Each of these growth categoriesopportunities is subject to rapidly changing and evolving technologies and may be replaced by new technology concepts or platforms. Some of these growth categoriesopportunities are also dependent on

The peripherals and video conferencing industries are intensely competitive.

In recent years, we have expanded the categories of products we sell, and entered new markets. We remain alert to opportunities in new categories and markets. As we do so, we are confronting new competitors, many of which have more experience in the categories or markets and have greater marketing resources and brand name recognition than we have. In addition, because of the continuing convergence of the markets for computing devices and consumer electronics, we expect greater competition in the future from well-established consumer electronics companies in our developing categories as well as in future categories we might enter. Many of these companies, such as Microsoft, Apple, Google, Cisco, Sony Corporation, Polycom, Samsung and others, have greater financial, technical, sales, marketing and other resources than we have.

Microsoft, Apple and Google are leading producers of operating systems, hardware and applications with which our mice, keyboards and other peripheralsproducts are designed to operate. In addition, Microsoft, Apple and Google each

Competitors for our Gaming peripheral products include Razer USA Ltd., SteelSeries, and Turtle Beach and Mad Catz Interactive.Beach.

 

Our peripherals business has historically been built largely around the PC platform, which over time became relatively open, and its inputs and operating system standardized. With the growth of mobile, tablet, gaming and other computer devices, the number of platforms has grown, and with it the complexity and increased need for us to have business and contractual relationships with the platform owners in order to produce products compatible with these platforms. Our product portfolio includes current and future products designed for use with third-party platforms or software, such as the Apple iPad, iPod and iPhone and Android phones and tablets. Our business in these categories relies on our access to the platforms of third parties, some of whom are our competitors. Platform owners that are competitors have a competitive advantage in designing products for their platforms and may produce peripherals or other products that work better, or are perceived to work better, than our products in connection with those platforms. As we expand the number of platforms and software applications with which our products are compatible, we may not be successful in launching products for those platforms or software applications, we may not be successful in establishing strong relationships with the new platform or software owners, or we may negatively impact our ability to develop and produce high-quality products on a timely basis for those platforms and software applications or we may otherwise adversely affect our relationships with existing platform or software owners.

 

Our access to third-party platforms may require paying a royalty, which lowers our product margins, or may otherwise be on terms that are not acceptable to us. In addition, the third-party platforms or technologies used to interact with our product portfolio can be delayed in production or can change without prior notice to us, which can result in our having excess inventory or lower margins.

 

If we are unable to access third-party platforms or technologies, or if our access is withdrawn, denied, or is not available on terms acceptable to us, or if the platforms or technologies are delayed or change without notice to us, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

We use our forecasts of product demand to make decisions regarding investments of our resources and production levels of our products. Although we receive forecasts from our customers, many are not obligated to purchase the forecasted demand. Also, actual sales volumes for individual products in our retail distribution channel can be volatile due to changes in consumer preferences and other reasons. In addition, our retail products have short product life cycles, so a failure to accurately predict high demand for a product can result in lost sales that we may not recover in subsequent periods, or higher product costs if we meet demand by paying higher costs for materials, production and delivery. We could also frustrate our customers and lose shelf space. Our failure to predict low demand for a product can result in excess inventory, lower cash flows and lower margins if we are required to reduce product prices in order to reduce inventories.

Over the past few years, we have expanded the types of products we sell, and the geographic markets in which we sell them. The changes in our product portfolio and the expansion of our sales markets have increased the difficulty of accurately forecasting product demand.

We have experienced large differences between our forecasts and actual demand for our products. We expect other differences between forecasts and actual demand to arise in the future. If we do not accurately predict product demand, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

Our success depends on our ability to attract and retain highly skilled personnel, including senior management and international personnel. From time to time, we experience turnover in some of our senior management positions.

