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RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the following risks and all of the other information set forth in this prospectus before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations would likely suffer. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Growth Strategy and Our Markets

Our growth depends upon the continued growth in demand for electric vehicles.

We are one of a few producers of performance lithium compounds that are a critical input in current and next generation high energy density batteries used in electric vehicle applications. Our growth is dependent upon the continued adoption by consumers of electric vehicles. If the market for electric vehicles does not develop as we expect, or develops more slowly than we expect, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations will be affected. The market for electric vehicles is relatively new, rapidly evolving, and could be affected by numerous external factors, such as:

Adverse conditions in the economy and volatility and disruption of financial markets can negatively impact our customers, and downturns in our customers’ end-markets could adversely affect our sales and profitability.

We produce performance lithium compounds for application in a diverse range of end-products, including electric vehicle batteries and for a wide variety of industrial, pharmaceutical, aerospace, electronic and polymer applications. Deterioration in the global economy or in the specific industries in which our customers compete could adversely affect the demand for our customers’ products, which, in turn, could negatively affect our sales and profitability. Many of our customers’ end-markets are cyclical in nature or are subject to secular downturns. Historically, cyclical or secular end-market downturns have resulted in diminished demand for our performance lithium compounds and have caused a decline in average selling prices, and we may experience similar problems in the future.

Our research and development efforts may not succeed, and our competitors may develop more effective or successful products.

The industries and the end markets into which we sell our products experience regular technological change and product improvement. Our ability to compete successfully depends in part upon our ability to maintain a superior technological capability and to continue to identify, develop and commercialize new and innovative performance lithium compounds for use in our customers’ products in the electric vehicle, aerospace and other sectors. There is no assurance that our research and development efforts will be successful or that any newly developed products will pass our customers’ qualification processes or achieve market-wide acceptance. If we fail to keep pace with evolving technological innovations in our customers’ end markets, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, existing or potential competitors may

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develop products which are similar or superior to our products or are more competitively priced. If our product launching efforts are unsuccessful, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

Lithium prices can be volatile, especially due to changes in supply.

The prices of lithium have been, and may continue to be, volatile. We seek to manage volatility through the sale of performance lithium compounds and by entering into long term contracts with our customers; however, such efforts may not be successful. We expect that prices for the performance lithium compounds we manufacture will continue to be influenced by various factors, including worldwide supply and demand as well as the business strategies of major producers. Some of the major producers (including us) have increased production, which affects overall global supply. In addition, certain market analysts predict a significant increase in global lithium capacity over the next seven years, although there is a high degree of uncertainty about the status of new lithium production capacity expansion projects being developed by current and potential competitors. Declines in lithium prices could have a material adverse effect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face competition in our business.

We compete globally against a number of other lithium producers. Competition is based on several key criteria, including technological capabilities, service, product performance and quality, and price. Some of our competitors are larger than we are and may have greater financial resources. These competitors may also be able to maintain greater operating and financial flexibility. If we fail to compete effectively, we may be unable to retain or expand our market share, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. See “Business—Competition.”

Our production expansion efforts are complex projects that will require significant capital expenditures and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties.

In order to meet growing and forecasted demands for our performance lithium compounds, particularly lithium hydroxide, we have commenced and plan to continue substantial capital projects, including a planned expansion of production of lithium hydroxide to 30 kMT by the end of 2019 and to approximately 55 kMT by the end of 2025, and of lithium carbonate to at least 60 kMT by the end of 2025. These projects are complex undertakings, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to complete these projects within our projected budget and schedule or that we will be able to achieve the anticipated benefits from them. Unforeseen technical or construction difficulties could increase the cost of these projects, delay the projects or render them infeasible. Any significant delay in the completion of the project or increased costs could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may make future acquisitions which may be difficult to integrate, divert management and financial resources and result in unanticipated costs.

As part of our continuing business strategy, we may make acquisitions of, or investments in, companies or technologies that complement our current products, enhance our market coverage, technical capabilities or production capacity, or offer growth opportunities. We do not have specific timetables for these plans and we cannot be certain that we will be able to identify suitable acquisition or investment candidates for sale at reasonable prices.

Future acquisitions could pose numerous risks to our operations, including difficulty integrating the acquired operations, products, technologies or personnel; substantial unanticipated integration costs; diversion of significant management attention and financial resources from our existing operations; a failure to realize the potential cost savings or other financial benefits and/or the strategic benefits of the acquisitions; and the incurrence of liabilities from the acquired businesses for environmental matters, infringement of intellectual

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property rights or other claims, and we may not be successful in seeking indemnification for such liabilities or claims. These and other risks relating to acquiring, integrating and operating acquired assets or companies could cause us not to realize the anticipated benefits from such activity and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The development and adoption of new battery technologies that rely on inputs other than lithium compounds could significantly impact our prospects and future revenues.

