NOVANTA INC - Annual Report: 2017 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

Or

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission File No. 001-35083

Novanta Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(781) 266-5700

(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  ☑    No  ☐

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

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K 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. ☑ 

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. (Check one):

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 is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No   ☑

The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s outstanding common shares held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, based on the closing price of the common shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter (June 30, 2017) was $1,021,670,127. For purposes of this disclosure, common shares held by officers and directors of the Registrant and by persons who hold more than 10% of the Registrant’s outstanding common shares have been excluded because such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily conclusive.

As of February 23, 2018, there were 34,596,971 of the Registrant’s common shares, no par value, issued and outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement for the Registrant’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders scheduled to be held on May 10, 2018 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission are incorporated by reference in answer to Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

NOVANTA INC.

FORM 10-K

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

As used in this report, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “Novanta,” “NOVT” and the “Company” mean Novanta Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates another meaning.

Unless otherwise noted, all dollar amounts in this report are expressed in United States dollars.

The following brand and trade names of Novanta Inc. are used in this report: Cambridge Technology, Lincoln Laser, ExoTec Precision, Synrad, Laser Quantum, WOM, Lemke, NDS, NDSsi, Reach Technology, JADAK, Skyetek, ThingMagic, Photo Research, General Scanning, Celera Motion, MicroE, Applimotion and Westwind.

PART I

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are forward looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that, if they never materialize or if they prove incorrect, could cause our consolidated results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. The Company makes such forward looking statements under the provision of the “Safe Harbor” section of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual future results may vary materially from those projected, anticipated, or indicated in any forward looking statements as a result of various important factors, including those set forth in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the heading “Risk Factors.” Readers should also carefully review the risk factors described in the other documents that we file with the SEC from time to time. In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “future,” “could,” “estimates,” “plans,” “would,” “should,” “potential,” “continues” and similar words or expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) identify forward looking statements. Forward looking statements also include the assumptions underlying or relating to any of the forward looking statements. The forward looking statements contained in this Annual Report include, but are not limited to, statements related to: our belief that the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) may provide an indication of the impact of general economic conditions on our sales into the advanced industrial end market; anticipated financial performance; expected liquidity and capitalization; drivers of revenue growth and our growth expectations in various markets; management’s plans and objectives for future operations, expenditures and product development, and investments in research and development; business prospects; potential of future product releases and expansion of our product and service offerings; anticipated revenue performance; industry trends; market conditions; our competitive positions; changes in economic and political conditions; changes in accounting principles; changes in actual or assumed tax liabilities; expectations regarding tax exposures; anticipated reinvestment of future earnings and dividend policy; anticipated expenditures in regard to the Company’s benefit plans; future acquisitions, integration and anticipated benefits from acquisitions and dispositions; ability to repay our indebtedness; our intentions regarding the use of cash; expectations regarding legal and regulatory environmental requirements and our compliance thereto; and other statements that are not historical facts. All forward looking statements included in this document are based on information available to us on the date hereof. We will not undertake and specifically decline any obligation to update any forward looking statements, except as required under applicable law.

Item 1. Business

Overview

Novanta Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as the “Company”, “Novanta”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is a global supplier of core technology solutions that give healthcare and advanced industrial original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) a competitive advantage. Novanta combines deep proprietary technology expertise and competencies in photonics, vision and precision motion with a proven ability to solve complex technical challenges. This enables Novanta to engineer core components and sub-systems that deliver extreme precision and performance, tailored to customers' demanding applications.

Novanta Inc. was founded and initially incorporated in Massachusetts in 1968 as General Scanning, Inc. (“General Scanning”). In 1999, General Scanning merged with Lumonics Inc. The post-merger entity, GSI Lumonics Inc., continued under the laws of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. In 2005, the Company changed its name to GSI Group Inc. Through a series of strategic divestitures and acquisitions, the Company transformed from a focus on the semiconductor industry to primarily selling components and sub-systems to OEMs in the medical and advanced industrial markets. The Company changed its name to Novanta Inc. in May 2016.

Strategy

Our strategy is to drive sustainable, profitable growth through short-term and long-term initiatives, including:

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Acquisitions

We continuously evaluate our business mix and financial performance. Since 2013, we have executed a series of acquisitions in line with our strategy.

In July 2017, the Company acquired W.O.M. World of Medicine GmbH (“WOM”), a Berlin, Germany-based provider of medical insufflators, pumps and related disposables for OEMs in the minimally invasive surgery market, for a total purchase price of €118.1 million ($134.9 million).

In January 2017, the Company acquired an additional approximately 35% of the outstanding shares of Laser Quantum Limited (“Laser Quantum”), a Manchester, United Kingdom-based provider of solid state continuous wave lasers, femtosecond lasers, and optical light engines to OEMs in the medical market, for a total purchase price of £25.5 million ($31.1 million). As a result of the acquisition of these additional shares, the Company’s equity ownership percentage increased from approximately 41% to approximately 76%.

In January 2017, the Company acquired ThingMagic, a Woburn, Massachusetts-based provider of ultra-high frequency (“UHF”) radio frequency identification (“RFID”) modules and finished RFID readers to OEMs in the medical and advanced industrial markets, for a total purchase price of $19.1 million.

In May 2016, the Company acquired Reach Technology Inc., a Fremont, California-based provider of embedded touch screen technology solutions to OEMs in the medical and advanced industrial markets, for a total purchase price of $9.4 million.

In December 2015, the Company acquired all assets and certain liabilities of Skyetek Inc., a Denver, Colorado-based provider of embedded and standalone RFID solutions for OEM customers in the medical and advanced industrial markets, for a total purchase price of $2.8 million.

In November 2015, the Company acquired certain assets and liabilities of Lincoln Laser Company, a Phoenix, Arizona-based provider of ultrafast precision polygon scanners and other optical scanning solutions for the medical and advanced industrial markets, for a total purchase price of $12.1 million.

In February 2015, the Company acquired Applimotion Inc., a Loomis, California-based provider of advanced precision motor and motion control technology to OEM customers in the medical and advanced industrial markets, for a total purchase price of $14.0 million.

In March 2014, the Company acquired JADAK LLC, JADAK Technologies Inc. and Advance Data Capture Corporation (together, “JADAK”), a North Syracuse, New York-based provider of optical data collection and machine vision technologies to OEM medical device manufacturers, for a total purchase price of $93.7 million.

In January 2013, the Company acquired NDS Surgical Imaging LLC (“NDS”), a San Jose, California-based company that designs, manufactures, and markets high definition visualization solutions and imaging informatics products for the surgical, radiology and patient monitoring market segments, for a total purchase price of $75.4 million.

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Divestitures and Product Rationalization

As part of our ongoing evaluation of our business mix and financial performance, we also review our business for potential divestitures and product rationalizations. Since 2011, we have executed a series of divestitures and product rationalizations in line with our strategy.

In January 2016, the Company discontinued its radiology products, sold under the Dome brand name and operated within the Company’s Visualization Solutions product line. Total revenue from these products was approximately zero, $1.4 million and $9.4 million in 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively.

In June 2015, the Company divested its 50% owned joint venture in India, Excel Laser Technology Private Limited, for net cash proceeds of $0.2 million.

In April 2015, the Company completed the sale of its fiber laser business, operated under the JK Lasers brand name, for $29.6 million in cash.

In July 2014, the Company completed the sale of its Scientific Lasers business, operated under the Continuum and Quantronix brand names, for $6.5 million in cash.

In May 2013, the Company sold its Semiconductor Systems business, operated under the GSI Group brand name, for $9.7 million in cash.

In October 2012, the Company sold its Lasers Systems business, operated under the Control Laser and Baublys brand names, for $6.6 million in cash.

Segments

The Company evaluates the performance of, and allocates resources to, its segments based on revenue, gross profit and operating profit. The Company’s reportable segments have been identified based on commonality and adjacency of technologies, applications, and customers amongst the Company’s individual product lines.

The following table shows the external revenues, gross profit margin and operating profit for each of the segments for the year ended December 31, 2017 (dollars in thousands):

See Note 18 to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional financial information about the Company’s reportable segments.

Photonics

The Photonics segment designs, manufactures and markets photonics-based solutions, including laser scanning and laser beam delivery, CO2 laser, continuous wave and ultrafast laser, and optical light engine products to customers worldwide. The segment serves highly demanding photonics-based applications such as industrial material processing, metrology, medical and life science imaging, DNA sequencing, and medical laser procedures. The vast majority of the segment’s product offerings are sold to OEM customers. The segment sells these products both directly, utilizing a highly technical sales force, and indirectly, through resellers and distributors.

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The Photonics segment is comprised of four product lines:

Vision

The Vision segment designs, manufactures and markets a range of medical grade technologies, including medical insufflators, pumps and related disposables; surgical displays and operating room integration technologies; optical data collection and machine vision technologies; radio frequency identification (“RFID”) technologies; thermal printers; spectrometry technologies, and embedded

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touch screen solutions. The vast majority of the segment’s product offerings are sold to OEM customers. The segment sells these products both directly, utilizing a highly technical sales force, and indirectly, through resellers and distributors.

The Vision segment has ten product lines:

Precision Motion

The Precision Motion segment designs, manufactures and markets optical encoders, precision motor and motion control technology, air bearing spindles and precision machined components to customers worldwide. The vast majority of the segment’s product offerings are sold to OEM customers. The segment sells these products both directly, utilizing a highly technical sales force, and indirectly, through resellers and distributors.

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The Precision Motion segment includes four product lines:

End Markets

We primarily operate in two end markets: the advanced industrial market and the medical market.

Advanced Industrial Market

For the year ended December 31, 2017, the advanced industrial market accounted for approximately 50% of the Company’s revenue. Revenue from our products sold to the advanced industrial market is affected by a number of factors, including changing technology requirements and preferences of our customers, productivity or quality investments in a manufacturing environment, the financial condition of our customers, changes in regulatory requirements and laws, and general economic conditions. We believe that the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) on manufacturing activities specific to different regions around the world may provide an indication of the impact of general economic conditions on our sales into the advanced industrial market.

Medical Market

For the year ended December 31, 2017, the medical market accounted for approximately 50% of the Company’s revenue. Our revenue from products sold to the medical market is generally affected by hospital and other health care provider capital spending, changes in regulatory requirements and laws, aggregation of purchasing by healthcare networks, trends in surgical procedures, changes in technology requirements, changes in customer or patient preferences, and general demographic trends.

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Working Capital Requirements

There are no special inventory requirements or credit terms extended to customers that would have a material adverse effect on our working capital.

Customers

We have a diverse group of customers that include companies that are global leaders in their industries. Many of our customers participate in several market industries. No customer accounted for greater than 10% of our consolidated revenue during the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 or 2015.

Customers of our Photonics, Vision, and Precision Motion segments include a large number of OEM customers who integrate our products into their systems for sale to end users. We also sell directly to end users. Our customers include leaders in the medical and advanced industrial markets. A typical OEM customer will usually evaluate our products and our ability to provide application knowledge and expertise, post-sales application support and services, supply chain management over long durations, manufacturing capabilities, product quality, global presence, and product customization before deciding to incorporate our products into their products or systems. Customers generally choose suppliers based on a number of factors, including product performance, reliability, application support, price, breadth of the supplier’s product offerings, the financial condition of the supplier, and the geographical coverage offered by the supplier. Once certain of our products have been designed into a given OEM customer’s product or system, there are generally significant barriers to subsequent supplier changes, especially in the medical market.

Seasonality

While our revenues are not highly seasonal on a consolidated basis, the revenues of some of our individual product lines, particularly our visualization solutions, imaging informatics, and thermal printer products, are impacted in the first and fourth quarters by seasonality due to hospital budgeting cycles.

Backlog

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, our consolidated backlog was approximately $187.1 million and $115.0 million, respectively. The majority of orders included in backlog represent open orders for products and services that, based on management’s projections, have a reasonable probability of being delivered over the subsequent twelve month period. Orders included in backlog may be canceled or rescheduled by customers without significant penalty. Management believes that backlog is not a meaningful indicator of future business prospects for any of our business segments due to the short lead time required on our products and the ability of customers to reschedule or cancel orders. Therefore, backlog as of any particular date should not be relied upon as indicative of our revenues for any future period.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing functions are performed internally when we choose to maintain control over critical portions of the production process or for cost related reasons while some of the less critical portions are outsourced to third parties. To the extent it makes financial sense, we will consider outsourcing additional portions of the production process.

Products offered by our Photonics segment are manufactured at facilities in Bedford, Massachusetts; Mukilteo, Washington; Phoenix, Arizona; Taunton and Manchester, United Kingdom; and Suzhou, China. Products offered by our Vision segment are manufactured at facilities in Syracuse, New York; San Jose, California; and Ludwigsstadt, Germany. Products offered by our Precision Motion segment are primarily manufactured at facilities in Bedford, Massachusetts; Loomis, California; Poole, United Kingdom; and Suzhou, China.

Many of our products are manufactured under ISO 9001 certification, while the majority of our products manufactured for the medical market are manufactured under ISO 13485 certification. Our medical insufflators, pumps, cameras and accessories products are also manufactured under ISO 14001 certification. Certain visualization solutions, thermal printers and imaging informatics products are manufactured under current good manufacturing practices (CGMPs), which is a requirement of their medical device classification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”). In addition, certain visualization solutions, thermal printers, imaging informatics and medical insufflators, pumps, cameras and accessories products are manufactured under section 510(k) of the FDA.

Research and Development and Engineering

We incur research and development and engineering expenses as part of our ongoing operations. We are strongly committed to research and development for core technology programs directed at creating new products, product enhancements, increasing our

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addressable market, and new applications for existing products. We are also committed to funding research into future market opportunities. Our markets have experienced rapid technological changes and product innovations. We believe that continued timely development of new products and product enhancements to serve existing and new markets is necessary for us to remain competitive. Research and development and engineering expenses were $41.7 million, or 8.0% of revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2017, compared to $32.0 million, or 8.3% of revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2016 and $31.0 million, or 8.3% of revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2015.

Marketing, Sales and Distribution

We sell our products globally, primarily through our direct sales force. Sales outside of the United States are largely based on a direct sales force, but occasionally are sold through distributors, including manufacturers’ representatives, to either augment our selling effort or serve a local market where we have no direct sales force. Our local sales, applications, and service teams and our distributors work closely with our customers to ensure customer satisfaction with our products. We have sales and service centers located in the United States, Europe and Asia.

To support our sales efforts, we maintain and continue to invest in a number of application centers around the world, where our application experts work closely with customers on integrating and using our solutions in their equipment. We currently maintain several service and application centers in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Competition

The markets in which we compete are dynamic and highly competitive. Due to the wide range of our products, we face many different types of competition and competitors. This affects our ability to sell our products and the prices at which these products are sold. Our competitors range from large foreign and domestic organizations, which produce a comprehensive array of goods and services and may have greater financial and other resources than we do, to small firms producing a limited number of goods or services for specialized market segments.