We compensate our employees through a combination of salary, bonuses, benefits and equity compensation. Recruiting and retaining skilled personnel, including software and hardware engineers, is highly competitive. If we fail to provide competitive compensation to our employees, it will be difficult to retain, hire and integrate qualified employees and contractors, and we may not be able to maintain and expand our business. If we do not retain our senior managers or other key employees for any reason, we risk losing institutional knowledge, experience, expertise and other benefits of continuity as well as the ability to attract and retain other key employees. In addition, we must carefully balance the size of our employee base with our current infrastructure, management resources and anticipated operating cash flows. If we are unable to manage the size of our employee base, particularly engineers, we may fail to develop and introduce new products successfully and in a cost-effective and timely manner. If our revenue growth or employee levels vary significantly, our operating cash flows and financial condition could be adversely affected. Volatility or lack of positive performance in our stock price, including declines in our stock prices in the past year, may also affect our ability to retain key employees, many of whom have been granted equity incentives. Logitech’s practice has been to provide equity incentives to its employees, but the number of shares available for equity grants is limited. We may find it difficult to provide competitive equity incentives, and our ability to hire, retain and motivate key personnel may suffer.

Recently and in past years, we have initiated reductions in our workforce to align our employee base with our business strategy, our anticipated revenue base or with our areas of focus. We have also experienced turnover in our workforce. These reductions and turnover have resulted in reallocations of duties, which could result in employee uncertainty and discontent. Reductions in our workforce could make it difficult to attract, motivate and retain employees, which could adversely affect our business.

Our gross margins can vary due to consumer demand, competition, product life cycle, new product introductions, unit volumes, commodity and supply chain costs, geographic sales mix, currency exchange rates, and the complexity and functionality of new product innovations. In particular, if we are not able to introduce new products in a timely manner at the product cost we expect, or if consumer demand for our products is less than we anticipate, or if there are product pricing, marketing and other initiatives by our competitors to which we need to react or that are initiated by us to drive sales that lower our margins, then our overall gross margin will be less than we project.

 

In addition, our gross margins may vary significantly by product line, sales geography and customer type, as well as within product lines. When the mix of products sold shifts from higher margin product lines to lower margin product lines, to lower margin sales geographies, or to lower margin products within product lines, our overall gross margins and our profitability may be adversely affected.

 

As we expand within and into accessories for tablets and other mobile devices, and digital music,new product categories, our products in those categories may have lower gross margins than in our traditional product categories. Consumer demand in these product categories, based on style, color and other factors, tends to be less predictable and tends to vary more across geographic markets. As a result, we may face higher up-front investments, inventory costs associated with attempting to anticipate consumer preferences, and increased inventory write-offs. If we are unable to offset these potentially lower margins by enhancing the margins in our more traditional product categories, our profitability may be adversely affected.

 

The impact of these factors on gross margins can create unanticipated fluctuations in our operating results, which may cause volatility in the price of our shares.

Our turnaround strategy over the past couplethree years has been based in part on simplifying the organization, reducing operating costs through global workforce reductions and a reduction in the complexity of our product portfolio, with the goal of better aligning costs with our current business and with our decreasing revenues.business. We restructured our business in fiscal years 2015 and 2014 through 2016, and we expectmay continue to restructure in fiscal year 2016 as we divest or discontinue non-strategic product categories, exitcategories. During the third quarter of fiscal year 2016, we divested our OEMLifesize video conferencing business and reorganizecompleted our Lifesize reporting unit.exit from the OEM business. In addition, we are continuing the rationalization of our G&A,general and administrative expense, infrastructure and indirect procurement to reduce operating expenses.

 

Our ability to achieve the desired and anticipated cost savings and other benefits from these simplification, cost-cutting and restructuring activities, and within our desired and expected timeframes, are subject to many estimates and assumptions, and the actual savings and timing for those savings may vary materially based on factors such as local labor regulations, negotiations with third parties, and operational requirements. These estimates and assumptions are also subject to significant economic, competitive and other uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control. There can be no assurance that we will fully realize the desired and anticipated benefits from these activities. To the extent that we are unable to improve our financial performance, further restructuring measures may be required in the future. Furthermore, we are expecting to be able to use the anticipated cost savings from these activities to fund and support our current growth opportunities and incremental investments for future growth. If the cost-savings do not materialize as anticipated, or within our expected timeframes, our ability to invest in growth may be limited and our business and operating results may be adversely affected.

