LINCOLN ELECTRIC HOLDINGS INC - Annual Report: 2010 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

LINCOLN ELECTRIC HOLDINGS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(216) 481-8100

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

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 þ    No o

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

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 þ    No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted 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 and post such files).    Yes þ    No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K þ

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

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

The aggregate market value of the common shares held by non-affiliates as of June 30, 2010 was $2,016,760,202 (affiliates, for this purpose, have been deemed to be Directors and Executive Officers of the Company and certain significant shareholders).

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant's common shares as of December 31, 2010 was 42,120,800.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K incorporates by reference certain information from the registrant's definitive proxy statement to be filed on or about March 18, 2011 with respect to the registrant's 2011 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

General

As used in this report, the term "Company," except as otherwise indicated by the context, means Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. and its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries for which it has a controlling interest. The Lincoln Electric Company began operations in 1895 and was incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio in 1906. During 1998, The Lincoln Electric Company reorganized into a holding company structure, and Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. became the publicly-held parent of Lincoln Electric subsidiaries worldwide, including The Lincoln Electric Company.

The Company is one of only a few worldwide broad-line manufacturers of welding and cutting products. Welding products include arc welding power sources, wire feeding systems, robotic welding packages, fume extraction equipment, consumable electrodes and fluxes. The Company's product offering also includes regulators and torches used in oxy-fuel welding and cutting. In addition, the Company has a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market.

The arc welding power sources and wire feeding systems manufactured by the Company range in technology from basic units used for light manufacturing and maintenance to highly sophisticated robotic applications for high production welding and fabrication. Three primary types of arc welding electrodes are produced: (1) coated manual or stick electrodes, (2) solid electrodes produced in coil, reel or drum forms for continuous feeding in mechanized welding, and (3) cored electrodes produced in coil form for continuous feeding in mechanized welding.

The Company has, through wholly-owned subsidiaries or joint ventures, manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom and Venezuela. Nearly all of the above facilities are ISO 9001 certified.

The Company has aligned its business units into five operating segments to enhance the utilization of the Company's worldwide resources and global sourcing initiatives. The operating segments consist of North America Welding, Europe Welding, Asia Pacific Welding, South America Welding and The Harris Products Group. The North America Welding segment includes welding operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The other three welding segments include welding operations in Europe, Asia Pacific and South America, respectively. The fifth segment, The Harris Products Group, includes the Company's global cutting, soldering and brazing businesses as well as the retail business in the United States. See Note 3 to the Company's consolidated financial statements for segment and geographic area information, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Customers

The Company's products are sold in both domestic and international markets. In North America, products are sold principally through industrial distributors, retailers and also directly to users of welding products. Outside of North America, the Company has an international sales organization comprised of Company employees and agents who sell products from the Company's various manufacturing sites to distributors and product users.

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The Company's major end-user markets include:

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general metal fabrication,

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power generation and process industry,

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structural steel construction (buildings and bridges),

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heavy equipment fabrication (farming, mining and rail),

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shipbuilding,

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automotive,

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pipe mills and pipelines, and

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offshore oil and gas exploration and extraction.

The Company is not dependent on a single customer or a few customers. The loss of any one customer would not have a material adverse effect on its business. The Company's operating results are sensitive to changes in general economic conditions. The arc welding and cutting industry is generally a mature industry in developed markets such as North America and Western Europe and is very cyclical in nature. Overall demand for arc welding and cutting products is largely determined by economic cycles and the level of capital spending in manufacturing and other industrial sectors. The Company experiences some variability in reported period-to-period results as demand for the Company's products are mildly seasonal with generally higher demand in the second and third quarters.

Competition

Conditions in the arc welding and cutting industry are highly competitive. The Company believes it is the world's largest manufacturer of consumables and equipment with relatively few major broad-line competitors worldwide, but numerous smaller competitors in specific geographic markets. The Company continues to pursue strategies to heighten its competitiveness in domestic and international markets, which includes positioning low cost manufacturing facilities in most geographical markets. Competition in the arc welding and cutting industry is on the basis of brand preference, product quality, price, performance, warranty, delivery, service and technical support. The Company believes its performance against these factors has contributed to the Company's position as the leader in the industry.

