CHINA MANUFACTURING AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.2
Execution Version
This China Manufacturing Agreement (the “Agreement”), dated as of January 30, 2026 (the “Effective Date”), is entered into by and between Stoneridge Electronics AS (“Buyer”) and Stoneridge Asia Pacific Electronics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd. (“Supplier”). Supplier and Buyer are each a “Party” and are collectively referred to as the “Parties.”
WHEREAS, Control Devices Acquisition, LLC (“Parent”) and certain Affiliates (as defined below) of Parent entered into that certain Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of January 30, 2026 (the “Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which Supplier purchased certain equity interests from Buyer and such Affiliates, including 100% of the equity interests of Supplier’s direct parent entity, Stoneridge Asia Holdings Ltd; and
WHEREAS, as part of the transactions contemplated under the Purchase Agreement, Supplier agrees to manufacture (itself or through its Affiliates) and supply to customers of Buyer certain Electronics Products (as defined below) at the facility historically operated by Buyer and its Affiliates prior to the Effective Date in Suzhou, China that will be operated by Supplier after the Effective Date (the “China Facility”).
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements hereinafter set forth, the Parties hereto agree as follows:
Section 1. Supply of Electronics Products.
1.1 Purchase and Sale.
(a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, during the Term (as defined below), (i) Buyer shall continue to intake customer orders from Buyer or Buyer’s customers for the Electronics Products through Buyer’s ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ enterprise resource planning system (the “Buyer ERP System”), with orders for Electronics Products covered under this Agreement accessible to Supplier, (ii) Supplier will assemble Electronics Products ordered by Buyer or Buyer’s customers through such intake process in accordance with Supplier’s existing sales inventory and operations planning process (“SIOP”), unless otherwise directed by ▇▇▇▇▇, and (iii) Supplier will ship and deliver such Electronics Products in accordance with Section 2.6 and customer daily and weekly requirements. Supplier shall provide costs as calculated in this Agreement in written weekly sales and expense reports (“Reports”), which Reports will include information regarding the prior week’s Materials (as defined below) purchases and Materials Costs (as defined below), labor and shipping costs incurred hereunder and any other costs described herein to meet the obligations required in this Agreement. “Electronics Products” means the products listed on Exhibit A to this Agreement, which may be updated from time to time in accordance with this Section 1.1. Either Party, through the Buyer Lead (as defined below) or Supplier Lead (as defined below) (as applicable), may suggest changes to Electronics Products listed on Exhibit A by providing written notice to the other Party, and the Parties will work together in good faith to review and discuss the proposed changes and customer requirements, in accordance with Section 1.3. For changes that require changes to Exhibit A, a revised Exhibit A will be documented in writing and attached to this Agreement.
(b) The Parties anticipate that the quantities and types of Electronics Products to be purchased by Buyer or Buyer’s customers will be consistent with the historical quantities of Electronics Products produced in the China Facility (subject to Section 2.9). Supplier shall purchase and maintain sufficient inventory for the manufacture of the Electronics Products based on current and future customer demands.
1.2 Electronics Product Specifications. The Electronics Products will be manufactured in accordance with the specifications with which such Electronics Products are made as of the Effective Date and in a manner consistent with good manufacturing practices and quality levels for the type of Electronics Products provided hereunder unless the Parties jointly approve in writing a specific change to such specifications (with Supplier’s approval of such change not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) (as so changed, collectively, the “Specifications”). The Parties acknowledge and agree that the Specifications applicable to the Electronics Products at the Effective Date shall serve as a reference point for the status and condition of each Electronics Product manufactured following the Effective Date.