Competitive factors in our Photonics, Vision, and Precision Motion segments include product performance, price, quality and reliability, features, compatibility of products with existing systems, technical support, product breadth, market presence, on-time delivery and our overall reputation. We believe that our products offer a number of competitive advantages. However, some of our competitors are substantially larger and have greater financial and other resources.

Raw Materials, Components and Supplies

Each of our businesses uses a wide variety of raw materials, key components and parts that are generally available from alternative sources of supply and in adequate quantities from domestic and foreign sources. In some instances, we design and/or re-engineer the parts and components used in our products. For certain critical raw materials, key components and parts used in the production of some of our principal products, we have identified only a limited number of suppliers or, in some instances, a single source of supply. We also rely on a limited number of independent contractors to manufacture subassemblies for some of our products.

For a further discussion of the importance and risks associated with our supply chain, see applicable risk factors under Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Patents and Intellectual Property

We rely upon a combination of copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secret laws and restrictions on disclosure to protect our intellectual property rights. We hold a number of registered and pending patents in the United States and other countries. In addition, we also have trademarks registered in the United States and other countries. We will continue to actively pursue applications for new patents and trademarks as we deem appropriate. However, there can be no assurance that any other patents will be issued to us or that such patents, if and when issued, will provide any protection or benefit to us.

Although we believe that our patents and pending patent applications are important, we rely upon several additional factors that are essential to our business success, including: market position, technological innovation, know-how, application knowledge and product performance. Considering the diversified nature of our businesses, we do not believe that any individual patent is material to our business as a whole. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to sustain these advantages.

We also protect our proprietary rights by controlling access to our proprietary information and by maintaining confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, and certain customers and suppliers. For a further discussion of the importance of risks associated with our intellectual property rights, see applicable risk factors under Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Human Resources

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, we employed 2,034 and 1,269 employees, respectively. We also utilize temporary and contract personnel that are not included in these headcount numbers. Employee headcount increased in 2017 mainly due to acquisitions during the year.

Geographic Information

We are a multinational company with approximately 58% of our 2017 revenue outside the United States and approximately 52% of our net property, plant and equipment outside the United States as of December 31, 2017. Geographic information is discussed in Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. For a further discussion of the risks associated with our foreign operations, see applicable risk factors under Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Government Regulation

Our current and contemplated activities and the products and processes that will result from such activities are subject to substantial government regulations, both in the United States and internationally. Most of our production facilities are subject to various federal, state, local, and/or foreign environmental regulations, related to the use, storage, handling, and disposals of regulated materials, chemicals, and certain waste products. Such rules are subject to change by the governing agencies and we monitor those changes closely. We expect all operations to meet the legal and regulatory environmental requirements. Although we believe that our safety procedures for using, handling, storing and disposing of such materials comply with the standards required by federal and state laws and regulations, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials.

We may face increasing complexity in our product designs and procurement operations due to the evolving nature of product compliance standards. Those standards may impact the material composition of our products entering specific markets. Such regulations went into effect in the European Union (“EU”) in 2006 (“The Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive” (“RoHS”)) and in 2007 (“Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals” (“REACH”)), and in China in 2007 (“Management Methods for Controlling Pollution Caused by Electronic Information Products Regulation” (“China-RoHS”)).

Our capital expenditures, earnings, and competitive position have not been, and are not expected to be materially affected by our compliance with federal, state, and local environmental provisions which have been enacted or adopted to regulate the distribution of materials into the environment.

United States Food and Drug Administration

Certain products manufactured by us are integrated into systems by our customers that are subject to certain regulations administered by the United States Food and Drug Administration. We must comply with certain quality control measurements in order for our products to be effectively used in our customers’ end products. Non-compliance with quality control measurements could result in loss of business with our customers, fines and penalties.

We are subject to certain medical device regulations. Medical devices are subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by the Food and Drug Administration and by other federal, state and local authorities. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and related regulations govern the conditions of safety, efficacy, clearance, approval, manufacturing, quality system requirements, labeling, packaging, distribution, storage, recordkeeping, reporting, marketing, advertising, and promotion of products. Non-compliance with applicable requirements can result in, among other things, fines, injunctions, civil penalties, recall or seizure of products, total or partial suspension of production, refusal by the government to grant premarket clearance or approval of products, withdrawal of clearances and approvals, and criminal prosecution.

Other Information

We maintain a website with the address www.novanta.com. We are not including the information contained on our website as part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. 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 these reports as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file these materials with, or otherwise furnish them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In addition, our reports and other information are filed with securities commissions or other similar authorities in Canada, and are available over the Internet at www.sedar.com.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

The following risk factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows and could cause the market value of our common shares to fluctuate or decline. These risk factors may not include all of the

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important factors that could affect our business or that could cause our future financial results to differ materially from historic or expected results or cause the market price of our common shares to fluctuate or decline.

Risks Relating to our Business

Our results of operations could be adversely affected by economic and political conditions and the effects of these conditions on our customers’ businesses and levels of business activities.

A large portion of our product sales are dependent on our customers’ need for increased capacity, productivity and cost saving initiatives, improved product quality and performance, and new investments. Weaknesses in our end markets could negatively impact our revenue and gross margin and consequently have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. A severe and/or prolonged overall economic downturn or a negative or uncertain political climate could lead to weaknesses in our end markets and adversely affect our customers’ financial condition and the timing or levels of business activity of our customers and the industries we serve. In particular, moderate growth expectations in China, economic and political uncertainty as Britain negotiates withdrawal from the European Union, as well as political and economic uncertainty in the United States as a result of the current U.S. government could adversely impact our customers’ financial condition and ability to maintain product order levels in the future. This may reduce the demand for our products or depress pricing for our products and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Changes in global economic conditions could also shift demand for products or services for which we do not have competitive advantages. This could negatively affect the amount of business that we are able to obtain. In addition, if we are unable to successfully anticipate changes in economic and political conditions, we may be unable to effectively plan for and respond to those changes, and our business could be negatively affected.

Our business depends significantly upon our customers’ capital expenditures, which are subject to cyclical market fluctuations.

Certain sub-segments of the advanced industrial market that we serve, including the microelectronics and industrial capital equipment markets, are cyclical and have historically experienced periods of oversupply, resulting in downturns in demand for capital equipment in which many of our products are used. The timing, length and severity of these downturns and their impact on our business are difficult to predict. Further, our order levels or results of operations for a given period may not be indicative of order levels or results of operations for subsequent periods. For the foreseeable future, our operations will continue to depend upon industries that are subject to market cycles which, in turn, could adversely affect the market demand for our products.

We experienced significant cyclical end market fluctuations in the past. We cannot predict when slowdowns will recur or that the impact of such slowdowns will be more or less significant compared to historical fluctuations.

Our business success depends upon our ability to respond to fluctuations in product demand, but doing so may require us to incur costs despite limited visibility toward future business declines.

During a period of increasing demand and rapid growth, we must be able to increase manufacturing capacity quickly. Our inability to quickly increase production in response to a surge in demand could prompt customers to look for alternative sources of supply or leave our customers without a supply, both of which events could harm our reputation and make it difficult for us to retain our existing customers or to obtain new customers.

In periods of weak demand, we may be required to reduce costs while maintaining the ability to motivate and retain key employees at the same time. Additionally, to remain competitive, we must continually invest in research and development, which may inhibit our ability to reduce costs in a down cycle. Long product lead-times create a risk that we may purchase or manufacture inventories of products that we are unable to sell.

The success of our business depends on our ability to continuously innovate and to manage transitions to new product innovations.

Technology requirements in our markets are constantly advancing. We must continually introduce new products that meet evolving customer needs. Our ability to grow depends on the successful development, introduction and market acceptance of new or enhanced products that address our customers’ requirements. Developing new technology is a complex and uncertain process requiring us to accurately anticipate technological and market trends and meet those trends with the right products. Additionally, this requires that we manage the transition from older products to minimize disruption in customer ordering patterns, avoid excess inventory and ensure adequate supplies of new products. Failure to develop new products, failed market acceptance of new products or problems associated with new product transitions could harm our business.

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If we fail to introduce new products in a timely manner, we may lose market share and be unable to achieve revenue growth targets.

Our research and development efforts may not lead to the successful introduction of products within the time frame that our customers demand. Our competitors may introduce new or improved products, processes or technologies that make our current or proposed products obsolete or less competitive. We may encounter delays or problems in connection with our research and development efforts. Product development delays may result from numerous factors, including:

New products often take longer to develop, may have fewer features than originally considered desirable, and have higher costs than initially estimated. There may be difficulty in sourcing components for new products and delays in starting volume production. New products may also not be commercially successful. Any of these adverse developments could harm our business and our results of operations.

Customer order timing and other factors beyond our control may cause our operating results to fluctuate from period to period.

Changes in customer order timing and the existence of certain other factors beyond our control may cause our operating results to fluctuate from period to period. Such factors include:

We may receive several large orders in one quarter from a customer and then receive no orders from that customer in the next quarter. As a result, the timing of revenue recognition from customer orders can cause significant fluctuations in our operating results from quarter to quarter. In addition, our sales are reactive to changes in our customers’ businesses. For instance, a customer that placed a large order in one period could subsequently experience a downturn in business and, as a result, could cancel an order or reduce the amount of products it purchases from us in future periods.

A delay in a shipment near the end of a reporting period due to rescheduling or cancellation by customers or unexpected production delays experienced by us may cause revenue in the period to decline significantly and may have a material adverse effect on our operating results for that period.

We cannot predict how the market will react to new products introduced by us or to enhancements made to our existing products. If any of our new or enhanced products contain defects or perceived defects or have reliability, quality or compatibility problems or perceived problems, or if our competitors release similar products or enhancements at the same time that are more widely accepted by our customers, our revenue and results of operations for one or more reporting periods could be adversely affected.

In addition, we or our competitors may raise or lower prices of products in response to market demands or competitive pressures. If we lower the prices of our products, or if our competitors lower the prices of their products such that demand for our products weakens, our revenue for one or more quarters may decline and our operating results would be adversely affected.  Changes in foreign currency exchange rates can also cause significant fluctuations in our results of operations from quarter to quarter.

As a result of these factors, our results of operations for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected in future periods.

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If we experience a significant disruption in, or breach in security of, our information technology systems, our business may be adversely affected.

We rely on information technology systems throughout the Company to manage orders, process shipments to customers, manage inventory levels and maintain financial, customer and employee information. Certain events could result in the disruption of our systems, including power outages, computer attacks by hackers, viruses, catastrophes, hardware and software failures and other unforeseen events. If we were to experience a significant period of disruption in information technology systems that involve our interactions with customers or suppliers, it could result in the loss of revenue and customers as well as significant response and mitigation costs, which would adversely affect our business. In addition, security breaches of our information technology systems could result in the misappropriation or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information belonging to us or to our employees, partners, customers or suppliers, which could result in significant financial or reputational damage to us, as well as litigation, regulatory enforcement action, or other liability risks that could lead to substantial damages, fines, penalties and legal costs. The regulatory environment with regard to cybersecurity, privacy and data protection issues is increasingly challenging and may impact the Company’s business, including increased risk, costs and expanded compliance obligations. In particular, as we increase our presence in the European Union, our operations will increasingly be subject to the European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation, effective in May 2018, which will impose a host of new data privacy and security requirements on companies doing business in the European Union and substantial penalties for non-compliance.

As we transact a portion of our sales, and maintain significant cash balances, in foreign currencies, changes in interest rates, credit ratings or foreign currency rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

A portion of our revenue is derived from our European and Asian operations and includes transactions in Euros, British Pounds and Japanese Yen, while our products are mainly manufactured in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and China. In the event of a decline in the value of the Euro, British Pounds or Japanese Yen, we would typically experience a decline in our revenues and profit margins. If we increase the selling prices on our products sold in Europe and Asia in order to maintain profit margins and recover costs, we may lose customer sales to lower cost competitors.

Additionally, balances maintained in foreign currencies create additional financial exposure to changing foreign currency rates. If foreign currency rates were to change rapidly, we could incur material losses. While we use foreign currency contracts and other risk management techniques to hedge our foreign currency exposure, we cannot be certain that our efforts will be adequate to protect us against significant foreign currency fluctuations or that such efforts will not expose us to additional exchange rate risks.

Our reliance on international operations in foreign countries subjects us to risks not typically faced by companies operating exclusively in the United States.

During the year ended December 31, 2017, approximately 58% of our revenues were derived from operations and customers outside of the United States. The scope of our international operations subjects us to risks which could materially impact our results of operations, including:

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We also are subject to risks that our operations outside the United States could be conducted by our employees, contractors, service providers, representatives or agents in ways that violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other similar anti-bribery laws. Any such violations could have a negative impact on our business and could result in government investigations and/or injunctive, monetary or other penalties. Moreover, our anti-bribery policy and procedures may be violated by third-party sales representatives or other agents that help sell our products or provide other services. Such representatives or agents are not our employees and it may be more difficult to oversee their conduct.

Increased outsourcing of components manufacturing to manufacturers outside the United States leads to additional risks that could negatively impact our business.

We are increasingly outsourcing the manufacture of subassemblies to suppliers based in China and elsewhere overseas in order to reduce our manufacturing cost. However, economic, political or trade problems with foreign countries could substantially impact our ability to obtain critical parts needed in the timely manufacture of our products, or could substantially increase the costs of these parts. Additionally, this practice increases our vulnerability to the theft of, and reduced protection for, our intellectual property.

Our global operations are subject to extensive and complex import and export rules that vary among the legal jurisdictions in which we operate. Failure to comply with these rules could result in substantial penalties.

Due to the international scope of our operations, we are subject to a complex system of import and export related laws and regulations, including U.S. export control and customs regulations and customs regulations of other countries. These regulations are complex and vary among the legal jurisdictions in which we operate. Any alleged or actual failure to comply with such regulations may subject us to government scrutiny, investigation and civil and criminal penalties, and may limit our ability to import or export our products or to provide services outside the United States. Any of these penalties could have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Additionally, the United Kingdom is likely to implement new import and export rules as part of the process of exiting the European Union. There will likely be new costs of compliance associated with such rules, as well as the additional risk of penalties for failure to comply.

The United Kingdom’s plan for withdrawal from the European Union and the actions of the current U.S. government may have a negative effect on global economic conditions, financial markets and our business, which could reduce the price of our common shares.

We are a multinational company with worldwide operations, including business operations and investments in the United Kingdom, Europe, Germany and China. In March 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom formally began the process of withdrawing the United Kingdom from the European Union, following the June 2016 referendum in which a majority of voters in the United Kingdom supported such withdrawal. The terms of the withdrawal are subject to a negotiation period that could last at least until March 2019. The announcement has created significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, and has given rise to calls for the governments of other European Union member states to consider withdrawal. If the United Kingdom and the European Union are unable to negotiate acceptable withdrawal terms or if other European Union member states pursue withdrawal, barrier-free access between the United Kingdom and other European Union member states or among the European economic area overall could be diminished or eliminated.  These developments in turn may inhibit our sales of products, mobility of our personnel, and our access to capital.

