Filed Pursuant to Rule 424B2

Registration No. 333-168464

Subject to Completion

Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated June 1, 2011

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(To prospectus dated June 1, 2011)

$250,000,000

 

Teleflex Incorporated

 

     % Senior Subordinated Notes due 2021

 

 

 

 

We are offering $250 million aggregate principal amount of     % Senior Subordinated Notes due 2021. We will pay interest on the notes on June 1 and December 1 of each year, beginning December 1, 2011. The notes will mature on June 1, 2021. We may redeem some or all of the notes at any time on or after June 1, 2016 at redemption prices described in this prospectus supplement and prior to such date at a “make-whole” redemption price. At any time prior to June 1, 2014, we may also redeem up to 35% of the notes with the net cash proceeds we receive from certain equity offerings. If a change of control occurs as described in this prospectus supplement under the heading “Description of the Notes—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control,” we may be required to offer to purchase the notes from the holders.

 

The notes will be our general unsecured senior subordinated obligations and will be subordinated in right of payment to all of our existing and future senior indebtedness, including our indebtedness under our credit facilities, and will be equal in right of payment with all of our existing and future senior subordinated indebtedness, including our 3.875% convertible senior subordinated notes due 2017. The obligations under the notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by each of our existing and future domestic subsidiaries that is a guarantor or other obligor under our credit facility and by certain of our other domestic subsidiaries. The guarantees will be subordinated in right of payment to all of the existing and future senior indebtedness of such subsidiary guarantors and will be equal in right of payment with all of the future senior subordinated indebtedness of such subsidiary guarantors. The notes and the guarantees will be junior to the existing and future secured indebtedness of ours and our subsidiary guarantors to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness and will be structurally subordinated to all of the existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities of our non-guarantor subsidiaries.

 

Investing in the notes involves risks that are described in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page S-17 of this prospectus supplement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

The notes will be ready for delivery in book-entry form only through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company for the accounts of its participants, including Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., as operator of the Euroclear System, and Clearstream Banking, société anonyme, on or about          , 2011.

 

 

 

 

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

 

 

 

The date of this prospectus supplement is          , 2011.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or in any free writing prospectus filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone else to provide you with different or additional information or make any representation other than what is contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or in any free writing prospectuses we have prepared. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. Neither we nor the underwriters are making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer and sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any such free writing prospectus or any document incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the applicable document. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

 

As used in this prospectus supplement, unless otherwise specified or unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms the “Company”, “we”, “us”, “our” and “Teleflex” refer to Teleflex Incorporated and its consolidated subsidiaries.

 

This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement which contains specific information about the terms of this offering. This prospectus supplement also adds and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, provides more general information about us and securities we may offer from time to time, some of which may not apply to this offering of securities. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement.

 

We own or have rights to trademarks or trade names that we use in conjunction with the operation of our business. Each trademark, trade name or service mark of any other company appearing in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus belongs to its holder. Use or display by us of other parties’ trademarks, trade names or service marks is not intended to and does not imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship by us of, the trademark, trade name or service mark owner.

 

The industry and market data contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement are based either on our management’s own estimates or on independent industry publications, reports by market research firms or other published independent sources. Although we believe these sources are reliable, we have not independently verified the information and cannot guarantee its accuracy and completeness, as industry and market data are subject to change and cannot always be verified with complete certainty due to limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations and uncertainties inherent in any statistical survey of market shares. Accordingly, you should be aware that the industry and market data contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, and estimates and beliefs based on such data, may not be reliable. Unless otherwise indicated, all information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement concerning our industry in general or any segment thereof, including information regarding our general expectations and market opportunity, is based on management’s estimates using internal data, data from industry related publications, consumer research and marketing studies and other externally obtained data.

 

We are currently subject to the information requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and in accordance therewith file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy (at prescribed rates) any such reports, proxy statements and other information at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference room. Our SEC filings will also be available to you on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) on Form S-3 with respect to the notes offered hereby. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not contain all the information set forth in the registration statement, parts of which are omitted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further information with respect to us and the notes offered hereby, reference is made to the registration statement.

 

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information about us by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement incorporates by reference the documents and reports listed below:

 

 

We also incorporate by reference the information contained in all other documents we file with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus supplement and prior to the termination of this offering. The information contained in any such document will be considered part of this prospectus supplement from the date the document is filed with the SEC.

 

Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement modifies or supersedes that statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

 

If you make a request for such information in writing or by telephone, we will provide you, without charge, a copy of any or all of the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Any such request should be directed to:

 

Teleflex Incorporated

Attn: Jake Elguicze, Vice President Investor Relations

155 South Limerick Road

Limerick, PA 19468

(610) 948-2836

 

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. All statements made in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “may”, “plan”, “will”, “would”, “should”, “guidance”, “potential”, “continue”, “project”, “forecast”, “confident”, “prospects” and similar expressions typically are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about our business and the industry and markets in which we operate. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including:

 

 

There may be other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements. We can give no assurances that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if any of them does, what impact they will have on our results of operations and financial condition. You should carefully read the factors described in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement for a description of certain risks that could, among other things, cause our actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements.

 

All future written and verbal forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect us. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Such statements speak only as to the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, regardless of future developments or availability of new information.

 

SUMMARY

	•	the development of new products;
	•	the expansion of the use of existing products in existing markets;
	•	the introduction of existing products into new geographic markets; and
	•	selected acquisitions, licensing agreements and partnerships which enhance or expedite our development initiatives and our ability to increase our market share.

Product Group		Brands
Critical Care		Arrow, Gibeck, HudsonRCI, Rüsch, Sheridan and VasoNova
Surgical Care		Deknatel, Pleur-evac, Pilling, Taut and Weck
Cardiac Care		Arrow
OEM and Development Services		Beere Medical, KMedic, Specialized Medical Devices, Deknatel and TFXOEM

	•	Critical Care.  We are a leading provider of specialty products for critical care, which is predominantly comprised of single-use products. Critical care constitutes the largest product category within our Medical Segment, representing 66% of Medical Segment net revenues for the twelve months ended March 27, 2011. The large majority of sales for single-use medical products are made to the hospital/healthcare provider market, with a smaller percentage sold to alternate sites. Our medical products are used in a wide range of critical care procedures for vascular access, respiratory care, anesthesia and airway management, treatment of urologic conditions and other specialty procedures.

	•	Surgical Care.  Surgical care, which is predominantly comprised of single-use products, represented 18% of Medical Segment net revenues for the twelve months ended March 27, 2011. Our surgical products include ligation and closure products, including appliers, clips and sutures used in a variety of surgical procedures; access ports used in minimally invasive surgical procedures, including robotic surgery; and fluid management products used for chest drainage.

		Our surgical products also include hand-held instruments for general and specialty surgical procedures.

	•	Cardiac Care.  Cardiac care products accounted for 5% of Medical Segment net revenues for the twelve months ended March 27, 2011. Products in this category include diagnostic catheters and capital equipment, specialized angiographic catheters, therapeutic delivery catheters and intra-aortic balloon catheters and capital equipment.
	•	OEM and Development Services.  Customized medical instruments, implants and components sold to OEMs represented 11% of Medical Segment net revenues for the twelve months ended March 27, 2011. We provide specialized product development services, which include design engineering, prototyping and testing, manufacturing, assembly and packaging. Our OEM product development and manufacturing facilities are located globally in close proximity to major medical device manufacturers in Germany, Ireland, Mexico and the United States.

	•	Our Critical Care product group generated net revenues of $954.6 million for the twelve months ended March 27, 2011 and is a leading provider of central venous catheters and airway

		management, regional anesthesia, respiratory and urology products that are marketed under established brands such as Arrow, Rusch, Hudson RCI and Gibeck.

	•	Our Surgical Care product group generated net revenues of $264.6 million for the twelve months ended March 27, 2011 and is a leading provider of chest drainage and ligation products that are marketed under established brands such as Deknatel, Taut, Weck, Pilling and Pleur-evac.
	•	Our Cardiac Care product group generated net revenues of $70.0 million for the twelve months ended March 27, 2011 and is a leading provider of intra-aortic balloons and intra-aortic balloon pumps that are marketed under the Arrow brand.

