enacted to address the potential impacts of climate change could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.  For example, continuing political and social attention to the issue of climate change has resulted in both existing and pending international agreements and national, regional, or local legislation and regulatory measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions.  Any future increased regulation concerning greenhouse gas emissions and other climate-change related laws and regulations, may require equipment modifications, operational changes, taxes, or the purchase of emission credits to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from our operations, which may result in us incurring substantial capital expenditures and compliance, operating, maintenance and remediation costs.  In addition, any such future regulatory changes could result in transition risks to our business, including but not limited to (i) the nature and timing of any requirement to lower greenhouse gas emissions and adopt more energy-efficient energy use, which could result in changes or disruptions to the way we operate our business, (ii) the risk of lower demand for our products related to customers who experience business declines or disruptions due to the impact of any requirement to lower greenhouse gas emissions, (iii) financial risks where compliance with such regulations requires unforeseen capital expenditures, (iv) legal risks associated with the implementation of any new technologies required to comply with such regulations, which could impede our ability to innovate new products, meet customer and market demand or compete on pricing and quality in the market, and/or (v) reputational risks associated with our customers’ and investors’ perceptions of our business. We are not able to predict how any future definitive agreements, pacts and/or regulations, if and when they are adopted and required, and the commitments necessary to comply with such requirements, will affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

General Risk Factors

We face risks relating to our international operations.

Because we have significant international operations, our operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected by economic, political, health, regulatory and other factors existing in foreign countries in which we operate. Our international operations are subject to inherent risks, which may materially adversely affect us, including: political and economic instability in countries in which our products are manufactured; expropriation or the imposition of government controls; changes in government regulations; export license requirements; trade restrictions; earnings repatriation and expatriation restrictions; exposure to different legal standards, including related to intellectual property; health conditions and standards; currency controls; fluctuations in exchange rates; increases in the duties and taxes we pay; inflation or deflation; greater difficulty in collecting accounts receivable and longer payment cycles; changes in labor conditions and difficulties in staffing and managing our international operations; limitations on insurance coverage against geopolitical risks, natural disasters, and business operations; and communication among and management of international operations. In addition, these same factors may also place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to some of our foreign competitors.

We may face risks associated with violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar anti-bribery laws (collectively, "Anti-Bribery Laws"). Anti-Bribery Laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Our Code of Ethics mandates compliance with these Anti-Bribery Laws. We operate in many parts of the world where strict compliance with Anti-Bribery Laws may conflict with local customs and practices. We cannot assure you that our internal controls and procedures always will protect us from the detrimental actions by our employees or agents. If we are found to be liable for violations of Anti-Bribery Laws (either due to our own acts or

CTS CORPORATION 14

Table of Contents

inadvertence or due to the acts or inadvertence of others), we could suffer from criminal or civil penalties or other sanctions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Public health or safety concerns and governmental restrictions, including measures implemented in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, that impact the availability of raw materials, labor, or the movement of goods in some of the countries in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

We are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We transact business in various foreign countries. We present our consolidated financial statements in U.S. dollars, but a portion of our revenues and expenditures are transacted in other currencies. As a result, we are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currencies. Additionally, we have currency exposure arising from funds held in local currencies in foreign countries. Volatility in the exchange rates between the foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar could harm our business, financial condition and operating results. Furthermore, to the extent we sell our products in foreign markets, currency fluctuations may result in our products becoming too expensive for foreign customers.

If we are unable to protect our intellectual property or we infringe, or are alleged to infringe, on others' intellectual property rights, our business, financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected.

The success of our business depends, in part, upon our ability to protect trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights and patents, obtain or license patents and operate without infringing on the intellectual property rights of others. We rely on a combination of trade secrets, copyrights, patents, nondisclosure agreements and technical measures to protect our proprietary rights in our products and technology. The steps we have taken to prevent misappropriation of our technology may be inadequate. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries in which we operate do not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States. Although we continue to evaluate and implement protective measures, there can be no assurance that these efforts will be successful. Our inability to protect our intellectual property rights could diminish or eliminate the competitive advantages that we derive from our technology, cause us to lose sales or otherwise harm our business.

We believe that patents will continue to play an important role in our business. However, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in securing patents for claims in any pending patent application or that any issued patent will provide us with any competitive advantage. We also cannot provide assurance that the patents will not be challenged by third parties or that the patents of others will not materially adversely affect our ability to do business.

We may become involved in litigation in the future to protect our intellectual property or because others may allege that we infringed on their intellectual property. These claims and any resulting lawsuit could subject us to liability for damages and invalidate our intellectual property rights. If an infringement claim is successfully asserted by a holder of intellectual property rights, we may be required to cease marketing or selling certain products, pay penalties and spend significant time and money to develop a non-infringing product or process or to obtain licenses for the technology, process or information from the holder. We may not be successful in the development of a non-infringing alternative, or licenses may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all, in which case we may lose sales and profits. In addition, any litigation could be lengthy and costly and could materially adversely affect us even if we are successful in the litigation.