Current and next generation high energy density batteries for use in electric vehicles rely on lithium compounds as a critical input. The development and adoption of new battery technologies that rely on inputs other than lithium compounds could significantly impact our prospects and future revenues. Many materials and technologies are being researched and developed with the goal of making batteries lighter, more efficient, faster charging and less expensive, and some of these could be less reliant on lithium compounds. We cannot predict which new technologies may ultimately prove to be commercially viable and on what time horizon. Commercialized battery technologies that use less lithium compounds could materially and adversely impact our prospects and future revenues.

We may have difficulty accessing global credit markets.

We expect to rely on cash generated from operations and external financing to fund our growth and ongoing capital needs. The expansion of our business or other business opportunities may require significant amounts of working capital. While we believe that our cash from operations and available borrowings under our revolving credit facility will be sufficient to meet these needs in the foreseeable future, if we need additional external financing, our access to credit markets and the pricing of our capital will be dependent upon maintaining sufficiently strong credit metrics and the state of the capital markets generally. There can be no assurances that we would be able to obtain equity or debt financing on terms we deem acceptable, and it is possible that the cost of any financings could increase significantly, thereby increasing our expenses and decreasing our net income. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow or raise adequate external financing, including as a result of significant disruptions in the global credit markets, we could be forced to restrict our operations and growth opportunities, which could adversely affect our operating results.

Risks Relating to Our Operations

We have substantial international operations and sales, and the risks of doing business in foreign countries could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We conduct a substantial portion of our business outside the United States. For the year ended December 31, 2017 and for the six months ended June 30, 2018, approximately 77% and 80%, respectively, of our revenues were derived from sales outside of the United States, of which approximately 44% and 47%, respectively, was denominated in a currency other than the U.S. Dollar (primarily the Chinese yuan and Euro) and approximately 28% and 15%, respectively, of our costs were denominated in a currency other than the U.S. Dollar (primarily the Argentine peso, Chinese yuan and British pound). We expect that the percentage of our revenues denominated in yuan will increase over time. Accordingly, our business is subject to risks related to foreign exchange as well as risks related to the differing legal, political, social and regulatory requirements and economic conditions of the many jurisdictions where we conduct business.

Changes in exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. Dollar will affect the recorded levels of our assets, liabilities, net sales, cost of goods sold and operating margins and could result in exchange losses. Our results of operations may be adversely affected by any volatility in currency exchange rates and our ability to manage effectively our currency transaction and translation risks. Foreign currency debt and foreign exchange forward contracts are used in countries where we do business, thereby reducing our net asset exposure. Foreign exchange forward contracts are also used to hedge firm and highly anticipated foreign currency cash flows. The Argentine peso has recently declined significantly in value, and we currently do not hedge foreign currency risks associated with the Argentine peso due to the limited availability and high cost of suitable derivative instruments.

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In addition, it may be more difficult for us to enforce agreements or collect receivables through foreign legal systems. There is a risk that foreign governments may nationalize private enterprises in certain countries where we operate. In certain countries or regions, terrorist activities and the response to such activities may threaten our operations more than in the United States. Social and cultural norms in certain countries may not support compliance with our corporate policies including those that require compliance with substantive laws and regulations. Also, changes in general economic and political conditions in countries where we operate are a risk to our financial performance and future growth. Our sales depend on international trade and moves to impose tariffs and other trade barriers, as is happening in various countries including the United States, could negatively affect our sales and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We and our subsidiaries are also subject to rules and regulations related to anti-bribery, anti-corruption (such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act), anti-money laundering, trade sanctions and export controls. Compliance with such laws may be costly and violations of such laws may carry substantial penalties.

As we continue to operate our business globally, our success will depend, in part, on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and other related risks. There can be no assurance that the consequences of these and other factors relating to our international operations will not have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

In particular, one of our key manufacturing facilities is located in the United Kingdom. On March 29, 2017, following a referendum in June 2016 in which a majority of voters in the United Kingdom approved an exit from the European Union, the United Kingdom initiated the formal process to leave the European Union (often referred to as “Brexit”), which will result in the United Kingdom leaving the European Union on March 29, 2019 unless the United Kingdom and the remaining European Union member states otherwise agree. Brexit could adversely affect European and worldwide economic and market conditions and could contribute to instability in global financial and foreign exchange markets, including volatility in the value of the euro. In addition, Brexit could lead to legal uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations, as the United Kingdom determines which European Union laws to replace or replicate. While we actively monitor for developments and update our contingency plans, any of these effects of Brexit, and others we cannot anticipate, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our lithium extraction and production operations in Argentina expose us to specific political, financial and operational risks.

We obtain the substantial majority of our lithium from our operations in Argentina. Our operations in Argentina expose us to the following risks, and the occurrence of any of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations:

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Our operations are subject to hazards and other disruptions, which could adversely affect our reputation and results of operations.