 

As part of the restructuring plans, we reduced the size of our product portfolio and the assortment of similar products at similar price points within each product category over the past several fiscal years. While we are

During the third quarter of fiscal year 2013, the declining trends in our PC peripherals accelerated, and we made a strategic decision to divest or discontinue certain non-strategic product categories and products. We continue to review our product portfolio and update our non-strategic product categories and products. We recently announced thatDuring the third quarter of fiscal year 2016, we plan todivested our Lifesize video conferencing business and completed our exit from the OEM business. If we are unable to effect sales on favorable terms or if realignment is more costly or distracting than we expect or has a negative effect on our organization, employees and retention, then our business and operating results may be adversely affected. Discontinuing products with service components may also cause us to continue to incur expenses to maintain services within the product life cycle or to adversely affect our customer and consumer relationships and brand. In addition, discontinuing product categories, even categories that we consider non-strategic, reduces the size and diversification of our business and causes us to be more dependent on a smaller number of product categories.

 

As we attempt to grow our business in strategic product categories and emerging market geographies, we will consider growth through acquisition or investment. We will evaluate acquisition opportunities that could provide us with additional product or service offerings or with additional industry expertise, assets and capabilities. For example, we recently acquired Jaybird to expand into the wireless audio wearables market. Acquisitions could result in difficulties integrating acquired operations, products, technology, internal controls, personnel and management teams and result in the diversion of capital and management’s attention away from other business issues and opportunities. If we fail to successfully integrate acquisitions, our business could be harmed. Moreover, our acquisitions may not be successful in achieving our desired strategic objectives, which would also cause our business to suffer. Acquisitions can also lead to large non-cash charges that can have an adverse effect on our results of operations as a result of write-offs for items such as future impairments of intangible assets and goodwill or the recording of stock-based compensation. Several of our past acquisitions have not been successful and have led to impairment charges, including a $122.7 million and $214.5 million non-cash goodwill impairment charge in fiscal years 2015 and 2013, respectively, related to our Lifesize video conferencing reporting unit.business which is reported in discontinued operations. In addition, from time to time we make strategic venture investments in other companies that provide products and services that are complementary to ours. If these investments are unsuccessful, this could have an adverse impact on our results of operations, operating cash flows and financial condition.

Our sales channel partners, the distributors and retailers who distribute and sell our products, also sell products offered by our competitors and, in the case of retailer house brands, may also be our competitors. If product competitors offer our sales channel partners more favorable terms, have more products available to meet their needs, or utilize the leverage of broader product lines sold through the channel, or if our retailer channel partners show preference for their own house brands, our sales channel partners may de-emphasize or decline to carry our products. In addition, certain of our sales channel partners could decide to de-emphasize the product categories that we offer in exchange for other product categories that they believe provide them with higher returns. If we are unable to maintain successful relationships with these sales channel partners or to maintain our distribution channels, our business will suffer.

 

As we expand into new product categories and markets in pursuit of growth, we will have to build relationships with new channel partners and adapt to new distribution and marketing models. These new partners, practices and models may require significant management attention and operational resources and may affect our accounting, including revenue recognition, gross margins, and the ability to make comparisons from period to period. Entrenched and more experienced competitors will make these transitions difficult. If we are unable to build successful distribution channels or successfully market our products in these new product categories, we may not be able to take advantage of the growth opportunities, and our business and our ability to effect a turnaround in our business could be adversely affected.

The impact of economic conditions, evolving consumer preferences, and purchasing patterns on our distribution partners, or competition between our sales channels, could result in sales channel disruption. For example, if sales at large retail stores are displaced as a result of bankruptcy, competition from Internet sales channels or otherwise, our product sales could be adversely affected. Any loss of a major partner or distribution channel or other channel disruption could make us more dependent on alternate channels, increase pricing and promotional pressures from other partners and distribution channels, increase our marketing costs, or adversely impact buying and inventory patterns, payment terms or other contractual terms.