Issuer		Teleflex Incorporated, a Delaware corporation.
Notes Offered		$250.0 million in aggregate principal amount of     % Senior Subordinated Notes due 2021.
Maturity Date		June 1, 2021.
Interest Rate		The notes will bear interest at a rate of     % per annum. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year composed of twelve 30-day months.
Interest Payment Dates		June 1 and December 1 of each year, commencing on December 1, 2011.
Guarantees		The obligations under the notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by each of our existing and future domestic subsidiaries that is a guarantor or other obligor under our credit facility and by certain of our other domestic subsidiaries.
		Not all of our subsidiaries will guarantee the notes. Our non-guarantor subsidiaries generated approximately 50% of our consolidated revenues in the twelve-month period ended March 27, 2011 and held approximately 42% of our consolidated assets as of March 27, 2011.
		The guarantees will be automatically released if the notes are rated investment grade by both Moody’s and S&P and in certain other circumstances. See “Description of Notes—Certain Covenants—Changes in Covenants When Notes Are Rated Investment Grade” and “Description of Notes—Note Guarantees.”
Ranking		The notes will be our general unsecured senior subordinated obligations and will be subordinated in right of payment to all of our existing and future senior indebtedness, including our indebtedness under our credit facilities, and will be equal in right of payment with all of our existing and future senior subordinated indebtedness, including our 3.875% convertible senior subordinated notes due 2017 (the “Convertible Notes”).
		The guarantees will be the general unsecured senior subordinated obligations of our subsidiary guarantors, and will be subordinated in right of payment to all of the existing and future senior indebtedness of such subsidiary guarantors, including the indebtedness of certain of the subsidiary guarantors under our credit facilities, and will be equal in right of payment with all of

		the future senior subordinated indebtedness of such subsidiary guarantors. Our subsidiaries do not guarantee the Convertible Notes.
		As of March 27, 2011, on an as adjusted basis after giving effect to this offering and the use of net proceeds thereof to prepay $125 million of borrowings under our credit facilities, we and the subsidiary guarantors would have had outstanding $428.8 million of Senior Debt (as defined under “Description of Notes—Certain Definitions”) to which the notes would be subordinated.
		The notes and the guarantees will be junior to the existing and future secured indebtedness of ours and our subsidiary guarantors to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness and will be structurally subordinated to all of the existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities of our non-guarantor subsidiaries.
Optional Redemption		At any time on or after June 1, 2016, we may redeem some or all of the notes at the redemption prices set forth under “Description of Notes—Optional Redemption,” plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the applicable redemption date.
		In addition, at any time prior to June 1, 2016, we may, on one or more occasions, redeem some or all of the notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes redeemed plus a “make-whole” premium plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the applicable redemption date.
		At any time prior to June 1, 2014, we may also redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of the notes, using the proceeds of certain qualified equity offerings, at a redemption price equal to     % of the principal amount of the notes redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the applicable redemption date.
		See “Description of Notes—Optional Redemption.”
Change of Control Offer		If we experience certain change of control events, we must offer to repurchase the notes at a repurchase price equal to 101% of the principal amount of the notes repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the applicable repurchase date. See “Description of Notes—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control.”
Asset Sale Offer		If we sell assets, under certain circumstances we must offer to repurchase the notes at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes repurchased plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the applicable repurchase date. See “Description of Notes—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales.”

Restrictive Covenants		The indenture governing the notes will contain covenants that, among other things, will impose significant restrictions on our business. The restrictions that these covenants place on us and our restricted subsidiaries include limitations on our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to:
		•    incur additional indebtedness or issue disqualified stock or preferred stock;
		•    create liens;
		•    pay dividends, make investments or make other restricted payments;
		•    sell assets;
		•    merge, consolidate, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets;
		•    enter into transactions with our affiliates;
		•    permit layering of debt; and
		•    designate subsidiaries as unrestricted.
		These covenants are subject to important exceptions and limitations, which are described under “Description of Notes.”
		Certain of these covenants will permanently cease to be in effect if the notes are rated investment grade by both Moody’s and S&P. See “Description of Notes—Certain Covenants—Changes in Covenants when Notes Are Rated Investment Grade.”
Absence of a Public Market for the Notes		The notes will be new securities for which there is currently no market. If no active trading market develops, you may not be able to resell your notes at their fair market value or at all. Future trading prices of the notes will depend on many factors, including, among other things, prevailing interest rates, our operating results and the market for similar securities. We have been informed by the underwriters that they currently intend to make a market in the notes after this offering is completed. However, the underwriters are not obligated to do so, and they may cease their market-making at any time and without notice.
Events of Default		Except as described under “Description of Notes—Events of Default,” if an event of default with respect to the notes occurs, holders may, upon satisfaction of certain conditions, accelerate the principal amount of the notes plus accrued and unpaid interest. In addition, the principal amount of the notes plus accrued and unpaid interest will automatically become due and payable in the case of certain types of bankruptcy or insolvency events of default involving us.

Listing		We do not intend to apply for listing of the notes on any securities exchange.
United States Federal Income and Estate Tax Consequences		For certain United States federal income and estate tax consequences of the holding and disposition of the notes, see “Certain United States Federal Income and Estate Tax Consequences.”
DTC Eligibility		The notes will be issued in fully registered book-entry form and will be represented by permanent global notes without coupons. Global notes will be deposited with a custodian for and registered in the name of a nominee of DTC, in New York, New York. Investors may elect to hold interests in the global notes through DTC and its direct or indirect participants as described under “Description of Notes—Book-Entry, Delivery and Form.”
Form and Denominations		The notes will be issued in minimum denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.
Use of Proceeds		We estimate that the net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $245.8 million, after deducting the underwriters’ discounts and commissions and our estimated offering expenses.
		We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering to prepay $125 million of borrowings under our credit facilities, and the remainder for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, capital expenditures, acquisitions and additional repayment of debt.
Conflicts of Interest		Certain affiliates of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, underwriters in this offering, are agents or lenders under our credit facilities and each of these lenders may receive more than 5% of the net proceeds of this offering. See “Use of Proceeds.” Accordingly, this offering is being made in compliance with the requirements of FINRA Rule 5121 of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. In accordance with this rule, Goldman, Sachs & Co. has assumed the responsibilities of acting as a qualified independent underwriter. In its role as a qualified independent underwriter, Goldman, Sachs & Co. has participated in due diligence and the preparation of this prospectus supplement and the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part. Goldman, Sachs & Co. will not receive any additional fees for serving as a qualified independent underwriter in connection with this offering. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC will not confirm sales of the debt securities to any account over which they exercise discretionary authority without the prior written approval of the customer.
Risk Factors		See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-18 of this prospectus supplement for important information regarding us and an investment in the notes.

																						Twelve
																						Months
														Three Months Ended								Ended
		Years Ended December 31,												March 28,				March 27,				March 27,
		2008				2009				2010				2010				2011				2011
														Unaudited								Unaudited
		(Dollars in thousands)
Statement of Income Data (1):
Net revenues:
Medical (2)			$1,475,621				$1,434,885				$1,433,282				$343,537				$354,004				$1,443,749
Aerospace			149,452				124,463				128,037				23,795				34,654				138,896
Total net revenues			1,625,073				1,559,348				1,561,319				367,332				388,658				1,582,645
Cost of goods sold			886,076				838,135				828,897				190,435				212,620				851,082
Gross profit			738,997				721,213				732,422				176,897				176,038				731,563
Selling, general and administrative expenses			455,412				410,140				431,104				100,568				109,831				440,367
Research and development expenses			32,598				36,685				42,621				9,311				11,038				44,348
Net gain on sales of businesses and assets			(296	)			—				(341	)			—				—				(341	)
Restructuring and other impairment charges			24,946				10,347				2,875				463				595				3,007
Income from continuing operations before interest, loss on extinguishments of debt and taxes			226,337	(3)			264,041				256,163				66,555				54,574				244,182
Interest expense			121,244				89,250				79,875				18,994				16,157				77,038
Interest income			(2,029	)			(2,484	)			(725	)			(206	)			(106	)			(625	)
Loss on extinguishments of debt			—				—				46,630				—				14,597				61,227
Income from continuing operations before taxes			107,122	(3)			177,275				130,383				47,767				23,926				106,542
Taxes on income from continuing operations			33,745				40,683				25,225				14,247				6,426				17,404
Income from continuing operations			73,377	(3)			136,592				105,158				33,520				17,500				89,138
Operating income from discontinued operations (4)			105,617				274,793				143,036				13,280				58,857				188,613
Taxes (benefit) on income from discontinued operations			24,392				97,374				45,739				8,842				(1,837	)			35,060
Income from discontinued operations			81,225				177,419				97,297				4,438				60,694				153,553
Net income			$154,602	(3)			$314,011				$202,455				$37,958				$78,194				$242,691
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest			747				1,157				1,361				286				382				1,457
Income from discontinued operations attributable to noncontrolling interest			34,081				9,860				—				—				—				—
Net income attributable to Teleflex Incorporated common shareholders			$119,774	(3)			$302,994				$201,094				$37,672				$77,812				$241,234
Net income attributable to Teleflex Incorporated common shareholders from continuing operations			$72,630	(3)			$135,435				$103,797				$33,234				$17,118				$87,681
Balance Sheet Data (end of period):
Cash and cash equivalents			$107,275				$188,305				$208,452								$202,298
Goodwill			1,474,123				1,459,441				1,442,411								1,468,990
Intangibles and other assets, net			1,090,852				1,045,706				986,549								1,004,474
Total assets			3,926,744				3,839,005				3,643,155								3,678,803
Total debt (5)			1,546,391				1,196,499				917,120								852,173
Total equity			1,285,883				1,585,074				1,787,278								1,888,988
Other Financial Data (1):
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities from continuing operations (6)			$59,193				$137,291				$185,119				$34,377				$14,062				$164,804
Investing activities from continuing operations			(19,335	)			285,734				149,852				17,932				64,586				196,506
Financing activities from continuing operations			(180,769	)			(402,213	)			(336,325	)			(21,256	)			(87,488	)			(402,557	)
Capital expenditures			27,069				27,942				31,616				6,737				6,444				31,323
Adjusted EBITDA (7)			365,668				386,745				373,668				92,578				86,651				367,741
Free cash flow (8)			32,124				109,349				153,503				27,640				7,618				133,481

