In addition to the risks outlined in this annual report under the heading “Forward-Looking Statements,” as well as other comments included herein regarding risks and uncertainties, the following risk factors should be carefully considered when evaluating our company. Our business, financial condition or financial results could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks.

The ongoing uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets related to the U.S. budget deficit, the European sovereign debt crisis and the state of the worldwide economic recovery may adversely affect our operating results.

Global financial markets continue to experience disruptions, including increased volatility, and diminished liquidity and credit availability. In particular, developments in Europe have created uncertainty with respect to the ability of certain European countries to continue to service their sovereign debt obligations. This debt crisis and related European financial restructuring efforts may cause the value of the Euro to deteriorate, reducing the purchasing power of our European customers and reducing the translated amounts of U.S. dollar revenues. In

Table of Contents

addition, the European crisis is contributing to instability in global credit markets. If global economic and market conditions, or economic conditions in Europe, the U.S. or other key markets, remain uncertain, persist, or deteriorate further, our customers may respond by suspending, delaying or reducing their capital expenditures and equipment maintenance budgets, which may adversely affect our cash flows and results of operations. We could also be adversely affected by the negative impact on economic growth resulting from the combination of federal income tax increases and government spending restrictions potentially occurring at the end of calendar year 2012 in the U.S. (commonly referred to as the “fiscal cliff”).

During economic downturns or a rising interest rate environment, the cyclical nature of our business results in lower demand for our products and services and reduced revenue.

Our business is cyclical. Overall economic conditions and the purchasing practices of buyers have a significant effect upon our railcar repair, refurbishment and component parts, marine manufacturing, railcar manufacturing and leasing and fleet management services businesses due to the impact on demand for new, refurbished, used and leased products and services. As a result, during downturns, we could operate with a lower level of backlog and may temporarily slow down or halt production at some or all of our facilities. Economic conditions that result in higher interest rates increase the cost of new leasing arrangements, which could cause some of our leasing customers to lease fewer of our railcars or demand shorter lease terms. An economic downturn or increase in interest rates may reduce demand for our products and services, resulting in lower sales volumes, lower prices, lower lease utilization rates and decreased profits.

We face aggressive competition by a concentrated group of competitors and a number of factors may influence our performance and if we are unable to compete successfully, our market share, margin and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We face aggressive competition by a concentrated group of competitors in all geographic markets and in each area of our business. The railcar manufacturing and repair industry is intensely competitive and we expect it to remain so in the foreseeable future. Competitive factors, including introduction of competitive products, new entrants into certain of our markets, price pressures, limited customer base and the relative competitiveness of our manufacturing facilities and products affect our ability to compete effectively. In addition, new technologies or the introduction of new railcars or other product offerings by our competitors could render our products obsolete or less competitive. If we do not compete successfully, our market share, margin and results of operation may be adversely affected.

A number of factors may influence our performance, including without limitation: fluctuations in the demand for newly manufactured railcars or marine barges; fluctuations in demand for wheel services, refurbishment and parts; our ability to adjust to the cyclical nature of the industries in which we operate; delays in receipt of orders, risks that contracts may be canceled during their term or not renewed and that customers may not purchase the amount of products or services under the contracts as anticipated; our customers may be financially unable to pay for products and services already provided; domestic and global economic conditions including such matters as embargoes or quotas; growth or reduction in the surface transportation industry; steel and specialty component price fluctuations and availability, scrap surcharges, steel scrap prices and other commodity price fluctuations and their impact on product demand and margin; loss of business from, or a decline in the financial condition of, any of the principal customers that represent a significant portion of our total revenues; industry overcapacity and our manufacturing capacity utilization; and other risks, uncertainties and factors. If we are unfavorably affected by any of these factors, our market share, margin and results of operation may be adversely affected.

A change in our product mix due to shifts in demand could have an adverse effect on our profitability.

We manufacture and repair a variety of railcars. The demand for specific types of these railcars and mix of refurbishment work varies from time to time. These shifts in demand could affect our margins and could have an adverse effect on our profitability. Currently a portion of our backlog and railcar demand includes a concentrated product mix of covered hoppers and tank cars used in energy related transportation. A sudden change in this

Table of Contents

market could have an adverse effect on our profitability. For example, a change in environmental regulations, competitive pricing, pipeline capacity and other factors could reduce demand for railcars in the energy transportation industry.