Most of the Company's products may be classified as standard commercial articles and are manufactured for stock. The Company believes it has a competitive advantage in the marketplace because of its highly trained technical sales force and the support of its welding research and development staff to assist consumers in optimizing their welding applications. This allows the Company to introduce its products to new users and to establish and maintain close relationships with its consumers. This close relationship between the technical sales force and the direct consumers, together with its supportive relationship with its distributors, who are particularly interested in handling the broad range of the Company's products, is an important element of the Company's market success and a valuable asset of the Company.

Raw Materials

The principal raw materials essential to the Company's business are steel, electronic components, engines, brass, copper, silver, aluminum alloys and various chemicals, all of which are normally available for purchase in the open market.

Patents and Trademarks

The Company holds many valuable patents, primarily in arc welding, and has increased the application process as research and development has progressed in both the United States and major international

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jurisdictions. The Company believes its trademarks are an important asset and aggressively pursues brand management.

Environmental Regulations

The Company's facilities are subject to environmental regulations. To date, compliance with these environmental regulations has not had a material adverse effect on the Company's earnings. The Company is ISO 14001 certified at most significant manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe and is working to gain certification at its remaining facilities worldwide. In addition, the Company is ISO 9001 certified at nearly all facilities worldwide.

International Operations

The Company conducts a significant amount of its business and has a number of operating facilities in countries outside the United States. As a result, the Company is subject to business risks inherent to non-U.S. activities, including political uncertainty, import and export limitations, exchange controls and currency fluctuations.

Research and Development

Research activities, which the Company believes provide a competitive advantage, relate to the development of new products and the improvement of existing products. Research activities are Company-sponsored. Refer to Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements with respect to total costs of research and development, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Employees

The number of persons employed by the Company worldwide at December 31, 2010 was 9,472. See Item 10 of Part III for information regarding the Company's executive officers, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Website Access

The Company's website, www.lincolnelectric.com, is used as a channel for routine distribution of important information, including news releases and financial information. The Company posts its filings as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC, including annual, quarterly, and current reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K; proxy statements; and any amendments to those reports or statements. The Company also posts its Code of Corporate Conduct and Ethics on its website. All such postings and filings are available on the Company's website free of charge. In addition, this website allows investors and other interested persons to sign up to automatically receive e-mail alerts when news releases and financial information is posted on the website. The SEC also maintains a website, www.sec.gov, that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The content on any website referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report unless expressly noted.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

From time to time, information we provide, statements by our employees or information included in our filings with the SEC may contain forward-looking statements that are not historical facts. Those statements are "forward-looking" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, and our future performance, operating results, financial position and

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liquidity, are subject to a variety of factors that could materially affect results, including those risks described below. Any forward-looking statements made in this report or otherwise speak only as of the date of the statement, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update those statements. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.

In the ordinary course of our business, we face various strategic, operating, compliance and financial risks. These risks could have a material impact on our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Our Enterprise Risk Management ("ERM") process seeks to identify and address significant risks. Our ERM process is a company-wide initiative that is designed with the intent of prioritizing risks and assigning appropriate consideration for such risks. We use the integrated risk framework of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations to assess, manage and monitor risks.

Management has identified and prioritized critical risks based on the severity and likelihood of each risk and assigned an executive to address each major identified risk area and lead action plans to monitor and mitigate risks, where possible. Our Board of Directors provides oversight of the ERM process and systematically reviews identified critical risks. The Audit Committee also reviews major financial risk exposures and the steps management has taken to monitor and control them.

Our goal is to proactively manage risks in a structured approach and in conjunction with strategic planning, with the intent to preserve and enhance shareholder value. However, these and other risks and uncertainties could cause our results to vary materially from recent results or from our anticipated future results.

The risk factors and uncertainties described below together with information incorporated by reference or otherwise included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K should be carefully considered. Additional risks and uncertainties of which we are currently unaware or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also adversely affect our business.

General economic and market conditions may adversely affect the Company's financial condition, results of operations and access to capital markets.

The Company's operating results are sensitive to changes in general economic conditions. Recessionary economic cycles, higher interest rates, inflation, trade barriers in the world markets and changes in tax laws or other economic factors affecting the countries and industries in which we do business could adversely affect demand for the Company's products, thereby impacting our results of operations, financial condition and access to capital markets.