Loss of our key management and other personnel, or an inability to attract key management and other personnel, could materially affect our business.

We depend on our senior executive officers and other key personnel to run our business. We do not have long-term employment contracts with our key personnel. The loss of any of these officers or other key personnel could adversely affect our operations. Competition for qualified employees among companies that rely heavily on engineering and technology is at times intense, and has been particularly competitive during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the loss of qualified employees or an inability to attract, retain and motivate additional highly skilled employees required for the operation and expansion of our business could hinder our ability to conduct research and development activities and deliver marketable products successfully.

Ineffective internal control over our financial reporting may harm our business.

We are subject to the ongoing internal control provisions of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("Sarbanes-Oxley"). Our controls necessary for continued compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley may not operate effectively or at all times and may result in a material weakness. The identification of material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting could indicate a lack of proper controls to generate accurate financial statements. Further, the effectiveness of our internal controls may be impacted if we are unable to retain sufficient skilled finance and accounting personnel, especially in light of the increased demand for such personnel among publicly traded companies.

CTS CORPORATION 15

Global privacy, data protection and data security laws are highly complex, evolving rapidly, and may increase our costs to comply.

To conduct our operations, we may need to move data across national borders, and consequently we are subject to a variety of continuously evolving and developing laws and regulations in the U.S. and abroad regarding privacy, data protection and data security.  For example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which became effective in May 2018, the state of California’s California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which became effective January 1, 2020, and more recently, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China’s Personal Information Protection Law (“PIPL”), which became effective on November 1, 2021, impose significant requirements and additional obligations for companies on how they collect, process and transfer personal data by enacting consumer privacy rights and imposing significant fines for non-compliance.  The potential for fines and other related costs in the event of a breach of or non-compliance with the GDPR, CCPA, PIPL or other existing or proposed data protection, data security and privacy laws and requirements may have an adverse effect on our financial results.

We are exposed to, and may be adversely affected by, potential security breaches or other disruptions to our information technology systems and data security.

We rely on our information technology systems and networks, including cloud-based systems, in connection with many of our business activities, some of which are managed directly by us, while others are managed by third-party service providers and are not under our direct control. Our operations routinely involve receiving, storing, processing and transmitting sensitive information pertaining to our business, customers, suppliers, employees, and other sensitive matters.  We have both an increasing reliance on IT systems and an increasing digital footprint as a result of changing technologies, connected devices and digital offerings, as well as expanded remote work policies.  If these technologies, systems, products or services are damaged, cease to function properly, are compromised due to employee or third-party contractor error, user error, malfeasance, system errors, or other vulnerabilities, or are subject to cybersecurity attacks, such as those involving denial of service attacks, unauthorized access, malicious software, or other intrusions, including by criminals, nation states or insiders, our business may be adversely impacted. The impacts of any such circumstances could include production downtimes, operational delays, and other impacts on our operations and ability to provide products and services to our customers; compromise of confidential, proprietary or otherwise protected information, including personal information and customer confidential data; destruction, corruption, or theft of data or intellectual property; manipulation, disruption, or improper use of these technologies, systems, products or services; financial losses from fraudulent transactions, remedial actions, loss of business or potential liability; adverse media coverage; and legal claims or legal proceedings, including regulatory investigations, actions and fines; and damage to our reputation. There has been a rise in the number of cyberattacks targeting confidential business information generally and in the manufacturing industry specifically. Moreover, there has been a rise in the number of cyberattacks that depend on human error or manipulation, including phishing attacks or schemes that use social engineering to gain access to systems or perpetuate wire transfer or other frauds.

These trends increase the likelihood of such events occurring as well as the costs associated with protecting against such attacks. It is possible for vulnerabilities in our IT systems to remain undetected for an extended period of time up to and including several years. We, and the service providers that we depend on to support our systems and business operations, are regularly the target of, and periodically respond to, cyberattacks, including phishing and denial-of-service attacks.  As a result, we  continuously monitor our systems to protect our technology infrastructure and data from misappropriation or corruption. In addition, we further attempt to mitigate these risks by employing a number of other measures, including employee training, a breach response plan, and maintenance of backup and protective systems. In addition, while we maintain insurance coverage that is intended to address certain aspects of cybersecurity risks, such insurance coverage may not cover all losses or all types of claims that arise. Notwithstanding those measures, our systems, networks, products and services remain potentially vulnerable to known or unknown cybersecurity attacks and other threats, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

Item 1B.  Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

CTS CORPORATION 16

Table of Contents

Item 2.  Properties

As of December 31, 2021, we had manufacturing facilities, administrative, research and development and sales offices in the following locations:

We regularly assess our facilities for manufacturing capacity, available labor, and proximity to our markets and major customers. Management believes our manufacturing facilities are suitable and adequate and have sufficient capacity to meet our current needs. The extent of utilization varies from plant to plant and with economic conditions. We also review the operating costs of our facilities and may from time-to-time relocate a portion of our manufacturing activities in order to reduce operating costs and improve asset utilization and cash flow.