 

We use retail sell-through data, which represents sales of our products by our direct retailer customers to consumers, and by our distributor customers to their customers, along with other metrics, to assess consumer demand for our products. Sell-through data is subject to limitations due to collection methods and the third-party nature of the data and thus may not be an accurate indicator of actual consumer demand for our products. In addition, the customers supplying sell-through data vary by geographic region and from period to period, but typically represent a majority of our retail sales. In addition, we rely on channel inventory data from our retailer and distributor customers. If we do not receive this information on a timely and accurate basis, or if we do not properly interpret this information, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

We produce approximately half of our peripheral products at facilities we own in China.China, and we are under progress to increase that percentage in the near future. The majority of our other production is performed by third-party contract manufacturers, including other design manufacturers, in China.China and Malaysia.

 

Our manufacturing operations in China could be adversely affected by changes in the interpretation and enforcement of legal standards, by strains on China’s available labor pool, changes in labor costs and other employment dynamics, high turnover among Chinese employees, communications, trade, and other infrastructures, byinfrastructure issue, import export issue, currency transfer restriction, natural disasters, by conflicts or disagreements between China and Taiwan or China and the United States, by labor unrest, and by other trade customs and practices that are dissimilar to those in the United States and Europe. Interpretation and enforcement of China’s laws and regulations continue to evolve and we expect differences in interpretation and enforcement to continue in the foreseeable future.

 

Our manufacturing operations at third-party contractors could be adversely affected by contractual disagreements, by labor unrest, by natural disasters, by strains on local communications, trade, and other

Further, we may be exposed to fluctuations in the value of the local currency in the countries in which manufacturing occurs. Future appreciation of these local currencies could increase our component and other raw material costs. In addition, our labor costs could continue to rise as wage rates increase and the available labor pool declines. These conditions could adversely affect our financial results.

We purchase certain products and key components from a limited number of sources. If the supply of these products or key components, such as micro-controllers, and optical sensors, were to be delayed or constrained, or if one or more of our single-source suppliers goes out of business as a result of adverse global economic conditions or natural disasters, we might be unable to find a new supplier on acceptable terms, or at all, and our product shipments to our customers could be delayed, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

 

Lead times for materials, components and products ordered by us or by our contract manufacturers can vary significantly and depend on factors such as contract terms, demand for a component, and supplier capacity. From time to time, we have experienced component shortages and extended lead times on semiconductors, such as micro-controllers and optical sensors, and base metals used in our products. Shortages or interruptions in the supply of components or subcontracted products, or our inability to procure these components or products from alternate sources at acceptable prices in a timely manner, could delay shipment of our products or increase our production costs, which could adversely affect our business and operating results.

As part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the SEC adopted disclosure requirements regarding the use of certain minerals, known as conflict minerals, which are mined from the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries, as well as procedures regarding a manufacturer’s efforts to identify and prevent the sourcing of such minerals and metals produced from those minerals. Additional reporting obligations are being considered by the European Union. The implementation of the existing U.S. requirements and any additional requirements in Europe could affect sourcing at competitive prices and availability in sufficient quantities of certain minerals used in the manufacture of our products. The number of suppliers who provide conflict-free minerals may be limited, and the implementation of these requirements may decrease the number of suppliers capable of supplying our needs for certain metals.  In addition, there may be material costs associated with complying with the disclosure requirements, such as costs related to the due diligence process of determining the source of certain minerals used in our products, as well as costs of possible changes to products, processes, or sources of supply as a consequence of such verification activities. As our supply chain is complex and we use contract manufacturers for some of our products, we may not be able to sufficiently verify the origins of the relevant minerals used in our products through the due diligence procedures that we implement, which may adversely affect our reputation. We may also encounter challenges to satisfy those customers who require that all of the components of our products be certified as conflict-free, which could, if we are unable to satisfy their requirements or pass through any increased costs associated with meeting their requirements place us at a competitive disadvantage, adversely affect our business and operating results, or both. We filed our report for the calendar year 2014 with the SEC on May 29, 2015.

Our business requires us to coordinate the manufacture and distribution of our products over much of the world. We rely on third parties to manufacture many of our products, manage centralized distribution centers, and transport our products. If we do not successfully coordinate the timely manufacturing and distribution of our products, we may have insufficient supply of products to meet customer demand, we could lose sales, we may experience a build-up in inventory, or we may incur additional costs.