Availability of and volatility in energy costs or raw material prices may adversely affect our performance.

In the normal course of business, we are exposed to market risks related to the availability of and price fluctuations in the purchase of energy and commodities used in the manufacture of our products (primarily steel, brass, copper, silver, aluminum alloys, electronic components, electricity and natural gas). The availability and prices for raw materials are subject to volatility and are influenced by worldwide economic conditions, speculative action, world supply and demand balances, inventory levels, availability of substitute materials, currency exchange rates, our competitors' production costs, anticipated or perceived shortages and other factors. The price of steel used to manufacture our products has experienced periods of significant price volatility and has been subject to periodic

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shortages due to global economic factors. We have also experienced substantial volatility in prices for other raw materials, including metals, chemicals and energy costs.

Increases in the cost of raw materials and components may adversely affect our profitability if we are unable to pass along to our customers these cost increases in the form of price increases or otherwise reduce our cost of goods sold. Although most of the raw materials and components used in our products are commercially available from a number of sources and in adequate supply, any disruption in the availability of such raw materials and components, our inability to timely or otherwise obtain substitutes for such items, or any deterioration in our relationships with or the financial viability of our suppliers could adversely affect our business.

We are a co-defendant in litigation alleging manganese induced illness and litigation alleging asbestos induced illness. Liabilities relating to such litigation could reduce our profitability and impair our financial condition.

At December 31, 2010, we were a co-defendant in cases alleging manganese induced illness involving claims by approximately 1,975 plaintiffs and a co-defendant in cases alleging asbestos induced illness involving claims by approximately 16,865 plaintiffs. In each instance, we are one of a large number of defendants. In the manganese cases, the claimants allege that exposure to manganese contained in welding consumables caused the plaintiffs to develop adverse neurological conditions, including a condition known as manganism. In the asbestos cases, the claimants allege that exposure to asbestos contained in welding consumables caused the plaintiffs to develop adverse pulmonary diseases, including mesothelioma and other lung cancers.

Since January 1, 1995, we have been a co-defendant in manganese cases that have been resolved as follows: 14,859 of those claims were dismissed, 23 were tried to defense verdicts in favor of us and five were tried to plaintiff verdicts (three of which were reversed on appeal and one of which has post-trial motions pending). In addition, 13 claims were resolved by agreement for immaterial amounts and one claim was decided in favor of the Company following a summary judgment motion. Since January 1, 1995, we have been a co-defendant in asbestos cases that have been resolved as follows: 38,968 of those claims were dismissed, 17 were tried to defense verdicts, seven were tried to plaintiff verdicts (two of which are being appealed), one was resolved by agreement for an immaterial amount and 573 were decided in favor of the Company following summary judgment motions.

Defense costs remain significant. The long-term impact of the manganese and asbestos loss contingencies, in each case in the aggregate, on operating results, operating cash flows and access to capital markets is difficult to assess, particularly since claims are in many different stages of development and we benefit significantly from cost-sharing with co-defendants and insurance carriers. While we intend to contest these lawsuits vigorously, and believe we have applicable insurance relating to these claims, there are several risks and uncertainties that may affect our liability for personal claims relating to exposure to manganese and asbestos, including the future impact of changing cost sharing arrangements or a change in our overall trial experience.

Manganese is an essential element of steel and cannot be eliminated from welding consumables. Asbestos use in welding consumables in the U.S. ceased in 1981.

We may incur material losses and costs as a result of product liability claims that may be brought against us.

Our business exposes us to potential product liability risks that are inherent in the design, manufacture, sale and application of our products and the products of third-party suppliers that we utilize or resell. Our products are used in a variety of applications, including infrastructure projects such as oil and gas

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pipelines and platforms, buildings, bridges and power generation facilities, the manufacture of transportation and heavy equipment and machinery, and various other construction projects. We face risk of exposure to product liability claims in the event that accidents or failures on these projects result, or are alleged to result, in bodily injury or property damage. Further, our products are designed for use in specific applications, and if a product is used inappropriately, personal injury or property damage may result.