1.3 Supply Management. During the Term, Buyer shall designate a primary point of contact employed by Supplier that communicates with Supplier regarding performance under this Agreement (the “Buyer Lead”) and Supplier shall maintain a point of contact to interface with the Buyer Lead regarding performance under this Agreement (the “Supplier Lead”). Buyer and Supplier may each change their primary point of contact from time to time by providing email notice to the other Party regarding same. The Buyer Lead and the Supplier Lead shall meet formally at least weekly, or as otherwise agreed between the Buyer Lead and the Supplier Lead. The Supplier Lead will consider the Buyer Lead’s suggestions in good faith and will provide feedback on suggested impacts to the business and operations as a result of the Buyer Lead’s suggestions, including whether additional costs will be incurred in order to implement each item. Supplier will implement all reasonable items which the Buyer confirms in writing should be implemented after discussion with the Supplier Lead. Buyer will be responsible for increases in costs as a result of any changes made under this Section 1.3. Neither the Buyer Lead nor the Supplier Lead will have the authority to modify or amend the terms of this Agreement.
Section 2. Order and Shipment.
2.1 Filling Orders.
(a) Supplier shall use reasonable efforts to fill Buyer’s or ▇▇▇▇▇’s customer orders in accordance with Supplier’s historical practice (subject to reasonable updates in accordance with this Agreement that are communicated by Buyer to Supplier) and with delivery timelines consistent with historical order timelines for the Electronics Products. Supplier shall notify Buyer in writing of any issues in the customer orders (including with respect to order delivery dates) no later than five (5) business days following Supplier’s receipt of such customer order or the issue arising, whichever is later. Any terms submitted by Buyer which conflict with or are inconsistent with the terms of this Agreement shall not apply to fulfillment of Buyer or Buyer’s customer orders or to payment by Buyer under this Agreement unless both Parties expressly accept such terms in writing.
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(b) Supplier shall manufacture and deliver the Electronics Products in the quantities and on the dates requested by Buyer or Buyer’s customers for the period prescribed by each applicable order, and otherwise satisfy all other related production and delivery obligations to Buyer and Buyer’s customers, all in accordance with and to the extent provided by the applicable customer’s supply agreement and orders.
(c) During the Term, for Buyer’s customers that maintain a supplier scorecard, Supplier shall endeavor to maintain substantially equivalent or better scores for items within Supplier’s control as compared to the six (6) month period immediately prior to the Effective Date. To the extent ▇▇▇▇▇ has concerns with Supplier performance hereunder and the supplier scorecards show a material degradation in scores for items within Supplier’s control, Supplier will use continuous efforts to improve performance to align with historical scores.
2.2 Modifications and Change Orders. Buyer shall provide Supplier with written notice of any proposed modifications to the Specifications, quantities, or delivery schedules. Upon receiving such written notice, the Buyer Lead and Supplier Lead will communicate regarding the anticipated implications of ▇▇▇▇▇’s proposed modifications, including any impact on Manufacturing Cost, engineering, production timelines, or other operational factors. Upon ▇▇▇▇▇’s confirmation to proceed with such modifications, the Parties will document such modifications in a written change order. All Excluded Costs relating to such change orders will be borne by ▇▇▇▇▇, as agreed in writing in advance of execution of the change order by the Parties.