The policies of the current U.S. government regarding U.S. trade, tax and health care policies, among other things, have led to substantial uncertainty in global financial markets. The current U.S. government has withdrawn the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, is attempting to re-negotiate North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) and has made various comments suggesting the possible re-negotiation of, or withdrawal from, other trade agreements and the potential imposition of new import barriers. The current U.S. government has also enacted comprehensive tax law reform, which may result in additional tax on payments to foreign subsidiaries, limitations on tax deductions for interest expenses, or changes in foreign income taxation for multinational companies. The current U.S. government has also attempted to repeal the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “PPACA”), and may continue to seek repeal of the PPACA. These developments and the lack of clarity regarding future U.S. tax, trade and health care policies have created significant uncertainty that could have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any major changes in these policies could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and reduce the price of our common shares. Because of the global nature of our business, and our strategy to increase our sales to the medical market, our business may be particularly impacted by any major changes in U.S. trade, tax and health care policies.

Others may violate our intellectual property rights and cause us to incur significant costs to protect our rights.

Our future success depends in part upon our intellectual property rights, including trade secrets, know-how and continuing technological innovation. We do not have personnel dedicated to the oversight, organization and management of our intellectual property. There can be no assurance that the steps we take to protect our intellectual property rights will be adequate to prevent

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misappropriation or disclosure. It is possible that, despite our efforts, other parties may use, obtain or try to copy our technology and products. There can be no assurance that other companies are not investigating or developing other technologies similar to ours, that any patents will be issued from any application filed by us, or that, if patents are issued, the claims allowed will be sufficient to deter or prohibit others from marketing similar products. In addition, our patents may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented in a legal or administrative proceeding. Policing unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights is difficult and time consuming and may involve initiating claims or litigation against third parties for infringement of our proprietary rights, which could be costly.

Our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights against infringement may not be effective in some foreign countries where we operate or sell our products. If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property in these countries, we may lose significant business to our competitors.

Our operating results would suffer if we are unable to successfully defend against infringement claims by third parties.

We have received in the past, and could receive in the future, notices from third parties alleging that our products infringe patent or other proprietary rights. These allegations could result in significant costs and diversion of the attention of management. In the event that any third party makes a valid claim against us or our customers and a license is not available to us on commercially reasonable terms, our operating results would be adversely affected. Adverse consequences may also apply if we fail to avoid litigation for infringement or misappropriation of proprietary rights of third parties. If a successful claim were brought against us and we are found to have infringed a third-party’s intellectual property rights, we could be required to pay substantial amounts for damages or be enjoined from using the technology deemed to be infringing, or from using, making or selling products deemed to be infringing. If we have supplied infringing products to third parties, we may be obligated to indemnify these third parties for any damages that they may be required to pay to the patent holder and for any losses that they may sustain as a result of the infringement.

We operate in highly competitive industries and, if we lose competitive advantages, our business would suffer adverse consequences.

Some of our competition comes from established competitors that have greater financial, engineering, manufacturing and marketing resources than we do. Our competitors will continue to improve the design and performance of their existing products and introduce new products. It is possible that we may not successfully differentiate our current and proposed products from the products of our competitors, or that the marketplace will not consider our products to be superior to competing products. To remain competitive, we will be required to invest heavily in research and development, marketing and customer service and support. However, we may not be able to make the necessary technological advances to maintain our competitive position and our products may not receive market acceptance. These factors would cause us not to be able to compete successfully in the future. Increased competition may also result in price reductions, reduced profit margins, loss of market share and an inability to generate cash flows that are sufficient to maintain or expand our new product development programs.

Our results of operations will be adversely affected if we fail to successfully integrate future acquisitions or to grow the acquired businesses.

As part of our business strategy, we expect to broaden our product and service offerings by acquiring businesses, technologies, assets and product lines that, we believe, complement or expand our existing businesses. In recent years, we have made a number of acquisitions, including the acquisitions of W.O.M. World of Medicine GmbH and Laser Quantum Limited in 2017, and we expect to continue to make acquisitions in the future. We may fail to successfully identify appropriate acquisition candidates or integrate acquired businesses, products, technologies or personnel into our businesses and, as a result, may fail to realize the synergies, cost savings and other benefits expected from the acquisitions. If we are not able to successfully achieve these objectives, the anticipated benefits of such acquisitions may not be realized fully or at all, and our results of operations could be adversely affected. As a result of the number of recent and expected future acquisitions in a relatively short amount of time, these risks may be heightened due to limited resources available to integrate these new businesses.

Further, our ability to maintain and increase profitability of an acquired business will depend on our ability to manage and control operating expenses and to generate and sustain increased levels of revenue. Our expectations to achieve more consistent and predictable levels of revenue and to increase profitability as a result of any acquisition may not be realized. Such revenues and profitability may even decline as we integrate operations into our businesses. If revenues of acquired businesses grow more slowly than we anticipate or decline, or if their operating expenses are higher than we expect, we may not be able to sustain or increase their profitability, in which case our financial condition will suffer and our stock price could decline. Moreover, our acquisition activities may divert management’s attention from our regular operations.  Managing a larger and more geographically dispersed operation and product portfolio could also pose challenges for our management team. In addition, through our acquisitions, we may assume liabilities, losses or costs for which we are not indemnified or insured or for which our indemnity or insurance is inadequate. Any such liabilities may have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.

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If we do not attract and retain our key personnel, our ability to execute our business strategy will be limited.

Our success depends, to a significant extent, upon the continued service of our executive officers, key management and technical personnel, particularly our experienced engineers, and upon our ability to continue to attract, retain, and motivate qualified personnel. The competition for these employees is intense. The loss of the services of one or more of our key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our operating results. In addition, there could be a material adverse effect on us should the turnover rates for engineers and other key personnel increase significantly or if we are unable to continue to attract qualified personnel.

Our success also depends on our ability to execute leadership succession plans. The inability to successfully transition key management roles could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

We have undertaken restructuring and realignment activities in the past, and we will continue to assess our operating structure in the future. These actions may not improve our financial position, and may ultimately prove detrimental to our operations and sales.

We have undertaken restructuring and realignment activities in the past, and we will continue to assess our operating structure in the future. Our ability to reduce operating expenses is dependent upon the nature of the actions we take to reduce expenses and our subsequent ability to implement those actions and realize expected cost savings. We may need to take additional restructuring actions, such as eliminating or consolidating certain of our facilities or operations, reducing our headcount, or eliminating certain positions for a variety of reasons, including deterioration in global economic conditions or significant declines in demand for our products. Failure to successfully implement such restructuring activities could adversely affect our ability to meet customer demand for our products and could increase the cost of production versus our projections, both of which could adversely impact our operating results. Further, expenses and cost inefficiencies associated with our restructuring activities, including severance costs and the loss of trained employees with knowledge of our business and operations, could exceed our expectations and negatively impact our financial results.

Product defects or problems with integrating our products with other vendors’ products may seriously harm our business and reputation.

We produce complex products that can contain latent defects or performance problems. This could happen to both existing and new products. Such defects or performance problems could be detrimental to our business and reputation.

In addition, customers frequently integrate our products with other vendors’ products. When problems occur in a combined environment, it may be difficult to identify the source of the problem. These problems may cause us to incur significant warranty and repair costs, divert the attention of our engineering personnel from our product development efforts, and cause significant customer relationship issues.

Disruptions in the supply of certain key components and other goods from our suppliers, including limited or single source suppliers, could have an adverse effect on the results of our business operations, and could damage our relationships with customers.

The production of our products requires a wide variety of raw materials, key components and other goods that are generally available from alternate sources of supply. However, certain critical raw materials, key components and other goods required for the production of some of our principal products are available from limited or single sources of supply. If the receipt of certain limited source or single source materials is delayed, our relationship with customers may be harmed if such delays cause us to miss our scheduled shipment deadlines. Our current or alternative sources may not be able to continue to meet all of our demands on a timely basis. If suppliers or subcontractors experience difficulties or fail to meet our manufacturing requirements, our business would be harmed until we are able to secure alternative sources, if any, on commercially reasonable terms. A prolonged inability to obtain certain raw materials, key components or other goods is possible and could have a significant adverse effect on our business operations, damage our relationships with customers, or even lead to permanent loss of customer orders.

In addition, certain of our businesses buy components, including limited or sole source items, from competitors of our other businesses. This dynamic may adversely impact our relationship with these suppliers. For example, these suppliers could increase the price of those components or reduce their supply of those components to us, which could have a significant adverse effect on our business operations or lead to permanent loss of customer orders.

If we fail to accurately forecast component and raw material requirements for our products, we could incur additional costs and experience significant delays in shipments, which could have an adverse effect on the results of our business operations, and could damage our relationships with customers.

We use rolling forecasts based on anticipated product orders to determine our production requirements. It is important that we accurately predict both the demand for our products and the lead times required to obtain the necessary components and raw materials

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to manufacture our products. Lead times for components and raw materials that we order vary significantly and depend on factors including the specific supplier requirements, the size of the order, contract terms and current market demand. For substantial increases in our sales levels of certain products, some of our suppliers may need significant lead time. If we overestimate our component and raw material requirements, we may have excess inventory, which would increase our costs. If we underestimate our component and raw material requirements, we may have inadequate inventory, which could interrupt and delay delivery of our products to customers. Any of these occurrences could adversely affect our results of operations and damage our relationships with customers.

Production difficulties and product delivery delays or disruptions could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We assemble our products at our facilities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China. Each of our products is typically manufactured in a single manufacturing location. If production activities at any of our manufacturing facilities were disrupted by a natural disaster or otherwise, our operations would be negatively impacted until we could establish alternative production and service operations. Significant production difficulties could be the result of:

In addition, we may experience product delivery delays in the future. We ship a significant portion of our products to our customers through independent package delivery and import/export companies. We also ship our products through national trucking firms, overnight carrier services and local delivery practices. If one or more of the package delivery or import/export providers experience significant disruption in services or institutes a significant price increase, the delivery of our products could be disrupted or delayed. Such events could cause us to incur increased shipping costs that could not be passed on to our customers, negatively impacting our profitability and our relationships with customers.

We are subject to extensive and dynamic medical device regulation, which may impede or hinder the approval or sale of our products and, in some cases, may ultimately result in an inability to obtain approval of certain products or may result in the recall or seizure of previously approved products.

Some of our products and the related sales and marketing development activities and manufacturing processes are subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FDCA”), by comparable agencies in foreign countries, and by other regulatory agencies and governing bodies. Under the FDCA, medical devices must receive FDA clearance or approval or an exemption from such clearance or approval before they can be commercially marketed in the U.S. In the European Union, we are required to comply with applicable medical device directives (including the Medical Devices Directive) and to obtain CE Mark certification in order to market medical devices. The CE Mark is applied following approval from an independent notified body or declaration of conformity. The process of obtaining marketing approval or clearance from the FDA or by comparable agencies in foreign countries for new products, or with respect to enhancements or modifications to existing products, could:

In addition, exported devices are subject to the regulatory requirements of each country to which the device is exported. Some countries do not have medical device regulations, but in most foreign countries, medical devices are regulated. Most countries outside of the U.S. require that product approvals be renewed or recertified on a regular basis, generally every four to five years. The renewal or recertification process requires that we evaluate any device changes and any new regulations or standards relevant to the device and conduct appropriate testing to document continued compliance. Where renewal or recertification applications are required, they may need to be renewed and/or approved in order to continue selling our products in those countries. There can be no assurance that we

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will receive the required approvals for new products or modifications to existing products on a timely basis or that any approval will not be subsequently withdrawn or conditioned upon extensive post-market study requirements.

In addition, on April 5, 2017, the European Parliament passed the Medical Devices Regulation (the “MDR”) which repeals and replaces the EU Medical Devices Directive. Unlike directives, which must be implemented into the national laws of the European Economic Area (the “EEA”) member states, the regulations are directly applicable (i.e., without the need for adoption of EEA member state laws implementing them) in all EEA member states and are intended to eliminate current differences in the regulation of medical devices among EEA member states. The MDR, among other things, is intended to establish a uniform, transparent, predictable and sustainable regulatory framework across the EEA for medical devices and in vitro diagnostic devices and ensure a high level of safety and health while supporting innovation. The MDR will however only become applicable three years after publication. Once applicable, the new regulations will among other things:

We face uncertainties as the MDR is rolled out and enforced by the European Commission and EEA competent authorities, creating risks in several areas including the CE Marking process and data transparency in the upcoming years.

The FDA and other worldwide regulatory agencies actively monitor compliance with local laws and regulations through review and inspection of design and manufacturing practices, recordkeeping, reporting of adverse events, labeling and promotional practices. The FDA can ban certain medical devices; detain or seize adulterated or misbranded medical devices; order repair, replacement or refund of these devices; and require notification of healthcare professionals and others with regard to medical devices that present unreasonable risks of substantial harm to the public health. The FDA can take action against a company that promotes "off-label" uses. The FDA may also enjoin and restrain a company for certain violations of the FDCA and regulations pertaining to medical devices, or initiate action for criminal prosecution of such violations. Any adverse regulatory action, depending on its magnitude, may restrict a company from effectively marketing and selling its products, may limit a company's ability to obtain future premarket clearances or approvals, and could results in a substantial modification to the company's business practices and operations. International sales of medical devices manufactured in the U.S. that are not approved by the FDA for use in the U.S., or that are banned or deviate from lawful performance standards, are subject to FDA export requirements.

Regulations regarding the development, manufacture and sale of medical devices are evolving and subject to future change. We cannot predict what impact, if any, those changes might have on our business. Failure to comply with regulatory requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product or manufacturer could result in fines, delays or suspensions of regulatory clearances or approvals, seizures or recalls of products, physician advisories or other field actions, operating restrictions and/or criminal prosecution. We may also initiate field actions as a result of a failure to strictly comply with our internal quality policies. The failure to receive product approval clearance on a timely basis, suspensions of regulatory clearances, seizures or recalls of products, physician advisories or other field actions, or the withdrawal of product approval by the FDA or by comparable agencies in foreign countries could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in governmental regulations related to our business or our products could reduce demand for our products or increase our expenses.

We are subject to many governmental regulations, including but not limited to the laser radiation safety regulations of the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act administered by the National Center for Devices and Radiological Health, a branch of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and certain health regulations related to the manufacture of products using beryllium, an element used in some of our products. Among other things, these regulations require us to file annual reports, to maintain quality control and sales records, to perform product testing, to distribute appropriate operating manuals, to conduct safety reviews, to incorporate design and operating features in products sold to end-users and to certify and label our products. Depending on the class of the product, various warning labels must be affixed and certain protective devices must be installed.

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We are also subject to regulatory oversight, including comparable enforcement remedies, in the markets we serve. We compete in many markets in which we and our customers must comply with federal, state, local and international regulations, such as environmental, health and safety and food and drug regulations. We develop, configure and market our products to meet customer needs created by those regulations. Any significant changes in these regulations could reduce demand for our products or increase our expenses, which in turn could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Compliance or the failure to comply with current and future environmental regulations could cause us significant expense.