We conduct large-scale lithium production operations in Argentina and own, operate and/or contract with large-scale manufacturing facilities in China, India, the United Kingdom and the United States. Our operating results will be dependent in part on the continued operation of the various production facilities and the ability to manufacture products on schedule. Interruptions at these facilities may materially reduce the productivity and profitability of a particular manufacturing facility, or our business as a whole, during and after the period of such operational difficulties. Our operations and those of our contract manufacturers are subject to hazards inherent in lithium production and manufacturing and the related storage and transportation of raw materials, products such as butyllithium, and wastes. These potential hazards include explosions, fires, severe weather and natural disasters, including earthquakes, mechanical failure, unscheduled downtimes, supplier disruptions, labor shortages or other labor difficulties (including widespread labor unrest in Argentina and Chile), information technology systems outages, disruption in our supply chain or manufacturing and distribution operations, transportation interruptions, chemical spills, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances or gases,

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shipment of contaminated or off-specification product to customers, storage tank leaks, other environmental risks, or other sudden disruption in business operations beyond our control as a result of events such as acts of sabotage, terrorism or war, civil or political unrest, natural disasters, pandemic situations and large scale power outages. Some of these hazards may cause severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment or personal injury and loss of life and may result in suspension of operations or the shutdown of affected facilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We derive a substantial portion of our revenue from a limited number of customers, and the loss of, or a significant reduction in orders from, a large customer could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.

In any particular period, a substantial amount of our total revenue could come from a relatively small number of customers. For the year ended December 31, 2017, one customer accounted for approximately 14% of our total revenue. For the six months ended June 30, 2018, a separate customer accounted for approximately 10% of our total revenue. Our ten largest customers accounted in the aggregate for approximately 45% and 51% of our total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2017 and the six months ended June 30, 2018, respectively. It is likely that we will continue to derive a significant portion of our revenue from a relatively small number of customers in the future. If we were to lose any material customer, such loss could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not satisfy customers’ or governments’ quality standards, and we could be subject to damages based on claims brought against us or lose customers as a result of the failure of our products to meet certain quality standards.

Since our products are derived from natural resources, they may contain inorganic impurities that may not meet certain customer or government quality standards. As a result, we may not be able to sell our products if we cannot meet such requirements. In addition, customers may impose stricter quality standards on our products or governments may enact stricter regulations for the distribution or use of our products. Failure to meet such standards could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations if we are unable to sell our products in one or more markets or to important customers in such markets. In addition, our cost of production may increase to meet any newly imposed or enacted standards.

We warrant to our customers that our products conform to mutually agreed product specifications. If a product fails to meet warranted quality specifications, a customer could seek a replacement, the refund of the purchase price or damages for costs incurred as a result of the product failing to meet the specification. In addition, because many of our products are integrated into our customers’ products, such as in lithium-ion batteries in automobiles, we may be requested to participate in, or fund in whole or in part the costs of, a product recall conducted by a customer, even though we generally seek to limit our liability for such matters in contracts with our customers.

In addition, we utilize third parties to produce a portion of our lithium hydroxide using our proprietary process and to produce lithium metal. We endeavor to contract with third-party manufacturers that we believe are able to meet our delivery schedule and other requirements. Nevertheless, we may not be able to monitor the performance of these third parties as directly and efficiently as we do our own production facilities. As a result, we are exposed to the risk that our third-party providers may fail to perform their contractual obligations, which may in turn adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As with all quality control systems, any failure or deterioration of our quality control systems could result in defects in our projects or products, which in turn may subject us to contractual, product liability and other claims. Any such claims, regardless of whether they are ultimately successful, could cause us to incur significant costs, harm our business reputation and result in significant disruption to our operations. Furthermore, if any such claims were ultimately successful, we could be required to pay substantial monetary damages or penalties, which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Fluctuations in the price of energy and certain raw materials, and our inability to obtain raw materials and products under contract sourcing arrangements, could have an adverse effect on the margins of our products, our business, financial condition and our results of operations.

The long-term profitability of our operations will be, in part, related to our ability to continue to economically and reliably obtain resources, including energy, raw materials, and finished products. Our raw material and energy costs can be volatile and may increase significantly. We enter into long-term contracts for most of our products and these contracts are often at fixed prices or otherwise do not permit us to pass on increased costs in sale prices immediately or at all. To the extent we are unable to obtain such resources or to pass on increases in the prices of energy and raw materials to our customers, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In addition, we source a significant portion of our intermediate and finished products through contract manufacturing arrangements. An inability to obtain these products or execute under these arrangements would adversely impact our ability to sell products and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends upon our ability to attract and retain key employees and the identification and development of talent to succeed senior management.

Our success depends on our ability to attract and retain key personnel, and we rely heavily on our senior management team. The inability to recruit and retain key personnel, including personnel with technical skills, or the unexpected loss of such personnel may adversely affect our operations. This risk is further enhanced by the planned separation from FMC. In addition, because of our reliance on our senior management team, our future success depends, in part, on our ability to identify and develop or recruit talent to succeed our senior management and other key positions throughout the organization. If we fail to identify and develop or recruit successors, we are at risk of being harmed by the departures of these key employees.

Some of our employees are unionized or are employed subject to local laws that are less favorable to employers than the laws of the United States.