		As of and for the
		Twelve Months Ended
		March 27, 2011
		(Dollars in thousands)
As Adjusted Data(9):
Total indebtedness (10)		$	1,056,227
Net indebtedness (11)			733,879
Ratio of total indebtedness to Adjusted EBITDA			2.87	x
Ratio of net indebtedness to Adjusted EBITDA			2.00	x

(1)		Amounts have been revised to exclude the impact of businesses that have been presented in our consolidated financial results as discontinued operations through March 27, 2011.
(2)		Information regarding net revenues by product group within the Medical Segment is provided in the following table:

																						Twelve
																						Months
														Three Months Ended								Ended
		Year Ended December 31,												March 28,				March 27,				March 27,
		2008				2009				2010				2010				2011				2011
														Unaudited								Unaudited
		(Dollars in thousands)
Critical Care			$957,129				$939,390				$943,367				$225,929				$237,138				$954,576
Surgical Care			272,504				260,666				262,683				63,120				65,018				264,581
Cardiac Care			72,871				70,770				70,559				18,328				17,669				69,900
OEM and Development Services			158,343				149,829				154,214				35,333				33,867				152,748
Other			14,774				14,230				2,459				827				312				1,944
Total net revenues			$1,475,621				$1,434,885				$1,433,282				$343,537				$354,004				$1,443,749

(3)		In the year ended December 31, 2008, a non-cash charge associated with a fair market value inventory adjustment in connection with the Arrow acquisition decreased income from continuing operations before interest, loss on extinguishments of debt and taxes by $6.9 million and decreased income from continuing operations by $4.4 million.
(4)		Net gain (loss) on disposal of discontinued operations included in operating income from discontinued operations is as follows:

																						Twelve
																						Months
																						Ended
		Years Ended December 31,												Three Months Ended								March 27,
		2008				2009				2010				March 28, 2010				March 27, 2011				2011
														Unaudited								Unaudited
		(Dollars in thousands)
Net gain (loss) on disposal of discontinued operations		$	(8,238	)		$	272,307			$	114,702			$	9,737			$	56,773			$	161,738

(5)		Reflects amount of current borrowings and long-term debt outstanding as reflected on our balance sheet, which, in accordance with GAAP, does not include the total outstanding principal amounts of our Convertible Notes. In accordance with ASC 470-20, the fair value of the feature to convert the Convertible Notes into common stock is reported as a component of stockholders’ equity. The Convertible Notes are reported at a discount to the face amount on our balance sheet resulting in a decrease in the amount of debt with an increase in equity reported in our financial statements. Under GAAP, the amount of debt reported will accrete up to the face amount over the expected term of the Convertible Notes. ASC 470-20 does not affect the actual amount that we are required to repay.

(6)		Both 2008 and 2009 cash flow from continuing operations reflect the impact of estimated tax payments made in connection with businesses divested of $90.2 million and $97.5 million, respectively, and 2010 reflects the impact of a refund received of $59.5 million of such 2009 tax payments made.
(7)		Adjusted EBITDA represents net income before interest expense, net, provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, as further adjusted to exclude unusual items and other adjustments that will be required or permitted in determining our ability to engage in certain activities, such as incurring additional debt and making certain payments under the indenture that will govern the notes offered hereby. The amounts presented in this prospectus supplement for Adjusted EBITDA are calculated under the definition of Consolidated EBITDA set forth under “Description of Notes—Certain Definitions.” The amounts presented in this prospectus supplement for Adjusted EBITDA differ from the amounts calculated under the definition of Consolidated EBITDA used in our credit facilities as a result of differences in certain adjustments.
		We believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA is appropriate to provide additional information to investors about certain non-cash items, unusual items that we do not expect to continue at the same level in the future, or other items that we do not believe to be reflective of our ongoing operating performance.
		Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement of operating performance computed in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered a substitute for income from continuing operations, net income or cash flows from operating activities of continuing operations computed in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool. Some of the limitations are:
		•    Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures, or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;
		•    Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;
		•    Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the significant interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on our debt;
		•    although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements; and
		•    other companies in our industry may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.
		Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered a measure of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using Adjusted EBITDA only supplementally. We further believe that our presentation of these GAAP and non-GAAP financial measurements provide information that is useful to investors because they are important indicators of the strength of our operations and the performance of our core business.

		A reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA is provided below:

																						Twelve
																						Months
														Three Months Ended								Ended
		Years Ended December 31,												March 28,				March 27,				March 27,
		2008				2009				2010				2010				2011				2011
														Unaudited								Unaudited
		(Dollars in thousands)
Net income			$154,602				$314,011				$202,455				$37,958				$78,194				$242,691
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax			(81,225	)			(177,419	)			(97,297	)			(4,438	)			(60,694	)			(153,553	)
Income from continuing operations			73,377				136,592				105,158				33,520				17,500				89,138
Taxes on income from continuing operations			33,745				40,683				25,225				14,247				6,426				17,404
Interest expense, net			119,215				86,766				79,150				18,788				16,051				76,413
Depreciation and amortization			99,253				98,077				95,394				22,950				25,369				97,813
Write-off of inventory fair value adjustments in connection with the Arrow acquisition			6,936				—				—				—				—				—
Restructuring, restructuring-related charges and asset impairments (a)			31,917				12,802				8,757				463				6,095				14,389
Non-cash stock based compensation			7,483				8,040				8,816				1,695				(1,055	)			6,066
Gain on disposals of businesses and assets			(296	)			—				(341	)			—				—				(341	)
Income and dividends from entities accounted for under the equity method			366				—				—				—				—				—
Foreign currency (gains) losses			(6,328	)			3,785				2,443				915				1,668				3,196
Other non-recurring items (b)			—				—				49,066				—				14,597				63,663
Adjusted EBITDA			$365,668				$386,745				$373,668				$92,578				$86,651				$367,741

		(a) Includes severance and termination benefits, facility closure costs, contract termination costs and asset impairments.
		(b) Includes loss on extinguishments of debt and other recapitalization costs.
(8)		Free cash flow is calculated by reducing cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations by capital expenditures. Free cash flow is considered a non-GAAP financial measure. We use this financial measure for internal managerial purposes, when publicly providing guidance on possible future results, and to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. This financial measure is used in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP and should not be relied upon to the exclusion of GAAP financial measures. Management believes that free cash flow is a useful measure to investors because it facilitates an assessment of funds available to satisfy current and future obligations, pay dividends and fund acquisitions. Free cash flow is not a measure of cash available for discretionary expenditures since we have certain non-discretionary obligations, such as debt service, that are not deducted from the measure. Management strongly encourages investors to review our financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and to not rely on any single financial measure.

																						Twelve
														Unaudited								Months
														Three Months Ended								Ended
		Years Ended December 31,												March 28,				March 27,				March 27,
		2008				2009				2010				2010				2011				2011
														Unaudited								Unaudited
		(Dollars in thousands)
Net cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations (see note 6)		$	59,193			$	137,291			$	185,119			$	34,377			$	14,062			$	164,804
Capital expenditures			27,069				27,942				31,616				6,737				6,444				31,323
Free cash flow (see note 6)		$	32,124			$	109,349			$	153,503			$	27,640			$	7,618			$	133,481

(9)		Total indebtedness and net indebtedness are as adjusted to give effect to this offering and the use of proceeds thereof, including the prepayment of $125 million of borrowings under our credit facilities, assuming an offering price of the notes of 100% of their principal amount. Neither the ratio of total debt to Adjusted EBITDA nor the ratio of net debt to Adjusted EBITDA is calculated in accordance with the definition of “Consolidated Leverage Ratio” set forth under “Description of Notes—Certain Definitions.”
(10)		Total indebtedness reflects the face amount of the Convertible Notes payable at maturity.
(11)		Net indebtedness refers to total indebtedness less cash and cash equivalents.

 

An investment in our securities may involve various risks. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, and in consultation with your own financial and legal advisors, you should carefully consider, among other matters, the risks described below as well as other information and data included in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. If any of the events described in the risk factors below occur, our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects could be materially adversely affected, which in turn could adversely affect our ability to repay the notes or the trading price of the notes.