Our operations are subject to a variety of federal, state, local and international environmental regulations relating to the use, storage, discharge and disposal of hazardous chemicals used during our manufacturing process or the recycling of products we manufacture. We are subject to the federal regulation of the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States and comparable authorities in other countries. If we fail to comply with any present or future regulations, we could be subject to regulatory fines.

Future developments, administrative actions or liabilities relating to environmental matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. It is difficult to anticipate how such regulations will be implemented and enforced. We continue to evaluate the necessary steps for compliance with regulations as they are enacted. Certain regulations may require us to re-design our products to ensure compliance with the applicable standards. These redesigns may adversely affect the performance of our products, add greater testing lead-times for product introductions and reduce our profitability.

If we fail to implement new information technology systems successfully, our business could be adversely affected.

We rely on centralized information systems throughout the Company to keep financial records, process orders, manage inventory, process shipments to customers, and operate other critical functions. We are in the process of upgrading our information technology infrastructure, including implementing new enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and other complementary information technology systems. We have invested, and will continue to invest, significant capital and human resources in the upgrades and new ERP systems. Any disruptions, delays or deficiencies in the transition, design and implementation of the upgrades and new ERP systems, particularly any disruptions, delays or deficiencies that impact our operations, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.

We may experience difficulties as we transition to these new upgraded systems and processes, including loss of data and the ability to process customer orders, ship products, provide services and support to our customers, issue sales invoices, collect accounts receivable, fulfill contractual obligations, satisfy internal and external financial reporting requirements in a timely manner, or otherwise run our business. We may also experience decreases in productivity as our personnel implement these systems and become familiar with the new systems. In addition, as we are dependent upon our ability to gather and promptly transmit accurate information to key decision makers, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected if our information technology infrastructure does not allow us to transmit accurate information, even for a short period of time. Furthermore, the transition, design and implementation of upgrades and new ERP systems may be much more costly than we anticipated.

Our results of operations will be adversely affected if we fail to realize the full value of our intangible assets.

As of December 31, 2017, we had $366.0 million of net intangible assets, including goodwill, on our consolidated balance sheet. Net intangible assets consist principally of goodwill, customer relationships, patents, trademarks, core technologies and technology licenses. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment at least on an annual basis. All other intangible assets are evaluated for impairment should discrete events occur that call into question the recoverability of the intangible assets.

Adverse changes in our business, adverse changes in the assumptions used to determine the fair value of our reporting units, or the failure to grow our businesses may result in an impairment of our intangible assets, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

We are exposed to the credit risk of some of our customers and to credit exposures in weakened markets, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Customers with liquidity issues may lead to additional bad debt expense. There can be no assurance that our open credit customers will pay the amounts they owe to us or that the reserves we maintain will be adequate to cover such credit exposures. In addition, to the extent that turmoil in the credit markets or increases in interest rates make it more difficult for some customers to obtain financing, their ability to pay may be adversely impacted. Our customers’ failure to pay and/or our failure to maintain sufficient reserves could have a material adverse effect on our future cash flows and financial condition.

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Our reliance upon third party distribution channels subjects us to credit, inventory, business concentration, and business failure risks beyond our control.

We sell many of our products through resellers, distributors, and system integrators. As these third parties tend to have more limited financial resources than OEM and end-user customers, they generally represent sources of increased credit risk. Any downturn in the business of our resellers, distributors, and systems integrators would in turn harm our results of operations and financial condition.

Our sales also depend upon the ability of our OEM customers to develop and sell systems that incorporate our products. Adverse economic conditions, large inventory positions, limited marketing resources and other factors influencing these OEM customers could have a substantial adverse effect on our financial results. We cannot assure investors that our OEM customers will not experience financial or other difficulties that could adversely affect their operations and, in turn, adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Relating to Taxes

We may be subject to U.S. federal income taxation even though Novanta Inc. is a non-U.S. corporation.

Novanta, Inc. is a holding company organized in Canada and is subject to Canadian tax laws. However, we are also subject to U.S. tax rules and file U.S. federal income tax returns for our operations in the United States. In addition, distributions or payments from entities in one jurisdiction to entities in another jurisdiction may be subject to income and/or withholding taxes. We do not intend to operate in a manner that will cause Novanta, Inc. to be treated as engaged in a U.S. trade or business or otherwise be subject to U.S. federal income taxes on its income, but it generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax on certain U.S.-sourced passive income items, such as dividends and certain types of interest.

Tax audits by tax authorities could adversely affect future results.

We are subject to regular examination of our income tax returns by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and other tax authorities. We regularly assess the likelihood of favorable or unfavorable outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any final determination will not be materially different than the treatment reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, net income and earnings per share.

Our effective tax rate is subject to fluctuation, which could impact our financial position and earnings per share.

Our effective tax rate is subject to fluctuation as the effective income tax rate for each year is a function of (a) taxable income levels in numerous tax jurisdictions, (b) our ability to utilize recognized deferred tax assets, (c) taxes, interest, or penalties resulting from tax audits and, (d) credits and deductions as a percentage of total taxable income. From time to time, the United States, foreign and state governments make substantive changes to tax rules where significant judgment is required to determine the impact of such changes on our provision for income taxes, which may result in increased costs. Further, such tax law changes may cause our effective tax rate to fluctuate between periods.

Risks Relating to Our Common Shares and Our Capital Structure

We may require additional capital to adequately respond to business challenges or opportunities and repay or refinance our existing indebtedness, but this capital may not be available on acceptable terms or at all.

We may require additional capital to adequately respond to future business challenges or opportunities, including, but not limited to, the need to develop new products or enhance our existing products, maintaining or expanding research and development projects, the need to build inventory or to invest other cash to support business growth, and opportunities to acquire complementary businesses and technologies.

As of December 31, 2017, we had outstanding debt of $237.8 million under the amended and restated senior secured credit agreement (the “Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”) and $175.5 million available to be drawn under the revolving credit facility. If we are unable to satisfy the conditions in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement or our needs exceed the amounts available under the revolving credit facility, we may need to engage in equity or debt financings to obtain additional funds. If we raise additional funds through further issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing shareholders could suffer significant dilution. Any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of the holders of our common shares. Further, our Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement restricts our ability to obtain additional debt financing from other sources. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or obtain financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth and to respond to business challenges could be significantly

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limited. In addition, the terms of any additional equity or debt issuances may adversely affect the value and price of our common shares.

Global credit conditions have varied widely over the last several years and could continue to vary significantly in the future. Although these conditions have not affected our current plans, adverse credit conditions in the future could have a negative impact on our ability to execute on future strategic initiatives.

Our existing indebtedness could adversely affect our future business, financial condition and results of operations.

As of December 31, 2017, we had $237.8 million of outstanding debt. This level of debt could have significant consequences on our future operations, including:

Any of these factors could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, our Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains covenants that will limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interests. Our failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all of our borrowings thereunder.

The market price for our common shares may be volatile.

The market price of our common shares could be subject to wide fluctuations. These fluctuations could be caused by:

In addition, the stock market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations in recent years. These fluctuations have had a substantial effect on the market prices of many companies, often unrelated to the operating performance of the specific companies. These market fluctuations could adversely affect the price of our common shares.

We may not have access to the cash flow and other assets of our subsidiaries that may be needed to service our indebtedness and fund our operations.

Although much of our business is conducted through our subsidiaries, none of our subsidiaries are obligated to make funds available to us. Local laws and regulations and/or the terms of our indebtedness may restrict certain of our subsidiaries from paying dividends and otherwise transferring assets to us. We cannot assure you that applicable laws and regulations and/or the terms of our indebtedness will permit our subsidiaries to provide us with sufficient dividends, distributions or loans when necessary. Therefore, our ability to make payments on our indebtedness and fund our operations may be adversely affected if our subsidiaries cannot distribute funds to us.

Certain provisions of our articles of incorporation may delay or prevent a change in control of the Company.

Our corporate documents and our existence as a corporation under the laws of New Brunswick subject us to provisions of Canadian law that may enable our Board of Directors to resist a change in control of the Company. These provisions include:

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These anti-takeover defenses could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of the Company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for shareholders to elect directors of their choosing and cause us to take other corporate actions that shareholders desire. In addition, under New Brunswick law, cumulative voting is mandatory in director elections which can result in stockholders holding less than a majority of shares being able to elect persons to the Board of Directors and prevent a majority stockholder from controlling the election of all of the directors.

Risks Relating to Our Internal Controls

If we fail to maintain appropriate internal controls in the future, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately, which may adversely affect our stock price and our business.

While our management and our independent registered public accounting firm concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2017, it is possible that material weaknesses may be identified in the future.

If we are unable to maintain effective internal controls, we may not have adequate, accurate or timely financial information, and we may be unable to meet our reporting obligations as a publicly traded company or to comply with the requirements of the SEC or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. This could result in a restatement of our financial statements, the imposition of sanctions, including the inability of registered broker dealers to make a market in our common shares, or investigation by regulatory authorities. Any such action or other negative results caused by our inability to meet our internal control and financial reporting requirements or to comply with legal and regulatory requirements could adversely affect the trading price of our common stock and our business. Material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting could also reduce our ability to obtain financing or could increase the cost of any financing we obtain.

As part of our growth strategy, we may make additional acquisitions of privately held businesses. Prior to becoming part of our consolidated company, the acquired business would not be required to implement or maintain the disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting that are required of public companies. We are required to integrate the acquired businesses into our consolidated company’s system of disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, but we cannot provide assurance as to how long the integration process may take for our recently acquired businesses or any businesses that we may acquire in the future. Additionally, we may need to improve our internal control or those of any business we acquire and may be required to design enhanced processes and controls in order to make such improvements. This could result in significant costs to us and could require us to divert substantial resources, including management time, from other activities.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

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Item 2. Properties

The principal owned and leased properties of the Company and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2017 are listed in the table below.

A portion of our leased facility in San Jose, California is currently under-utilized. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had exited approximately 22,000 square feet of this facility.

Additional research and development, sales, service and logistics sites are located in Arizona, California, Florida, Oregon and Colorado, United States; Munich, Reichenbach and Konstanz, Germany; Breda, the Netherlands; Brno, Czech Republic; Tokyo, Japan; Beijing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, China; and Milan, Italy. These additional offices are leased facilities occupying approximately 100,000 square feet in the aggregate, and are related to our Photonics, Vision and Precision Motion segments.

In connection with the sale of our Scientific Lasers business, we assigned to the buyer the lease for a facility in California, where the Scientific Lasers business operated. The buyer assumed all of our rights and obligations under the original lease, including the duty to pay the rent for the remainder term of the lease. So long as the buyer performs its obligations as the tenant, as required by the Asset

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and Equity Purchase Agreement for its acquisition of the Scientific Lasers business, the Company has no responsibilities for the lease. Should the buyer cease performance under the lease, however, the landlord could still pursue the Company as the original tenant until February 28, 2019, the end of the lease term. The Company has indemnification rights against the buyer under the Asset and Equity Purchase Agreement for such buyer’s default.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

The Company is subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company does not believe that the outcome of these claims will have a material adverse effect upon its financial condition or results of operations but there can be no assurance that any such claims, or any similar claims, would not have a material adverse effect upon its financial condition or results of operations.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

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PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Shares, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information

The Company’s common shares, no par value, are traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Prior to May 12, 2016, the Company’s shares were traded under the symbol “GSIG”. Since May 12, 2016, the Company’s shares have been traded under the symbol “NOVT”. The following table sets forth the high and low prices of the Company’s common shares during the periods indicated.

Holders

As of the close of business on February 23, 2018, there were approximately 33 holders of record of the Company’s common shares. Since many of the common shares are registered in “nominee” or “street” names, the Company believes that the total number of beneficial owners is considerably higher.

Dividend Policy

The Company has never declared or paid cash dividends on its common shares and does not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchaser

In October 2013, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase plan for the repurchase of up to an aggregate of $10.0 million of the Company’s common stock. The share repurchase plan does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of our common stock. No time limit was set for the completion of the share repurchase program, and the program may be suspended or discontinued at any time.

Since the adoption of the share repurchase plan, the Company repurchased 296 thousand shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $4.2 million at an average price of $14.05 per share.  No repurchases occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2017. The Company had $5.8 million available for share repurchases under the authorized share repurchase plan as of December 31, 2017.

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Performance Graph

The following graph compares the cumulative total return on the Company’s common shares with the cumulative total return on the Nasdaq Composite Index and the Russell 2000 Index for the period from December 31, 2012 through December 31, 2017. The comparison assumes an investment of $100 is made on December 31, 2012 in the Company’s common shares and in each of the indices and, in the case of the indices, it also assumes reinvestment of all dividends. The performance shown is not necessarily indicative of future performance.

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Item 6. Selected Financial Data

The selected financial data set forth below is not necessarily indicative of results of future operations, and should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7 and the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to fully understand factors that may affect the comparability of the information presented below. The selected consolidated financial data in this section is not intended to replace the consolidated financial statements.

The consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 and the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 and the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The MD&A contains certain forward looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion and analysis contains forward looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, our belief that the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) may provide an indication of the impact of general economic conditions on our sales into the advanced industrial end market; our strategy; anticipated financial performance; expected liquidity and capitalization; drivers of revenue growth and our growth expectations in various markets; management’s plans and objectives for future operations, expenditures and product development, and investments in research and development; expectations regarding our acquisitions of WOM, Laser Quantum and ThingMagic; business prospects; potential of future product releases and expansion of our product and service offerings in general; anticipated revenue performance; industry trends; market conditions; our competitive positions; changes in economic and political conditions; changes in accounting principles; changes in actual or assumed tax liabilities; expectations regarding tax exposures; anticipated impact from the recently enacted Tax Reform Act in the U.S.; anticipated reinvestment of future earnings and dividend policy; anticipated expenditures in regard to the Company’s benefit plans; future acquisitions and dispositions and anticipated benefits from acquisitions; ability to repay our indebtedness; our intentions regarding the use of cash; expectations regarding legal and regulatory environmental requirements and our compliance thereto; and other statements that are not historical facts. These forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward looking statements as a result of various important factors, including those set forth in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the heading “Risk Factors.” The words “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “future,” “could,” “estimates,” “plans,” “would,” “should,” “potential,” “continues,” and similar words or expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) identify forward looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Management and the Company disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any such statement to reflect any change in its expectations or in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those contained in the forward looking statements, except as required under applicable law.

Business Overview

Novanta Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as, the “Company”, “Novanta”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is a global supplier of core technology solutions that give healthcare and advanced industrial original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) a competitive advantage. We combine deep proprietary technology expertise and competencies in photonics, vision and precision motion with a proven ability to solve complex technical challenges. This enables us to engineer core components and sub-systems that deliver extreme precision and performance, tailored to our customers' demanding applications.