The occurrence of defects in or failures of our products, or the misuse of our products in specific applications, could cause termination of customer contracts, increased costs and losses to us, our customers and other end users. We cannot be assured that we will not experience any material product liability losses in the future or that we will not incur significant costs to defend those claims. Further, we cannot be assured that our product liability insurance coverage will be adequate for any liabilities that we may ultimately incur or that product liability insurance will continue to be available on terms acceptable to us.

The cyclicality and maturity of the arc welding and cutting industry in developed markets may adversely affect our performance.

The arc welding and cutting industry is generally a mature industry in developed markets such as North America and Western Europe and is very cyclical in nature. Overall demand for arc welding and cutting products is largely determined by the level of capital spending in manufacturing and other industrial sectors, and the welding industry has historically experienced contraction during periods of slowing industrial activity. If economic, business and industry conditions deteriorate, capital spending in those sectors may be substantially decreased, which could reduce demand for our products, our revenues and our results of operations.

We may not be able to complete our acquisition strategy or successfully integrate acquired businesses.

Part of our business strategy is to pursue targeted business acquisition opportunities, including foreign investment opportunities. For example, we have completed and continue to pursue acquisitions in emerging markets including, but not limited to Brazil, Russia, India and China in order to strategically position resources to increase our presence in growing markets. We cannot be certain that we will be successful in pursuing potential acquisition candidates or that the consequences of any acquisition would be beneficial to us. Future acquisitions may expose us to unexpected liabilities and involve the expenditure of significant funds and management time. Further, we may not be able to successfully integrate any acquired business with our existing businesses or recognize the expected benefits from any completed acquisition.

Depending on the nature, size and timing of future acquisitions, we may be required to raise additional financing, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms. Our current operational cash flow is sufficient to fund our current acquisition plans, but a significant acquisition could require access to the capital markets.

If we cannot continue to develop, manufacture and market products that meet customer demands, our revenues and gross margins may suffer.

Our continued success depends, in part, on our ability to continue to meet our customers' needs for welding and cutting products through the introduction of innovative new products and the enhancement of existing product design and performance characteristics. We must remain committed to product research and development and customer service in order to remain competitive. We cannot be assured that new products or product improvements, once developed, will meet with customer acceptance and contribute positively to our operating results, or that we will be able to continue our product

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development efforts at a pace to sustain future growth. Further, we may lose customers to our competitors if they demonstrate product design, development or manufacturing capabilities superior to ours.

The competitive pressures we face could harm our revenue, gross margins and prospects.

We operate in a highly competitive global environment and compete in each of our businesses with other broad-line manufacturers and numerous smaller competitors specializing in particular products. We compete primarily on the basis of brand, product quality, price, performance, warranty, delivery, service and technical support. We have recently initiated, and may in the future initiate significant rationalization activities to align our business to current market conditions. Such rationalization activities could fail to deliver the desired competitive cost structure and could result in disruptions in customer service. If our products, services, support and cost structure do not enable us to compete successfully based on any of the criteria listed above, our operations, results and prospects could suffer.

Further, in the past decade, the arc welding industry in the United States and other developed countries has been subject to increased levels of foreign competition as low cost imports have become more readily available. Our competitive position could also be harmed if new or emerging competitors become more active in the arc welding business. For example, while steel manufacturers traditionally have not been significant competitors in the domestic arc welding industry, some foreign integrated steel producers manufacture selected consumable arc welding products. Our sales and results of operations, as well as our plans to expand in some foreign countries, could be harmed by this practice.

We conduct our sales and distribution operations on a worldwide basis and maintain manufacturing facilities in a number of foreign countries, which subjects us to risks associated with doing business outside the United States.

Our long-term strategy is to continue to increase our market share in growing international markets, particularly Asia (with emphasis in China and India), Latin America, Eastern Europe, Russia and other developing markets.

The share of sales and profits we derive from our international operations and exports from the United States is significant and growing. This trend increases our exposure to the performance of many developing economies in addition to the developed economies outside of the United States.

There are a number of risks in doing business internationally, which may impede our ability to achieve our strategic objectives relating to our foreign operations. Many developing countries have a significant degree of political and economic uncertainty and social turmoil that may impede our ability to implement and achieve our international growth objectives. Conducting business internationally subjects us to corporate governance and management challenges in consideration of the numerous U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, including regulations relating to import-export control, technology transfer restrictions, repatriation of earnings and funds, exchange controls, anti-boycott provisions and anti-bribery laws (such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Convention). Failure by the Company or its sales representatives, agents or distributors to comply with these laws and regulations could result in administrative, civil or criminal liabilities, all or any of which could negatively impact our business and reputation. Our foreign operations also subject us to the risks of international terrorism and hostilities.