A failure to design or manufacture products or technologies or to achieve timely certification or market acceptance of new products or technologies could have an adverse effect on our profitability.

We continue to introduce new railcar products and technologies, and we periodically accept orders prior to receipt of railcar certification or proof of ability to manufacture a quality product that meets customer standards. We could be unable to successfully design or manufacture these new railcar products and technologies. Our inability to develop and manufacture such new products and technologies in a timely fashion and profitable manner, obtain timely certification, or achieve market acceptance, or the existence of quality problems in our new products, could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and results of operations and subject us to penalties, cancellation of orders and/or other damages.

A prolonged decline in performance of the rail freight industry would have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our future success depends in part upon the performance of the rail freight industry, which in turn depends on the health of the economy. If railcar loadings, railcar and railcar components replacement rates or refurbishment rates or industry demand for our railcar products weaken or otherwise do not materialize, our financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Our backlog is not necessarily indicative of the level of our future revenues.

Our manufacturing backlog represents future production for which we have written orders from our customers in various periods, and estimated potential revenue attributable to those orders. Some of this backlog is subject to our fulfillment of certain competitive conditions. Our reported backlog may not be converted to revenue in any particular period and some of our contracts permit cancellations without financial penalties or with limited compensation that would not replace lost revenue or margins. Actual revenue from such contracts may not equal our anticipated revenues based on our backlog, and therefore, our backlog is not necessarily indicative of the level of our future revenues.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness, which could have negative consequences to us.

We are significantly leveraged. As of August 31, 2012, our total debt was approximately $488.8 million, consisting of borrowings under our credit facilities, term loans, notes and capital lease obligations. Our significant indebtedness could have negative consequences to us, and could place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our less leveraged competitors. It may be difficult for us to satisfy our repayment and other obligations with respect to such indebtedness, and we may not be able to refinance our existing indebtedness as it matures. Significant indebtedness may also increase our vulnerability to adverse general economic, industry or competitive developments or conditions and limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate. We may be limited in our ability to raise additional capital or obtain additional financing to fund our operations, capital expenditures or other growth initiatives, and other general corporate requirements and may be required to dedicate a significant portion of our cash flow from operations to interest and principal payments on our indebtedness. We are more exposed to the risk of increased interest rates as certain of our borrowings are at variable rates of interest. As a consequence of our level of indebtedness, a significant portion of our cash flow from operations may be dedicated to debt service requirements. In addition, the terms of our revolving credit facility limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness. If we fail to comply with these covenants, a default may occur, in which case the lender could accelerate the debt. We cannot assure you that we would be able to renegotiate, refinance, restructure or otherwise obtain the necessary funds to satisfy the indebtedness or these obligations.

Table of Contents

We derive a significant amount of our revenue from a limited number of customers, the loss of or reduction of business from one or more of which could have an adverse effect on our business.

A significant portion of our revenue and backlog is generated from a few major customers such as TTX, BNSF and UP. Although we have some long-term contractual relationships with our major customers, we cannot be assured that our customers will continue to use our products or services or that they will continue to do so at historical levels. A reduction in the purchase or leasing of our products or a termination of our services by one or more of our major customers could have an adverse effect on our business and operating results.

Fluctuations in the availability and price of energy, steel and other raw materials, and our fixed price contracts could have an adverse effect on our ability to manufacture and sell our products on a cost-effective basis and could adversely affect our margins and revenue of our manufacturing and wheel services, refurbishment and parts businesses.

A significant portion of our business depends upon the adequate supply of steel, components and other raw materials at competitive prices and a small number of suppliers provide a substantial amount of our requirements. The cost of steel and all other materials used in the production of our railcars represents more than half of our direct manufacturing costs per railcar and in the production of our marine barges represents more than 30% of our direct manufacturing costs per marine barge.

Our businesses also depend upon the adequate supply of energy at competitive prices. When the price of energy increases, it adversely impacts our operating costs and could have an adverse effect upon our ability to conduct our businesses on a cost-effective basis. We cannot be assured that we will continue to have access to supplies of energy or necessary components for manufacturing railcars and marine barges. Our ability to meet demand for our products could be adversely affected by the loss of access to any of these supplies, the inability to arrange alternative access to any materials, or suppliers limiting allocation of materials to us.