Item 3.  Legal Proceedings

From time to time we are involved in litigation with respect to matters arising from the ordinary conduct of our business, and currently certain claims are pending against us. In the opinion of management, we believe we have established adequate accruals pursuant to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for our expected future liability with respect to pending lawsuits, claims and proceedings, where the nature and extent of any such liability can be reasonably estimated based on presently available information.  However, we cannot provide assurance that the final resolution of any existing or future lawsuits, claims or proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

See Note 11 "Contingencies" in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 4.  Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

CTS CORPORATION 17

PART II

Item 5.  Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CTS." On February 22, 2022, there were approximately 894 shareholders of record.

On May 13, 2021, the Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program with a maximum dollar limit of $50 million. This program authorizes us to make repurchases of our common stock from time to time on the open market, including pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 plans, but does not obligate us to make repurchases, and it has no expiration date. Approximately $41,214 is still available for future purchases under this program.

Shareholder Performance Graph

The following graph shows a five-year comparison of the cumulative total shareholder return on CTS common stock with the cumulative total returns of a general market index and a peer group index (Russell 2000 Index and Dow Jones Electrical Components & Equipment Industry Group). The graph tracks the performance of a $100 investment in the Company's common stock and in each of the indexes (with the reinvestment of all dividends) on December 31, 2016.

Item 6.  Reserved

CTS CORPORATION 18

Table of Contents

Item 7.  Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This section of this Form 10-K generally discusses 2021 and 2020 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2021 and 2020. Discussions of 2019 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2020 and 2019 that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K can be found in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Part II, Item 7 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.

Overview

CTS Corporation ("CTS", "we", "our" or "us") is a leading designer and manufacturer of products that Sense, Connect and Move. Our vision is to be a leading provider of sensing and motion devices as well as connectivity components, enabling an intelligent and seamless world. These devices are categorized by their ability to Sense, Connect or Move. Sense products provide vital inputs to electronic systems. Connect products allow systems to function in synchronization with other systems. Move products ensure required movements are effectively and accurately executed. We are committed to achieving our vision by continuing to invest in the development of products and technologies, and talent within these categories.

We manufacture sensors, actuators, and connectivity components in North America, Europe, and Asia. CTS provides engineered products to OEMs and tier one suppliers in the aerospace and defense, industrial, medical, and transportation markets.

There is an increasing proliferation of sensing and motion applications within various markets we serve. In addition, the increasing connectivity of various devices to the internet results in greater demand for communication bandwidth and data storage, increasing the need for our connectivity products. Our success is dependent on the ability to execute our strategy to support these trends. We are subject to challenges including periodic market softness, competition from other suppliers, changes in technology, and the ability to add new customers, launch new products or penetrate new markets.

COVID-19 Impact and Supply Chain Uncertainties

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent supply chain uncertainties have had a significant negative impact on the global economy in 2020 and 2021. This has disrupted the financial markets, negatively impacted the global supply chain and increased the cost of materials and operations, particularly within the global automotive industry. Key semiconductor chip and other critical part shortages continue to force OEMs to shut down production, often on short notice. With customers changing orders on short notice, we run the risk of carrying excess inventory in these situations. These developments are outside of our control, remain highly uncertain, and cannot be predicted. In addition, the supply chain shortages continue to put pressure on our manufacturing costs and equally our gross margins. We continue to actively monitor the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues and will seek to mitigate and minimize their impact on our business, when possible. We anticipate these challenges to continue to impact our results in 2022 and we remain cautious about the financial impact of these potential disruptions on our business.

Results of Operations: Year Ended December 31, 2021 versus Year Ended December 31, 2020

(Amounts in thousands, except percentages and per share amounts):

The following table highlights changes in significant components of the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Earnings for the years ended December 31, 2021, and December 31, 2020:

CTS CORPORATION 19

Net sales were $512,925 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $88,859, or 21.0% from 2020. Net sales growth was driven by the overall improvement in the economy including our focus on end-customer diversification. Net sales to transportation markets increased $42,634 or 17.7%. Net sales to other markets increased $46,224, or 25.3%. The Sensor Scientific, Inc. acquisition, which was completed in December 2020, added sales of $7,112 in 2021. Changes in foreign exchange rates increased net sales by $6,938 year-over-year primarily due to the U.S. Dollar depreciating compared to the Chinese Renminbi and Euro.