As of June 30, 2018, we had approximately 750 employees. A large number of our employees are employed in countries in which employment laws provide greater bargaining or other rights to employees than the laws of the United States. Such employment rights require us to work collaboratively with the legal representatives of the employees to effect any changes to labor arrangements. For example, most of our employees in Argentina are represented by a union that must approve any changes in conditions of employment, including salaries and benefits and staff changes, and may impede efforts to restructure our workforce. In prior years, we have had to negotiate wage increases for our employees with the union because of inflation in Argentina and will be expected to do so in the future, which is typical for all companies with unions in Argentina. Although we believe that we have a good working relationship with our employees, a strike, work stoppage, slowdown or significant dispute with our employees could result in a significant disruption of our operations or higher ongoing labor costs.

Our business and operations could suffer in the event of cybersecurity breaches or disruptions to our information technology environment.

As with all enterprise information systems, our information technology systems could be penetrated by outside parties intent on extracting information, corrupting information, or disrupting business processes. Our systems, which contain critical information about our business (including intellectual property and confidential information of our customers, vendors and employees), have in the past been, and likely will in the future be, subject to unauthorized access attempts. Unauthorized access could disrupt our business operations and could result in failures or interruptions in our computer systems and in the loss of assets (including our intellectual property and confidential business information), which could harm our competitive position, reduce the value of our investment in research and development and other strategic initiatives or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, breaches of our security measures

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or the accidental loss, inadvertent disclosure, or unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential information about the company, our employees, our vendors, or our customers, could result in litigation, violations of various data privacy regulations in some jurisdictions, and also potentially result in liability to us. This could damage our reputation, or otherwise harm our business, financial condition, or results of operations, and the devotion of additional resources to the security of our information technology systems in the future could significantly increase the cost of doing business.

Our inability to protect our intellectual property rights could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Protection of our proprietary processes, methods, formulations, and compounds, the incorporation of such formulations and compounds into various products and other technology is important to our business. Although our existing processes and products may not be protected or protectable by patents, we generally rely on the intellectual property laws of the United States and certain other countries in which our products are produced or sold, as well as licenses and nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements, to protect our intellectual property rights. Additionally, the patent, trade secret and trademark laws of some countries, or their enforcement, may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Failure to protect our intellectual property rights may result in the loss of valuable proprietary technologies. If patents are issued to us, those patents may not provide meaningful protection against competitors or against competitive technologies. We cannot assure you that our intellectual property rights will not be challenged, invalidated, circumvented or rendered unenforceable.

From time to time, we may license or otherwise obtain certain intellectual property rights from third parties and we endeavor to do so on terms favorable to us. However, we may not be able to license or otherwise obtain intellectual property rights on such terms or at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to create a competitive advantage and create innovative solutions for our customers, which will adversely affect our net sales and our relationships with our customers.

With respect to unpatented proprietary manufacturing expertise, continuing technological innovation and other trade secrets necessary to develop and maintain our competitive position, while we generally enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and third parties to protect our intellectual property, we cannot assure you that our confidentiality agreements will not be breached, that they will provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets and proprietary manufacturing expertise or that adequate remedies will be available in the event of an unauthorized use or disclosure of our trade secrets or manufacturing expertise. In addition, our trade secrets and know-how may be improperly obtained by other means, such as a breach of our information technology security systems or direct theft.

If we fail to successfully enforce our intellectual property rights, our competitive position could suffer. We may also be required to spend significant resources to monitor and police our intellectual property rights. Similarly, if we were to infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, our competitive position could suffer. Furthermore, other companies may duplicate or reverse engineer our technologies or design around our patents.

In some instances, litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights and protect our proprietary information, or to defend against claims by third parties that our products infringe their intellectual property rights. Any litigation or claims brought by or against us, whether with or without merit, could result in substantial costs to us and divert the attention of our management, which could harm our business and results of operations. In addition, any intellectual property litigation or claims against us could result in the loss or compromise of our intellectual property and proprietary rights, subject us to significant liabilities, require us to seek licenses on unfavorable terms, prevent us from manufacturing or selling certain products or require us to redesign certain products, any of which could harm our business and results of operations.

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We have not established “proven” or “probable” reserves, as defined by the SEC under Industry Guide 7, through the completion of a feasibility study for the minerals that we produce.

We have not established proven or probable reserves, as defined by the SEC under Industry Guide 7, through the completion of a “final” or “bankable” feasibility study for any of the minerals that we produce. Since we conduct operations without having established proven or probable reserves, there may be greater inherent uncertainty as to whether or not mineralized material can be economically obtained as originally planned and anticipated. In addition, we do not at present plan to conduct exploration activities or other activities to establish reserves. Because we do not have any proven or probable reserves, there can be no assurance that a commercially viable deposit exists to support production at existing levels or to expand our production capacity in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Regulatory and Governmental Risks

Our business and financial results may be adversely affected by various legal and regulatory proceedings.

We are involved from time to time in legal and regulatory proceedings, which may be material in the future. The outcome of proceedings, lawsuits and claims may differ from our expectations, leading us to change estimates of liabilities and related insurance receivables.

Legal and regulatory proceedings, whether with or without merit, and associated internal investigations, may be time-consuming and expensive to prosecute, defend or conduct, divert management’s attention and other resources, inhibit our ability to sell our products, result in adverse judgments for damages, injunctive relief, penalties and fines, and otherwise negatively affect our business.