In some instances, we have fixed price contracts which anticipate material price increases and surcharges, or contracts that contain actual or formulaic pass-through of material price increases and surcharges. However, if the price of steel or other raw materials were to fluctuate in excess of anticipated increases on which we have based our fixed price contracts, or if we were unable to adjust our selling prices or have adequate protection in our contracts against changes in material prices, or if we are unable to reduce operating costs to offset any price increases, our margins would be adversely affected. The loss of suppliers or their inability to meet our price, quality, quantity and delivery requirements could have an adverse effect on our ability to manufacture and sell our products on a cost-effective basis.

Decreases in the price of scrap adversely impact our Wheel Services, Refurbishment & Parts margin and revenue. A portion of our Wheel Services, Refurbishment & Parts business involves scrapping steel parts and the resulting revenue from such scrap steel increases our margins and revenues. When the price of scrap steel declines, our margins and revenues in such business therefore decrease.

We rely on limited suppliers for certain components needed in our production. If we are not able to procure specialty components on commercially reasonable terms or on a timely basis, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Our manufacturing operations depend in part on our ability to obtain timely deliveries of materials and components in acceptable quantities and quality from our suppliers. In 2012, the top ten suppliers for all inventory purchases accounted for approximately 43% of total purchases. Amsted Rail Company, Inc. accounted for 20% of total inventory purchases in 2012. No other suppliers accounted for more than 10% of total inventory purchases. Certain components of our products, particularly specialized components like castings, bolsters and trucks, are currently available from only a limited number of suppliers. Increases in the number of railcars manufactured have increased the demand for such components and strong demand may cause industry-wide shortages if suppliers are in the process of ramping up production or reach capacity production. Our dependence on a limited number of suppliers involves risks, including limited control over pricing, availability and delivery

Table of Contents

schedules. If any one or more of our suppliers cease to provide us with sufficient quantities of our components in a timely manner or on terms acceptable to us, or cease to manufacture components of acceptable quality, we could incur disruptions or be limited in our production of our products and we could have to seek alternative sources for these components. We could also incur delays while we attempt to locate and engage alternative qualified suppliers and we might be unable to engage acceptable alternative suppliers on favorable terms, if at all. Any such disruption in our supply of specialized components or increased costs of those components could harm our business and adversely affect our results of operations.

Changes in the credit markets and the financial services industry could negatively impact our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.

The credit markets and the financial services industry continue to experience volatility which may result in tighter availability of credit on more restrictive terms. This could have a negative impact on our liquidity and financial condition if our ability to borrow money to finance operations, obtain credit from trade creditors, offer leasing products to our customers or sell railcar assets to other lessors were to be impaired. In addition, it could also adversely affect our customers’ ability to purchase or pay for products from us or our suppliers’ ability to provide us with product, either of which could negatively affect our business and results of operations.

Unanticipated changes in our tax provisions or exposure to additional income tax liabilities could affect our financial condition and profitability.

We are subject to income taxes in both the United States and foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes. Changes in estimates of projected future operating results, loss of deductibility of items, recapture of prior deductions (including related to interest on convertible notes), or changes in assumptions regarding our ability to generate future taxable income could result in significant increases to our tax expense and liabilities that could adversely affect our financial condition and profitability.

If we or our joint ventures fail to complete capital expenditure projects on time and within budget, or if these projects, once completed, fail to operate as anticipated, such failure could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

From time-to-time, we, or our joint ventures, undertake strategic capital projects in order to enhance, expand and/or upgrade facilities and operational capabilities. We are currently in the process of adding new production lines and enhancing existing lines at our manufacturing facilities in Mexico to increase our production capacity. Our ability, and our joint ventures’ ability, to complete these projects on time and within budget, and for us to realize the anticipated increased revenues or otherwise realize acceptable returns on these investments or other strategic capital projects that may be undertaken is subject to a number of risks. Many of these risks are beyond our control, including a variety of market, operational, permitting, and labor related factors. In addition, the cost to implement any given strategic capital project ultimately may prove to be greater than originally anticipated. If we, or our joint ventures, are not able to achieve the anticipated results from the implementation of any of these strategic capital projects, or if unanticipated implementation costs are incurred, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

The timing of our asset sales and related revenue recognition could cause significant differences in our quarterly results and liquidity.