Gross margin as a percent of sales was 36.0% in 2021 versus 32.8% in 2020. The increase in gross margin was driven primarily by sales volume and mix. We continue to experience significant inflation in material and freight costs as well as interruptions in the supply chain particularly due to the global semiconductor chip and resin shortages impacting the operations of our business. The impact of the supply chain shortages and OEM shutdowns are expected to continue to have an adverse effect on our operations that we are continuing to mitigate.

Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses were $82,597, or 16.1% of sales for the year ended December 31, 2021, versus $67,787 or 16.0% of sales in 2020. Total SG&A expenses tracked higher with higher costs associated with increased net sales including primarily the restoration of cost saving measures, including incentive compensation in 2021.

Research and development (“R&D”) expenses were $23,856, or 4.7% of sales in 2021 compared to $24,317, or 5.7% of sales in 2020. The decrease in overall R&D expenses was primarily due to changes in timing and mix of certain projects.

Restructuring charges were $1,687, or 0.3% of net sales in 2021, compared to $1,830, or 0.4% of net sales in 2020. We continue to implement certain restructuring actions to improve our cost structure to remain competitive.

Other income and expense items are summarized in the following table:

Other expense, net in 2021 was primarily driven by increased pension expense including $126,269 in settlement charges from our U.S. pension plan termination process in the second and third quarters of 2021 as well as foreign currency translation losses, mainly due to the appreciation of the U.S. Dollar compared to the Czech Koruna and Mexican Peso.

The effective income tax rate in 2021 was 31.2% compared to 23.7% in the prior year. This increase is primarily attributable to the impact of the U.S. pension plan settlement charges taken in 2021.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash and cash equivalents were $141,465 at December 31, 2021 and $91,773 at December 31, 2020, of which $124,635 and $90,051 respectively, were held outside the United States. The increase in cash and cash equivalents of $49,692 was primarily driven by cash generated from operating activities of $86,141 partially offset by $(20,712) and $(15,896) in financing and investing activities, respectively.

Total debt as of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, was $50,000 and $54,600, respectively. Total debt as a percentage of total capitalization, defined as long-term debt as a percentage of total debt and shareholders’ equity, was 9.7% at December 31, 2021, compared to 11.4% at December 31, 2020.

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities was $86,141 during the year ended December 31, 2021. Components of net cash provided by operating activities included net loss of $(41,866), depreciation and amortization expense of $26,930, non-cash pension and other post-retirement plan expenses of $132,650, and other net non-cash items totaling $(24,912), and a net cash outflow from changes in assets and liabilities of $(6,661).

CTS CORPORATION 20

Table of Contents

Net cash provided by operating activities was $76,783 during the year ended December 31, 2020. Components of net cash provided by operating activities included net earnings of $34,686, depreciation and amortization expense of $26,670, stock-based compensation of $3,417, other net non-cash items totaling $930, and a net cash inflow from changes in assets and liabilities of $10,064.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $15,896, driven primarily by capital expenditures.

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $23,167, driven by capital expenditures of $14,858 and the payment for the Sensor Scientific, Inc. (“SSI”) acquisition of $8,309. See Note 3, "Business Acquisitions" in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021, was $20,712. The net cash outflow was the result of net payments of long-term debt of $4,600, treasury stock purchases of $8,786, dividend payments of $5,173, taxes paid on behalf of equity award participants of $1,503, and a contingent consideration payment of $650.

Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020, was $61,333. The net cash outflow was the result of net payments of long-term debt of $45,100, treasury stock purchases of $8,080, dividend payments of $5,179, taxes paid on behalf of equity award participants of $1,917, and a contingent consideration payment of $1,057.

Capital Resources

Long-term debt was comprised of the following:

On December 15, 2021, we entered into a second amended and restated five-year credit agreement with a group of banks (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) to (i) increase the total credit facility availability to $400,000 which may be increased by $200,000 at the request of the Company, subject to the administrative agent's approval, (ii) extend the maturity of the Revolving Credit Facility from February 12, 2024 to December 15, 2026, (iii) replace LIBOR with SOFR as the primary reference rate used to calculate interest on the loans under the Revolving Credit Facility, (iv) increase available sublimits for letters of credit, and swingline loans as well as providing for additional alternative currency borrowing capabilities, and (v) modify the financial and non-financial covenants to provide the Company additional flexibility. This new unsecured credit facility replaced the prior $300,000 unsecured credit facility, which would have expired February 12, 2024.

Borrowings in U.S. dollars under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest, at a per annum rate equal to the applicable Term SOFR rate (but not less than 0.0%), plus the Term SOFR adjustment, and plus an applicable margin, which ranges from 1.00% to 1.75%, based on our net leverage ratio. Similarly, borrowings of alternative currencies under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest equal to a defined risk-free reference rate, plus the applicable risk-free rate adjustment and plus an applicable margin, which ranges from 1.00% to 1.75%, based on our net leverage ratio.