2.3 Covered Tools. The Parties acknowledge and agree that Buyer and its Affiliates retained title to all tools in the China Facility that were not transferred to Supplier under the Purchase Agreement, and the Parties have agreed that such retained tools will continue to be located in the China Facility (the “Covered Tools”). Supplier will keep the Covered Tools located in the China Facility separate from Supplier’s other tools and will only use the Covered Tools to manufacture the Electronics Products. Supplier will cover the costs for, and will cause to be performed, all scheduled and routine maintenance of the Covered Tools in accordance with historical maintenance schedules and in a manner consistent with good repair and maintenance practices to keep the Covered Tools in good working condition (“Routine Maintenance”). In the event a Covered Tool becomes unusable or the output of a Covered Tool is materially diminished, Supplier will promptly, but in no event later than two (2) business days notify Buyer in writing of such condition and promptly provide Buyer an estimate to repair or replace the Covered Tool in order to meet the obligations of this Agreement. Upon written approval by Buyer of the estimate (if applicable), Supplier shall proceed with the repair or replacement and charge Buyer for the repair or replacement pursuant to Section 3 as an Excluded Cost, except that if a Covered Tool becomes unusable or the output of a Covered Tool is materially diminished solely as a result of either (a) Supplier’s failure to perform, or failure to cause to be performed, Routine Maintenance or (b) Supplier’s or any of their respective agent’s, employee’s and/or representative’s misuse of the Covered Tools or negligence, Supplier will promptly repair or replace such Covered Tool at its own expense. Supplier will not use any tools other than the Covered Tools to manufacture Electronics Products and Supplier will have no obligation to manufacture Electronics Products if any Covered Tools used to manufacture such Electronics Products are non-operational or are removed from the China Facility; provided, however, that (i) Supplier has given Buyer advance notice of any non-operational Covered Tools and a reasonable period to have such Covered Tools repaired or replaced, it being agreed that Supplier will reasonably cooperate with such repair and
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replacement process and (ii) Supplier shall not be excused from performance hereunder where Supplier is required to repair or replace a Covered Tool at its own expense.
2.4 Use of Existing Materials. The Parties acknowledge and agree that Buyer and its Affiliates retained certain Materials (as defined below) and packaging under the Purchase Agreement that were allocated for production of Electronics Products in the China Facility (“Existing Materials”). Supplier shall use the Existing Materials to produce Electronics Products and Supplier will purchase Materials and packaging as provided in Sections 2.5 and 2.7, respectively in accordance with the SIOP process.
2.5 Purchase of Materials; Title.
(a) In addition to the Existing Materials, Supplier will procure all raw materials, components, sub-components, subassemblies, parts and supplies necessary and required for the manufacture and assembly of the Electronics Products pursuant to the Supply Contracts, including as modified by Buyer hereunder (collectively, the “Materials”), giving consideration to Existing Material inventory levels, unless otherwise directed by Buyer to increase or reduce such levels in accordance with Section 1.3. Supplier shall arrange for the procurement of the Materials to the China Facility at Buyer’s sole cost and expense. In connection with the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement, Buyer will retain and control certain material supply contracts for Materials for Electronics Products (the “Buyer Supply Contracts”) and the Supplier will acquire all other material supply contracts for the Materials for Electronics Products (the “Supplier Supply Contracts”, and collectively with the Buyer Supply Contracts, the “Supply Contracts”) following the Effective Date. Each Party, as applicable, may update any terms of any of its Supply Contracts (e.g., to reduce costs) by negotiating with the applicable supplier and providing written notification of changes to the other Party. Following such written notification, Buyer shall update terms and conditions in the Buyer ERP System and Supplier shall proceed to order under the updated terms and conditions, passing along any change in Manufacturing Cost as outlined in the Reports. Supplier shall utilize recent historical practice related to inbound freight in determining freight costs. Buyer will pay all freight and delivery costs incurred by Supplier or its Affiliates in procuring and delivering the Materials and packaging to the China Facility, including any applicable taxes, or other shipping expenses actually incurred by Supplier and its Affiliates. Supplier will submit amounts owed by Buyer in the Reports as procurement activities occur, and Buyer shall pay all amounts owed in accordance with Sections 3.1 and 3.2. Supplier shall promptly, but in any event no later than five (5) business days, notify Buyer in writing if Supplier becomes aware that a third-party Materials supplier has breached the terms of the applicable Supply Contract in a manner that would impact production under this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Parties agree that Supplier will have no liability to Buyer or any other Person (as defined in the Purchase Agreement) in the event that a non-Affiliate supplier of Materials breaches or terminates any contract under which Materials are supplied or otherwise discontinues or refuses to supply Materials to Supplier (collectively, a “Materials Supplier Non-Performance”) during the Term unless such breach, termination or refusal to supply is caused solely by Supplier’s action(s).