We, our operations, facilities, products and raw materials are subject to environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, and costs to comply with, and liabilities related to, these laws and regulations could adversely affect our business.

We are subject to extensive federal, state, local, and foreign environmental and safety laws, regulations, directives, rules and ordinances concerning, among other things, employee health and safety, the composition of our products, the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, the usage and availability of water, the cleanup of contaminated properties (including the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as CERCLA or Superfund, in the U.S., and similar foreign and state laws) and the reclamation of our brine extraction operations and certain other assets at the end of their useful life. In addition, our production facilities require numerous operating permits. Due to the nature of these requirements and changes in our operations, we may incur substantial capital and operating costs, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We may also incur substantial costs, including fines, damages, criminal or civil sanctions and remediation costs, or experience interruptions in our operations, for violations arising under these laws and regulations or permit requirements. In addition, we may be required to either modify existing or obtain new permits to meet our capacity expansion plans. We may be unable to modify or obtain such permits or if we can, it may be costly to do so. Furthermore, environmental, health and safety laws and regulations are subject to change and have become increasingly stringent in recent years. Future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations could require us to alter our production processes, acquire pollution abatement or remediation equipment, modify our products or incur other expenses, which could harm our business and results of operations.

If we violate environmental, health and safety laws or regulations, in addition to being required to correct such violations, we can be held liable in administrative, civil or criminal proceedings for substantial fines and other sanctions could be imposed that could disrupt or limit our operations. Liabilities associated with the investigation and cleanup of hazardous substances, as well as personal injury, property damages or natural

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resource damages arising from the release of, or exposure to, such hazardous substances, may be imposed without regard to violations of laws or regulations or other fault, and may also be imposed jointly and severally. Such liabilities may also be imposed on many different entities, including, for example, current and prior property owners or operators, as well as entities that arranged for the disposal of the hazardous substances.

We have in the past, and may in the future, be subject to claims by third parties or employees relating to exposure to hazardous materials and the associated liabilities may be material. We also have generated, and continue to generate, hazardous wastes at a number of our facilities, including our Bessemer City, North Carolina facility. Additional information may arise in the future concerning the nature or extent of our liability with respect to Bessemer City, North Carolina, and additional sites may be identified for which we are alleged to be liable, that could cause us to materially increase our environmental accrual or the upper range of the costs we believe we could reasonably incur for such matters.

Unanticipated changes in our tax provisions, variability of our effective tax rate, the adoption of new tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities could impact our financial performance.

We operate in multiple jurisdictions, which contributes to the volatility of our effective tax rate. Our future effective tax rates may be materially impacted by numerous items including: a future change in the composition of earnings from foreign and domestic tax jurisdictions; accounting for uncertain tax positions; business combinations; expiration of statutes of limitations or settlement of tax audits; changes in valuation allowances; and changes in tax law. We have a tax stability certificate in Argentina as a result of which our tax burden is determined at 1996 levels and cannot be increased as a result of changes in Argentine federal, provincial and municipal tax rates. This certificate will expire in 2026, and there can be no assurance that our certificate will be renewed on similar terms or at all. Upon expiration of our certificate, our tax burden will no longer be limited to 1996 levels (which approximate current levels) and will be determined by the tax rates in effect at such time or as amended from time to time, which could be materially higher.

We are also subject to ongoing tax audits in various jurisdictions. Tax authorities may disagree with our intercompany charges, cross-jurisdictional transfer pricing or other matters, and may assess additional taxes as a result. There can be no assurance that we will accurately predict the outcomes of these audits, and the amounts ultimately paid upon resolution of audits could be materially different from the amounts previously included in our income tax expense and therefore could have a material impact on our tax provision, net income and cash flows. If these audits result in assessments different from amounts reserved, future financial results may include unfavorable adjustments to our tax liabilities.

Risks Related to the Separation

We may not realize the anticipated benefits from the Separation, and the Separation could harm our business.

We have historically operated as a business segment of FMC. We may not be able to achieve the full strategic and financial benefits expected to result from the Separation, or such benefits may be delayed or not occur at all. The Separation is expected to enhance strategic and management focus, provide a distinct investment identity and allow us to efficiently allocate resources and deploy capital. We may not achieve these and other anticipated benefits for a variety of reasons, including, among others:

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If we fail to achieve some or all of the benefits expected to result from the Separation, or if such benefits are delayed, our business could be harmed.

We have no history of operating as an independent company, and our historical and unaudited pro forma financial information is not necessarily representative of the results that we would have achieved as an independent, publicly traded company and may not be a reliable indicator of our future results.