The Revolving Credit Facility includes a swing line sublimit of $20,000 and a letter of credit sublimit of $20,000. We also pay a quarterly commitment fee on the unused portion of the Revolving Credit Facility. The commitment fee ranges from 0.175% to 0.25% based on our net leverage ratio.

Our liquidity, access to capital, and borrowing costs could be adversely impacted by declines in our credit rating, our financial performance, and global credit market conditions, as well as a broad range of other factors, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic discussed in this Form 10-K. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for additional discussion of these and other risks that our business faces.

As of December 31, 2021, our material cash requirements for our known contractual and other obligations were as follows:

CTS CORPORATION 21

We have historically funded our capital and operating needs primarily through cash flows from operating activities, supported by available credit under our Revolving Credit Facility. We believe that cash flows from operating activities and available borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility will be adequate to fund our working capital needs, capital expenditures, and debt service requirements for at least the next twelve months and for the foreseeable future thereafter. However, we may choose to pursue additional equity and debt financing to provide additional liquidity or to fund acquisitions.

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have a material current effect or are reasonably likely to have a material future effect on our financial condition or changes in our financial condition.

Critical Accounting Estimates and Policies

The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has defined a company’s critical accounting policies as the ones that are most important to the portrayal of a company’s financial condition and results of operations, and which require a company to make its most difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. Based on this definition, we have identified the critical accounting policies and judgments addressed below. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Goodwill, Intangibles and Other Long-Lived Assets

Purchase Accounting

We use the acquisition method of accounting to allocate costs of acquired businesses to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values at the dates of acquisition. The excess costs of acquired businesses over the fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recognized as goodwill. The valuations of the acquired assets and liabilities will impact the determination of future operating results. Determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires management’s judgment and often involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions, including assumptions with respect to future cash inflows and outflows, revenue growth rates, discount rates, customer attrition rates, asset lives, contributory asset charges, and market multiples, among other items. We determine the fair values of intangible assets acquired generally in consultation with third-party valuation advisors.

Intangible assets other than goodwill are recognized if the benefit of the intangible asset is obtained through contractual or other legal rights, or if the intangible asset can be sold, transferred, licensed or exchanged, regardless of the Company’s intent to do so. Goodwill represents the excess purchase price over the fair value of the tangible net assets and intangible assets acquired in a business combination and is reviewed annually for impairment or more frequently if impairment indicators arise. Finite-lived intangible assets are reviewed for impairment if facts and circumstances warrant.

Impairment Assessment – Goodwill

Goodwill of a reporting unit is tested for impairment on the first day of its fiscal fourth quarter, or more frequently if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more-likely-than-not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. Examples of such events or circumstances include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Significant decline in market capitalization relative to net book value,

• Significant adverse change in regulatory factors or in the business climate,

• Unanticipated competition,

CTS CORPORATION 22

Table of Contents

• Testing for recoverability of a significant asset group within a reporting unit, and

• Allocation of a portion of goodwill to a business to be disposed.

If we believe that one or more indicators of impairment have occurred, we perform an impairment test.

We have the option to perform a qualitative assessment (commonly referred to as a "step zero" test) to determine whether further quantitative analysis for impairment of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets is necessary. The qualitative assessment includes a review of macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, internal cost factors, and our own overall financial and share price performance, among other factors. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances we determine that it is not more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, we do not need to perform a quantitative analysis.

If a quantitative assessment is required, we estimate the fair value of each reporting unit using a combination of discounted cash flow analysis and market-based valuation methodologies. Determining fair value using a quantitative approach requires significant judgment, including judgments about projected revenues, cash flows over a multi-year period, discount rates and estimated valuation multiples. The discount rate applied to our forecasts of future cash flows is based on our estimated weighted average cost of capital. In assessing the reasonableness of our determined fair values, we evaluate our results against our market capitalization. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value and impact the goodwill impairment assessment.

For 2021, we elected to perform the quantitative assessment. Based upon our latest assessment, we determined that our goodwill was not impaired as of October 1, 2021. We will monitor future results and will perform a test if indicators trigger an impairment review.

Impairment Assessment – Other Intangible Assets and Other Long-Lived Assets

We evaluate the impairment of identifiable intangibles and other long-lived assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Factors considered that may trigger an impairment review consist of, but are not limited to, the following:

• Significant decline in market capitalization relative to net book value,

• Significant underperformance relative to expected historical or projected future operating results,

• Significant changes in the manner of use of the acquired assets or the strategy for the overall business,

• Significant negative industry or economic trends.

If we believe that one or more indicators of impairment have occurred, we perform a recoverability test by comparing the carrying amount of an asset or asset group to the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and the eventual disposition of the asset or asset group. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value.