Our operations depend on maintaining a skilled workforce, and any interruption in our workforce could negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.

Our success depends in part on the efforts and abilities of our management team and key employees. Their skills, experience and industry knowledge significantly benefit our operations and performance.

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Our future success will also depend on our ability to identify, attract, and retain highly qualified managerial, technical (including research and development), sales and marketing, and customer service personnel. Competition for these individuals is intense, and we may not succeed in identifying, attracting, or retaining qualified personnel. With our strategy to expand internationally into developing markets, we may incur additional risks as some developing economies lack a sufficiently trained labor pool.

Any interruption of our workforce, including interruptions due to unionization efforts, changes in labor relations or shortages of appropriately skilled individuals could impact our results of operations and financial condition.

Our revenues and results of operations may suffer if we cannot continue to enforce the intellectual property rights on which our business depends or if third parties assert that we violate their intellectual property rights.

We rely upon patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws in the United States and similar laws in foreign countries, as well as agreements with our employees, customers, suppliers and other third parties, to establish and maintain our intellectual property rights. However, any of our intellectual property rights could be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, or our intellectual property rights may not be sufficient to provide a competitive advantage. Further, the laws and their application in certain foreign countries do not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent as U.S. laws. Accordingly, in certain countries, we may be unable to protect our proprietary rights against unauthorized third-party copying or use, which could impact our competitive position.

Further, third parties may claim that we or our customers are infringing upon their intellectual property rights. Even if we believe that those claims are without merit, defending those claims and contesting the validity of patents can be time-consuming and costly. Claims of intellectual property infringement also might require us to redesign affected products, enter into costly settlement or license agreements or pay costly damage awards, or face a temporary or permanent injunction prohibiting us from manufacturing, marketing or selling certain of our products.

The Company's defined benefit pension plans are subject to financial market risks that could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

The performance of the financial markets and interest rates impact our funding obligations under our defined benefit pension plans. Significant changes in market interest rates, decreases in the fair value of plan assets and investment losses on plan assets may increase our funding obligations and adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.

A significant fluctuation between the U.S. dollar and other currencies could adversely impact our operating income.

Although our financial results are reported in U.S. dollars, a significant portion of our sales and operating costs are realized in other currencies. Our profitability is affected by movements of the U.S. dollar against other foreign currencies in which we generate revenues and incur expenses. Significant long-term fluctuations in relative currency values, in particular an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies, could have an adverse effect on our profitability and financial condition.

Changes in tax rates or exposure to additional income tax liabilities could affect profitability.

Our business is subject to income taxes in the United States and various foreign jurisdictions. Domestic and international tax liabilities are subject to the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions.

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Our effective tax rate could be adversely affected by changes in the mix among earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation allowance of deferred tax assets or changes in tax laws.

The amount of income taxes paid is subject to ongoing audits by United States federal, state and local tax authorities and by foreign tax authorities. If these audits result in assessments different from amounts reserved, future financial results may include unfavorable adjustments which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We are subject to risks relating to our information technology systems.

The conduct and management of our business relies extensively on information technology systems. If these systems are damaged or cease to function properly and we suffer any interruption in our ability to manage and operate the business, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Our global operations are subject to increasingly complex environmental regulatory requirements.

We are subject to increasingly complex environmental regulations affecting international manufacturers, including those related to air and water emissions, waste management and climate change.

There is a growing political and scientific belief that emissions of greenhouse gases ("GHG") alter the composition of the global atmosphere in ways that are affecting the global climate. Various stakeholders, including legislators and regulators, shareholders and non-governmental organizations, as well as companies in many business sectors, are considering ways to reduce GHG emissions. These concerns may lead to international, national, regional or local legislative or regulatory responses in the near future. Such regulation could result in new or additional regulatory or product standard requirements for the Company's global businesses. We are unable, at this time, to predict the significance of these requirements as the impact of any future GHG legislative, regulatory or product standards is dependent on the timing and design of the mandates or standards.