We may build railcars or marine barges in anticipation of a customer order, or that are leased to a customer and ultimately planned to be sold to a third party. The difference in timing of production and the ultimate sale is subject to risk. In addition, we periodically sell railcars from our own lease fleet and the timing and volume of such sales is difficult to predict. As a result, comparisons of our manufacturing revenue, deliveries, quarterly gain

Table of Contents

on disposition of equipment, income and liquidity between quarterly periods within one year and between comparable periods in different years may not be meaningful and should not be relied upon as indicators of our future performance.

We could be unable to remarket leased railcars on favorable terms upon lease termination or realize the expected residual values, which could reduce our revenue and decrease our overall return.

We re-lease or sell railcars we own upon the expiration of existing lease terms. The total rental payments we receive under our operating leases do not fully amortize the acquisition costs of the leased equipment, which exposes us to risks associated with remarketing the railcars. Our ability to remarket leased railcars profitably is dependent upon several factors, including, but not limited to, market and industry conditions, cost of and demand for newer models, costs associated with the refurbishment of the railcars and interest rates. Our inability to re-lease or sell leased railcars on favorable terms could result in reduced revenues and margins or gain on disposition of equipment and decrease our overall returns.

Risks related to our operations outside of the U.S. could adversely affect our operating results.

Our operations outside of the U.S. are subject to the risks associated with cross-border business transactions and activities. Political, legal, trade, financial market or economic changes or instability could limit or curtail our foreign business activities and operations. Some foreign countries in which we operate have regulatory authorities that regulate railroad safety, railcar design and railcar component part design, performance and manufacturing. If we fail to obtain and maintain certifications of our railcars and railcar parts within the various foreign countries where we operate, we may be unable to market and sell our railcars in those countries. In addition, unexpected changes in regulatory requirements, tariffs and other trade barriers, more stringent rules relating to labor or the environment, adverse tax consequences, currency and price exchange controls could limit operations and make the manufacture and distribution of our products difficult. The uncertainty of the legal environment or geo-political risks in these and other areas could limit our ability to enforce our rights effectively. Because we have operations outside the U.S., we could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-corruption laws. We operate in parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree, and in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-corruption laws may conflict with local customs and practices. The failure to comply with laws governing international business practices may result in substantial penalties and fines. Any international expansion or acquisition that we undertake could amplify these risks related to operating outside of the U.S.

We depend on our senior management team and other key employees, and significant attrition within our management team or unsuccessful succession planning could adversely affect our business.

Our success depends in part on our ability to attract, retain and motivate senior management and other key employees. Achieving this objective may be difficult due to many factors, including fluctuations in global economic and industry conditions, competitors’ hiring practices, cost reduction activities, and the effectiveness of our compensation programs. Competition for qualified personnel can be very intense. We must continue to recruit, retain and motivate senior management and other key employees sufficient to maintain our current business and support our future projects. We are vulnerable to attrition among our current senior management team and other key employees. A loss of any such personnel, or the inability to recruit and retain qualified personnel in the future, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, several key members of our senior management team are at or nearing retirement age. If we are unsuccessful in our succession planning efforts, the continuity of our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Table of Contents

Some of our employees belong to labor unions and strikes or work stoppages could adversely affect our operations.

We are a party to collective bargaining agreements with various labor unions at some of our operations. Disputes with regard to the terms of these agreements or our potential inability to negotiate acceptable contracts with these unions in the future could result in, among other things, strikes, work stoppages or other slowdowns by the affected workers. We cannot be assured that our relations with our workforce will remain positive or that union organizers will not be successful in future attempts to organize at some of our other facilities. If our workers were to engage in a strike, work stoppage or other slowdown, or other employees were to become unionized or the terms and conditions in future labor agreements were renegotiated, we could experience a significant disruption of our operations and higher ongoing labor costs. In addition, we could face higher labor costs in the future as a result of severance or other charges associated with lay-offs, shutdowns or reductions in the size and scope of our operations or due to the difficulties of restarting our operations that have been temporarily shuttered.

Shortages of skilled labor could adversely affect our operations.

We depend on skilled labor in the manufacture of railcars and marine barges, repair and refurbishment of railcars and provision of wheel services and supply of parts. Some of our facilities are located in areas where demand for skilled laborers often exceeds supply. Shortages of some types of skilled laborers such as welders could restrict our ability to maintain or increase production rates and could increase our labor costs.