(b) The Parties acknowledge and agree that Buyer will (subject to payment of the costs for Materials pursuant to Section 2.5(a)) retain title to, and bear the risk of loss or damage to, all Existing Materials, Materials and Electronics Products while such Existing Materials,
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Materials and Electronics Products are in Supplier’s custody; provided that Buyer will not be responsible for any loss or damage to the Existing Materials or the Materials to the extent such loss or damage results from Supplier’s or any of its agents’ or representatives’ misuse of such Existing Materials or the Materials or negligence. During the Term, Supplier shall use reasonable efforts to: (i) store and handle the Existing Materials and the Materials in a secure, organized and protective manner, (ii) prevent loss, theft or damage to the Existing Materials and the Materials, and (iii) maintain the Existing Materials and the Materials separate from its own inventory.
(c) The Parties will also discuss Materials procurement for products that Supplier is manufacturing for its own businesses in the China Facility which are shared materials with Materials purchases made for Electronics Products under the Buyer Supply Agreements. Subject mutual agreement between the Parties, Buyer shall purchase the agreed upon amounts of the foregoing Materials in accordance with this Agreement, which Supplier will then purchase from Buyer at a price equal to Buyer’s cost.
2.6 Shipment. Subject to applicable laws and compliance requirements, Supplier shall use reasonable efforts to ship the Electronics Products to Buyer or Buyer’s customers on an order-by-order basis, in accordance with, and to the location determined by the specified incoterms in the applicable Buyer’s customer’s supply agreement, which such shipping terms will be visible in the Buyer ERP System or otherwise provided to Supplier. Buyer shall pay for shipping charges, insurance and taxes related to the Electronics Products and any duties and charges of any kind imposed by any governmental authority with respect to, or measured by, the manufacture, sale, shipment or use of the Electronics Products. In the event that shipment of the Electronics Products is delayed due to any act or omission of Supplier, including but not limited to failure to provide necessary specifications, approvals, or timely payments, Supplier shall be responsible for any additional costs incurred by Buyer to expedite shipping in order to meet the original delivery schedule or any revised schedule agreed upon by the Parties. Such expedited shipping costs will be invoiced to Supplier and payable in accordance with the payment terms set forth therein. For the sake of clarity, Supplier will not have any obligations with respect to the import or export of any Electronics Products other than as set forth in the first sentence of this Section 2.6.
2.7 Packaging. Supplier will purchase packaging for shipment of the Electronics Products (after exhaustion of all packaging retained by Buyer under the Purchase Agreement that was allocated to the China Facility for production of Electronics Products, if any) and Supplier will package Electronics Products for shipment using Supplier’s standard methods for packaging such Electronics Products, and will charge the costs of the packaging as provided in Section 2.5. Supplier will use reasonable efforts to ensure packaging costs are in accordance with historical standards and communicate to Buyer in writing if any material increases in costs or deviation of materials is anticipated.
2.8 Access to China Facility.
(a) Supplier agrees to grant to Buyer reasonable access to the China Facility to the extent permitted under applicable law. All access by Buyer personnel must take place during Supplier’s regular business hours and shall not unreasonably interfere with the operation of Supplier’s business. While on-site, Buyer must abide by all of Supplier’s health, safety, security and environmental guidelines and requirements that are communicated to Buyer.