 

Risks Related to Our Business

 

Our Medical Segment is subject to extensive government regulation, which may require us to incur significant expenses to ensure compliance. Our failure to comply with those regulations could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

The products within our Medical Segment are classified as medical devices and are subject to extensive regulation in the United States by the FDA and by comparable government agencies in other countries. The regulations govern the development, design, approval, manufacturing, labeling, importing and exporting and sale and marketing of many of our medical products. These regulations are also subject to future change. Failure to comply with applicable regulations and quality assurance guidelines could lead to manufacturing shutdowns, product shortages, delays in product manufacturing, product seizures, recalls, operating restrictions, withdrawal or suspension of required licenses, and prohibitions against exporting of products to, or importing products from, countries outside the United States. We could be required to expend significant financial and human resources to remediate failures to comply with applicable regulations and quality assurance guidelines. See, for example “—If we are unable to resolve issues raised in our FDA corporate warning letter, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, our relationship with the FDA and the perception of our products by hospitals, clinics and physicians”. In addition, civil and criminal penalties, including exclusion under Medicaid or Medicare, could result from regulatory violations. Any one or more of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In the United States, before we can market a new medical device, or a new use of, or claim for, or significant modification to, an existing product, we must first receive either 510(k) clearance or approval of a premarket approval, or PMA, application from the FDA, unless an exemption applies. In the 510(k) clearance process, the FDA must determine that our proposed product is “substantially equivalent” to a device legally on the market, known as a “predicate” device, with respect to intended use, technology and safety and effectiveness, in order to clear the proposed device for marketing. The PMA pathway requires us to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the device based, in part, on data obtained in human clinical trials. Similarly, most major markets for medical devices outside the United States also require clearance, approval or compliance with certain standards before a product can be commercially marketed. The process of obtaining regulatory clearances and approvals to market a medical device, particularly from the FDA and certain foreign governmental authorities, can be costly and time consuming, and clearances and approvals might not be granted for new products on a timely basis, if at all. In addition, once a device has been cleared or approved, a new clearance or approval may be required before the device may be modified or its labeling changed. Furthermore, the FDA is currently reviewing its 510(k) clearance process, and may make the process more rigorous, which could require us to generate additional clinical or other data, and expend more time and effort, in obtaining future 510(k) product clearance. The regulatory clearance and approval process may result in, among other things, delayed realization of product revenues, in substantial additional costs or in limitations on indicated uses of products, any one of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Even after a product has received marketing approval or clearance, such product approval or clearance by the FDA can be withdrawn or limited due to unforeseen problems with the device or integrity issues relating to the marketing application. Later discovery of violations of FDA requirements for medical devices could result in FDA enforcement actions, including warning letters, fines, delays or suspensions of regulatory clearances, product seizures or recalls, injunctions, advisories or other field actions and/or operating restrictions. Medical devices are cleared or approved for one or more specific intended uses. Promoting a device for an off-label use could result in an FDA enforcement action or a penalty under a state or federal false claims law.

 

Furthermore, our Medical Segment facilities are subject to periodic inspection by the FDA and other federal, state and foreign governmental authorities, which require manufacturers of medical devices to adhere to certain regulations, including the Quality System Regulation which requires testing, complaint handling, periodic audits, design controls, quality control testing and documentation procedures. FDA may also inspect for compliance with Medical Device Reporting Regulation, which requires manufacturers to submit reports to FDA of certain adverse events or malfunctions, and whether the facilities have submitted notifications of product recalls or other corrective actions in accordance with FDA regulations. Issues identified during such periodic inspections may result in warning letters, manufacturing shutdowns, product shortages, product seizures or recalls, fines and delays in product manufacturing, and may require significant resources to resolve.

 

Customers in our Medical Segment depend on third party coverage and reimbursement and the failure of healthcare programs to provide coverage and reimbursement, or the reduction in levels of reimbursement, for our medical products could adversely affect our Medical Segment.

 

The ability of our customers to obtain coverage and reimbursements for our medical products is important to our Medical Segment. Demand for many of our existing and new medical products is, and will continue to be, affected by the extent to which government healthcare programs and private health insurers reimburse our customers for patients’ medical expenses in the countries where we do business. Even when we develop or acquire a promising new product, we may find limited demand for the product unless reimbursement approval is obtained from private and governmental third party payors. Internationally, healthcare reimbursement systems vary significantly, with medical centers in some countries having fixed budgets, regardless of the level of patient treatment. Other countries require application for, and approval of, government or third party reimbursement. Without both favorable coverage determinations by, and the financial support of, government and third party insurers, the market for many of our medical products could be adversely affected.

 

We cannot be sure that third party payors will maintain the current level of coverage and reimbursement to our customers for use of our existing products. Adverse coverage determinations or any reduction in the amount of reimbursement could harm our business by altering the extent to which potential customers select our products and the prices they are willing to pay or otherwise. In addition, as a result of their purchasing power and continually rising healthcare costs, third party payors are implementing cost cutting measures such as discounts, price reductions, limitations on coverage and reimbursement for new medical technologies and procedures, or other incentives from medical products suppliers. These trends could lead to pressure to reduce prices for our existing products and potential new products and could cause a decrease in the size of the market or a potential increase in competition that could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may incur material losses and costs as a result of product liability and warranty claims that may be brought against us and recalls, which may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Furthermore, as a medical device company, we face an inherent risk of damage to our reputation if one or more of our products are, or are alleged to be, defective.

 

Our businesses expose us to potential product liability risks that are inherent in the design, manufacture and marketing of our products. In particular, our medical device products are often used in surgical and intensive care settings with seriously ill patients. Many of these products are designed to be implanted in the human body for varying periods of time, and component failures, manufacturing flaws, design defects or inadequate disclosure of product-related risks with respect to these or other products we manufacture or sell could result in an unsafe condition or injury to, or death of, the patient. As a result, we face an inherent risk of damage to our reputation if one or more of our products are, or are alleged to be, defective. In addition, our products for the aerospace industry are used in potentially hazardous environments. Although we carry product liability insurance, we may be exposed to product liability and warranty claims in the event that our products actually or allegedly fail to perform as expected or the use of our products results, or is alleged to result, in bodily injury and/or property damage. The outcome of litigation, particularly any class-action lawsuits, is difficult to quantify. Plaintiffs often seek recovery of very large or indeterminate amounts, including punitive damages. The magnitude of the potential losses relating to these lawsuits may remain unknown for substantial periods of time and the cost to defend against any such litigation may be significant. Accordingly, we could experience material warranty or product liability losses in the future and incur significant costs to defend these claims.

 

In addition, if any of our products are, or are alleged to be, defective, we may voluntarily participate, or be required by applicable regulators, to participate in a recall of that product if the defect or the alleged defect relates to safety. In the event of a recall, we may experience lost sales and be exposed to individual or class-action litigation claims and reputational risk. Product liability, warranty and recall costs may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We are subject to healthcare fraud and abuse laws, regulation and enforcement; our failure to comply with those laws could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial conditions.

 

We are also subject to healthcare fraud and abuse regulation and enforcement by the federal government and the states and foreign governments in which we conduct our business. The laws that may affect our ability to operate include:

 

 

If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, the exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs and imprisonment, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results. The risk of our being found in violation of these laws is increased by the fact that many of them have not been fully interpreted by the regulatory authorities or the courts, and their provisions are open to a variety of interpretations.

 

Further, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act (collectively, the “Healthcare Reform Act”), among other things, amends the intent requirement of the federal anti-kickback and criminal health care fraud statutes. A person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it. In addition, the Healthcare Reform Act provides that the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal anti-kickback statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the false claims statutes. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business.

 

The Healthcare Reform Act also imposes new reporting and disclosure requirements on device manufacturers for any “transfer of value” made or distributed to prescribers and other healthcare providers, effective March 30, 2013. Such information will be made publicly available in a searchable format beginning September 30, 2013. In addition, device manufacturers will also be required to report and disclose any investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members during the preceding calendar year. Failure to submit required information may result in civil monetary penalties of up to an aggregate of $150,000 per year (and up to an aggregate of $1 million per year for “knowing failures”), for all payments, transfers of value or ownership or investment interests not reported in an annual submission.

 

In addition, there has been a recent trend of increased federal and state regulation of payments made to physicians for marketing. Some states, such as California, Massachusetts and Vermont, mandate implementation of commercial compliance programs, along with the tracking and reporting of gifts, compensation and other remuneration to physicians. The shifting commercial compliance environment and the need to build and maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with multiple jurisdictions with different compliance and/or reporting requirements increases the possibility that a healthcare company may run afoul of one or more of the requirements.

 

If we are unable to resolve issues raised in our FDA corporate warning letter, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, our relationship with the FDA and the perception of our products by hospitals, clinics and physicians.

 

On October 11, 2007, our subsidiary Arrow received a corporate warning letter from the FDA. The letter expressed concerns with Arrow’s quality systems, including complaint handling, corrective and preventive action, process and design validation, inspection and training procedures. It also advised that Arrow’s corporate-wide program to evaluate, correct and prevent quality system issues had been deficient.