Our operations in Mexico are dependent on a number of factors, including factors outside of our control. If we experience an interruption of our manufacturing operations in Mexico, our results of operations may be adversely affected.

In Sahagun, Mexico, we depend on a third party to provide us with most of the labor services for our operations under a services agreement. All of the labor provided by the third party is subject to collective bargaining agreements, over which we have no control. If the third party fails to provide us with the services required by our agreement for any reason, including labor stoppages or strikes or a sale of facilities owned by the third party, our operations could be adversely effected. Additionally, we could incur substantial expense and interruption if we are unable to renew our Sahagun, Mexico manufacturing facility’s lease on acceptable terms, or at all, or if such lease was terminated early. The current lease agreement expires in November 2014. Any interruption of our manufacturing operations in Mexico could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our relationships with our joint venture and alliance partners could be unsuccessful, which could adversely affect our business.

We have entered into several joint venture agreements and other alliances with other companies to increase our sourcing alternatives, reduce costs, and to produce new railcars for the North American marketplace. We may seek to expand our relationships or enter into new agreements with other companies. If our joint venture alliance partners are unable to fulfill their contractual obligations or if these relationships are otherwise not successful in the future, our manufacturing costs could increase, we could encounter production disruptions, growth opportunities could fail to materialize, or we could be required to fund such joint venture alliances in amounts significantly greater than initially anticipated, any of which could adversely affect our business.

Our product and repair service warranties could expose us to potentially significant claims.

We offer our customers limited warranties for many of our products and services. Accordingly, we may be subject to significant warranty claims in the future, such as multiple claims based on one defect repeated throughout our production or servicing process or claims for which the cost of repairing the defective part is highly disproportionate to the original cost of the part. These types of warranty claims could result in costly product recalls, customers seeking monetary damages, significant repair costs and damage to our reputation.

Table of Contents

If warranty claims attributable to actions of third party component manufacturers are not recoverable from such parties due to their poor financial condition or other reasons, we could be liable for warranty claims and other risks for using these materials on our products.

Our financial performance and market value could cause future write-downs of goodwill or intangibles in future periods.

We are required to perform an annual impairment review of goodwill and indefinite lived assets which could result in an impairment charge if it is determined that the carrying value of the asset is in excess of the fair value. We perform a goodwill impairment test annually during our third fiscal quarter. Goodwill is also tested more frequently if changes in circumstances or the occurrence of events indicates that a potential impairment exists. When changes in circumstances, such as a decline in the market price of our common stock, changes in demand or in the numerous variables associated with the judgments, assumptions and estimates made in assessing the appropriate valuation of goodwill indicate the carrying amount of certain indefinite lived assets may not be recoverable, the assets are evaluated for impairment. Among other things, our assumptions used in the valuation of goodwill, which relate to our Wheel Services, Refurbishment & Parts segment, include growth of revenue and margins and increased cash flows over time. If actual operating results were to differ from these assumptions, it may result in an impairment of our goodwill. As of August 31, 2012, we had $137.1 million of goodwill in our Wheel Services, Refurbishment & Parts segment. Future write-downs of goodwill and intangibles could affect certain of the financial covenants under debt instruments and could restrict our financial flexibility. In the event of goodwill impairment, we may have to test other intangible assets for impairment. Impairment charges to our goodwill or our indefinite lived assets would impact our results of operations.

A prolonged decline in demand for our barge products would have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

In the marine market, current economic conditions may continue to have an adverse effect on our results of operations by reducing demand for our marine barges. This could reduce our revenues and margins, limit our ability to grow, increase pricing pressure on our products, and otherwise adversely affect our financial results. We have signed a letter of intent for certain marine manufacturing business subject to significant permitting and other conditions, but cannot be certain whether such conditions will be met.

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could lead to increased costs and lower profitability.

Outside of the U.S., we operate in Mexico, Germany and Poland, and our non-U.S. businesses conduct their operations in local currencies and other regional currencies. We also source materials worldwide. Fluctuations in exchange rates may affect demand for our products in foreign markets or our cost competitiveness and may adversely affect our profitability. Although we attempt to mitigate a portion of our exposure to changes in currency rates through currency rate hedge contracts and other activities, these efforts cannot fully eliminate the risks associated with the foreign currencies. In addition, some of our borrowings are in foreign currency, giving rise to risk from fluctuations in exchange rates. A material or adverse change in exchange rates could result in significant deterioration of profits or in losses for us.