Income Taxes

Our income tax expense, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits reflect management’s best estimate of current and future taxes to be paid. We are subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgments and estimates are required in the determination of consolidated income tax provision.

Deferred income taxes arise from temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements, which will result in taxable or deductible amounts in the future. In evaluating our ability to recover our deferred tax assets in the jurisdiction from which they arise, we consider all available positive and negative evidence, including scheduled reversals of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. The assumptions about future taxable income require the use of significant judgment and are consistent with the plans and estimates we are using to manage our underlying businesses.

The calculation of our tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax laws and regulations in a multitude of jurisdictions across our global operations. Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) No. 740 states that a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position may be recognized when it is more-likely-than-not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, on the basis of its technical merits. We record unrecognized tax benefits as liabilities in accordance with ASC 740 and adjust these liabilities when our judgment changes as a result of the evaluation of new information not previously available. Because of the complexity of some of these uncertainties, the ultimate resolution may result in a payment that is materially different from our current estimate of the unrecognized tax benefit liabilities. These differences will be reflected as increases or decreases to income tax expense in the period in which new information is available.

CTS CORPORATION 23

Critical Accounting Policies

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers net of estimated reserves. Our revenue reserves contain uncertainties because they require management to make assumptions and to apply judgment to estimate the value of future credits to customers for price adjustments. We base these estimates on the most likely value method considering all reasonably available information, including our historical experience and current expectations, and are reflected in the transaction price when sales are recorded.

Product Warranties

Provisions for estimated warranty expenses are made at the time products are sold. The expense and corresponding accrual primarily relate to our products sold to our transportation markets. These estimates are established using a quoted industry rate and are based on customer specific circumstances. We adjust our warranty reserve for any known or anticipated warranty claims as new information becomes available. We evaluate our warranty obligations at least quarterly and adjust our accruals if it is probable that future costs will be different than our current reserve.

Over the last three years, product warranty reserves have ranged from 0.5% to 2.7% of net sales. We believe our reserve level is appropriate considering all facts and circumstances surrounding any outstanding quality claims and our historical experience selling our products to our customers.

Inventories

We value our inventories at the lower of the actual cost to purchase or manufacture using the first-in, first-out ("FIFO") method, or net realizable value. We review inventory quantities on hand and record a provision for excess and obsolete inventory based on historical consumption trends as well as forecasts of product demand including related production requirements. Once reserves are established, write-downs of inventory are considered permanent adjustments to the cost basis of inventory. Our reserves contain uncertainties because the calculation requires management to make assumptions and to apply judgment regarding historical experience, market conditions, and product life cycles. Changes in actual demand or market conditions could adversely impact our reserve calculations.

Over the last three years, our reserves for excess and obsolete inventories have ranged from 10.2% to 16.0% of gross inventory. We believe our reserve level is appropriate considering the quantities and quality of the inventories.

Retirement Plans

Actuarial assumptions are used in determining pension income and expense and our defined benefit obligations. We utilize actuaries from consulting companies in each applicable country to develop our discount rates, matching high-quality bonds currently available and expected to be available during the period to maturity of the pension benefit in order to provide the necessary future cash flows to pay the accumulated benefits when due. After considering the recommendations of our actuaries, we have assumed a discount rate, expected rate of return on plan assets, and a rate of compensation increase in determining our annual pension income and expense and the projected benefit obligation.

In February 2020, the CTS Board of Directors authorized management to explore termination of the U.S.-based pension plan ("Plan"), subject to certain conditions. On June 1, 2020, we entered into the Fifth Amendment to the Plan whereby we set an effective termination date for the Plan of July 31, 2020. 

In February 2021, we received a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service that allowed us to proceed with the termination process for the Plan. As a result, we offered a lump sum payment to eligible participants with vested qualified Plan benefits in lieu of receiving monthly annuity payments in the second quarter of 2021 and purchased a group annuity contract that transferred our remaining obligations for the remaining participants in the third quarter.

For a further discussion of the process and related financial impact please see Note 7 to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Environmental Contingencies

U.S. GAAP requires a liability to be recorded for contingencies when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated. We record environmental contingent loss accruals on an undiscounted basis.  Significant judgment is required to determine the existence and amounts of our environmental liabilities. We regularly consult with attorneys and consultants to determine the relevant facts and circumstances before we record a liability. Changes in the estimates on which the accruals are based, unanticipated government enforcement action, or changes in health, safety, environmental, and chemical control regulations and testing requirements could, and have, resulted in higher or lower costs.