Furthermore, the potential physical impacts of theorized climate change on the Company's customers, and therefore on the Company's operations, are speculative and highly uncertain, and would be particular to the circumstances developing in various geographical regions. These may include changes in weather patterns (including drought and rainfall levels), water availability, storm patterns and intensities, and temperature levels. These potential physical effects may adversely impact the cost, production, sales and financial performance of the Company's operations which we are unable, at this time, to predict.

It is our policy to apply strict standards for environmental protection to all of our operations inside and outside the United States, even when we are not subject to local government regulations. We may incur substantial costs, including cleanup costs, fines and civil or criminal sanctions, liabilities resulting from third-party property damage or personal injury claims, or our products could be enjoined from entering certain jurisdictions, if we were to violate or become liable under environmental laws or if our products become non-compliant with environmental laws.

We also face increasing complexity in our products design and procurement operations as we adjust to new and future requirements relating to the design, production and labeling of our products that are sold worldwide in multiple jurisdictions. The ultimate costs under environmental laws and the timing of these costs are difficult to predict, and liability under some environmental laws relating to contaminated locations can be imposed retroactively and on a joint and several basis.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

The Company's corporate headquarters and principal United States manufacturing facilities are located in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Total Cleveland area property consists of 233 acres, of which present manufacturing facilities comprise an area of approximately 2,940,000 square feet.

The Company has 40 manufacturing facilities, including operations and joint ventures in 19 countries, the locations (grouped by operating segment) of which are as follows:

All properties relating to the Company's Cleveland, Ohio headquarters and manufacturing facilities are owned by the Company. Most of the Company's foreign subsidiaries own manufacturing facilities in the country where they are located. The Company believes that its existing properties are in good condition and are suitable for the conduct of its business. At December 31, 2010, $1.4 million of indebtedness under capital leases was secured by property with a book value of $4.5 million.

In addition, the Company maintains operating leases for many of its distribution centers and sales offices throughout the world. See Note 13 to the Company's consolidated financial statements for information regarding the Company's lease commitments.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company is subject, from time to time, to a variety of civil and administrative proceedings arising out of its normal operations, including, without limitation, product liability claims and health, safety and environmental claims. Among such proceedings are the cases described below.

At December 31, 2010, the Company was a co-defendant in cases alleging asbestos induced illness involving claims by approximately 16,865 plaintiffs, which is a net increase of 23 claims from those previously reported. In each instance, the Company is one of a large number of defendants. The asbestos claimants seek compensatory and punitive damages, in most cases for unspecified sums. Since January 1, 1995, the Company has been a co-defendant in other similar cases that have been resolved as follows: 38,968 of those claims were dismissed, 17 were tried to defense verdicts, seven were tried to plaintiff verdicts (two of which are being appealed), one was resolved by agreement for an immaterial amount and 573 were decided in favor of the Company following summary judgment motions.

At December 31, 2010, the Company was a co-defendant in cases alleging manganese induced illness involving claims by approximately 1,975 plaintiffs, which is a net decrease of 200 claims from those previously reported. In each instance, the Company is one of a large number of defendants. The claimants in cases alleging manganese induced illness seek compensatory and punitive damages, in most cases for unspecified sums. The claimants allege that exposure to manganese contained in welding consumables caused the plaintiffs to develop adverse neurological conditions, including a condition known as manganism. At December 31, 2010, cases involving 929 claimants were filed in or transferred to federal court where the Judicial Panel on MultiDistrict Litigation has consolidated these cases for pretrial proceedings in the Northern District of Ohio. Since January 1, 1995, the Company has been a co-defendant in similar cases that have been resolved as follows: 14,859 of those claims were dismissed, 23 were tried to defense verdicts in favor of the Company and five were tried to plaintiff verdicts (three of which were reversed on appeal and one of which has post-trial motions pending). In addition, 13 claims were resolved by agreement for immaterial amounts and one claim was decided in favor of the Company following a summary judgment motion. Finally, on December 9, 2010, the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed a plaintiff's verdict in another manganese case (which is included in the above totals).