We have potential exposure to environmental liabilities, which could increase costs or have an adverse effect on results of operations.

We are subject to extensive national, state, provincial and local environmental laws and regulations concerning, among other things, air emissions, water discharge, solid waste and hazardous substances handling and disposal and employee health and safety. These laws and regulations are complex and frequently change. We could incur unexpected costs, penalties and other civil and criminal liability if we fail to comply with environmental laws or permits issued to us pursuant to those laws. We also could incur costs or liabilities related to off-site waste disposal or remediating soil or groundwater contamination at our properties, including these set forth below and in the “Environmental Matters” section of this Report. In addition, future environmental laws and regulations may require significant capital expenditures or changes to our operations.

Table of Contents

In addition to environmental, health and safety laws, the transportation of commodities by railcar raises potential risks in the event of a derailment or other accident. Generally, liability under existing law in the U.S. for accidents such as derailments depends on the negligence of the party. However, for certain hazardous commodities being shipped, strict liability concepts may apply.

Our Portland, Oregon manufacturing facility is located adjacent to the Willamette River. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified portions of the river bed of the Portland Harbor, including the portion fronting the Company’s manufacturing facility, as a federal “National Priority List” or “Superfund” site due to sediment contamination (the “Portland Harbor Site”). We, along with more than 140 other parties, have received a “General Notice” of potential liability from the EPA relating to the Portland Harbor Site. The letter advised us that we may be liable for the costs of investigation and remediation (which liability may be joint and several with other potentially responsible parties) as well as for natural resource damages resulting from releases of hazardous substances to the site. We are part of a group that signed an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) to perform a remedial investigation/feasibility study (“RI/FS”) of the Portland Harbor Site under EPA oversight, and several additional entities have not signed such consent, but are nevertheless contributing money to the effort. We have agreed to initially bear a percentage of the total costs incurred in connection with the investigation. The investigation is expected to continue for at least two more years and additional costs are expected to be incurred. We cannot estimate the amount of such investigation costs at this time, or assure that any such costs will be recoverable from third parties.

A draft of the remedial investigation study was submitted to the EPA on October 27, 2009. The draft feasibility study was submitted to the EPA on March 30, 2012. The draft feasibility study evaluates several alternative cleanup approaches. The approaches submitted would take from 2 to 28 years with costs ranging from $9 million to $163 million for cleanup of the area of the Willamette River adjacent to our Portland, Oregon manufacturing facility, depending primarily on the selected remedial action level. The draft feasibility study does not address responsibility for the costs of clean-up or allocate such costs among potentially responsible parties, or define precise boundaries for the cleanup. Responsibility for funding and implementing the EPA’s selected cleanup will be determined after the issuance of the Record of Decision.

Because these environmental investigations are still underway, sufficient information is currently not available to determine our liability, if any, for the cost of any required remediation of the Portland Harbor Site or to estimate a range of potential loss. Based on the results of the pending investigations and future assessments of natural resource damages, we may be required to incur costs associated with additional phases of investigation or remedial action, and may be liable for damages to natural resources. In addition, we may be required to perform periodic maintenance dredging in order to continue to launch vessels from its launch ways in Portland, Oregon, on the Willamette River, and the river’s classification as a Superfund site could result in some limitations on future dredging and launch activities. Any of these matters could adversely affect our business and Consolidated Financial Statements, or the value of our Portland property.

Our implementation of new enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems could result in problems that could negatively impact our business.

We continue to work on the design and implementation of ERP and related systems that support substantially all of our operating and financial functions. We could experience problems in connection with such implementations, including compatibility issues, training requirements, higher than expected implementation costs and other integration challenges and delays. A significant implementation problem, if encountered, could negatively impact our business by disrupting our operations. Additionally, a significant problem with the implementation, integration with other systems or ongoing management of ERP and related systems could have an adverse effect on our ability to generate and interpret accurate management and financial reports and other information on a timely basis, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial reporting system and internal controls and adversely affect our ability to manage our business.