End Markets

We primarily operate in two end markets: the advanced industrial market and the medical market.

Advanced Industrial Market

For the year ended December 31, 2017, the advanced industrial market accounted for approximately 50% of the Company’s revenue.  Revenue from our products sold to the advanced industrial market is affected by a number of factors, including changing technology requirements and preferences of our customers, productivity or quality investments in a manufacturing environment, the financial condition of our customers, changes in regulatory requirements and laws, and general economic conditions. We believe that the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) on manufacturing activities specific to different regions around the world may provide an indication of the impact of general economic conditions on our sales into the advanced industrial market.

Medical Market

For the year ended December 31, 2017, the medical market accounted for approximately 50% of the Company’s revenue.  Our revenue from products sold to the medical market is generally affected by hospital and other health care provider capital spending, changes in regulatory requirements and laws, aggregation of purchasing by healthcare networks, trends in surgical procedures, changes in technology requirements, changes in customer or patient preferences, and general demographic trends.

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Strategy

Our strategy is to drive sustainable, profitable growth through short-term and long-term initiatives, including:

Significant Events and Updates

Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement

On August 1, 2017, we entered into an amendment (the “Third Amendment”) to the second amended and restated credit agreement, dated as of May 19, 2016 (the “Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”). The Third Amendment increased the revolving credit facility commitment under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement by $100 million, from $225 million to $325 million, and reset the uncommitted accordion feature to $125 million for potential future expansion. Additionally, the Third Amendment increased the term loan balance from $65.6 million to $90.6 million.

Acquisition of W.O.M. World of Medicine

On July 3, 2017, we acquired 100% of the outstanding stock of W.O.M. World of Medicine GmbH (“WOM”), a Berlin, Germany-based provider of medical insufflators, pumps and related disposables for OEMs in the minimally invasive surgery market, for a total purchase price of €118.1 million ($134.9 million). The acquisition was financed with a €118.0 million ($134.8 million) draw-down on our revolving credit facility. We expect that the addition of WOM will help to better serve our customers in minimally invasive surgery applications with a broader range of product offerings. WOM is included in our Vision reportable segment.

Acquisition of Laser Quantum Limited

On January 10, 2017, we acquired an additional approximately 35% of the outstanding shares of Laser Quantum Limited (“Laser Quantum”), a Manchester, United Kingdom-based provider of solid state continuous wave lasers, ultrafast lasers, and optical light engines to OEMs in the medical market. Cash paid for the acquisition was £25.5 million ($31.1 million) and was financed with cash on hand and a $30.0 million draw-down on our revolving credit facility. In addition, we entered into a call and put option agreement with the remaining equity holders for the purchase and sale in 2020 of all remaining Laser Quantum shares held by the remaining equity holders, subject to certain conditions. The purchase price for the remaining shares will be based on the proportionate share of the noncontrolling interest in Laser Quantum’s cash on hand as of December 31, 2019 and a multiple of Laser Quantum’s EBITDA for the twelve months ending December 31, 2019, as defined in the call and put option agreement. As a result of this transaction, our ownership position in Laser Quantum increased from approximately 41% to approximately 76%. The financial results of Laser Quantum were previously accounted for under the equity method of accounting. As a result of the acquisition of the additional shares, the financial results of Laser Quantum have been consolidated in our consolidated financial statements since January 2017. In connection with the purchase price allocation under the business combination rules, we recognized a nontaxable gain of $26.4 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, representing the excess fair value of our previously-held equity interest in Laser

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Quantum over its carrying value. By establishing control through a majority equity ownership, we expect to broaden our technology capability in photonics solutions for medical applications, particularly within the growing DNA sequencing market, while providing key enabling photonics-based technologies for instrumentation and life science applications such as biomedical imaging, cell sorting, and ophthalmology. Laser Quantum is included in our Photonics reportable segment.

Acquisition of ThingMagic

On January 10, 2017, we acquired ThingMagic, a Woburn, Massachusetts-based provider of ultra-high frequency (“UHF”) radio frequency identification (“RFID”) modules and finished RFID readers to OEMs in the medical and advanced industrial markets, for a total purchase price of $19.1 million. The acquisition was financed with cash on hand and a $12.0 million draw-down on our revolving credit facility. We expect that the addition of ThingMagic will broaden our portfolio of RFID solutions, while providing the resources to address the growing need for improvements in workflow solutions, patient safety, anti-counterfeiting, and asset tracking in a medical environment. ThingMagic is included in our Vision reportable segment.

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Overview of Financial Results

Total revenue for 2017 was $521.3 million, an increase of $136.5 million, or 35.5%, versus 2016. The net effect of our acquisitions in 2016 and 2017 and our decision in 2016 to discontinue our radiology products resulted in an increase in revenue of $105.8 million, or 27.5%. Foreign exchange rates adversely impacted our revenue by $1.9 million, or 0.5%, in 2017.

Operating income from continuing operations increased $24.6 million from $32.6 million in 2016 to $57.2 million in 2017. This increase was primarily attributable to an increase in gross profit of $58.1 million as a result of higher revenue, partially offset by an increase in operating expenses of $33.4 million, primarily due to acquisitions in 2016 and 2017.

Diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) from continuing operations of $1.13 in 2017 increased $0.50 from an EPS of $0.63 in 2016. This increase was primarily attributable to higher operating income from continuing operations and a $26.4 million nontaxable gain on acquisition of the additional approximately 35% of Laser Quantum equity interest in January 2017, partially offset by the adjustment of Laser Quantum redeemable noncontrolling interest to the estimated redemption value as of December 31, 2017. Diluted EPS from continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2017 was negatively impacted by the $20.2 million redeemable noncontrolling interest redemption value adjustment, which was nontaxable and was recorded as a reduction to retained earnings in stockholders’ equity instead of net income in the consolidated statement of operations. However, in the earnings per share calculation, the redeemable noncontrolling interest redemption value adjustment was included as a reduction to net income attributable to Novanta Inc., and resulted in a $0.57 per share reduction to Diluted EPS. (See Note 9 to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.)

Specific components of our operating results for 2017, 2016 and 2015 are further discussed below.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our results of operations as a percentage of revenue for the years indicated:

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Revenue

The following table sets forth external revenue by reportable segment for 2017, 2016 and 2015 (dollars in thousands):

Photonics

Photonics segment revenue in 2017 increased by $58.2 million, or 33.4%, versus 2016, primarily as a result of the Laser Quantum acquisition, which increased segment revenues by $44.7 million, and an increase in revenue of our laser beam delivery products and our CO2 lasers products as a result of increased volumes in the advanced industrial market.

Photonics segment revenue in 2016 increased by $5.8 million, or 3.5%, versus 2015, as a result of an increase in revenue of our laser beam delivery products of $10.1 million primarily attributable to the Lincoln Laser acquisition in November 2015, partially offset by a decrease of $5.7 million in JK Lasers products as a result of the JK Lasers divestiture in April 2015.

Vision

Vision segment revenue in 2017 increased by $60.8 million, or 49.8%, versus 2016. The increase was primarily due to a $58.4 million increase in revenue as a result of the WOM, ThingMagic and Reach acquisitions.

Vision segment revenue in 2016 decreased by $2.5 million, or 2.0%, versus 2015. The decrease was primarily due to a $13.4 million decline in our visualization solutions revenue attributable to our decision to discontinue our radiology products, which accounted for a $7.9 million decrease in revenue, and lower demand for our surgical products, and a $2.6 million decline in our thermal printers product revenue. These were partially offset by an increase in revenue from our optical data collection products of $8.1 million and an increase in revenue as a result of the acquisition of Reach of $5.6 million.

Precision Motion

Precision Motion segment revenue in 2017 increased by $17.5 million, or 19.8%, versus 2016. The increase was primarily due to an increase in revenue of our Celera Motion products and our air bearing spindles products as a result of increased demand in the advanced industrial and medical markets.

Precision Motion segment revenue in 2016 increased by $7.8 million, or 9.7%, versus 2015. The increase was principally driven by an increase in revenue of our motor components products of $6.9 million as a result of increased demand in the advanced industrial and medical markets.

Gross Profit

The following table sets forth the gross profit and gross profit margin for each of our reportable segments for 2017, 2016 and 2015 (dollars in thousands):

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Gross profit and gross profit margin can be influenced by a number of factors, including product mix, pricing, volume, manufacturing efficiencies and utilization, costs for raw materials and outsourced manufacturing, headcount, inventory obsolescence and warranty expenses.

Photonics

Photonics segment gross profit for 2017 increased $29.4 million, or 38.4%, versus 2016, due to an increase in revenue as a result of the Laser Quantum acquisition and increased volumes in our legacy product lines. Photonics segment gross profit margin was 45.7% for 2017, compared with a gross profit margin of 44.0% for 2016. The increase in gross profit margin was primarily attributable to the Laser Quantum acquisition. Gross profit margin for the year ended December 31, 2017 was negatively impacted by an increase in amortization of inventory fair value adjustments and amortization of developed technology of $3.2 million.

Photonics segment gross profit for 2016 increased $3.1 million, or 4.2%, versus 2015, primarily due to an increase in revenue and an increase in gross profit margin. Photonics segment gross profit margin was 44.0% for 2016, compared with a gross profit margin of 43.7% for 2015. Gross profit margin improvements from continuous improvement productivity initiatives were mostly offset by lower margins from the Lincoln Laser acquisition which was included in the operating results for the full year in 2016 versus only two months in 2015.

Vision

Vision segment gross profit for 2017 increased $22.1 million, or 46.8%, versus 2016. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in revenue from the WOM, ThingMagic and Reach acquisitions, which increased gross profit by $17.6 million. Vision segment gross profit margin was 37.8% for 2017, compared with a gross profit margin of 38.6% for 2016. The decrease in gross profit margin was primarily attributable to an increase in amortization of inventory fair value adjustments and amortization of developed technology of $6.1 million, which resulted in a 3.3 percentage point decrease in gross profit margin, partially offset by changes in product mix and cost savings from restructuring activities in 2016.

Vision segment gross profit for 2016 decreased $1.8 million, or 3.6%, versus 2015. The decrease was primarily attributable to a decline in revenue and a $1.6 million charge related to the discontinuation of our radiology products. Vision segment gross profit margin was 38.6% for 2016, compared with a gross profit margin of 39.3% for 2015. The decrease in gross profit margin was primarily attributable to costs associated with discontinuing our radiology products, which resulted in a 1.3 percentage point decrease in gross profit margin.

Precision Motion

Precision Motion segment gross profit for 2017 increased $6.5 million, or 16.3%, versus 2016, primarily due to an increase in revenue. Precision Motion segment gross profit margin was 44.0% for 2017, compared with a gross profit margin of 45.3% for 2016. The decrease in gross profit margin was attributable to temporary supply chain transition challenges in our Celera Motion business, which led to production inefficiencies and quality impacts.

Precision Motion segment gross profit for 2016 increased $3.3 million, or 9.1%, versus 2015, primarily due to an increase in revenue. Precision Motion segment gross profit margin was 45.3% for 2016, compared with a gross profit margin of 45.6% for 2015. The slight decrease in gross profit margin was attributable to product mix as a result of stronger growth from lower margin products.

Operating Expenses

The following table sets forth operating expenses for 2017, 2016 and 2015 (dollars in thousands):

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Research and Development and Engineering Expenses

Research and development and engineering (“R&D”) expenses are primarily comprised of employee compensation and related expenses and cost of materials for R&D projects.

R&D expenses were $41.7 million, or 8.0% of revenue, in 2017, versus $32.0 million, or 8.3% of revenue, in 2016. R&D expenses increased in terms of total dollars primarily due to R&D expenses from acquisitions in 2016 and 2017.

R&D expenses were $32.0 million, or 8.3% of revenue, in 2016, versus $31.0 million, or 8.3% of revenue, in 2015. R&D expenses increased in terms of total dollars primarily due to increased R&D expenses from acquisitions, partially offset by decreased costs as a result of the JK Lasers divestiture.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses include costs for sales and marketing, sales administration, finance, human resources, legal, information systems and executive management.

SG&A expenses were $102.0 million, or 19.6% of revenue, in 2017, versus $81.7 million, or 21.2% of revenue, in 2016. SG&A expenses increased in terms of total dollars primarily due to acquisitions in 2016 and 2017, investments in sales and marketing resources and higher variable compensation associated with the Company’s financial performance.

SG&A expenses were $81.7 million, or 21.2% of revenue, in 2016, versus $82.0 million, or 22.0% of revenue, in 2015. SG&A expenses decreased in terms of total dollars and as a percentage of revenue primarily due to a $3.7 million decrease in costs from our visualization solutions business as a result of prior year restructuring programs and the discontinuation of our radiology products and a $1.1 million decrease in costs as a result of the JK Lasers divestiture, partially offset by a $2.5 million increase in costs from acquisitions in 2016 and 2015 and $1.3 million of CEO transition costs.

Amortization of Purchased Intangible Assets

Amortization of purchased intangible assets is charged to our Photonics, Vision and Precision Motion segments. Amortization of core technologies is included in cost of revenue in the consolidated statement of operations. Amortization of customer relationships, trademarks, backlog and other intangibles are included in operating expenses in the consolidated statement of operations.

Amortization of purchased intangible assets, excluding the amortization of developed technologies that is included in cost of revenue, was $12.1 million, or 2.3% of revenue, in 2017, versus $8.3 million, or 2.1% of revenue, in 2016. The increase, in terms of total dollars and as a percentage of revenue, was the result of more acquired intangible assets from acquisitions in 2016 and 2017.

Amortization of purchased intangible assets, excluding the amortization of developed technologies that is included in cost of revenue, was $8.3 million, or 2.1% of revenue, in 2016, versus $7.6 million, or 2.0% of revenue, in 2015. The increase, in terms of total dollars and as a percentage of revenue, was the result of more acquired intangible assets from acquisitions in 2015 and 2016.

Restructuring, Acquisition and Divestiture Related Costs

Restructuring, acquisition and divestiture related charges primarily relate to our restructuring programs, acquisition and related costs incurred for completed acquisitions, acquisition costs related to future potential acquisitions and failed acquisitions, and changes in fair value of contingent considerations. Divestiture costs primarily related to the JK Lasers divestiture in April 2015.

The Company recorded restructuring, acquisition and divestiture related costs of $7.5 million in 2017, versus $7.9 million in 2016. The decrease in restructuring, acquisition and divestiture related costs versus 2016 was primarily due to a $2.6 million decrease in restructuring related charges as a result of the 2016 restructuring program which was substantially completed in 2016, partially offset by an increase in acquisition related charges of $2.2 million mostly attributable to an investment banking success fee related to the WOM acquisition.