CTS CORPORATION 24

Table of Contents

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The information set forth under Note 1 to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7A.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

(in thousands)

Our cash flows and earnings are subject to fluctuations resulting from changes in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and commodity prices. We manage our exposure to these market risks through internally established policies and procedures and, when deemed appropriate, through the use of derivative financial instruments. Our policies do not allow speculation in derivative instruments for profit or execution of derivative instrument contracts for which there are no underlying exposures. We do not use financial instruments for trading purposes, and we are not a party to any leveraged derivatives. We monitor our underlying market risk exposures on an ongoing basis and believe that we can modify or adapt our hedging strategies as needed.

Interest Rate Risk

We are exposed to risk of changes in interest rates on our Revolving Credit Facility. There was $50,000 and $54,600 outstanding under our revolving credit facility at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, we had interest rate swaps that fix interest costs on $50,000 of our long-term debt through February 2024. A 100bps change in interest rates would not impact our total interest expense.

Foreign Currency Risk

We are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risks. Our significant foreign subsidiaries are located in China, Czech Republic, Mexico, and Taiwan. During 2021, net sales from outside the U.S. were approximately 42% of total net sales. During 2020, net sales to customers from outside the U.S. were approximately 43% of total net sales.

The company’s foreign exchange exposures result primarily from, sale of products in foreign currencies, foreign currency denominated purchases, and employee-related and other costs of running operations in foreign countries. Changes in foreign exchange rates could affect the company’s sales, costs, balance sheet values and earnings.

As of December 31, 2021, we had foreign currency forward contracts outstanding with a notional value of $18,017 to hedge our exposure against the Mexican Peso.

Commodity Price Risk

Many of our products require the use of raw materials that are produced in only a limited number of regions around the world or are available from only a limited number of suppliers. Our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected if we have difficulty obtaining these raw materials, the quality of available raw materials deteriorates, or there are significant price increases for these raw materials. For periods in which the prices of these raw materials are rising, we may be unable to pass on the increased cost to our customers, which would result in decreased margins for the products in which they are used. For periods in which the prices are declining, we may be required to write down our inventory carrying cost of these raw materials, since we record our inventory at the lower of cost or net realizable value.

Due to the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, freight costs increased significantly in 2021. While the Company is exposed to significant changes in certain commodity prices and expects higher freight costs for most of 2022, the Company actively monitors these exposures and may take various actions from time to time to mitigate any negative impacts relating thereto.

CTS CORPORATION 25

Item 8.  Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Board of Directors and Shareholders

CTS Corporation

Opinion on the financial statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of CTS Corporation (an Indiana Corporation) and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of (loss) earnings, comprehensive earnings, changes in shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes (and financial statement schedules included under Item 15(a)) (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”), and our report dated February 25, 2022 expressed an unqualified opinion.

Basis for opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical audit matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Goodwill Impairment Assessment

The Company’s consolidated goodwill balance was $109.8 million as of December 31, 2021. As described in Note 1 and Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company evaluates goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level annually. A quantitative impairment assessment was performed as of October 1, 2021 for each of the three reporting units. The quantitative impairment assessment involves the comparison of the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value. The Company determines the fair value of each reporting unit using a combination of discounted cash flow analysis and market-based valuation methodologies, which requires significant management judgment. We have identified the quantitative goodwill impairment assessment as a critical audit matter.

The principal consideration for our determination that the quantitative impairment assessment is a critical matter was the significant auditor judgment required to evaluate the reporting units’ forecasted revenues, forecasted cash flows over a multi-year period, discount rates, and estimated valuation multiples.

Our audit procedures related to the critical audit matter included the following, among others:

CTS CORPORATION 26

Table of Contents

Specialists were involved in evaluating the valuation methodology and significant assumptions such as discount rates and estimated valuation multiples.

/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2005.

Chicago, Illinois

February 25, 2022

CTS CORPORATION 27

CTS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Earnings

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

CTS CORPORATION 28

Table of Contents

CTS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Earnings

(in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

CTS CORPORATION 29

CTS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

CTS CORPORATION 30

Table of Contents

CTS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

CTS CORPORATION 31

CTS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity

(in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

CTS CORPORATION 32

Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except for share and per share data)

NOTE 1 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Business: CTS Corporation ("CTS", "we", "our", "us" or the "Company") is a global manufacturer of sensors, connectivity components, and actuators operating as a single reportable business segment. We operate manufacturing facilities located throughout North America, Asia and Europe and service major markets globally.

Principles of Consolidation: The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of CTS and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Use of Estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents: All highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase are considered to be cash equivalents.

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Credit Losses: Accounts receivable consists primarily of amounts due from normal business activities. We maintain an allowance for credit losses for estimated uncollectible accounts receivable. Our reserves for estimated credit losses are based upon historical experience, specific customer collection issues, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the remaining cash flows over the contractual terms of our receivables and other financial assets. Accounts are written off against the allowance account when they are determined to no longer be collectible.