 

By locating our manufacturing in China and Southeast Asia, we are reliant on third parties to get our products to distributors around the world. Transportation costs, fuel costs, labor unrest, natural disasters and other adverse effects on our ability, timing and cost of delivering products can increase our inventory, decrease our margins, adversely affect our relationships with distributors and other customers and otherwise adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

A significant portion of our quarterly retail orders and product deliveries generally occur in the last weeks of the fiscal quarter. This places pressure on our supply chain and could adversely affect our revenues and profitability if we are unable to successfully fulfill customer orders in the quarter.

We conduct operations in a number of countries, and have invested significantly in growing our personnel and sales and marketing activities in China and, to a lesser extent, other emerging markets. We may also increase our investments to grow sales in other emerging markets, such as Latin America and Eastern Europe. There are risks inherent in doing business in international markets, including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any of these risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

 

Sales growth in China is an important part of our expectations for our business. As a result, if Chinese economic, political or business conditions deteriorate, or if one or more of the risks described above materializes in China, our overall business and results of operations will be adversely affected.

 

Based on our current business model and as we expand into new markets and product categories, we must comply with a wide variety of laws, standards and other requirements governing, among other things, health and safety, hazardous materials usage, product-related energy consumption, packaging, recycling and environmental matters. Our products may be required to obtain regulatory approvals and satisfy other regulatory concerns in the various jurisdictions where they are manufactured, sold or both. These requirements create procurement and design challenges, which, among other things, require us to incur additional costs identifying suppliers and contract manufacturers who can provide or obtain compliant materials, parts and end products. Failure to comply with such requirements can subject us to liability, additional costs, and reputational harm and, in severe cases, force us to recall products or prevent us from selling our products in certain jurisdictions.

 

As a Swiss company with shares listed on both the SIX Swiss Exchange and the Nasdaq Global Select Market, we are also subject to both Swiss and United States corporate governance and securities laws and regulations. In addition to the extra costs and regulatory burdens of our dual regulatory obligations, the two regulatory regimes may not always be compatible and may impose disclosure obligations or operating restrictions on our business to which our competitors and other companies are not subject.  For example, on January 1, 2014, subject to certain transitional provisions, the Swiss Federal Council Ordinance Against Excessive Compensation at Public Companies (the “Ordinance”) became effective in connection with the Minder initiative approved by Swiss voters during 2013.  The Ordinance, among other things, (a) requires a binding shareholder “say on pay” vote with respect to the compensation of members of our executive management and Board of Directors, (b) generally prohibits the making of severance, advance, transaction premiums and similar payments to members of our executive management and Board of Directors, (c) imposes other restrictive compensation practices, and (d) requires that our articles of incorporation specify various compensation-related matters. In addition, during 2013, Swiss voters considered an initiative to limit pay for a chief executive officer to a multiple of no more than twelve times the salary of the lowest-paid employee. Although voters rejected that initiative, it did receive substantial voter support. The Ordinance, potential future initiatives relating to corporate governance or executive compensation, and Swiss voter sentiment in

We operate in multiple jurisdictions and our profits are taxed pursuant to the tax laws of these jurisdictions. Our effective income tax rate may be affected by changes in or interpretations of tax laws, treaties, rulings, regulations

 

We are incorporated in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland and our effective income tax rate benefits from a longstanding ruling from the Canton of Vaud. The tax rules in Switzerland are expected to change in response to certain guidance and demands from both the European Union and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and that could have an adverse effect on our tax ruling and effective income tax rate. Switzerland’s implementation of any material change in tax laws or policies or its adoption of new interpretations of existing tax laws and rulings, or changes in our tax ruling from the Canton of Vaud, could result in a higher effective income tax rate on our worldwide earnings and such change could adversely affect our net income.

We file Swiss and foreign tax returns. We are frequently subject to tax audits, examinations and assessments in various jurisdictions. If any tax authority successfully challenges our operational structure, intercompany pricing policies or the taxable presence of our key subsidiaries in certain countries, if the terms of certain income tax treaties are interpreted in a manner that is adverse to our structure, or if we lose a material tax dispute in any country, our effective income tax rate could increase. A material assessment by a governing tax authority could adversely affect our profitability. If our effective income tax rate increases in future periods, our net income and cash flows could be adversely affected.