 

Our efforts to address the issues raised in the corporate warning letter have required the dedication of significant internal and external resources. We developed and implemented a comprehensive plan to correct these previously-identified regulatory issues and further improve overall quality systems. From the end of 2009 to the beginning of 2010, the FDA reinspected the Arrow facilities covered by the corporate warning letter and we have responded to the observations issued by the FDA as a result of those inspections. Communications received from the FDA indicate that the FDA has classified its inspection observations as “voluntary action indicated,” or VAI. This classification signifies that the FDA has concluded that no further regulatory action is required and that any observations made during the inspections can be addressed voluntarily by us. In addition, in the third quarter of 2010, we submitted and received FDA approval of all currently eligible requests for

certificates to foreign governments, or CFGs. We believe that the FDA’s approval of these CFG requests is a clear indication that we have substantially corrected the quality system issues identified in the corporate warning letter. We are continuing to work with the FDA to resolve all remaining issues and obtain formal closure of the corporate warning letter.

 

While we continue to believe we have substantially remediated the issues raised in the corporate warning letter through the corrective actions taken to date, the corporate warning letter remains in place pending final resolution of all outstanding issues. If our remedial actions are not satisfactory to the FDA, we may have to devote additional financial and human resources to our efforts, and the FDA may take further regulatory actions against us. These actions may include seizing our product inventory, assessing civil monetary penalties or seeking an injunction against us, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Health care reform, including the recently enacted legislation, may have a material adverse effect on our industry and our results of operations.

 

Political, economic and regulatory influences are subjecting the health care industry to fundamental changes. In March 2010, the Healthcare Reform Act was enacted. It substantially changes the way health care is financed by both governmental and private insurers, encourages improvements in the quality of health care items and services and significantly impacts the U.S. pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Among other things, the Healthcare Reform Act:

 

 

We currently estimate the impact of the 2.3% deductible excise tax to be approximately $15.0 million annually, beginning 2013. However, we cannot predict at this time the full impact of the Healthcare Reform Act and/or other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow.

 

An interruption in our manufacturing operations and/or our supply of raw materials may adversely affect our business.

 

Many of our key products across both of our business segments are manufactured at single locations, with limited alternate facilities. If an event occurs that results in damage to one or more of our facilities, it may not be possible to timely manufacture the relevant products at previous levels or at all. In addition, in the event of delays or cancellations in shipments of raw materials by our suppliers, it may not be possible to timely manufacture the affected products at previous levels or at all. Furthermore, with respect to our Medical Segment, in the event of a disruption in our supply of certain components or materials, due to the stringent regulations and requirements of the FDA and other regulatory authorities regarding the manufacture of our products, we may not be able to quickly establish additional or replacement sources for such components or materials. A reduction or interruption in manufacturing, or an inability to secure alternative sources of raw

materials or components that are acceptable to us, could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We depend upon relationships with physicians and other health care professionals.

 

The research and development of some of our medical products is dependent on our maintaining strong working relationships with physicians and other health care professionals. We rely on these professionals to provide us with considerable knowledge and experience regarding our medical products and the development of our medical products. Physicians assist us as researchers, product consultants, inventors and as public speakers. If we fail to maintain our working relationships with physicians and receive the benefits of their knowledge, advice and input, our medical products may not be developed and marketed in line with the needs and expectations of the professionals who use and support our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We face strong competition. Our failure to successfully develop and market new products could adversely affect our results.

 

The medical device industry across all of our different product lines, as well as in each geographic market in which our products are sold, is highly competitive. We compete with many medical device companies ranging from small start-up enterprises which might only sell a single or limited number of competitive products or which may participate only in a specific market segment, to companies that are larger and more established than us with access to significant financial and marketing resources.

 

In addition, the medical device industry is characterized by extensive product research and development and rapid technological advances. Also, while our products for the aerospace industry generally have longer life cycles, many of those products require changes in design or other enhancements to meet the evolving needs of our customers. The future success of our business will depend, in part, on our ability to design and manufacture new competitive products and to enhance existing products. Our product development efforts may require substantial investment by us. There can be no assurance that unforeseen problems will not occur with respect to the development, performance or market acceptance of new technologies or products, such as the inability to:

 

 

Moreover, we may not otherwise be able to successfully develop and market new products or enhance existing products. In addition, our competitors may currently be developing, or may develop and market in the future, technologies that are more effective than those that we develop or which may render our products obsolete. Our failure to successfully develop and market new products or enhance existing products could reduce our revenues and margins, which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We are subject to risks associated with our non-U.S. operations.

 

We have significant manufacturing and distribution facilities, research and development facilities, sales personnel and customer support operations outside the United States in countries such as Canada, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico and Singapore. As of December 31, 2010, approximately 43% of our net property, plant and equipment was located outside the

United States. In addition, as of December 31, 2010, approximately 50% of our net revenues (based on business unit location) were derived from operations outside the United States. Approximately 71% of our full-time and temporary employees as of December 31, 2010 were employed in countries outside of the United States.

 

Our international operations are subject to varying degrees of risk inherent in doing business outside the United States, including:

 

 

In addition, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. The FCPA also imposes accounting standards and requirements on publicly traded U.S. corporations and their foreign affiliates, which are intended to prevent the diversion of corporate funds to the payment of bribes and other improper payments, and to prevent the establishment of “off books” slush funds from which such improper payments can be made. Because of the predominance of government-sponsored health care systems around the world, many of our customer relationships outside of the United States are with governmental entities and are therefore subject to such anti-bribery laws. Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws. Despite our training and compliance programs, our internal control policies and procedures may not always protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our operations, involve significant management distraction and result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We also could suffer severe penalties, including criminal and civil penalties, disgorgement and other remedial measures, including further changes or enhancements to our procedures, policies and controls, as well as potential personnel changes and disciplinary actions.

 

Furthermore, we are subject to the export controls and economic embargo rules and regulations of the United States, including, but not limited to, the Export Administration Regulations and trade sanctions against embargoed countries, which are administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control within the Department of the Treasury as well as the laws and regulations administered by the Department of Commerce. These regulations limit our ability to market, sell, distribute or otherwise transfer our products or technology to prohibited countries or persons. While we train our employees and contractually obligate our distributors to comply with these regulations, a determination that we have failed to comply, whether knowingly or inadvertently, may result in substantial penalties, including fines and enforcement actions and civil and/or criminal sanctions, the disgorgement of profits and the imposition of a court-appointed monitor, as well as the denial of export privileges, and debarment from participation in U.S. government contracts, and may have an adverse effect on our reputation.

 

These and other factors may have a material adverse effect on our international operations or on our business, results of operations and financial condition generally.

 

Further weakness in general domestic and global economic growth combined with a continuation of constrained global credit markets could adversely impact our operating results, financial condition and liquidity.

 

We are subject to risks arising from adverse changes in general domestic and global economic conditions, including recession or economic slowdown and disruption of credit markets. The credit and capital markets experienced extreme volatility and disruption in recent periods, leading to recessionary conditions and depressed levels of consumer and commercial spending. These recessionary conditions have caused customers to reduce, modify, delay or cancel plans to purchase our products and services. While recent indicators suggest modest improvement in the United States and global economy, we cannot predict the duration or extent of any economic recovery or the extent to which our customers will return to more normalized spending behaviors. If the recessionary conditions return, our customers may terminate existing purchase orders or reduce the volume of products or services they purchase from us in the future.

 

Adverse economic and financial market conditions may also cause our suppliers to be unable to meet their commitments to us or may cause suppliers to make changes in the credit terms they extend to us, such as shortening the required payment period for outstanding accounts receivable or reducing the maximum amount of trade credit available to us. These types of actions by our suppliers could significantly affect our liquidity and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. If we are unable to successfully anticipate changing economic and financial market conditions, we may be unable to effectively plan for and respond to those changes, and our business could be negatively affected.

 

In addition, the amount of goodwill and other intangible assets on our consolidated balance sheet have increased significantly in recent years, primarily as a result of the acquisition of Arrow International in 2007. Adverse economic and financial market conditions may result in future charges to recognize impairment in the carrying value of our goodwill and other intangible assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

 

Foreign currency exchange rate, commodity price and interest rate fluctuations may adversely affect our results.

 

We are exposed to a variety of market risks, including the effects of changes in foreign currency exchange rates, commodity prices and interest rates. We expect revenue from products manufactured in, and sold into, non-U.S. markets to continue to represent a significant portion of our net revenue. Our consolidated financial statements reflect translation of financial statements denominated in non-U.S. currencies to U.S. dollars, our reporting currency. When the U.S. dollar strengthens or weakens in relation to the foreign currencies of the countries where we sell or manufacture our products, such as the euro, our U.S. dollar-reported revenue and income will fluctuate. Although we have entered into forward contracts with several

major financial institutions to hedge a portion of projected cash flows denominated in non-functional currency in order to reduce the effects of currency rate fluctuations, changes in the relative values of currencies may, in some instances, have a significant effect on our results of operations.

 

Many of our products have significant plastic resin content. We also use quantities of other commodities, such as aluminum. Increases in the prices of these commodities could increase the costs of our products and services. We may not be able to pass on these costs to our customers, particularly with respect to those products we sell pursuant to group purchase agreements, and this could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.