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(b) If (i) greater than five percent (5%) of any of the Electronics Products shipped to Buyer’s customers under this Agreement, calculated in accordance with historical methodologies, fail to meet required Specifications or (ii) Buyer’s customers require Buyer to perform a root cause analysis on any Electronics Products supplied under this Agreement, then, in each case, the Parties shall cooperate in good faith to promptly conduct a root cause analysis to identify the underlying cause of such defect or quality issue. Upon written notification of (i) or (ii) above, Buyer and Supplier will draft a written process to identify the root cause of the defect or quality issue, which will include expected timing or each step and resources required to remedy the issue. Buyer will engage with affected customers to negotiate the cost of the quality related issue. To the extent that the failure is caused by a quality issue related to third-party supplied Materials, product design, manufacturing design or any non-workmanship related issue, Buyer will be responsible for any increased quality related costs to the customers. In the event of remanufacturing or incremental quantity requirements, Buyer and Supplier will agree in writing to timing and delivery of Electronics Products, including Excluded Costs or changes to the Manufacturing Cost for the applicable Electronics Products, if any, to deliver the Electronics Products. Each Party will promptly notify the other in writing if such Party reasonably believes that a recall, field alert, product withdrawal or field correction with respect to any of the Electronics Products may be necessary or advisable. Buyer and Supplier will reasonably cooperate with each other with respect to product recalls, including compliance with product recall obligations in the applicable Buyer’s customer’s supply agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Supplier’s obligations to perform a root cause analysis will end on the date on which Supplier commences the dismantling of the Covered Tools pursuant to Section 10.2; provided that to the extent Supplier continues to possess applicable data, Electronics Products, tooling or personnel, Supplier will continue to reasonably cooperate with Buyer in good faith in Buyer’s performance of a root cause analysis to identify the underlying cause of such defect or quality issue.
2.9 Order Banking. The Parties acknowledge and agree that as ▇▇▇▇▇ prepares to relocate the Covered Tools, Buyer will need to develop a bank build schedule to ensure continuity of customer supply during the transition. Upon ▇▇▇▇▇’s request, Supplier and ▇▇▇▇▇ shall meet to discuss Materials orders, labor planning, warehousing, and other logistics, which will all be subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement upon mutual agreement of the Parties. ▇▇▇▇▇ and Supplier will agree in writing to bank build scheduling prior to execution of a bank build. The Parties acknowledge and agree that the Manufacturing Cost covers incremental costs from order banking (e.g., storage and ordinary course production), although, Buyer will be required to pay for Materials (other than Existing Materials), packaging and labor costs for order banked Electronics Products.
Section 3. Price and Payment Terms.
3.1 Purchase Price.
(a) Buyer shall pay to Supplier (i) reasonably documented Materials and packaging costs, as described in Sections 2.4, 2.5, and 2.7 (“Materials Costs”), (ii) the Manufacturing Cost (defined below), (iii) shipping costs incurred in accordance with Section 2.6, and (iv) if applicable, reasonably documented Excluded Costs.
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(b) “Manufacturing Cost” means the actual costs incurred by Supplier to manufacture the Electronics Products which is expected to be consistent with Supplier's historical allocation methodologies, but to be mutually agreed upon following the Closing, other than Excluded Costs.
(c) “Excluded Costs” means, as approved by Buyer in writing from time to time, costs related to non-ordinary activities associated with the activities under this Agreement, including machinery and equipment maintenance other than ordinary course maintenance, unexpected and non-ordinary course finance, HR or IT requests or requirements, and quality-related issues, including expediting shipments and internal or external sorting (other than to the extent caused by Supplier’s breach of Section 1.2), in each case, not otherwise covered under this Agreement. Following approval by Buyer, the Excluded Costs will be provided monthly to Buyer in Reports and invoiced pursuant to Section 3.2. All services performed and billed as Excluded Costs will be performed by Supplier, as applicable, and charged to Buyer based on the actual hours worked by Supplier’s personnel (without any markup) and the actual cost of any materials, components, tools, or equipment used or consumed in the performance of such services, including any applicable handling or procurement fees.