On December 13, 2006, the Company filed a complaint in U.S. District Court (Northern District of Ohio) against Illinois Tool Works, Inc. seeking a declaratory judgment that eight patents owned by the defendant relating to certain inverter power sources have not and are not being infringed and that the subject patents are invalid. Illinois Tool Works filed a motion to dismiss this action, which the Court denied on June 21, 2007. On September 7, 2007, the Court stayed the litigation, referencing pending reexaminations before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. On June 17, 2008, the Company filed a motion to amend its pleadings in the foregoing matter to include several additional counts, including specific allegations of fraud on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with respect to portable professional welding machines and resulting monopoly power in that market.

ITEM 4. (REMOVED AND RESERVED)

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

The Company's common shares are traded on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "LECO." The number of record holders of common shares at December 31, 2010 was 1,694.

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The total amount of dividends paid in 2010 was $47.4 million. During 2010, dividends were paid quarterly on January 15, April 15, July 15 and October 15.

Quarterly high and low stock prices and dividends declared for the last two years were:

Issuer purchases of equity securities for the fourth quarter 2010 were:

(1)

The Company's Board of Directors authorized share repurchase programs for up to 15 million shares of the Company's common stock. Total shares purchased through the share repurchase programs were 11,918,507 shares at a cost of $314.2 million for a weighted average cost of $26.36 per share through December 31, 2010.

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The following line graph compares the yearly percentage change in the cumulative total shareholder return on the Company's common stock against the cumulative total return of the S&P Composite 500 Stock Index ("S&P 500") and the S&P 400 MidCap Index ("S&P 400") for the five-year calendar period commencing January 1, 2006 and ending December 31, 2010. This graph assumes that $100 was invested on December 31, 2005 in each of the Conpany's common stock, the S&P 500 and the S&P 400. A peer-group index for the welding industry, in general, was not readily available because the industry is comprised of a large number of privately held competitors and competitors that are relatively small entities of large publicly traded companies.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

Results for 2010 include net rationalization gains of $384 ($894 after-tax). The Company's rationalization activities to align its business to current market conditions resulted in net gains of $3,684 ($3,725 after-tax) related to the sale of property and asset disposals, impairment charges of $883 ($801 after-tax) and $2,417 ($2,030 after-tax) in rationalization charges. Results also include a net charge of $3,123 ($3,560 after-tax) related to the change of functional currency and devaluation of the Venezuelan currency, income of $5,092 was recognized due to an adjustment in tax liabilities for a change in applicable tax regulations in the Asia Pacific Welding segment, a gain of $108 after-tax in noncontrolling interests related to the impairment of assets for a majority-owned consolidated subsidiary and a charge of $1,890 after-tax in noncontrolling interests related to gains on the disposal of assets in a majority-owned consolidated subsidiary.

Results for 2009 include net rationalization and asset impairment charges of $29,897 ($23,789 after-tax). The Company's rationalization activities to align the business to current market conditions resulted in charges of $26,957 ($21,529 after-tax) and impairment charges of $2,940 ($2,260 after-tax) for certain indefinite-lived intangible assets. Results also include a loss of $7,943 ($7,943 after-tax) associated with the acquisition of a business in China and the related disposal of an interest in Taiwan, a pension settlement gain of $2,144 ($2,144 after-tax), a charge of $601 after-tax in noncontrolling interests associated with the pension settlement gain for a majority-owned consolidated subsidiary, and a gain on the sale of a property by the Company's joint venture in Turkey of $5,667 ($5,667 after-tax).

Results for 2008 include a charge of $2,447 ($1,698 after-tax) relating to the Company's rationalization programs that began in the fourth quarter 2008 designed to align the business to current market conditions. Results for 2008 also include $16,924 ($16,615 after-tax) in asset impairment charges including $13,194 of goodwill and $2,388 of long-lived assets related to two businesses in China (with no tax benefit) as well as an impairment charge of $1,342 ($1,033 after-tax) for intangible assets in North America and Europe.

Results for 2007 include a net gain of $188 ($107 after-tax) relating to the Company's rationalization programs.

Results for 2006 include a charge of $3,478 ($3,478 after-tax) relating to the Company's rationalization programs and a gain of $9,006 ($7,204 after-tax) on the sale of a facility in Ireland.

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

This Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations should be read together with "Selected Financial Data," the Company's consolidated financial statements and other financial information included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. See "Item 1A. Risk Factors" for more information regarding forward-looking statements.