 

Increases in interest rates may adversely affect the financial health of our customers and suppliers and thus adversely affect their ability to buy our products and supply the components or raw materials we need, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.

 

Our strategic initiatives may not produce the intended growth in revenue and operating income.

 

Our strategies include making significant investments to achieve revenue growth and margin improvement targets. If we do not achieve the expected benefits from these investments or otherwise fail to execute on our strategic initiatives, we may not achieve the growth improvement we are targeting and our results of operations may be adversely affected.

 

In addition, as part of our strategy for growth, we have made, and may continue to make, acquisitions and divestitures and enter into strategic alliances such as joint ventures and joint development agreements. However, we may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates, complete acquisitions or integrate acquisitions successfully, and our strategic alliances may not prove to be successful. In this regard, acquisitions involve numerous risks, including difficulties in the integration of the operations, technologies, services and products of the acquired companies and the diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular transaction, there can be no assurance that we will properly ascertain all such risks. In addition, prior acquisitions have resulted, and future acquisitions could result, in the incurrence of substantial additional indebtedness and other expenses. There can be no assurance that difficulties encountered with acquisitions will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may not be successful in achieving expected operating efficiencies and sustaining or improving operating expense reductions, and may experience business disruptions associated with announced restructuring, realignment and cost reduction activities.

 

Over the past few years we have announced several restructuring, realignment and cost reduction initiatives, including significant realignments of our businesses, employee terminations and product rationalizations. While we have started to realize the efficiencies of these actions, these activities may not produce the full efficiency and cost reduction benefits we expect. Further, such benefits may be realized later than expected, and the ongoing costs of implementing these measures may be greater than anticipated. If these measures are not successful or sustainable, we may undertake additional realignment and cost reduction efforts, which could result in future charges. Moreover, our ability to achieve our other strategic goals and business plans may be adversely affected and we could experience business disruptions with customers and elsewhere if our restructuring and realignment efforts prove ineffective.

 

Fluctuations in our effective tax rate and changes to tax laws may adversely affect our results.

 

As a company with significant operations outside of the United States, we are subject to taxation in numerous countries, states and other jurisdictions. As a result, our effective tax rate is derived from a combination of applicable tax rates in the various countries, states and other jurisdictions in which we operate. In preparing our financial statements, we estimate the amount of tax that will become payable in each of the

countries, states and other jurisdictions in which we operate. Our effective tax rate may, however, be lower or higher than experienced in the past due to numerous factors, including a change in the mix of our profitability from country to country, changes in accounting for income taxes and changes in tax laws. Any of these factors could cause us to experience an effective tax rate significantly different from previous periods or our current expectations, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

In addition, unfavorable results of tax audits and changes in tax laws in jurisdictions in which we operate, among other things, could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

 

Our technology is important to our success, and our failure to protect our intellectual property rights could put us at a competitive disadvantage.

 

We rely on the patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws of the United States and other countries to protect our proprietary rights. Although we own numerous U.S. and foreign patents and have applied for numerous patent applications, we cannot assure you that any pending patent applications will issue, or that any patents, issued or pending, will provide us with any competitive advantage or will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by third parties. In addition, we rely on confidentiality and non- disclosure agreements with employees and take other measures to protect our know-how and trade secrets. The steps we have taken may not prevent unauthorized use of our technology by unauthorized parties or competitors who may copy or otherwise obtain and use these products or technology, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not protect our proprietary rights as fully as in the United States. There is no guarantee that current and former employees, contractors and other parties will not breach their confidentiality agreements with us, misappropriate proprietary information or copy or otherwise obtain and use our information and proprietary technology without authorization or otherwise infringe on our intellectual property rights. Moreover, there can be no assurance that others will not independently develop the know-how and trade secrets or develop better technology than our own, which could reduce or eliminate any competitive advantage we have developed. Our inability to protect our proprietary technology could result in competitive harm that could adversely affect our business.

 

Our products or processes may infringe the intellectual property rights of others, which may cause us to pay unexpected litigation costs or damages or prevent us from selling our products.

 

We cannot be certain that our products do not and will not infringe issued patents or other intellectual property rights of third parties. We may be subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of our business, including claims of alleged infringement of the intellectual property rights of third parties. Any such claims, whether or not meritorious, could result in litigation and divert the efforts of our personnel. If we are found liable for infringement, we may be required to enter into licensing agreements (which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all) or to pay damages and to cease making or selling certain products. We may need to redesign some of our products or processes to avoid future infringement liability. Any of the foregoing could be detrimental to our business.

 

Other pending and future litigation may lead us to incur significant costs and have an adverse effect on our business.

 

We also are party to various lawsuits and claims arising in the normal course of business involving contracts, intellectual property, import and export regulations, employment and environmental matters. The defense of these lawsuits may divert our management’s attention, and we may incur significant expenses in defending these lawsuits. In addition, we may be required to pay damage awards or settlements, or become subject to injunctions or other equitable remedies, that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. While we do not believe that any litigation in which we are currently engaged would have such an adverse effect, the outcome of litigation, including regulatory matters, is often difficult to predict, and we cannot assure that the outcome of pending or future litigation will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

Our operations expose us to the risk of material environmental liabilities, litigation and violations.

 

We are subject to numerous foreign, federal, state and local environmental protection and health and safety laws governing, among other things:

 

 

These laws and government regulations are complex, change frequently and have tended to become more stringent over time. We cannot provide assurance that our costs of complying with current or future environmental protection and health and safety laws, or our liabilities arising from past or future releases of, or exposures to, hazardous substances will not exceed our estimates or will not adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, we may become subject to additional environmental claims, which may include claims for personal injury or cleanup, based on our past, present or future business activities, which could also adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our Aerospace Segment is subject to government regulation, which may require us to incur expenses to ensure compliance. Our failure to comply with those regulations could have adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (the “FAA”) regulates the manufacture and sale of some of our aerospace products and licenses for the operation of our repair stations. Comparable agencies, such as the European Aviation Safety Agency in Europe (the “EASA”), regulate these matters in other countries. If we fail to qualify for or obtain a required license for one of our products or services or lose a qualification or license previously granted, the sale of the subject product or service would be prohibited by law until such license is obtained or renewed and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In addition, designing new products to meet existing regulatory requirements and retrofitting installed products to comply with new regulatory requirements can be expensive and time consuming.

 

From time to time, the FAA, the EASA or comparable agencies propose new regulations or changes to existing regulations. These changes or new regulations generally increase the costs of compliance. To the extent the FAA, the EASA or comparable agencies implement regulatory changes, we may incur significant additional costs to achieve compliance.

 

If we fail to establish and maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis could be impaired, which would adversely affect our consolidated results, and our ability to operate our business and our stock price.

 

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.

 

Any failure on our part to remedy any identified control deficiencies, or any delays or errors in our financial reporting, would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.

 

Our workforce covered by collective bargaining and similar agreements could cause interruptions in our provision of products and services.

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, approximately 11% of our net revenues were generated by operations for which a significant part of our workforce is covered by collective bargaining agreements and similar agreements in foreign jurisdictions. It is likely that a portion of our workforce will remain covered by collective bargaining and similar agreements for the foreseeable future. Strikes or work stoppages could occur that would adversely impact our relationships with our customers and our ability to conduct our business.

 

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness and This Offering

 

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under the notes.

 

We have and, after this offering, will continue to have a significant amount of indebtedness. As of March 27, 2011, we had total indebtedness of $931.2 million on an actual basis and would have had $1,056.2 million on an as adjusted basis after giving effect to this offering and the use of proceeds thereof, including the prepayment of $125 million of borrowings under our credit facilities.

 

Our substantial level of indebtedness increases the risk that we may be unable to generate cash sufficient to pay amounts due in respect of our indebtedness, including the notes. It could also have significant effects on our business. For example, it could:

 

 

Despite current substantial indebtedness levels, we and our subsidiaries may still be able to incur substantially more indebtedness. This could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial leverage.

 

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, including secured indebtedness. For example, as of March 27, 2011, on an as adjusted basis after giving effect to this offering and the use of proceeds thereof, including the prepayment of $125 million of borrowings under our credit facilities, after taking into account the limitations under the covenants under our credit facilities, we would have had $417.0 million of borrowing capacity, including $394.9 million of borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facility and $22.1 million of borrowing capacity under our accounts receivable

securitization facility. Adding new indebtedness to current debt levels could make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to the notes.

 

Our debt agreements impose restrictions on our business, which could prevent us from capitalizing on business opportunities and taking some corporate actions and may adversely affect our ability to respond to changes in our business and manage our operations.

 

The credit agreement governing our credit facilities and the indenture governing the notes contain covenants that, among other things, impose significant restrictions on our business. The restrictions that these covenants place on us and our restricted subsidiaries include limitations on our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to:

 

 

In addition, the credit agreement governing our credit facilities also contains financial covenants. A breach of any of the foregoing covenants under any or all of these debt agreements could result in a default, which if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all our debts. In addition, any debt agreements we enter into in the future may further limit our ability to enter into certain types of transactions.

