Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

In the operation of our business, we have various exposures to areas of risk related to factors within and outside the control of management. Significant areas of risk and our strategies to manage the exposure are discussed below.

In 2022, we manufactured and/or assembled products in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, China, the UK, Brazil, Spain and Australia and sold products in those markets as well as through offices in Singapore, Italy, China, Mexico, and South Korea and countries in the Middle East. In 2022, Hubbell also participated in joint ventures in Hong Kong and the Philippines. As a percentage of the Company’s total Net sales, shipments from foreign operations directly to third parties were 8% in 2022, 9% in 2021 and 9% in 2020, with the Canadian and UK operations representing approximately 32% and 31%, respectively, of 2022 total international Net sales. As such, our operating results could be affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates or weak economic conditions in the foreign markets in which we sell our products. To manage this exposure, we closely monitor the working capital requirements of our international units and may enter into forward foreign exchange contracts.

Product purchases representing approximately 15% of our Net sales are sourced from unaffiliated suppliers located outside the United States, primarily in Mexico, China and other Asian countries, Europe, India and Brazil. Foreign sourcing of products may result in unexpected fluctuations in product cost or increased risk of business interruption due to lack of product or component availability due to any one of the following:

• Political or economic uncertainty in the source country

• Fluctuations in the rate of exchange between the U.S. dollar and the currencies of the source countries

• Changes in U.S. laws and policies governing foreign trade

• Increased logistical complexity including supply chain interruption or delay, port of departure or entry disruption and overall time to market

• Loss of proprietary information

• Product quality issues outside the control of the Company

We have developed plans that address many of these risks. Such actions include careful selection of products to be outsourced and the suppliers selected; ensuring multiple sources of supply; limiting concentrations of activity by port, broker, freight forwarder, etc.; processes related to quality control; and maintaining control over operations, technologies and manufacturing deemed to provide a competitive advantage. Many of our businesses have a dependency on certain basic raw materials needed to produce their products including steel, aluminum, brass, copper, bronze, zinc, nickel, plastics, phenols, elastomers and petrochemicals as well as purchased electrical and electronic components. Our financial results could be affected by the availability and changes in prices of these materials and components.

Certain of these materials are sourced from a limited number of suppliers. These materials are also key source materials for many other companies in our industry and within the universe of industrial manufacturers in general. As such, in periods of rising demand for these materials, we may experience both increased costs and/or limited supply. These conditions can potentially result in our inability to acquire these key materials on a timely basis to produce our products and satisfy our incoming sales orders. Similarly, the cost of these materials can rise suddenly and result in materially higher costs of producing our products. We believe we have adequate primary and secondary sources of supply for each of our key materials and that, in periods of rising prices, we expect to recover a majority of the increased cost in the form of higher selling prices. However, recoveries typically lag the effect of cost increases due to the nature of our markets.

Our financial results are subject to interest rate fluctuations to the extent there is a difference between the amount of our interest-earning assets and the amount of interest-bearing liabilities. The principal objectives of our investment management activities are to preserve capital while earning net investment income that is commensurate with acceptable levels of interest rate, default and liquidity risk taking into account our funding needs. As part of our investment management strategy, we may use derivative financial products such as interest rate hedges and interest rate swaps.

From time to time or when required, we issue commercial paper, which exposes us to changes in interest rates. Our cash position includes amounts denominated in foreign currencies. We manage our worldwide cash requirements by considering available funds held by our subsidiaries and the cost effectiveness with which these funds can be accessed.

As of December 31, 2022, the long-term debt outstanding related to the fixed-rate senior notes was $1,450.0 million. The senior notes are not exposed to interest rate risk as the bonds are at a fixed-rate until maturity.

We continually evaluate risk retention and insurance levels for product liability, property damage and other potential exposures to risk. We devote significant effort to maintaining and improving safety and internal control programs, which are intended to reduce our exposure to certain risks. We determine the level of insurance coverage and the likelihood of a loss and believe that the current levels of risk retention are consistent with those of comparable companies in the industries in which we operate. There can be no assurance that we will not incur losses beyond the limits of our insurance. However, our liquidity, financial position and profitability are not expected to be materially affected by the levels of risk retention that we accept.

The following table presents cost and weighted average interest rate information related to financial instruments that are sensitive to changes in interest rates, by maturity at December 31, 2022 (dollars in millions):

We use derivative financial instruments only if they are matched with a specific asset, liability, or proposed future transaction. We do not speculate or use leverage when trading a financial derivative product.