3.2 Payment Terms. Supplier will submit weekly written Reports to Buyer specifying amounts owed by Buyer to Supplier as outlined in Section 3.1 and elsewhere in this Agreement. Buyer shall pay the Manufacturing Cost and Materials Cost within thirty (30) days of the applicable weekly Report. Buyer shall pay all Excluded Costs agreed upon by the Parties within thirty (30) days following ▇▇▇▇▇’s receipt of the Report in which the costs are set forth. All payments for Electronics Products will be made in U.S. Dollars (USD). For the purposes of calculating payments where underlying costs are denominated in Renminbi (RMB), the Parties will apply a fixed exchange rate of 1 USD = 6.95 RMB for the first six (6) months of the Term. The exchange rate will be subject to adjustment at the end of the initial six (6) month period and every three (3) months thereafter. This fixed exchange rate (as adjusted in accordance with the foregoing) will be used for all pricing and invoicing under this Agreement. All payments will be made by check or electronic funds transfer to a remit to address or account, respectively, as specified by Supplier (unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Parties).
Section 4. Intellectual Property.
4.1 Intellectual Property Ownership. Unless otherwise agreed by the Parties in a change order, Supplier retains all right, title and interest in and to its Intellectual Property used in connection with performing its obligations under this Agreement, including all Intellectual Property created by Supplier, or any personnel engaged or employed by Supplier, in performing such obligations. Each Party retains all right, title, and interest in and to its respective pre-existing Intellectual Property, as well as any Intellectual Property developed by such Party independently and outside the scope of this Agreement.
4.2 Intellectual Property Licenses. Each Party hereby grants to the other Party a royalty-free, fully paid-up, worldwide, non-sublicensable, non-exclusive, non-transferable (except as set forth in Section 11.13) license solely during the Term, in, to and under all Intellectual Property owned or controlled by such Party or any of its Affiliates, solely to the extent necessary for, as applicable, the other Party to perform its obligations under this Agreement. In addition, Supplier
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grants to Buyer a royalty-free, fully paid-up, worldwide, assignable, non-exclusive license to all Intellectual Property owned by, or, to the extent permitted, licensed to, Supplier or any of its Affiliates solely to the extent necessary or required for (a) the sale of Electronics Products by Buyer to its customers and (b) the use and sale of Electronics Products by Buyer or Buyer’s customers, including the incorporation in products of Buyer or Buyer’s customers and the sale of such customers’ products.
4.3 ERP System Access. Buyer will, at Buyer’s sole cost and expense, make available to Supplier access to the Buyer ERP System solely for the purpose of Supplier fulfilling its obligations under this Agreement, including procuring Materials, manufacturing, packaging and shipping the Electronics Products.
Section 5. Taxes and Duties.
5.1 Exclusive of Taxes. All charges and fees to be paid to Supplier under this Agreement are exclusive of any and all sales, use, transfer, value-added, goods or services taxes or similar gross-receipts-based taxes (and any related interests and penalties) (“Sales and Services Taxes”) required by Law to be collected from Buyer or which may be assessed sale of the Electronics Products to Buyer or on the provision of any services to Buyer, if any, hereunder, and such Sales and Services Taxes shall be the sole responsibility of Buyer. If any Sales and Services Taxes are properly assessed on the sale of the Electronics Products to Buyer or the provision of any services to Buyer, if any, under this Agreement, (a) Supplier will deliver to Buyer an invoice (or other valid and customary documentation) reflecting such Sales and Services Taxes in accordance with applicable Law, and (b) to the extent Supplier is responsible for remitting any such Sales and Services Taxes, (i) Buyer will pay to Supplier the amount shown as due on such invoice in accordance with this Section 5.1, and (ii) Supplier will timely remit such amount to the applicable tax authority in accordance with applicable Law.
5.2 Cooperation. The Parties will cooperate with each other in good faith in determining the extent to which any tax described in this Section 5 is due and owing under the circumstances and in minimizing any such tax. Each Party agrees to provide the other Party such information and data as reasonably requested from time to time, and to cooperate with the other Party, in connection with (a) the reporting of any Sales and Services Taxes, (b) any audit relating to any Sales and Services Taxes, or (c) any assessment, refund, claim or legal proceeding relating to any Sales and Services Taxes. Each Party shall promptly notify the other Party of any deficiency claim or similar notice by a tax authority with respect to any Sales and Services Taxes.