Our historical and unaudited pro forma financial information included in this prospectus is not necessarily indicative of our future results of operations, financial condition or cash flows, nor does it reflect what our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows would have been as an independent public company during the periods presented. In particular, the historical financial information included in this prospectus is not necessarily indicative of our future results of operations, financial condition or cash flows primarily because of the following factors:

We based the pro forma adjustments included in this prospectus on available information and assumptions that we believe are reasonable; actual results, however, may vary. In addition, our unaudited pro forma financial information included in this prospectus may not give effect to various ongoing additional costs we may incur in connection with being an independent public company. Accordingly, our unaudited pro forma financial statements do not reflect what our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows would have been as an independent public company and are not necessarily indicative of our future financial condition or future results of operations.

Please refer to “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Statements,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited historical financial statements and the notes to those statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

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The Distribution may not occur.

FMC has no obligation to complete the Distribution. Whether FMC proceeds with the Distribution, in whole or in part, is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to the receipt of any necessary regulatory or other approvals, the existence of satisfactory market conditions and the receipt of an opinion of counsel to the effect that such Distribution will be tax-free to FMC and its stockholders. FMC has the right to abandon or change the structure of the Distribution if FMC determines, in its sole discretion, that the Distribution is not in the best interest of FMC or its stockholders. Furthermore, if the Distribution does not occur, or if FMC does not otherwise dispose of its shares of our common stock, the risks relating to FMC’s control of us and the potential business conflicts of interest between FMC and us will continue to be relevant to our stockholders. The liquidity of shares of our common stock in the market may be constrained for as long as FMC continues to hold a significant position in our stock. A lack of liquidity in our common stock could depress the price of our common stock.

Until completion of the Distribution, FMC will control the direction of our business, and the concentrated ownership of our common stock and our entry into a shareholders’ agreement in connection with this offering will prevent you and other stockholders from influencing significant decisions.

Immediately following the completion of this offering, FMC will own approximately 86.01% of our outstanding common stock (or 84.25% if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). As long as FMC beneficially controls a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock with respect to a particular matter, it will generally be able to determine the outcome of all corporate actions requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors. Even if FMC were to control less than a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, it may be able to influence the outcome of such corporate actions so long as it owns a significant portion of our common stock. If FMC does not complete the Distribution or otherwise dispose of its shares of our common stock, it could remain our controlling stockholder for an extended period of time or indefinitely.

FMC’s interests may not be the same as, or may conflict with, the interests of our other stockholders. Investors in this offering will not be able to affect the outcome of any stockholder vote while FMC controls the majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. As a result, FMC will be able to control, directly or indirectly and subject to applicable law, all matters affecting us, including:

In addition, pursuant to a shareholders’ agreement to be entered into by us and FMC in connection with this offering, until FMC ceases to hold a majority of our common stock, we will not be permitted, without FMC’s consent, to take certain significant actions, including any action that would restrict or limit FMC’s ability to freely sell or transfer its shares of our common stock, any action that could result in FMC being in breach or in default under any of its outstanding indebtedness or certain actions with respect to offering or selling equity securities, incurring indebtedness or entering into material transactions. As a result, our ability to take such actions may be delayed or prevented, including actions that our other shareholders, including you, may consider favorable. We will not be able to terminate or amend the shareholders’ agreement, except in accordance with its terms. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Relationship with FMC—Shareholders’ Agreement.”

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Because FMC’s interests may differ from ours or from those of our other stockholders, actions that FMC takes with respect to us, as our controlling stockholder and pursuant to its rights under the shareholders’ agreement, may not be favorable to us or our other stockholders.

If FMC sells a controlling interest in our company to a third party in a private transaction, you may not realize any change-of-control premium on shares of our common stock and we may become subject to the control of a presently unknown third party.

Following the completion of this offering, FMC will continue to own a significant equity interest in our company. FMC will have the ability, should it choose to do so, to sell some or all of its shares of our common stock in a privately negotiated transaction, which, if sufficient in size, could result in a change of control of our company.

The ability of FMC to privately sell its shares of our common stock, with no requirement for a concurrent offer to be made to acquire all of the shares of our common stock that will be publicly traded hereafter, could prevent you from realizing any change-of-control premium on your shares of our common stock that may otherwise accrue to FMC on its private sale of our common stock. Additionally, if FMC privately sells its significant equity interests in our company, we may become subject to the control of a presently unknown third party. Such third party may have interests that conflict with those of other stockholders.

After the Separation, some of our directors and officers may have actual or potential conflicts of interest because of their equity ownership in FMC, and some of our directors may have actual or potential conflicts of interest because they also serve as officers of FMC.

Because of their current or former positions with FMC, following the Separation, some of our directors and executive officers may own shares of FMC common stock or have options to acquire shares of FMC common stock, and the individual holdings may be significant for some of these individuals compared to their total assets. In addition, following the Separation, certain of our directors will also serve as officers or directors of FMC. Although all transactions with related parties after this offering will be approved by a committee of non-FMC-affiliated directors, this ownership or service may create the appearance of conflicts of interest when the FMC-affiliated directors and officers are faced with decisions that could have different implications for FMC or us. For example, potential conflicts of interest could arise in connection with the resolution of any dispute that may arise between FMC and us regarding the terms of the agreements governing the Separation and the relationship thereafter between the companies.