Concentration of Credit Risk: Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash and cash equivalents and trade receivables. Our cash and cash equivalents, at times, may exceed federally insured limits. Cash and cash equivalents are deposited primarily in banking institutions with global operations. We have not experienced any losses in such accounts. We believe we are not exposed to any significant credit risk related to cash and cash equivalents.

Trade receivables subject us to the potential for credit risk with major customers. We sell our products to customers principally in the aerospace and defense, industrial, medical, and transportation markets, primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia. We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers to minimize credit risk. We do not require collateral. The allowance for credit losses is based on management's estimates of the collectability of its accounts receivable after analyzing historical credit losses, customer concentrations, customer creditworthiness, current economic trends, specific customer collection issues, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the remaining cash flows over the contractual terms of our receivables. Uncollectible trade receivables are charged against the allowance for credit losses when all reasonable efforts to collect the amounts due have been exhausted.

Our net sales to significant customers as a percentage of total net sales were as follows:

We sell parts to these two transportation customers for certain vehicle platforms under purchase agreements that have no volume commitments and are subject to purchase orders issued on a periodic basis.

No other customer accounted for 10% or more of total net sales during these periods.

Inventories: We value our inventories at the lower of the actual cost to purchase or manufacture using the first-in, first-out ("FIFO") method, or net realizable value. We review inventory quantities on hand and record a provision for excess and obsolete inventory based on historical consumption trends as well as forecasts of product demand including related production requirements. Once reserves are established, write-downs of inventory are considered permanent adjustments to the cost basis of inventory. Our reserves contain uncertainties because the calculation requires management to make assumptions and to apply judgment regarding historical experience, market conditions, and product life cycles. Changes in actual demand or market conditions could adversely impact our reserve calculations.

Retirement Plans: We have various defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans. Our policy is to annually fund the defined benefit pension plans at or above the minimum required by law. We: 1) recognize the funded status of a benefit plan

CTS CORPORATION 33

(measured as the difference between plan assets at fair value and the projected benefit obligation) in our Consolidated Balance Sheets; 2) recognize the gains or losses and prior service costs or credits that arise during the period but are not recognized as components of net periodic benefit/cost as a component of other comprehensive earnings; and 3) measure defined benefit plan assets and obligations as of the date of our fiscal year-end.

During 2020, the Company commenced the termination process for its primary U.S. Pension Plan (“U.S. Plan”) and expects to complete the termination process in the first half of 2022. See Note 7, "Retirement Plans" for further information.

Property, Plant and Equipment: Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed primarily over the estimated useful lives of the various classes of assets using the straight-line method. Useful lives for buildings and improvements range from 10 to 45 years, machinery and equipment from 3 to 15 years, and software from 2 to 15 years. Depreciation on leasehold improvements is computed over the lesser of the lease term or estimated useful lives of the assets. Amounts expended for maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. Major overhauls that extend the useful lives of existing assets are capitalized. Upon disposition, any related gains or losses are included in operating earnings.

Income Taxes: We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, we determine deferred tax assets and liabilities on the basis of the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities by using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

We recognize deferred tax assets to the extent that we believe that these assets are more-likely-than-not to be realized. In making such a determination, we consider all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. If we determine that we would be able to realize our deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, we would make an adjustment to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes.

We record uncertain tax positions in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 740 on the basis of a two-step process in which (1) we determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that the tax positions will be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, we recognize the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority.

We recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits on the income tax expense line in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Earnings. Accrued interest and penalties are included in the related tax liability line in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

See Note 19, "Income Taxes" for further information.

Goodwill and Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets: Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair values of the net assets acquired in a business combination. In accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other, goodwill is not amortized, but instead is tested for impairment annually or more frequently if circumstances indicate a possible impairment may exist. Absent any interim indicators of impairment, the Company tests for goodwill impairment as of the first day of its fourth fiscal quarter of each year.

Based upon our latest assessment, we determined that our goodwill was not impaired as of October 1, 2021.

In addition to goodwill, we also had an acquired in-process research and development ("IPR&D") intangible asset that was treated as indefinite-lived intangible assets and therefore was not subject to amortization until the completion or abandonment of the associated research and development efforts. In the third quarter of 2020, due to the restructuring actions further outlined in Note 9, we identified a triggering event associated with a specific asset group including IPR&D due to executed restructuring actions. This resulted in the recognition of $2,200 of impairment charges, and a revaluation of associated contingent liabilities totaling $1,900. The net impact of $300 was recorded as restructuring charges in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Earnings in 2020.

Other Intangible Assets and Long-lived Assets: We account for long-lived assets (excluding indefinite-lived intangible assets) in accordance with the provisions of ASC 360, Property, Plant, and Equipment. This statement requires that long-lived assets, which includes fixed assets and finite-lived intangible assets, be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If an impairment test is warranted, recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and the eventual disposition of the asset. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount in which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. Assets to be

CTS CORPORATION 34

Table of Contents