General

The Company is the world's largest designer and manufacturer of arc welding and cutting products, manufacturing a broad line of arc welding equipment, consumable welding products and other welding and cutting products.

The Company is one of only a few worldwide broad-line manufacturers of welding and cutting products. Welding products include arc welding power sources, wire feeding systems, robotic welding packages, fume extraction equipment, consumable electrodes and fluxes. The Company's product offering also includes regulators and torches used in oxy-fuel welding and cutting. In addition, the Company has a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market.

The Company invests in the research and development of arc welding products in order to continue its market leading product offering. The Company continues to invest in technologies that improve the quality and productivity of welding products. In addition, the Company continues to actively increase its patent application process in order to secure its technology advantage in the United States and other major international jurisdictions. The Company believes its significant investment in research and development and its highly trained technical sales force coupled with its extensive distributor network provide a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

The Company's products are sold in both domestic and international markets. In North America, products are sold principally through industrial distributors, retailers and also directly to users of welding products. Outside of North America, the Company has an international sales organization comprised of Company employees and agents who sell products from the Company's various manufacturing sites to distributors and product users.

The Company's major end-user markets include:

•

general metal fabrication,

•

power generation and process industry,

•

structural steel construction (buildings and bridges),

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heavy equipment fabrication (farming, mining and rail),

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shipbuilding,

•

automotive,

•

pipe mills and pipelines, and

•

offshore oil and gas exploration and extraction.

The Company has, through wholly-owned subsidiaries or joint ventures, manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia,Turkey, United Kingdom and Venezuela.

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The Company has aligned its business units into five operating segments to enhance the utilization of the Company's worldwide resources and global sourcing initiatives. The operating segments consist of North America Welding, Europe Welding, Asia Pacific Welding, South America Welding and The Harris Products Group. The North America Welding segment includes welding operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The other three welding segments include welding operations in Europe, Asia Pacific and South America, respectively. The fifth segment, The Harris Products Group, includes the Company's global cutting, soldering and brazing businesses as well as the retail business in the United States. See Note 3 to the Company's consolidated financial statements for segment and geographic area information.

The principal raw materials essential to the Company's business are steel, electronic components, engines, brass, copper, silver, aluminum alloys and various chemicals, all of which are normally available for purchase in the open market.

The Company's facilities are subject to environmental regulations. To date, compliance with these environmental regulations has not had a material adverse effect on the Company's earnings. The Company is ISO 9001 certified at nearly all facilities worldwide. In addition, the Company is ISO 14001 certified at most significant manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe and is working to gain certification at its remaining facilities worldwide.

Key Indicators

Key economic measures relevant to the Company include industrial production trends, steel consumption, purchasing manager indices, capacity utilization within durable goods manufacturers and consumer confidence indicators. Key industries which provide a relative indication of demand drivers to the Company include steel, farm machinery and equipment, construction and transportation, fabricated metals, electrical equipment, ship and boat building, defense, truck manufacturing, energy and railroad equipment. Although these measures provide key information on trends relevant to the Company, the Company does not have available a more direct correlation of leading indicators which can provide a forward-looking view of demand levels in the markets which ultimately use the Company's welding products.

Key operating measures utilized by the operating units to manage the Company include orders, sales, inventory and fill-rates, all of which provide key indicators of business trends. These measures are reported on various cycles including daily, weekly and monthly depending on the needs established by operating management.

Key financial measures utilized by the Company's executive management and operating units in order to evaluate the results of its business and in understanding key variables impacting the current and future results of the Company include: sales; gross profit; selling, general and administrative expenses; operating income; earnings before interest and taxes; earnings before interest, taxes and bonus; net income; adjusted operating income; adjusted net income; adjusted diluted earnings per share; operating cash flows; and capital expenditures, including applicable ratios such as return on invested capital and average operating working capital to sales. These measures are reviewed at monthly, quarterly and annual intervals and compared with historical periods, as well as objectives established by the Board of Directors of the Company.

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Results of Operations

The following table shows the Company's results of operations:

2010 Compared with 2009

Net Sales: The table below summarizes the impacts of volume, acquisition, price and foreign currency exchange rates on Net sales for the twelve months ended December 31, 2010:

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