The Company recorded restructuring, acquisition and divestiture related costs of $7.9 million in 2016, versus $8.3 million in 2015. The decrease in restructuring, acquisition and divestiture related costs versus 2015 was primarily due to a $2.9 million decrease in restructuring related charges and a $1.1 million decrease in divestiture related costs as a result of the JK Lasers divestiture in 2015, partially offset by an increase in acquisition related charges of $3.6 million. Restructuring related charges in 2016 were offset by a $1.6 million gain on the sale of our Chatsworth, California facility. Acquisition related costs in 2016 were primarily related to $2.5

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million in professional fees in connection with acquisitions and costs of $2.5 million related to transition services and changes in the fair value of contingent considerations related to acquisitions in 2015.

Operating Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations by Segment

The following table sets forth operating income (loss) from continuing operations by segment for 2017, 2016 and 2015 (in thousands):

Photonics

Photonics segment operating income from continuing operations was $51.3 million, or 22.1% of revenue, in 2017, versus $34.8 million, or 20.0% of revenue, in 2016. The increase in operating income from continuing operations was primarily due to an increase in gross profit of $29.4 million, partially offset by increases in operating expenses, primarily related to the Laser Quantum acquisition and increased volumes in our legacy product lines. Photonics operating income from continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2017 was negatively affected by a $7.1 million increase in amortization of inventory fair value adjustments and amortization of intangible assets.

Photonics segment operating income from continuing operations was $34.8 million, or 20.0% of revenue, in 2016, versus $36.0 million, or 21.4% of revenue, in 2015. The decrease in operating income from continuing operations was primarily due to an increase in R&D and SG&A expenses of $6.2 million as a result of the Lincoln Laser acquisition and investments in R&D, sales and marketing resources, partially offset by an increase in gross profit of $3.1 million, and a decrease in restructuring, acquisition and divestiture related costs of $2.0 million primarily due to the JK Lasers divestiture in 2015 and decreases in the fair value of contingent considerations related to the Lincoln Laser acquisition.

Vision

Vision segment operating income from continuing operations was $7.9 million, or 4.3% of revenue, in 2017, versus an operating loss of $1.3 million, or (1.0%) of revenue, in 2016. The increase in operating income from continuing operations was primarily due to an increase in gross profit of $22.1 million and a decrease in spending primarily related to our 2016 restructuring program, which was substantially completed in 2016, partially offset by an increase in R&D and SG&A expenses related to acquisitions in 2017. Vision operating income from continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2017 was negatively affected by a $6.0 million increase in amortization of inventory fair value adjustments and amortization of intangible assets.

Vision segment operating loss from continuing operations was $1.3 million, or (1.0%) of revenue, in 2016, versus $2.1 million, or (1.6%) of revenue, in 2015. The decrease in operating loss from continuing operations was primarily due to a decrease in SG&A expenses of $4.0 million attributable to cost savings from our restructuring programs and a $1.6 million gain from the sale of our facility in Chatsworth, California, partially offset by a decrease in gross profit of $1.8 million, an increase in amortization of intangibles of $1.0 million as a result of acquisitions in 2016 and 2015, an increase in restructuring related costs of $0.8 million, and $1.2 million of transition services costs related to the Reach acquisition.

Precision Motion

Precision Motion segment operating income from continuing operations was $27.1 million, or 25.6% of revenue, in 2017, versus $21.1 million, or 23.9% of revenue, in 2016. The increase in operating income from continuing operations was primarily due to an increase in gross profit of $6.5 million.

Precision Motion segment operating income from continuing operations was $21.1 million, or 23.9% of revenue, in 2016, versus $16.9 million, or 21.0% of revenue, in 2015. The increase in operating income from continuing operations was primarily due to an increase in gross profit of $3.3 million as a result of higher volume, a reduction of R&D and SG&A expenses of approximately $1.7 million as a result of cost savings from the 2016 restructuring program and other cost saving initiatives, and a decrease in restructuring charges of $0.8 million as the majority of the related costs had been recognized as of December 31, 2015. These were partially offset by $1.7 million of costs related to increases in the fair value of contingent considerations for the Applimotion acquisition.

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Unallocated Corporate and Shared Services

Unallocated corporate and shared services costs primarily represent costs of corporate and shared service functions and other public company costs that are not allocated to the operating segments, including certain restructuring and most acquisition related costs.

Unallocated corporate and shared services costs for 2017 increased by $7.0 million, or 31.9%, from 2016 primarily due to an increase in acquisition related costs of $2.3 million mostly attributable to an investment banking success fee related to the WOM acquisition, and an increase in SG&A expenses of $5.4 million as a result of higher headcount and higher variable compensation associated with the Company’s financial performance.

Unallocated corporate and shared services costs for 2016 increased by $0.2 million, or 1.0%, from 2015.

Interest Income (Expense), Foreign Exchange Transaction Gains (Losses), and Other Income (Expense), Net

The following table sets forth interest income (expense), foreign exchange transaction gains (losses), and other income (expense) for 2017, 2016 and 2015 (in thousands):

Interest Income (Expense), Net

Net interest expense was $7.2 million in 2017 versus $4.6 million in 2016. The increase in net interest expense was primarily due to an increase in average debt levels as a result of acquisitions in 2017, partially offset by a decrease in the weighted average interest rate on our Senior Credit Facilities. The weighted average interest rate on our Senior Credit Facilities was 3.32% and 3.52% during 2017 and 2016, respectively. Included in net interest expense was non-cash interest expense of approximately $0.8 million and $0.9 million in 2017 and 2016, respectively, related to the amortization of deferred financing costs on our debt.

Net interest expense was $4.6 million in 2016 versus $5.2 million in 2015. The decrease in net interest expense was primarily due to a decrease in average debt levels, partially offset by an increase in the weighted average interest rate on our Senior Credit Facilities. The weighted average interest rate on our Senior Credit Facilities was 3.52% and 3.24% during 2016 and 2015, respectively. Included in net interest expense was non-cash interest expense of approximately $0.9 million in both 2016 and 2015, related to the amortization of deferred financing costs on our debt.

Foreign Exchange Transaction Gains (Losses), Net

Foreign exchange transaction gains (losses) were $0.4 million net losses in 2017 versus $2.3 million net gains in 2016 primarily due to changes in the value of the U.S. Dollar against the British Pound, Euro and Japanese Yen.

Foreign exchange transaction gains (losses) were $2.3 million net gains in 2016 versus less than $0.1 million net losses for 2015 due to changes in the value of the U.S. Dollar against the British Pound and Euro and an unrealized foreign currency loss in 2015 related to the cash proceeds in U.S. dollars from the JK Lasers divestiture being held for a period of time by our UK subsidiary.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Other income was $0.1 million in 2017 versus $2.2 million in 2016. The decrease in other income was primarily due to earnings from our equity-method investment in Laser Quantum reported in other income (expense) prior to 2017. In January 2017, the Company acquired an additional approximately 35% of the outstanding shares of Laser Quantum. As a result of this acquisition, earnings from Laser Quantum have been consolidated in the Company’s consolidated financial statements for year ended December 31, 2017 since the acquisition date.

Other income was $2.2 million in 2016 versus $2.7 million in 2015. Other income in 2016 and 2015 primarily related to earnings from our previously-held equity-method investment in Laser Quantum.

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Gain on Acquisition of Business

The gain on acquisition of business in 2017 was related to a nontaxable gain of $26.4 million recognized upon gaining control of Laser Quantum in January 2017 as a result of acquiring an additional approximately 35% of its outstanding shares. Laser Quantum was previously accounted for as an equity-method investment.

Gain on Disposal of Business

The gain on disposal of business in 2015 was due to a $19.6 million gain recognized as a result of the JK Lasers divestiture in April 2015.

Income Taxes

We recorded a tax provision of $13.8 million in 2017, as compared to a tax provision of $10.5 million in 2016. The effective tax rate for 2017 was 18.2% of income before taxes, compared to an effective tax rate of 32.3% of income before taxes for 2016. Our effective tax rate in 2017 differs from the Canadian statutory rate of 29.0% primarily due to a $1.2 million tax effect of non-deductible acquisition related expenses and a $2.8 million provision for the revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2017 as a result of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Reform Act”), which reduced the U.S. federal statutory corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%.  These increases were offset by a $2.0 million benefit from international tax rate differences, a $1.1 million benefit due to the Section 199 Domestic Production Activity deduction in the U.S., a $1.0 million benefit associated with R&D and foreign tax credits generated in 2017, recognition of $1.6 million net tax benefits from uncertain tax positions upon expiration of statute of limitations and conclusion of income tax audits, and a $1.6 million benefit from the patent box deduction in the U.K. In addition, in 2017, we reported a nontaxable gain of $26.4 million on our previously-held Laser Quantum equity interest and wrote off $1.5 million of Laser Quantum related deferred tax liability, which had a combined 8.7% favorable impact on our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2017.

We recorded a tax provision of $10.5 million in 2016, as compared to a tax provision of $10.4 million in 2015. The effective tax rate for 2016 was 32.3% of income before taxes, compared to an effective tax rate of 22.6% of income before taxes for 2015. Our effective tax rate in 2016 differs from the Canadian statutory rate of 28.5% primarily due to $0.9 million of international tax rate difference, $1.4 million tax effect of non-deductible acquisition related expenses and an increase of $1.2 million in valuation allowance recorded mainly for losses and other temporary differences in Canada. These increases were offset by a $1.1 million benefit due to the Section 199 Domestic Production Activity deduction in the U.S., a $1.1 million benefit associated with R&D and foreign tax credits generated in 2016 and a $0.9 million benefit for changes in local statutory tax rates.

Discontinued Operations

Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax, was zero in 2017 and 2016, respectively, and less than $0.1 million in 2015. The small loss from discontinued operations in 2015 was due to losses related to the Scientific Lasers business that was divested in July 2014.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We assess our liquidity in terms of our ability to generate cash to fund our operating, investing, and financing activities. Our primary ongoing cash requirements are funding operations, capital expenditures, investments in businesses, and repayment of our debt and related interest expense. Our primary sources of liquidity are cash flows from operations and borrowings under our revolving credit facility. We believe our future operating cash flows will be sufficient to meet our future operating and capital expenditure cash needs for the foreseeable future, including at least the next 12 months. The availability of borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facility provides another potential source of liquidity for acquisitions. We may seek to raise additional capital, which could be in the form of bonds, convertible debt or equity, to fund business development activities or other future investing cash requirements, subject to approval by the lenders in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.

Significant factors affecting the management of our ongoing cash requirements are the adequacy of available bank lines of credit and our ability to attract long term capital with satisfactory terms. The sources of our liquidity are subject to all of the risks of our business and could be adversely affected by, among other factors, a decrease in demand for our products, our ability to integrate current and future acquisitions, deterioration in certain financial ratios, availability of borrowings under our revolving credit facility, and market changes in general. See “Risks Relating to Our Common Shares and Our Capital Structure” included in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our ability to make payments on our indebtedness and to fund our operations may be dependent upon the earnings and the distribution of funds from our subsidiaries. Local laws and regulations and/or the terms of our indebtedness restrict certain of our

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subsidiaries from paying dividends and transferring assets to us. We cannot assure you that applicable laws and regulations and/or the terms of our indebtedness will permit our subsidiaries to provide us with sufficient dividends, distributions or loans when necessary.

In October 2013, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase plan under which the Company may repurchase outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock up to an aggregate amount of $10.0 million. The shares may be repurchased from time to time, at the Company’s discretion, based on ongoing assessment of the capital needs of the business, the market price of the Company’s common stock, and general market conditions. Shares may also be repurchased through an accelerated stock purchase agreement, on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions in accordance with applicable federal securities laws. Repurchases may be made under certain SEC regulations, which would permit common stock to be purchased when the Company would otherwise be prohibited from doing so under insider trading laws. The share repurchase plan does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of common stock. No time limit was set for the completion of the share repurchase program, and the program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. The Company expects to fund the share repurchases through cash on hand and future cash generated from operations. During 2017, the Company repurchased 14 thousand shares in the open market for an aggregate purchase price of $0.4 million at an average price of $26.41 per share. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had repurchased a total of 296 thousand shares for an aggregate purchase price of $4.2 million at an average price of $14.05 per share. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had $5.8 million available for share repurchases under the authorized share repurchase plan.

As of December 31, 2017, $69.7 million of our $100.1 million cash and cash equivalents was held by our subsidiaries outside of Canada and the United States, including Laser Quantum. We have a 76% ownership interest in Laser Quantum and, accordingly, have access to our proportionate interest in the cash and cash equivalents held at this subsidiary. Generally, our intent is to use cash held in these foreign subsidiaries to fund our local operations or acquisitions by those local subsidiaries and to pay down borrowings under our revolving credit facility. Approximately 59.5% of our outstanding borrowings under our Senior Credit Facilities (defined below) were held in our subsidiaries outside of Canada and the United States. Additionally, we may use intercompany loans to address short-term cash flow needs for various subsidiaries. In certain instances, we have identified excess cash for which we may repatriate and have established liabilities for the expected tax cost. Because of the ownership structure of the Company, the Company’s foreign entities outside the U.S. are not considered controlled foreign corporations of the U.S. company, as defined under U.S. tax principles, and accordingly, the accumulated earnings of these foreign subsidiaries are not subject to the one-time Toll Charge under the Tax Reform Act.

Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement

In May 2016, we entered into the second amended and restated senior secured credit agreement (the “Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”), consisting of a $75.0 million, 5-year term loan facility and a $225.0 million, 5-year revolving credit facility (collectively, the “Senior Credit Facilities”). The Senior Credit Facilities mature in May 2021. In August 2017, we entered into a third amendment (the “Third Amendment”) to the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The Third Amendment increased the borrowing limit under the revolving credit facility commitment from $225 million to $325 million and reset the accordion feature to $125 million for future expansion. Additionally, the Third Amendment increased the term loan balance from $65.6 million to $90.6 million. The term loan is payable in quarterly installments of $2.3 million beginning in October 2017, with the remaining amount due upon maturity. We may make payments to pay down our revolving credit facility with cash on hand and cash generated from future operations.

On February 26, 2018, we entered into a fourth amendment (the “Fourth Amendment”) to the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The Fourth Amendment increases the maximum permitted consolidated leverage ratio from 3.00 to 3.50, increases the maximum consolidated leverage ratio for permitted acquisitions and stock repurchases from 2.50 to 3.00, increases the maximum permitted consolidated leverage ratio for a designated acquisition from 3.00 to 3.50, and increases the maximum leverage ratio for four consecutive quarters following a designated acquisition from 3.50 to 4.00. Certain other technical changes were made to the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement as a result of the Fourth Amendment and are not considered material.

As of December 31, 2017, we had term loans of $88.3 million and revolving loans of $149.5 million outstanding under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.

The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains various covenants that we believe are usual and customary for this type of agreement, including a maximum allowed leverage ratio and a minimum required fixed charge coverage ratio (as defined in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement). The following table summarizes these financial covenants and our compliance therewith as of December 31, 2017:

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In addition, the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains various other customary representations, warranties and covenants applicable to the Company and its subsidiaries, including: (i) limitations on certain payments; (ii) limitations on fundamental changes involving the Company; (iii) limitations on the disposition of assets; and (iv) limitations on indebtedness, investments, and liens.