Section 6. Representations and Warranties. Each Party represents and warrants that
(a) it has the authority to enter into and perform its covenants and agreements set forth in this Agreement, (b) that the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement does not materially conflict with or constitute a material breach or default under the terms and conditions of its organizational documents or any other agreement, instrument, or obligation to which it is a party or by which it is bound, (c) that it will comply in all material respects with applicable laws and regulations in connection with the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, and (d) that it has the right to grant any licenses or rights to use Intellectual Property expressly provided in this Agreement.
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Section 7. Limited Warranty; Remedy.
7.1 Warranty. Supplier represents and warrants that the Electronics Products manufactured and sold to Buyer and Buyer’s customers hereunder will be: (a) transferred to Buyer or Buyer’s customers free of all liens, claims or encumbrances (other than liens held by a supplier of Materials in the ordinary course of business); (b) free from material defects in workmanship; and (c) manufactured in accordance with Section 1.2; provided that the limited warranty set forth in Section 7.1 shall not apply to any Materials. THE FOREGOING WARRANTIES ARE EXCLUSIVE. EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH HEREIN, SUPPLIER MAKES NO FURTHER WARRANTIES AND DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
7.2 Remedy. Subject to Section 2.8(b), if any Electronics Product does not conform to the warranty set forth in Section 7.1, Supplier shall, at Supplier’s cost and expense, remedy and perform such non-conformance in accordance with the applicable Buyer’s customer’s supply agreement. If any Electronics Product is subject to a product recall under a Buyer’s customer’s supply agreement due to manufacturing or workmanship issues by Supplier hereunder, then Supplier shall, at Supplier’s cost and expense, remedy and perform such product recall obligations in accordance with the applicable Buyer’s customer’s supply agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any customer’s supply agreement, after the commencement of Supplier’s dismantling and packaging of the Covered Tools to move to the Destination Location in accordance with Section 10.2, Supplier is no longer responsible for fulfillment of warranty claims under this Agreement, as Buyer will control all relevant Covered Tools and personnel. Subject to the foregoing sentence, in the event of a warranty claim under a Buyer’s customer’s supply agreement (whether or not covered by Section 7.1 and including any product recall obligations), Buyer shall provide Supplier with all of the relevant details and permit Supplier to conduct testing to show whether the issue is a failure to comply with the applicable Specifications. If the Parties finally determine that the Electronics Product complies with the Specifications and the failure is not due to material defects in workmanship, then Supplier will provide replacement Electronics Products at Buyer’s instruction and expense.
Section 8. Limitation of Liability; Indemnification.
8.1 LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. EXCEPT FOR (a) FRAUD, GROSS NEGLIGENCE, OR INTENTIONAL MISCONDUCT, (b) A PARTY’S INDEMNIFICATION OBLIGATIONS SET FORTH IN SECTIONS 8.2 OR 8.3, or (c) A PARTY’S BREACH OF SECTION 11.4 (CONFIDENTIALITY), (i) NEITHER PARTY SHALL BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER PARTY UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION BREACH OF CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, NEGLIGENCE OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY) FOR INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, AND (ii) EACH PARTY’S LIABILITY UNDER THIS AGREEMENT FOR ANY REASON SHALL IN THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT BE LIMITED TO $1,500,000.
8.2 Supplier’s Indemnity. Supplier shall defend, indemnify and hold Buyer and its Affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, representatives and consultants (collectively, the
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“Buyer Indemnitees”) harmless from any claim, loss, liability, judgment, cost or expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) (collectively, “Losses”) incurred by any Buyer Indemnitees arising from any third party claim relating to or resulting from: (a) bodily injury, death of any person or damage to real or tangible personal property caused by any defective or non-conforming Electronics Product based on manufacturing or workmanship issues by Supplier under this Agreement; (b) the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Supplier in the manufacture of Electronics Products, (c) arising out of Supplier’s breach of warranty under Section 7.1, and (d) any Electronics Product that is subject to a product recall due to Supplier’s failure to meet Specifications. The indemnification set forth in this Section 8.2 constitutes Supplier’s sole indemnification obligations under this Agreement.
