XML 36 R23.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.26.1
Note 17 - Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2026
Notes to Financial Statements  
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

17. Contingencies

 

Legal

 

The Company, from time to time, is involved in various legal actions arising in the normal course of business. Management, after reviewing with legal counsel all of these actions and proceedings, believes that the aggregate losses, if any, will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

 

Potential Impact of Economic Conditions in and Trade Relations with China

 

Due to our operations in China, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by economic, political, legal and social conditions in China. China’s economy differs from the economies of other countries in many respects, including with respect to the level of development, growth rate, amount of government involvement, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. While China’s economy has experienced significant growth over the past several decades, its growth rate has declined in recent years and may continue to decline. Deteriorating economic conditions in China generally have led to lower demand for our products in China and thus lower revenues and net income for our subsidiaries in China and the Company overall. A continuation of China’s current economic conditions or a further slowdown in the economic growth, an economic downturn, a recession, or other adverse economic conditions in China is likely to have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations in future quarters.

 

In addition, China’s export limitations on Germanium and Gallium, two materials that are commonly used in infrared optical components, are becoming increasingly disruptive to our business with adverse impacts. The initial restrictions imposed in July 2023 required all international customers to provide an end user statement for approval before receiving an export license. Following that announcement, supply of Germanium was disrupted, though not completely stopped. This also resulted in significant price increases in the cost of Germanium material. Following these restrictions we had proactively canceled a number of customer orders for Germanium, to reduce our exposure in case of a supply disruption.

 

Then, in December 2024, China escalated trade tensions with the U.S. by imposing more stringent export restrictions on critical minerals, including Germanium. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce cited national security concerns as the rationale for these measures, which effectively banned shipments of these minerals to the U.S., and significantly limited shipments of those minerals for dual-use applications in many other countries.

 

As a purchaser of Germanium, we cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to obtain adequate supplies of Germanium, or that the timing or costs of obtaining such raw materials will be acceptable to us. We have taken proactive steps to minimize the orders we accept for Germanium products and therefore minimize our exposure to this risk, and are actively working with our customers to redesign their systems to use our BlackDiamond materials instead of Germanium-based materials. Additionally, we are actively collaborating with our customers to ensure those redesigned systems are tested and qualified as replacements for legacy Germanium-based systems. In some cases, such as complex defense and airborne systems, the re-qualification of such redesigned systems is a lengthy process that can take up to two years. In other systems such as commercial systems and also some specific defense systems, this is a faster process, that takes several months.

 

In February 2025, the U.S. announced additional tariffs on goods imported from China, effective immediately, and China announced its intent to follow suit and implement additional tariffs on goods imported to China from the U.S. We utilize a number of strategies to mitigate the current and, hopefully, future impact of tariffs. However, given the uncertainty regarding the current tariffs, as well as the potential for additional trade actions by the U.S. or other countries in the future, any future impact on our operations and financial results is uncertain and these impacts could be more significant than those we have experienced in the past. Further, we can provide no assurance that the strategies we implemented to mitigate the impact of such tariffs or other trade actions will continue to be successful. To the extent that our supply chain, costs, sales, or profitability are negatively affected by the tariffs or other trade actions, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

 

On February 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling striking down certain tariffs previously imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”). Following the Supreme Court’s decision, the U.S. announced its intention to invoke other laws to collect tariffs and announced new tariffs on imports, in addition to any existing non-IEEPA tariffs. There remains substantial uncertainty regarding the duration of existing and newly announced tariffs, potential changes or pauses to such tariffs, tariff levels, and whether further additional tariffs or other retaliatory actions may be imposed, modified, or suspended, and the impacts of such actions on our business. Furthermore, the Company may be eligible to receive refunds of certain tariffs it paid that were levied under the IEEPA. If it is determined that the Company is eligible for refunds, the availability, amount and timing of such refunds is uncertain and subject to further developments. In the event the Company receives a refund of tariffs previously paid, it may elect or be required to return a portion of such amounts to customers that provided the Company tariff relief and/or price concessions. Any such obligations could reduce any benefit from a refund. No refund asset or liability has been recorded as of  March 31, 2026.

 

Impact of Ongoing Wars

 

In February 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine. This war has led to ongoing sanctions on Russia, which have had continuing impacts on our supply chain of raw materials, particularly Germanium. Separately, Israel declared war on Hamas in October 2023. Initially, this resulted in a temporary increase in our sales, as Israel worked to replace electro-optical systems that in some cases use our materials. Our sales to customers in this region have since stabilized, however, it is still possible that this war could have a negative impact on our business as a result of the overall economic impact in Israel. In addition to the significant defense related market in Israel, we also serve many commercial related applications and work with commercial companies in Israel, and the business of those customers may be negatively impacted by the war over time. Given the dynamic nature of this situation, we cannot reasonably estimate the impact of either the Russian-Ukraine conflict or the Israel-Hamas war on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows into the foreseeable future.

 

In February 2026, the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated military strikes against Iran, which retaliated with missile attacks across the region. Although we do not have material operations in the Middle East, the ongoing conflict and any further escalation, including additional military actions, retaliatory measures, sanctions, disruptions to trade or transportation routes, cyberattacks, or other governmental or market responses, could lead to significant disruption of global energy supplies and increases in global energy prices, heighten inflationary pressures on our input costs and supply chain, adversely affect global supply chains, energy markets, commodity prices, currency exchange rates, financial markets and overall macroeconomic conditions, and adversely impact customer spending patterns in markets in which we operate. While we do not expect the impacts of conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran to have a significant effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, we are unable to predict the extent or nature of potential future impacts at this time.