Cash Flows

Cash and cash equivalents totaled $100.1 million at December 31, 2017, versus $68.1 million at December 31, 2016. The net increase in cash and cash equivalents is primarily attributable to cash provided by operating activities of $63.4 million and borrowings under our revolving credit facility of $176.8 million. These cash inflows were offset by cash outflows of $168.3 million for the acquisitions of WOM, ThingMagic and Laser Quantum, debt repayments of $26.9 million, and capital expenditures of $9.1 million.

The following table summarizes our cash and cash equivalent balances, cash flows and unused borrowing capacity available under our revolving credit facility for the years indicated (in thousands):

Operating Cash Flows

Cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations was $63.4 million in 2017, versus $47.8 million in 2016. Cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations in 2017 increased from 2016 primarily due to the increase in income from continuing operations.

Cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations for 2017 was positively impacted by an increase in our outstanding payables and accrued expenses. Cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations was negatively impacted by an increase in outstanding trade receivables and an increase in inventories, excluding trade receivables and inventories acquired from acquisitions in 2017, and an increase in income tax payments.

Cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations was $47.8 million in 2016, versus $33.4 million in 2015. Cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations was positively impacted by an increase in our days payables outstanding from 41 days at December 31, 2015 to 53 days at December 31, 2016 and improvement in our inventory turnover ratio from 3.6 at December 31, 2015 to 3.7 at December 31, 2016. Cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations was negatively impacted by an increase in our days sales outstanding from 57 days at December 31, 2015 to 59 days at December 31, 2016.

Cash used in operating activities of discontinued operations was less than $0.1 million in 2015, primarily related to the divestiture of Scientific Lasers business in 2014.

Investing Cash Flows

Cash used in investing activities of continuing operations was $177.4 million during 2017 primarily driven by our acquisitions of WOM, ThingMagic and Laser Quantum. In connection with these acquisitions, we paid $185.0 million in cash considerations, which is reported in the consolidated statement of cash flows as $168.3 million cash outflows from investing activities (net of cash acquired of $16.7 million and working capital adjustments). We also paid $9.1 million for capital expenditures during 2017.

Cash used in investing activities of continuing operations was $14.4 million during 2016 primarily due to $13.4 million in cash consideration paid for the Reach acquisition and the acquisition of certain developed technology assets, and $8.5 million in cash paid for capital expenditures, partially offset by $3.6 million in net cash consideration received from the sale of our Orlando, Florida facility in March 2016, $3.4 million in net cash consideration received from the sale of our Chatsworth, California facility in August 2016, and $0.4 million received from the finalization of the Lincoln Laser acquisition working capital adjustments.

Cash used in investing activities of continuing operations was $1.8 million during 2015 primarily due to cash consideration of $26.0 million paid for the Applimotion, Lincoln Laser and Skyetek acquisitions and $5.6 million in capital expenditures, partially offset by $29.6 million of cash proceeds received from the sale of the JK Lasers business.

Cash provided by investing activities of discontinued operations was $1.5 million during 2016 primarily related to the release of escrow funds from our July 2014 Scientific Lasers divestiture. Cash provided by investing activities of discontinued operations was

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$0.2 million during 2015 primarily related to net cash proceeds from the sale of Excel Laser Technology Private Limited (the “India JV”).

We have no material commitments to purchase property, plant and equipment. We expect to use approximately $12 million to $15 million in 2018 for capital expenditures related to investments in new property, plant and equipment for our existing businesses.

Financing Cash Flows

Cash provided by financing activities of continuing operations was $143.3 million during 2017, primarily due to $176.8 million of borrowings under our revolving credit facility used to fund a portion of the cash considerations paid for the WOM, ThingMagic and Laser Quantum acquisitions, partially offset by $7.9 million of contractual term loan payments, $19.0 million of optional repayments of borrowings under our revolving credit facility, $2.5 million of contingent consideration payments, $2.1 million of payroll withholding tax payments on stock-based compensation awards, $0.4 million of repurchases of our common shares and $0.9 million of principal payments under our capital lease obligations. We also paid $0.7 million for debt issuance costs as a result of the Third Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement entered into in August 2017.

Cash used in financing activities of continuing operations was $23.2 million during 2016, primarily due to $7.5 million of contractual term loan payments, $8.8 million of optional repayments of borrowings under our revolving credit facility, $1.8 million of payroll withholding tax payments on stock-based compensation awards, $1.6 million of repurchases of our common shares, and $1.2 million of principal payments under our capital lease obligations. We also paid $2.5 million for debt issuance costs as a result of the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement signed in May 2016.

Cash used in financing activities of continuing operations was $21.5 million during 2015, primarily due to $7.5 million of contractual term loan payments, $23.0 million of optional repayments of borrowings under our revolving credit facility and $1.6 million of repurchases of our common shares, offset by $13.0 million of borrowings under our revolving credit facility to fund the Applimotion acquisition.

We expect to use $9.8 million of cash in 2018 for financing activities, comprised of quarterly contractual payments of $2.3 million on our term loan facility, and $0.6 million in principal payments under our capital lease obligations. In addition, we may pay down our revolving credit facility from time to time with available cash generated from future operating activities.

Other Liquidity Matters

Pension Plans

We maintain a defined benefit pension plan in the U.K. (the “U.K. Plan”). Our U.K. Plan was closed to new members in 1997 and stopped accruing additional pension benefits for existing members in 2003, thereby limiting our obligation to benefits earned through that date. Benefits under this plan were based on the employees’ years of service and compensation as of the date the plan was frozen, adjusted for inflation. On July 1, 2013, the Company provided a Guarantee (the “Guarantee”) in favor of the trustees of the U.K. Plan with respect to all present and future obligations and liabilities under the U.K. Plan (whether actual or contingent and whether owed jointly or severally and in any capacity whatsoever) of Novanta Technologies UK Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Novanta Inc.

Our funding policy is to fund pensions based on actuarial methods as permitted by regulatory authorities. The results of funding valuations depend on both the funding deficit and the assumptions that we make with regard to attributes such as asset returns, discount rates, mortality, retail price inflation and other market driven changes. The assumptions used represent one estimate of many possible future outcomes. The final cost to us will be determined by events as they actually become known. Due to the underfunded position that our U.K. Plan currently has and potential changes in the actual outcomes relative to our assumptions, we may have to increase payments to fund this plan in the future. As of December 31, 2017, the projected benefit obligation under the U.K. Plan exceeded the fair value of plan assets by $3.9 million.

Based on the results of the most recent funding valuation completed in 2015, the Company’s annual contributions are expected to be approximately $0.9 million in 2018 and will increase by 2.9% per year thereafter.  

As a result of the covenant that exists between our U.K. subsidiary and the Plan Trustees regarding the funding of the U.K. Plan, our ability to transfer assets outside our U.K. subsidiary, and its wholly owned subsidiary in China, may be limited.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements, Contractual Obligations

Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations at December 31, 2017 and the effect that such obligations are expected to have on liquidity and cash flows in future years. We have excluded the future cash payments for unrecognized tax benefits of $3.8

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million, including interest and penalties, because we are uncertain if and when such amounts may be settled. These unrecognized tax benefits are further explained in Note 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

Through December 31, 2017, we have not entered into any off-balance sheet arrangements or material transactions with unconsolidated entities or other persons.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses for the reporting periods. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, assumptions and judgments, including those related to revenue recognition, inventory valuation, assessment of the valuation of goodwill, intangible assets and tangible long-lived assets, contingent consideration obligations, employee benefit plans, restructuring charges, accounting for income taxes, and accounting for loss contingencies. Actual results could differ significantly from our estimates in the future.

We believe that the following critical accounting policies and estimates most significantly affect the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and require the most difficult and subjective judgments.

Revenue Recognition. Revenue from the sale of products is recognized when we meet all four of the criteria for revenue recognition within the fiscal period. These criteria are: evidence of an arrangement exists; delivery has occurred; the price is fixed or determinable; and collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured. Revenue recognition requires judgment and estimates, which may affect the amount and timing of revenue recognized in any given period.

The Photonics, Vision, and Precision Motion segments have revenue transactions that are comprised of both single-element and multiple-element transactions. Multiple-element transactions typically include two or more products and occasionally contain non-standard/extended warranties or preventative maintenance plans. For multiple-element transactions, revenue is generally recognized

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upon shipment, using the relative selling price method in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 605-25, “Revenue – Multiple-Element Arrangements”. Single-element transactions are typically recognized upon shipment at their contractually stated prices.

The Company generally provides warranties for its products. The standard warranty period is typically 12 months to 24 months for the Photonics and Precision Motion segments and 12 months to 36 months for the Vision segment. The standard warranty period for product sales is accounted for under the provisions of ASC 450, “Contingencies,” as the Company has the ability to ascertain the likelihood of the liability and can reasonably estimate the amount of the liability. A provision for the estimated cost related to warranty is recorded to cost of revenue at the time revenue is recognized. The Company’s estimate of costs to service the warranty obligations is based on historical experience and expectations of future conditions. To the extent the Company experiences warranty claims or costs associated with servicing those claims that differ from the original estimates, revisions to the estimated warranty liability are recorded at that time, with an offsetting entry recorded to cost of revenue.

The Company occasionally sells separately priced extended/non-standard warranty services or preventative maintenance plans, which are accounted for in accordance with provisions of ASC 605-20-25-3, “Separately Priced Extended Warranty and Product Maintenance Contracts.” Under this guidance, we recognize the separately priced extended/non-standard warranty and preventative maintenance fees ratably over the associated period.

At the request of its customers, the Company may perform professional services, generally for the maintenance and repair of products previously sold to those customers. These services are usually in the form of time and materials based contracts which are short in duration. Revenue for time and materials services is recorded at the completion of services requested under a customer’s purchase order.

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2014-09” or “Topic 606”), which provides new guidance for revenue recognition. ASU 2014-09 requires entities to recognize revenue in a way that depicts the transfer of goods or services to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. As amended by ASU 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers – Deferral of the Effective Date,” ASU 2014-09 will be effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Upon adoption of Topic 606, an entity may apply the new guidance either retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (the “full retrospective method”) or retrospectively only to customer contracts not yet completed as of the date of adoption with the cumulative effect of initially applying the standard recognized in beginning retained earnings at the date of the initial application (the “modified retrospective method”).

The Company will adopt the new standard as in the first quarter of 2018, which will be reflected in the consolidated financial statements for the interim and annual periods in the year ending December 31, 2018, and conducted various activities to prepare for the adoption of the new standard in 2017. The Company surveyed cross-functional leaders to identify potential revenue streams that could be impacted by Topic 606 and identified certain revenue streams that could be impacted.  The Company also reviewed a representative sample of individual customer contracts related to these various revenue streams to determine if the guidance under Topic 606 is expected to have a material impact on revenue recognition. The Company has concluded that the adoption of Topic 606 is not expected to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Inventories. Inventories, which include materials and conversion costs, are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value, using the first-in, first-out method. Cost includes the cost of purchased materials, inbound freight charges, external and internal processing and applicable labor and overhead costs. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation.

We regularly review inventory quantities on hand and, when necessary, record provisions for excess and obsolete inventory based on either our forecasted product demand and production requirements or historical trailing usage of the product. If our sales do not materialize as planned or at historical levels, we may have to increase our reserve for excess and obsolete inventory, which would reduce our earnings. If actual market conditions are more favorable than anticipated, inventory previously written down may be sold, resulting in lower cost of revenue and higher income from operations than expected in that period.

Share-Based Compensation. The Company records expenses associated with share-based compensation awards to employees and directors based on the fair value of awards as of the grant date. For stock-based compensation awards that vest over time based on employment, the associated expenses are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations ratably over the vesting period of the award, net of estimated forfeitures.

The Company grants two types of performance-based awards to certain members of the executive management team: non-GAAP EPS performance-based restricted stock units (“EPS-PSUs”) and relative total shareholder return performance-based restricted stock units (“TSR-PSUs”). For EPS-PSUs, share-based compensation expense is recognized ratably over the vesting period when it is probable that specified performance targets are expected to be achieved based on management’s projections. Management’s

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projections are revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods when underlying factors change the evaluation of the probability of achieving the performance targets. Accordingly, share-based compensation expense associated with EPS-PSUs may differ significantly from period to period based on changes to the probability of achieving performance targets. For TSR-PSUs, the Company recognizes the related compensation expense based on the fair value of the TSR-PSUs, which is determined using the Monte-Carlo simulation valuation model as of the date of grant. The expense related to TSR-PSUs is recognized on a straight-line basis from the grant date to the end of the performance period, which is generally three years.

The Monte Carlo simulation model utilizes multiple input variables that determine the probability of satisfying the performance conditions stipulated in the grant agreement and calculates the fair market value for the market-based restricted stock units granted. The Monte Carlo simulation model also uses stock price volatility and other variables to estimate the probability of satisfying the performance conditions, including the possibility that the market condition may not be satisfied, and the resulting fair value of the award. We recognize the expense related to these awards on a straight-line basis over the vesting period, which is generally three years.

Valuation of Long-lived Assets. The purchase price we pay for acquired companies is allocated first to the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their fair value. Any excess purchase price is then allocated to goodwill. We make various assumptions and estimates in order to assign fair value to acquired tangible and intangible assets and liabilities.  These assumptions typically include cash flow forecasts, discount rates, technology royalty rates, and customer attrition rates, among others. Actual cash flows may vary from forecasts used to value these assets at the time of the business combination.

Our most significant identifiable intangible assets are customer relationships, acquired technologies, trademarks and trade names. In addition to our review of the carrying value of each asset, the useful life assumption for each asset, including the classification of certain intangible assets as “indefinite-lived,” are reviewed on a periodic basis to determine if changes in circumstances warrant revisions to them. All definite-lived intangible assets are amortized over the periods in which their economic benefits are expected to be realized.

Impairment analyses of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are conducted in accordance with ASC 350, “Intangibles—Goodwill and Other.” We test our goodwill balances annually as of the beginning of the second quarter or more frequently if indicators are present or changes in circumstances suggest that an impairment may exist. Should the fair value of the Company’s goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets decline because of reduced operating performance, market declines, or other indicators of impairment, or as a result of changes in the discount rate, charges for impairment loss may be necessary.

The Company evaluates its goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets for impairment at the reporting unit level which is generally at least one level below our reportable segments. The Company has the option of first performing a qualitative (“Step 0”) assessment to determine whether it is necessary to perform the quantitative two-step impairment test. In performing the Step 0 assessment, the Company reviews qualitative factors both specific to the reporting unit and to the Company as a whole, such as financial performance, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, and the fair value of each reporting unit at the last valuation date. If the Company elects this option and believes, as a result of the Step 0 assessment, that it is more likely than not that the carrying value of goodwill is not recoverable, the quantitative two-step impairment test is required; otherwise, no further testing is required.