We have been expanding the categories of products we sell, andsuch as entering new markets such as entering the market for enterprise video conferencing and introducing products for tablets, other mobile devices, digital music, and digital music.video collaboration. We expect to continue to enter new categories and markets. As we do so, we face an increased risk that claims alleging we infringe the patent or other intellectual property rights of others, regardless of the merit of the claims, may increase in number and significance. Infringement claims against us may also increase as the functionality of video, voice, data and conferencing products begin to overlap. This risk is heightened by the increase in lawsuits brought by holders of patents that do not have an operating business or are attempting to license broad patent portfolios and by the increasing attempts by companies in the technology industries to enjoin their competitors from selling products that they claim infringe their intellectual property rights. Intellectual property lawsuits are subject to inherent uncertainties due to the complexity of the technical issues involved, and we cannot be certain that we will be successful in defending ourselves against intellectual property claims. A successful claimant could secure a judgment that requires us to pay substantial damages or prevents us from distributing certain products or performing certain services. We might also be required to seek a license for the use of such intellectual property, which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms or at all. Alternatively, we may be required to develop non-infringing technology, which could require significant effort and expense and may ultimately not be successful. Any claims or proceedings against us, whether meritorious or not, could be time consuming, result in costly litigation or the diversion of significant operational resources, or require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our future success depends in part on our proprietary technology, technical know-how and other intellectual property. We rely on a combination of patent, trade secret, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property laws, and confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions such as nondisclosure terms and licenses, to protect our intellectual property.

We hold various United States patents and pending applications, together with corresponding patents and pending applications from other countries. It is possible that any patent owned by us will be invalidated, deemed unenforceable, circumvented or challenged, that the patent rights granted will not provide competitive advantages to us, or that any of our pending or future patent applications will not be granted. In addition, other intellectual property laws or our confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions may not adequately protect our intellectual property. Also, others may independently develop similar technology, duplicate our products, or design around our patents or other intellectual property rights. Unauthorized parties have copied and may in the future

The market for our products is characterized by rapidly changing technology and evolving industry standards. To remain competitive, we must continually introduce new products and technologies. The products that we sell could contain defects in design or manufacture. Defects could also occur in the products or components that are supplied to us. There can be no assurance we will be able to detect and remedy all defects in the hardware and software we sell. Failure to do so could result in product recalls, product redesign efforts, lost revenue, loss of reputation, and significant warranty and other expenses to remedy.

In connection with certain of our products, we collect data related to our consumers. This information is increasingly subject to legislation and regulations in numerous jurisdictions around the world, and especially in Europe. Government actions are typically intended to protect the privacy and security of personal information and its collection, storage, transmission, use and distribution in or from the governing jurisdiction. In addition, because various jurisdictions have different laws and regulations concerning the use, storage and transmission of such information, we may face requirements that pose compliance challenges in existing markets as well as new international markets that we seek to enter. The collection of user data heightens the risk of security breaches related to our IT systems and the systems of third-party data storage and other service and IT providers. Such laws and regulations, and the variation between jurisdictions, as well as additional security measures and risk, could subject us to costs, liabilities or negative publicity that could adversely affect our business.

During fiscal years 2014 and 2015, we devoted significant resources to the upgrade of our worldwide business application suite to Oracle’s version R12. We recently implemented that upgrade in fiscal year 2016 and will be testingcontinue to review the success of that implementation through fiscal year 2016 and intoduring fiscal year 2017. As wea result of our transition to the new business application suite, we may experience difficulties with our systems, management distraction, lack of visibility into our business operations and results, and significant business disruptions. Difficulties with our systems may interrupt our normal operations, including our enterprise resource planning, forecasting, demand planning, supply planning, intercompany processes, promotion management, internal financial controls, pricing, and our ability to provide quotes, process orders, ship products, provide services and support to our customers and consumers, bill and track our customers, fulfill contractual obligations, and otherwise run and track our business. For example, the transition has resulted in delays in processing customer claims for claims accruals. In addition, we may need to expend