 

The covenants described above are subject to important exceptions and qualifications and, with respect to the notes, are described under “Description of Notes” and, with respect to our credit facilities, are described under the heading “Description of Other Indebtedness—Credit Facilities” in this prospectus supplement. With respect to the notes, certain of the covenants described above permanently cease to be in effect if the notes are rated investment grade by both Moody’s and S&P. See “Description of Notes—Certain Covenants—Changes in Covenants when Notes Are Rated Investment Grade.”

 

If the notes are rated investment grade by both Moody’s and S&P, certain covenants contained in the indenture will permanently cease to be in effect, and the holders of the notes will lose the protection of these covenants.

 

The indenture contains certain covenants that will permanently cease to be in effect if the notes are rated investment grade by both Moody’s and S&P and no default or event of default has occurred. See “Description of Notes—Certain Covenants—Changes in Covenants when Notes Are Rated Investment Grade.” These covenants restrict, among other things, our ability to pay dividends, incur additional debt and enter into certain types of transactions.

 

Because these restrictions will permanently cease to be in effect if the notes are rated investment grade by both Moody’s and S&P, we will be able to make dividends and distributions, incur substantial

additional debt and enter into certain types of transactions. If the notes lose the protection of these covenants, the covenants will never be reinstated thereafter, even if the credit ratings assigned to the notes later fall below investment grade.

 

If we default on our obligations to pay our other indebtedness, we may not be able to make payments on the notes.

 

If there were an event of default under any of the agreements relating to our outstanding indebtedness, the holders of the defaulted debt could cause all amounts outstanding with respect to that debt to be due and payable immediately. Upon acceleration of our other material indebtedness, holders of the notes could declare all amounts outstanding under the notes immediately due and payable. We cannot assure you that our assets or cash flow would be sufficient to fully repay borrowings under our outstanding debt instruments if accelerated upon an event of default. Further, if we are unable to repay, refinance or restructure our indebtedness under our secured indebtedness, the holders of such debt could proceed against the collateral securing that indebtedness. In addition, any event of default or declaration of acceleration under one debt instrument could also result in an event of default under one or more of our other debt instruments. In addition, counterparties to some of our long-term customer contracts may have the right to amend or terminate those contracts if we have an event of default or a declaration of acceleration under certain of our indebtedness, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness, including the notes. Our ability to generate cash depends on many factors beyond our control. We may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

 

Our ability to make payments on, and to refinance, our indebtedness, including the notes, and to fund planned capital expenditures, research and development efforts, working capital, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes depends on our ability to generate cash in the future. This, to a certain extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. If we do not generate sufficient cash flow from operations or if future borrowings are not available to us in an amount sufficient to pay our indebtedness, including the notes, or to fund our liquidity needs, we may be forced to:

 

 

In addition, we may not be able to affect any of these actions on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Our ability to refinance this indebtedness will depend on our financial condition at the time, the restrictions in the instruments governing our indebtedness and other factors, including market conditions.

 

Our inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt service obligations, or to refinance or restructure our obligations on commercially reasonable terms or at all, would have an adverse effect, which could be material, on our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as our ability to satisfy our obligations in respect of the notes.

 

Your right to receive payments on the notes is subordinated to our senior indebtedness and junior to our secured indebtedness and possibly all of our future borrowings.

 

The notes will be general unsecured senior subordinated obligations of Teleflex. The notes will be subordinated in right of payment to all existing and future senior indebtedness of Teleflex, including Teleflex’s indebtedness under our credit facilities and will rank equally in right of payment with all existing and future senior subordinated indebtedness of Teleflex, including Teleflex’s indebtedness under the Convertible Notes. See “Description of Notes—Subordination.” The guarantees will be general unsecured senior subordinated obligations of the subsidiary guarantors. The guarantees will be subordinated in right of payment to all existing and future senior indebtedness of the subsidiary guarantors, including the indebtedness of certain of the subsidiary guarantors under our credit facilities, and will rank equally in right of payment with all future senior subordinated indebtedness of the subsidiary guarantors.

 

In addition, all payments on the notes will be blocked in the event of a payment default on senior indebtedness and may be blocked for up to 179 of 360 consecutive days in the event of certain nonpayment defaults on senior indebtedness.

 

Our credit facilities are collateralized by a first priority security interest in the shares of certain of our domestic and foreign subsidiaries. The notes and certain of the guarantees will be junior to all of our existing and future secured indebtedness, including indebtedness under our credit facilities and our accounts receivable securitization facility, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness as well as our remaining assets to the extent that such indebtedness is also senior indebtedness. In the event of any distribution or payment of our or our subsidiaries’ assets in any foreclosure, dissolution, winding-up, liquidation, reorganization or other bankruptcy proceeding, holders of secured indebtedness will have prior claim to those assets that constitute their collateral and holders of senior indebtedness will have a prior claim with respect to the remaining assets. We advise you that there may not be sufficient assets remaining to pay amounts due on any or all of the notes then outstanding.

 

Holders of the notes will participate ratably with all holders of our unsecured, senior subordinated indebtedness, and potentially with all of our other general creditors, based upon the respective amounts owed to each holder or creditor, in our remaining assets.

 

We are a holding company. Substantially all of our business is conducted through our subsidiaries. Our ability to repay our debt, including the notes, depends on the performance of our subsidiaries and their ability to make distributions to us.

 

We are a holding company. Substantially all of our business is conducted through our subsidiaries, which are separate and distinct legal entities. Therefore, our ability to service our indebtedness, including the notes, is dependent on the earnings and the distribution of funds (whether by dividend, distribution or loan) from our subsidiaries. None of our non-guarantor subsidiaries are obligated to make funds available to us for payment on the notes. In addition, we cannot assure you that the agreements governing the existing and future indebtedness of our subsidiaries will permit our subsidiaries to provide us with sufficient dividends, distributions or loans to fund payments on the notes when due. In addition, any payment of dividends, distributions or loans to us by our subsidiaries could be subject to restrictions on dividends or repatriation of earnings under applicable local law and monetary transfer restrictions in the jurisdictions in which our subsidiaries operate. Furthermore, payments to us by our subsidiaries will be contingent upon our subsidiaries’ earnings.

 

Claims of noteholders will be structurally subordinated to claims of creditors of our non-guarantor subsidiaries.

 

Not all of our subsidiaries will guarantee the notes. Our non-guarantor subsidiaries include our foreign subsidiaries as well as our subsidiaries holding our aerospace business, captive insurance subsidiaries

and securitization subsidiaries. None of our non-guarantor subsidiaries are obligated to pay any amounts due pursuant to the notes, or to make any funds available therefor, whether by dividends, loans, distributions of other payments. Consequently, claims of holders of the notes will be structurally subordinated to the claims of creditors of these subsidiaries, including trade creditors.

 

In the event of a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization of any of our non-guarantor subsidiaries, such subsidiaries will pay the holders of their debt and the trade creditors before they will be able to distribute any of their assets to us.

 

As of March 27, 2011, our non-guarantor subsidiaries had $346 million of outstanding liabilities (excluding intercompany liabilities). Our non-guarantor subsidiaries generated approximately 50%, 50%, and 52% of our consolidated net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2010, the three months ended March 28, 2010 and the three months ended March 27, 2011, respectively, and held approximately 42% of our consolidated assets as of March 27, 2011. See Note 17 to our audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2010, and Note 16 to our interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 28, 2010 and March 27, 2011, each included in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 1, 2011, incorporated by reference herein, for additional information about the division of our consolidated net revenues and assets between our subsidiary guarantors and our non-guarantor subsidiaries.

 

The guarantees of our subsidiary guarantors may be released under certain circumstances.

 

A subsidiary guarantor will be automatically released from its guarantees under certain circumstances, including if:

 

 

If the guarantees of a subsidiary are released, the noteholders will be structurally subordinated to the claims of creditors of such subsidiary. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Indebtedness and This Offering—Claims of noteholders will be structurally subordinated to claims of creditors of our non-guarantor subsidiaries”.

 

Federal and state statutes allow courts, under specific circumstances, to void guarantees and require note holders to return payments received from subsidiary guarantors.

 

Under the federal bankruptcy law and comparable provisions of state fraudulent transfer laws, a guarantee could be voided, or claims in respect of a guarantee could be subordinated to all other debts of that guarantor if (i) such guarantor issued the notes or incurred the guarantees with the intent of hindering, delaying or defrauding creditors or (ii) such guarantor received less than the reasonable equivalent or fair

consideration in return for incurring the guarantees and, in the case of (ii) only, one of the following is also true of such guarantor at the time thereof:

 

 

In addition, any payment by that guarantor pursuant to its guarantee could be voided and required to be returned to the guarantor, or to a fund for the benefit of the creditors of the guarantor.