If FMC completes the Distribution, and there is a determination that the Separation and the Distribution is taxable for U.S. federal income tax purposes, then FMC and its stockholders could incur significant U.S. federal income tax liabilities, and we could incur significant liabilities.

If pursued, completion by FMC of the Distribution would be conditioned on, among other things, the receipt of a tax opinion from counsel that the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, will qualify as a tax-free “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code. The opinion will rely on certain facts, assumptions, representations and undertakings from FMC and us regarding the past and future conduct of the companies’ respective businesses and other matters. If any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings are incorrect or not otherwise satisfied, FMC and its stockholders may not be able to rely on the opinion of counsel and could be subject to significant tax liabilities. Notwithstanding the opinion of counsel, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) could determine on audit that the Separation and the Distribution is taxable if it determines that any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings is not correct or has been violated or if it disagrees with the conclusions in the opinion, or for other reasons, including as a result of certain significant changes in the stock ownership of FMC or us after the Distribution. If the Separation and the Distribution is determined to be taxable for U.S. federal income tax purposes, FMC and/or its stockholders could

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incur significant U.S. federal income tax liabilities, and we could incur significant liabilities under applicable law or as a result of the Tax Matters Agreement.

We will be subject to numerous restrictions to preserve the tax-free nature of the Separation and Distribution, which may reduce our strategic and operating flexibility.

To preserve the tax-free treatment to FMC and its stockholders of the Separation and the potential Distribution, under the Tax Matters Agreement we will generally be prohibited from taking certain actions including:

If we wish to take any such restricted action, we are required to cooperate with FMC to obtain an IRS ruling or obtain an unqualified tax opinion, in each case to the effect that the action will not affect the tax-free treatment to FMC and its stockholders of the Separation and the Distribution. In the event such actions result in tax-related losses to FMC, we generally will be required to indemnify FMC for such tax-related losses under the Tax Matters Agreement. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Relationship with FMC—Tax Matters Agreement.” Due to these restrictions and indemnification obligations under the Tax Matters Agreement, we may be limited in our ability to pursue strategic transactions, equity or convertible debt financings or other transactions that may otherwise be in our best interests. Also, our potential indemnity obligation to FMC might discourage, delay or prevent a change of control that our stockholders may consider favorable.

We potentially could have received better terms from unaffiliated third parties than the terms we received in our agreements with FMC.

The agreements we entered into with FMC in connection with the Separation were negotiated while we were still part of FMC’s business. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Relationship with FMC.” Accordingly, during the period in which the terms of those agreements will have been negotiated, we did not have an independent board of directors or a management team independent of FMC. The terms of the agreements negotiated in the context of the Separation relate to, among other things, the allocation of assets, intellectual property, liabilities, rights and other obligations between FMC and us, and arm’s-length negotiations between FMC and an unaffiliated third party in another form of transaction, such as a buyer in a sale of a business, may have resulted in more favorable terms to the unaffiliated third party.

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FMC has agreed to indemnify us for certain liabilities. However, there can be no assurance that the indemnity will be sufficient to insure us against the full amount of such liabilities, or that FMC’s ability to satisfy its indemnification obligation will not be impaired in the future.

Pursuant to the separation and distribution agreement and certain other agreements with FMC, FMC has agreed to indemnify us for certain liabilities. However, third parties could also seek to hold us responsible for any of the liabilities that FMC has agreed to retain, and there can be no assurance that the indemnity from FMC will be sufficient to protect us against the full amount of such liabilities, or that FMC will be able to fully satisfy its indemnification obligations in the future. Even if we ultimately succeed in recovering from FMC any amounts for which we are held liable, we may be temporarily required to bear these losses. Each of these risks could negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of Our Common Stock

There may not be an active, liquid trading market for our common stock.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for shares of our common stock. We cannot predict the extent to which investor interest in our company will lead to the development of a trading market on the NYSE or how liquid that market may become. If an active trading market does not develop, you may have difficulty selling any of our common stock that you purchase. The initial public offering price of shares of our common stock is, or will be, determined by negotiation between us and the underwriters and may not be indicative of prices that will prevail following the completion of this offering. The market price of shares of our common stock may decline below the initial public offering price, and you may not be able to resell your shares of our common stock at or above the initial public offering price.

Our stock price may fluctuate significantly, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the initial public offering price.

The trading price of our common stock is likely to be volatile and subject to wide price fluctuations in response to various factors, including:

These and other factors may cause the market price and demand for our common stock to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of common stock and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common stock. In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders brought a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit. Such a lawsuit could also divert the time and attention of our management from our business.

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The trading market for our common stock will also be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline. Moreover, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock, or if our results of operations do not meet their expectations, our stock price could decline.

We will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE and, as a result, will qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.

Upon completion of this offering, FMC will continue to control a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. As a result, we will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the NYSE. Under these rules, a listed company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including:

While FMC controls a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, we may not have a majority of independent directors or our nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees may not consist entirely of independent directors. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE. Upon completion of the Distribution, we will no longer qualify as a controlled company and will be required to fully implement NYSE corporate governance requirements within one year of the Distribution.