Alternatively, the Company may elect to bypass the Step 0 qualitative assessment and perform the quantitative two-step impairment test. This two-step approach requires a comparison of the carrying value of each of our reporting units to the fair value of these reporting units. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, we estimate the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill and compare it to the carrying value. If the carrying value of goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, an impairment charge is recorded for the difference. The fair value of a reporting unit is estimated primarily using a discounted cash flow (“DCF”) method. The DCF approach requires that we forecast future cash flows for each of the reporting units and discount the cash flow streams based on a weighted average cost of capital (“WACC”) that is derived, in part, from comparable companies within similar industries. The DCF calculations also include a terminal value calculation that is based upon an expected long-term growth rate for the applicable reporting unit. The carrying values of each reporting unit include assets and liabilities which relate to the reporting unit’s operations. Additionally, reporting units that benefit from corporate assets or liabilities are allocated a portion of those corporate assets and liabilities on a proportional basis.

We assess indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis, and more frequently if impairment indicators are identified. We also periodically reassess their continuing classification as indefinite-lived intangible assets. Impairment exists if the fair value of the intangible asset is less than its carrying value. An impairment charge equal to the difference is recorded to reduce the carrying value to its fair value.

We evaluate amortizable intangible assets and other long-lived assets for impairment in accordance with ASC 360-10-35-15, “Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets,” whenever changes in events or circumstances indicate that the carrying values of the reporting units may exceed the undiscounted cash flow forecasts attributable to the reporting units. If undiscounted cash flow forecasts

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indicate that the carrying value of a definite-lived intangible asset or other long-lived asset may not be recoverable, a fair value assessment is performed. For intangible assets, fair value estimates are derived from discounted cash flow forecasts. For other long-lived assets (primarily property, plant and equipment), fair value estimates are derived from the sources most appropriate for the particular asset and have historically included such approaches as sales comparison approach and replacement cost approach. If fair value is less than carrying value, an impairment charge equal to the difference is recorded. We also review the useful life and residual value assumptions for definite-lived intangible assets and other long-lived assets on a periodic basis to determine if changes in circumstances warrant revisions to them.

Factors which may trigger an impairment of our goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets include the following:

The occurrence of any of these events or any other unforeseeable events or circumstances that materially affect future operating results or cash flows may cause an impairment that is material to our results of operations or financial position in the reporting period in which it occurs or is identified.

The most recent annual goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment test was performed as of the beginning of the second quarter of 2017, using a Step 0 assessment, noting no impairment. As of December 31, 2017, there were no indicators of impairment of our long-lived assets.

We have a significant amount of goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets. The following table shows the breakdown of goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant and equipment by reportable segment as of December 31, 2017 (in thousands):

Contingent Consideration. The purchase price we pay for acquired companies or acquired assets may include contingent consideration obligations. For business combinations, contingent considerations are typically measured at fair value at the acquisition date using the Monte Carlo valuation method, and are payable to the former shareholders of the acquired company based on the achievement of certain performance targets. Subsequent to the acquisition date, we update the fair value periodically with updated assumptions for the probability of achieving the targets based on actual performance to date. Any increases or decreases in the estimated fair value of contingent consideration liabilities subsequent to the acquisition date are recorded in the consolidated statement of operations as acquisition related costs until the liability is fully settled.

For asset acquisitions, contingent consideration is measured when the achievement of certain performance targets is probable and reasonably estimable, and is capitalized as part of the cost of the asset acquired. Subsequently, we update the fair value periodically with updated assumptions for the probability of achieving the targets based on actual performance to date until the liability is fully settled. Subsequent increases or decreases in the estimated fair value of contingent consideration liabilities are recorded as adjustments to the carrying value of the asset acquired and amortized over the remaining useful life of the underlying asset.

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As of December 31, 2017, the Company may have to pay up to $9.4 million contingent consideration related to all acquisitions with open contingency periods. As of December 31, 2017, the Company has recorded an estimated fair value of $4.1 million of contingent consideration obligations.

Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest. On January 10, 2017, the Company acquired an additional approximately 35% of the outstanding shares of Laser Quantum, which increased our ownership position in Laser Quantum from approximately 41% to approximately 76%. As part of this transaction, the Company and the remaining shareholders of Laser Quantum entered into a call and put option agreement for the purchase and sale, in 2020, of all remaining Laser Quantum shares held by the other shareholders, subject to certain conditions. The purchase price for the remaining shares will be based on the proportionate share of the noncontrolling interest (“NCI”) in Laser Quantum’s cash on hand as of December 31, 2019 and a multiple of Laser Quantum’s EBITDA for the twelve months ending December 31, 2019. The NCI is considered a redeemable equity instrument and is presented as temporary equity on the consolidated balance sheet. The proportionate share of the net income attributable to the NCI is reported as a reduction to the consolidated net income in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and an increase to the carrying value of the redeemable NCI.

The initial value of the NCI is measured at fair value at the date of the acquisition. The value of the NCI is determined using a combination of the discounted cash flow method (an income approach), the guideline public company method (a market approach), and the subject company transaction method (a market approach). The Company carries the redeemable NCI at the higher of (i) the carrying value without any redemption value adjustments or (ii) the estimated redemption value as of the end of the reporting period. The estimated redemption value is determined as of the end of the reporting period as if it were also the redemption date for the instrument. The resulting adjustments are recorded in retained earnings in shareholders’ equity and are include in the computation of earnings per share attributable to the Company. The resulting adjustments do not affect net income attributable to the Company.

Pension Plans. Our subsidiary located in the U.K. maintains a defined benefit pension plan (the “U.K. Plan”). The U.K. Plan was closed to new membership in 1997 and stopped accruing for additional pension benefits for existing members in 2003, limiting our obligation to benefits earned through that date. Benefits under this plan were based on the employees’ years of service and compensation as of the date the plan was frozen, adjusted for inflation. At December 31, 2017, the fair market value of the plan assets was $36.5 million, which was $3.9 million, or 9.6%, less than the projected benefit obligation of $40.3 million.

The cost and obligations of our U.K. Plan are calculated using many assumptions. Major assumptions used in the accounting for this pension plan include the discount rate, rate of inflation, mortality rate and expected return on plan assets. Assumptions are determined each year based on data and appropriate market indicators in consultation with a third-party actuary. Should any of these assumptions change, they would have an effect on net periodic pension cost and the unfunded benefit obligation as of the end of the year. The most sensitive assumption affecting the determination of our U.K. Plan pension obligation is the discount rate.  A 50 basis point decrease in the discount rate as of December 31, 2017 would change the pension obligation by $3.5 million.

Restructuring Charges. In accounting for our restructuring activities, we follow the provisions of ASC 420, “Exit or Disposal Cost Obligations.” In accounting for these obligations, we make assumptions related to the amount of employee severance and benefits related costs, the time period over which facilities will remain vacant, sublease terms, sublease rental rates, and discount rates. Additionally, we make assumptions on the estimated remaining useful lives of assets being restructured and the residual value of the assets. Estimates and assumptions are based on the best information available at the time the obligation has arisen. These estimates are reviewed and revised as facts and circumstances dictate. Changes in these estimates could have a material effect on the amount previously expensed against our earnings and currently accrued on our consolidated balance sheet.

Accounting for Income Taxes. As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to calculate our income tax provision (benefit) in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves estimating our current income tax provision (benefit) together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and accounting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are reported on our consolidated balance sheet.

Judgment is required in determining our worldwide income tax provision. In the ordinary course of a global business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate outcome is uncertain. Although we believe our estimates are reasonable, no assurance can be given that the final outcome of these matters will not be different from that which is reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals. Such differences could have a material impact on our income tax provision and net income in the period in which such determination is made.

We record a valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that they will not be realized. We have considered future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax planning strategies in assessing the need for a valuation allowance. In the event we determine that we are able to realize our deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, an adjustment to the valuation allowance for the deferred tax assets would be recorded and would increase our net income in the period such determination is made. Likewise, should we determine that we will not be able to realize all or part of our net deferred

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tax assets in the future, an adjustment to the valuation allowance for the deferred tax assets will be recorded and will reduce our net income in the period such determination is made.

In conjunction with our ongoing review of our actual results and anticipated future earnings, we continuously reassess the adequacy of the valuation allowance currently in place on our deferred tax assets. In 2017, we released valuation allowance of $0.1 million recorded on net operating losses and other timing items in certain tax jurisdictions. Further, we released $0.3 million of valuation allowance recorded on certain current year U.S. state net operating losses. The decrease of our valuation allowance was determined in accordance with the provisions of ASC 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires an assessment of both positive and negative evidence when determining whether it is more likely than not that deferred tax assets are recoverable. Such assessment is required on a jurisdiction by jurisdiction basis.

The amount of income taxes we pay is subject to audits by federal, state and foreign tax authorities, which may result in proposed assessments. We believe that we have adequately provided for any reasonably foreseeable outcome related to these matters. However, our future results may include favorable or unfavorable adjustments to our tax liabilities in the period that the assessments are made or resolved, or when the statute of limitations for certain periods expires. As of December 31, 2017, the total amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits was $4.1 million, of which $3.4 million would favorably affect our effective tax rate, if recognized. Over the next twelve months, the Company may need to record up to $0.2 million of previously unrecognized tax benefits in the event of statute of limitations closures.

Income and foreign withholding taxes have not been recognized on the excess of the amount for financial reporting purposes over the tax basis of investments in foreign subsidiaries that are essentially permanent in nature. This amount becomes taxable upon a repatriation of assets from a subsidiary or a sale or liquidation of a subsidiary. The amount of undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries totaled $98.0 million as of December 31, 2017. The estimated unrecognized income and foreign withholding tax liability on this temporary difference is approximately $0.2 million.

On December 22, 2017, the President of the United States signed into law the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Reform Act”). The Tax Reform Act significantly changes U.S. tax law by, among other things, lowering corporate income tax rates, implementing a territorial tax system, providing a one-time transition Toll Charge on foreign earnings, creating a new limitation on deductible interest expense and modifying the officer’s compensation limitation. The Tax Reform Act permanently reduces the U.S. corporate income tax rate from a maximum of 35% to a flat 21% rate, effective January 1, 2018.

The Company’s accounting for the elements of the Tax Reform Act is incomplete. However, the Securities and Exchange Commission has issued guidance that allows for a measurement period of up to one year after the enactment date of the Tax Reform Act to finalize the recording of the related tax impacts. The Company has made reasonable estimates of the effects to the consolidated statements of operations and consolidated balance sheets and has, therefore, recorded provisional amounts. Provisional amounts recorded as of December 31, 2017 are subject to refinement due to various factors including, but not limited to, changes in interpretations, analysis and assumptions made by the Company, additional guidance that may be issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, and any updates or changes to estimates the Company has utilized to calculate the transition impact. The Company currently anticipates finalizing and recording any resulting adjustments in December 2018.

As a result of the Tax Reform Act, the Company was required to revalue deferred tax assets and liabilities at 21%, the new enacted corporate income tax rate.  This revaluation resulted in an additional income tax provision of $2.8 million in income from continuing operations and a corresponding reduction in the deferred tax assets and liabilities in the year ended December 31, 2017. Because of the ownership structure of the Company, the one-time transition Toll Charge on foreign earnings does not apply.

Loss Contingencies. We are subject to legal proceedings, lawsuits and other claims relating to labor, service and other matters arising in the ordinary course of business. We review the status of each significant matter and assess our potential financial exposure on a quarterly basis. If the potential loss from any claim or legal proceeding is considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated, we accrue a liability for the estimated loss. Significant judgment is required in both the determination of probability and the determination as to whether an exposure is reasonably estimable. Because of uncertainties related to these matters, accruals are based only on the best information available as of the date of the financial statement. As additional information becomes available, we will reassess the potential liability related to our pending claims and litigation and may revise our estimates. Such revisions in the estimates of the potential liabilities could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position. We expense legal fees as incurred.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 to Consolidated Financial Statements for recent accounting pronouncements that could have an effect on us.

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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

We are exposed to market risk from changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates, which could affect our operating results, financial position and cash flows. We manage our exposure to these market risks through our regular operating and financing activities. We address market risks from changes in foreign currency exchange rates through a risk management program that includes the use of derivative financial instruments to mitigate certain balance sheet foreign currency transaction exposures.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk and Sensitivity

We are exposed to changes in foreign currency exchange rates which could affect our operating results as well as our financial position and cash flows. The foreign currencies to which we have the most significant exchange rate exposure are the Euro, British Pound and Japanese Yen. The Company manages its foreign currency exposures on a consolidated basis, which allows the Company to analyze exposures globally and take into account offsetting exposures in certain balances. The primary foreign currency denominated transactions include revenue and expenses and the resulting accounts receivable and accounts payable balances reflected on our consolidated balance sheet and with intercompany trading partners that are eliminated in consolidation.

In the ordinary course of business, we enter into foreign currency contracts for periods consistent with our committed exposures to mitigate the effect of foreign currency movements on transactions denominated in foreign currencies. We do not enter into or hold foreign currency derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes nor do we enter into derivative financial instruments to hedge future cash flows or forecasted transactions. The intent of these economic hedges is to offset gains and losses on the underlying exposures from these currencies, with gains and losses resulting from the foreign currency contracts that hedge these exposures.

We had foreign currency contracts with notional amounts totaling $17.9 million and a fair value of $0.2 million as of December 31, 2017. A hypothetical 10% strengthening of the U.S. dollar against other currencies would result in an approximately $1.7 million decrease in the fair value of our foreign currency contracts as of December 31, 2017. By contract, a hypothetical weakening of the U.S. dollar against other currencies would result in an approximately $1.7 million increase in the fair value of our foreign currency contracts as of December 31, 2017.

Interest Rates

Our exposure to market risk associated with changes in interest rates relates primarily to our debt obligations. We have $237.8 million of outstanding variable rate debt as of December 31, 2017. A 100 basis point increase in interest rates at December 31, 2017 would increase our annual pre-tax interest expense by approximately $2.4 million.

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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

NOVANTA INC.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Novanta Inc.:

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Novanta Inc. and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”).  We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).  

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.  Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.

Basis for Opinions

The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in Management's Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A.  Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits.  We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("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 audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.  

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated 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 consolidated 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 consolidated financial statements.  Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk.  Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

As described in Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting, management has excluded W.O.M. World of Medicine GmbH and Laser Quantum Limited from its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, because they were acquired by the Company in purchase business combinations during 2017.  We have also excluded W.O.M. World of Medicine GmbH and Laser Quantum Limited from our audit of internal control over financial reporting.  W.O.M. World of Medicine GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary, and Laser Quantum Limited is a 76% owned subsidiary, whose total assets and total revenues excluded from management’s assessment and our audit of internal control over financial reporting represent approximately 8% and 7% of total assets, respectively and approximately 9% and 9% of total revenues, respectively, of the related consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.  A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in

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accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements.  Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

February 28, 2018

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2013.

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NOVANTA INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands of U.S. dollars or shares)