Table of Contents

We could have difficulty integrating the operations of any companies that we acquire, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

The success of our acquisition strategy depends upon our ability to successfully complete acquisitions and integrate any businesses that we acquire into our existing business. The integration of acquired business operations could disrupt our business by causing unforeseen operating difficulties, diverting management’s attention from day-to-day operations and requiring significant financial resources that would otherwise be used for the ongoing development of our business. The difficulties of integration could be increased by the necessity of coordinating geographically dispersed organizations, integrating personnel with disparate business backgrounds and combining different corporate cultures. In addition, we could be unable to retain key employees or customers of the combined businesses. We could face integration issues pertaining to the internal controls and operational functions of the acquired companies and we also could fail to realize cost efficiencies or synergies that we anticipated when selecting our acquisition candidates. Any of these items could adversely affect our results of operations.

An adverse outcome in any pending or future litigation could negatively impact our business and results of operations.

We are a defendant in several pending cases in various jurisdictions. If we are unsuccessful in resolving these claims, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, future claims that may arise relating to any pending or new matters, whether brought against us or initiated by us against third parties, could distract management’s attention from business operations and increase our legal and related costs, which could also negatively impact our business and results of operations.

We could be liable for physical damage or product liability claims that exceed our insurance coverage.

The nature of our business subjects us to physical damage and product liability claims, especially in connection with the repair and manufacture of products that carry hazardous or volatile materials. Although we maintain liability insurance coverage at commercially reasonable levels compared to similarly-sized heavy equipment manufacturers, an unusually large physical damage or product liability claim or a series of claims based on a failure repeated throughout our production process could exceed our insurance coverage or result in damage to our reputation.

We could be unable to procure adequate insurance on a cost-effective basis in the future.

The ability to insure our businesses, facilities and rail assets is an important aspect of our ability to manage risk. As there are only limited providers of this insurance to the railcar industry, there is no guarantee that such insurance will be available on a cost-effective basis in the future. In addition, we cannot assure that our insurance carriers will be able to pay current or future claims.

Any failure by us to comply with regulations imposed by federal and foreign agencies could negatively affect our financial results.

Our operations and the industry we serve, including our customers, are subject to extensive regulation by governmental, regulatory and industry authorities and by federal and foreign agencies. These organizations establish rules and regulations for the railcar industry, including construction specifications and standards for the design and manufacture of railcars; mechanical, maintenance and related standards; and railroad safety. New regulatory rulings and regulations from these entities could impact our financial results, demand for our products and the economic value of our assets. In addition, if we fail to comply with the requirements and regulations of these entities, we could face sanctions and penalties that could negatively affect our financial results.

Table of Contents

Changes in accounting standards, including accounting for leases, or inaccurate estimates or assumptions in the application of accounting policies, could adversely affect our financial results.

Our accounting policies and methods are fundamental to how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. Some of these policies require use of estimates and assumptions that may affect the reported value of our assets or liabilities and financial results and are critical because they require management to make difficult, subjective, and complex judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain. Accounting standard setters and those who interpret the accounting standards (such as the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC, and our independent registered public accounting firm) may amend or even reverse their previous interpretations or positions on how these standards should be applied. In some cases, we could be required to apply a new or revised standard retrospectively, resulting in the restatement of prior period financial statements. In addition, the SEC may soon decide that issuers in the U.S. should be required to prepare financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, a comprehensive set of accounting standards promulgated by the International Accounting Standards Board, instead of U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and current proposals could potentially require us to report under the new standards beginning as early as 2015 or 2016. Changes in accounting standards can be hard to predict and can materially impact how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations.

From time to time we may take tax positions that the Internal Revenue Service may contest.

We have in the past and may in the future take tax positions that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may contest. Effective with fiscal year 2011, we are required by a new IRS regulation to disclose particular tax positions, taken after the effective date, to the IRS as part of our tax returns for that year and future years. If the IRS successfully contests a tax position that we take, we may be required to pay additional taxes or fines that may adversely affect our results of operation and financial position.

Natural disasters or severe weather conditions could disrupt our business and result in loss of revenue or higher expenses.

Any serious disruption at any of our facilities due to hurricane, earthquake, flood, or any other natural disaster could impair our ability to use our facilities and have a material adverse impact on our revenues and increase our costs and expenses. If there is a natural disaster or other serious disruption at any of our facilities, particularly any of our Mexican facilities, it could impair our ability to adequately supply our customers, cause a significant disruption to our operations, cause us to incur significant costs to relocate or reestablish these functions and negatively impact our operating results. While we insure against certain business interruption risks, such insurance may not adequately compensate us for any losses incurred as a result of natural or other disasters.