 

The measures of “insolvency” for purposes of these fraudulent transfer laws will vary depending upon the law applied in any proceeding to determine whether a fraudulent transfer has occurred. We cannot be certain what standard a court would apply to determine whether a guarantor of the notes was “insolvent” as of date the notes were issued, and we cannot assure you that, regardless of the method of valuation, a court would not determine that a subsidiary guarantor of the notes was insolvent on that date. Different jurisdictions define “insolvency” differently, however, a guarantor generally would be considered insolvent if:

 

 

On the basis of historical financial information, recent operating history and other factors, we believe that each subsidiary guarantor, after giving effect to its guarantee of the notes, will not be insolvent, will not have unreasonably small capital for the business in which it is engaged and will not have incurred debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature. We cannot assure you, however, as to what standard a court would apply in making these determinations or that a court would agree with our conclusions in this regard.

 

We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to finance the change of control offer required by the indenture.

 

Upon the occurrence of certain specific kinds of change of control events, we will be required to offer to repurchase all outstanding notes at 101% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest if any, to, but not including, the date of repurchase. However, it is possible that we will not have sufficient funds at the time of the change of control to make the required repurchase of notes or that restrictions in other debt instruments will not allow such repurchases. We cannot assure that there will be sufficient funds available for us to make any required repurchases of the notes upon a change of control. In addition, our credit facilities may prohibit or limit us from repurchasing any notes as a result of a change of control. See “Description of Notes—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control.”

 

Investors may not be able to determine when a change of control giving rise to their right to have the notes repurchased by us has occurred following a sale of “substantially all” of our assets.

 

A change of control, as defined in the indenture governing the notes, will require us to make an offer to repurchase all outstanding notes. The definition of change of control includes a phrase relating to the sale, lease or transfer of “all or substantially all” of our assets. There is no precisely established definition of the phrase “substantially all” under applicable law. Accordingly, the ability of a holder of notes to require us to repurchase their notes as a result of a sale, lease or transfer of less than all of our assets to another individual, group or entity may be uncertain.

 

Some significant restructuring transactions that may adversely affect you may not constitute a change of control, in which case we would not be obligated to offer to repurchase the notes.

 

Upon the occurrence of a “change of control” (as defined under “Description of Notes—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control”), you will have the right, at your option, to require us to repurchase your notes for cash. However, the change of control provisions will not afford protection to holders of notes in the event of other transactions that could adversely affect the notes. For example, transactions such as leveraged recapitalizations, refinancings, restructurings or acquisitions initiated by us may not constitute a change of control requiring us to repurchase the notes. In the event of any such transaction, holders of the notes would not have the right to require us to repurchase their notes, even though each of these transactions could increase the amount of our indebtedness, or otherwise adversely affect our capital structure or any credit ratings, thereby adversely affecting the holders of notes.

 

Any decline in the ratings of our corporate credit could adversely affect the value of the notes.

 

Any decline in the ratings of our corporate credit or any indications from the rating agencies that their ratings on our corporate credit are under surveillance or review with possible negative implications could adversely affect the value of the notes. In addition, a ratings downgrade could adversely affect our ability to access capital.

 

The market price for the notes (if any) may be volatile.

 

Historically, the market for non-investment grade debt has been subject to disruptions that have caused substantial volatility in the prices of securities similar to the notes offered hereby. The market for the notes, if any, may be subject to similar disruptions. Any such disruptions may adversely affect the value of your notes.

 

There is currently no public market for the notes and an active trading market for the notes may not develop. The failure of a market for the notes to develop could adversely affect the liquidity and value of your notes.

 

Prior to this offering, there has been no trading market for the notes. We do not intend to apply for listing of the notes on any securities exchange or to arrange for quotation on any interdealer quotation system. We have been informed by the underwriters that they intend to make a market in the notes after the offering is completed. However, the underwriters may cease their market-making at any time without notice. In addition, the liquidity of the trading market in the notes, and the market price quoted for the notes, may be adversely affected by changes in the overall market for this type of security and by changes in our financial performance or prospects or in the prospects for companies in our industry generally. In addition, such market-making activities will be subject to limits imposed by the United States federal securities laws. As a result, we cannot assure you that an active trading market will develop for the notes. If an active trading market does not develop or is not maintained, the market price and liquidity for the notes may be adversely affected. In that case you may not be able to sell your notes at a particular time or you may not be able to sell your notes at a favorable price.

 

The contingent conversion features of our Convertible Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition.

 

In August 2010, we issued $400 million in aggregate principal amount of Convertible Notes. The Convertible Notes are convertible based on shares of our common stock at any time beginning on May 1, 2017, and prior to May 1, 2017 during specified periods upon the satisfaction of certain conditions, as provided in the indenture governing the Convertible Notes. See “Convertible Notes” under Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 1, 2011 for a further discussion regarding the conversion terms of the Convertible Notes. If the Convertible Notes become eligible for conversion and one or more holders elect to convert their Convertible Notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by delivering solely shares of our common stock (other than cash in lieu of any fractional shares), we would be required to settle a portion of or all of our conversion obligation through the payment of cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, even if holders do not elect to convert their Convertible Notes, if the method of settlement effective during the period reflected in the financial statements is cash settlement or combination settlement, we would be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all of the outstanding principal of the Convertible Notes as a current rather than long-term liability in such financial statements, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.

 

We are subject to counterparty risk with respect to the Convertible Note hedge transactions.

 

Each hedge counterparty is a financial institution or the affiliate of a financial institution, and we will be subject to the risk that one or more hedge counterparties may default under the Convertible Note hedge transactions. Our exposure to the credit risk of each hedge counterparty will not be secured by any collateral. Recent global economic conditions have resulted in the actual or perceived failure or financial difficulties of many financial institutions, including a bankruptcy filing by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and its various affiliates. If a hedge counterparty becomes subject to insolvency proceedings, we will become an unsecured creditor in those proceedings with a claim equal to our exposure at that time under the Convertible Note hedge transaction with that hedge counterparty. Our exposure will depend on many factors but, generally, the increase in our exposure will be correlated to the increase in our stock market price and in volatility of our common stock. In addition, upon a default by a hedge counterparty, we may suffer adverse tax consequences and dilution with respect to our common stock. We can provide no assurances as to the financial stability or viability of the hedge counterparties.

 

We estimate that the net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $245.8 million, after deducting the underwriters’ discounts and commissions and estimated net offering expenses payable by us.

 

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to prepay $125 million of borrowings under our credit facilities, and the remainder for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, capital expenditures, acquisitions and additional repayment of debt.

 

As of March 27, 2011, we had $500.0 million of term loan borrowings outstanding under our credit facilities. The final scheduled maturity of our term loans under our credit facilities is October 1, 2014, and the borrowings thereunder had a weighted average interest rate of 2.56% for the quarter ended March 27, 2011.

 

Affiliates of certain of the underwriters act as agents and/or lenders under our credit facilities, and will receive a portion of the net proceeds of this offering in connection with the $125 million prepayment of our credit facilities. See “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest).”

 

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of March 27, 2011:

 

 

This table should be read in conjunction with the information set forth under the “Use of Proceeds” section and the “Description of Other Indebtedness” section included in this prospectus supplement and our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

 

 

 

 

The following table sets forth our historical and pro forma ratios of earnings to fixed charges for the periods indicated. This information should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement.

 

Earnings available for fixed charges consist of pre-tax earnings from continuing operations before income or loss from equity investees, fixed charges, distributed earnings of equity investees and amortization of capitalized interest, reduced by non-controlling interest income or loss. Fixed charges consist of interest expense, amortization of debt discount and expenses and the portion of rental expense estimated to be the equivalent of interest.

 

 

 

 

The following table presents our selected historical financial data as of and for the periods presented. We derived the selected historical financial data as of December 31, 2009 and 2010 and for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2009 and 2010 from our audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes to those statements. The audited financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2009 and 2010 included in our previously filed Exchange Act reports have been revised in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 1, 2011 to report the reclassification of our marine and cargo container businesses as discontinued operations and add certain financial information with respect to the guarantors. We derived the selected historical financial data as of December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2007 from our unaudited consolidated financial statements which are not contained in this prospectus supplement nor incorporated by reference herein. These unaudited consolidated financial statements have been derived from our audited financial statements as of December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2007, as originally included in our previously filed Exchange Act reports, which have been revised for the reclassification of our marine and cargo container businesses as discontinued operations. In addition, certain reclassifications have been made to the consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2007 as a result of new accounting guidance to conform to current period presentation. Certain financial information is presented on a rounded basis, which may cause minor differences.

 

The selected historical financial data presented for the three months ended March 28, 2010 and March 27, 2011, and as of March 27, 2011 has been derived from our unaudited financial statements incorporated by reference herein and has been prepared on the same basis as our audited financial statements and, in management’s opinion, includes all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, which we consider necessary for a fair presentation of our results of operations for this period. The results of the three months ended March 27, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the result to be expected for the year ended December 31, 2011 or any future period.

 

This table should be read together with our financial statements and the accompanying notes to those statements incorporated by reference herein and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in this prospectus supplement.