The Distribution or future sales by FMC or others of our common stock, or the perception that the Distribution or such sales may occur, could depress our common stock price.

Immediately following the completion of this offering, FMC will own approximately 86.01% of our outstanding common stock (or 84.25% if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). Subject to the restrictions described in the paragraph below, future sales of these shares in the public market will be subject to the volume and other restrictions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), for so long as FMC is deemed to be our affiliate, unless the shares to be sold are registered with the SEC. We have granted certain registration rights to FMC. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale.” We are unable to predict with certainty whether or when FMC will sell a substantial number of shares of our common stock to the extent it retains shares following the Distribution or in the event the Distribution does not occur. The Distribution or sale by FMC of a substantial number of shares after this offering, or a perception that the Distribution or such sales could occur, could significantly reduce the market price of our common stock.

We, our officers and directors and FMC have agreed with the underwriters that, without the prior written consent of the representative of the underwriters, we and they will not, subject to certain exceptions, during the period ending 180 days after the date of this prospectus, offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our common stock or publicly

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disclose the intention to make any such offer, sale, pledge or disposition. The representative of the underwriters may, in its sole discretion and at any time without notice, release all or any portion of the shares of our common stock subject to the lock-up. The lock-up agreement with FMC contains an exception that permits FMC to effect the Distribution beginning 120 days after the date of this prospectus. See “Underwriting.”

Immediately following this offering, we intend to file a registration statement registering under the Securities Act the shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under our equity compensation plan. If equity securities granted under our equity compensation plan are sold or it is perceived that they will be sold in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline substantially. These sales also could impede our ability to raise future capital.

Some provisions of Delaware law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may deter third parties from acquiring us.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide for, among other things:

These anti-takeover defenses could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and cause us to take other corporate actions than you desire.

We have not decided yet if we will pay cash dividends.

We have not yet decided whether to pay any cash dividends or to retain all available funds for use in the operation and expansion of our business. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors in accordance with applicable law and will be dependent upon then-existing conditions, including our financial condition and results of operations, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, business prospects and other factors that our Board of Directors considers relevant.

New investors in our common stock will experience immediate and substantial book value dilution after this offering.

The initial public offering price of our common stock will be substantially higher than the pro forma net tangible book value per share of the outstanding common stock immediately after the offering. Based on an assumed initial public offering price of $19.00 per share (the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus) and our net tangible book value as of June 30, 2018, if you purchase our common stock in this offering you will pay more for your shares than the amounts paid by our existing stockholders for their shares and you will suffer immediate dilution of approximately $15.74 per share in pro forma net tangible book value.

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As a result of this dilution, investors purchasing stock in this offering may receive significantly less than the full purchase price that they paid for the shares purchased in this offering in the event of a liquidation. See “Dilution.”

Our internal controls over financial reporting may not be effective and our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to certify as to their effectiveness, which could have a significant and adverse effect on our business and reputation.

Prior to the Separation, we were a business segment of FMC, and FMC is subject to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. However, upon completion of this offering, we will not be required to comply with SEC rules that implement Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and therefore will not be required to make a formal assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting for that purpose. Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404(a), requires that beginning with our second annual report following our initial public offering, management assess and report annually on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and identify any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Although Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404(b), requires our independent registered public accounting firm to issue an annual report that addresses the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, we have opted to rely on the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act, and consequently will not be required to comply with SEC rules that implement Section 404(b) until such time as we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” We expect our first Section 404(a) assessment will take place for our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019, and we will not be required to comply with Section 404(b) rules until we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. In order to comply with these rules, we expect to incur additional expenses and devote increased management effort toward ensuring compliance. To maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, we will need to commit significant resources, hire additional staff and provide additional management oversight. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur as a result of becoming a public company or the timing of such costs.

When evaluating our internal controls over financial reporting, we may identify material weaknesses that we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the applicable deadline imposed upon us for compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In addition, if we fail to achieve and maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, as such standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We cannot be certain as to the timing of completion of our evaluation, testing and any remediation actions or the impact of the same on our operations. If we are not able to implement the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner or with adequate compliance, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue an adverse opinion due to ineffective internal controls over financial reporting, and we may be subject to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the SEC. As a result, there could be a negative reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements. In addition, we may be required to incur costs in improving our internal control system and the hiring of additional personnel. Any such action could negatively affect our results of operations and cash flows.

The obligations associated with being a public company will require significant resources and management attention.

Currently, we are not directly subject to the reporting and other requirements of the Exchange Act. Following the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will be directly subject to such reporting and other obligations under the Exchange Act and the rules of the NYSE. As an independent public company, we are required to, among other things:

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These reporting and other obligations will place significant demands on our management and our administrative and operational resources, including accounting resources, and we expect to face increased legal, accounting, administrative and other costs and expenses relating to these demands that we had not incurred as a segment of FMC. Certain of these functions will be provided on a transitional basis by FMC pursuant to a transition services agreement. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Relationship with FMC—Transition Services Agreement.” Our investment in compliance with existing and evolving regulatory requirements will result in increased administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We are an “emerging growth company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive if we rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

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