8.3 Buyer’s Indemnity. Buyer shall defend, indemnify and hold Supplier and its Affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, representatives and consultants (collectively, the “Supplier Indemnitees”) harmless from any Losses incurred by any Supplier Indemnitees arising from any third party claim relating to or resulting from: (a) any Materials Supplier Non-Performance to the extent such Materials Supplier Non-Performance is not caused by Supplier’s actions or inactions, or (b) the sale, distribution or use of any Electronics Products supplied to Buyer or Buyer’s customers hereunder, except to the extent such Losses are indemnified by Supplier pursuant to Supplier’s indemnification obligation in Section 8.2 and except for Losses arising from or relating to any breach of Supplier’s warranty pursuant to Section 7.1. The indemnification set forth in this Section 8.3 constitutes Buyer’s sole indemnification obligations under this Agreement.
Section 9. Term and Termination.
9.1 Term. The term of this Agreement (the “Term”) will commence on the Effective Date and continue for an initial period of twelve (12) months. Thereafter, the Agreement will automatically for an additional six (6) month period, unless Buyer provides notice of termination at least thirty (30) days prior to the end of the initial 12 month term or until terminated in accordance with Section 9.2.
9.2 Termination. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, this Agreement may be terminated in its entirety by written notice at any time prior to the expiration of the Term as follows:
(a) by either Party if the other Party fails to perform or materially breaches any representation, warranty or covenant under this Agreement and such failure or breach continues unremediated for a period of thirty (30) days after notification in writing by the proposed terminating Party, or such longer time as the Party proposing termination may permit in writing; provided, that following any such written notification, the Parties will cooperate with each other in good faith to resolve any such failure or breach;
(b) by mutual written consent of Buyer and Supplier; or
(c) by either Party if the other Party becomes insolvent, files a petition for bankruptcy or commences or has commenced against it proceedings relating to bankruptcy, receivership, reorganization or assignment for the benefit of creditors.
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9.3 Retention of Remedies; Survival. Each Party shall retain all of its remedies provided hereunder or (except as expressly limited hereby) under applicable law for any breach by or claim against the other Party, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. In addition, the provisions of Section 3.2, Section 7, Section 8, Section 9.3, Section 9.4, Section 10.2 and Section 11 shall survive any termination or expiration of this Agreement.
9.4 Continuing Obligations upon Termination. . Upon expiration or termination of this Agreement, Supplier agrees to, within sixty (60) days of such expiration or termination, deliver all packaging, Materials, inventory, in-progress Electronics Products and finished Electronics Products as directed by ▇▇▇▇▇. Supplier shall also provide Buyer reasonable access to the China Facility in connection with the removal of the Covered Tools in accordance with Section 10.2. To the extent that this Agreement is terminated by either Party under Section 9.2(a) Supplier agrees to fulfill, for a period of three (3) months following such termination, all outstanding Buyer customer purchase orders outstanding as of such termination as long as the Covered Tools remain in the China Facility; provided, that, in the case of a termination by Supplier under Section 9.2(a), provision of post-termination fulfillment is contingent on Buyer providing adequate assurances of payment to Supplier.
Section 10. Bailment.
10.1 Bailment. During the Term, Supplier shall hold in bailment the Covered Tools. Prior to the removal of the Covered Tools from the China Facility pursuant to Section 10.2, Supplier shall: (i) at Buyer’s cost and expense, perform Routine Maintenance on the Covered Tools as described in Section 2.3; (ii) implement reasonable measures to secure the possession of the Covered Tools, consistent with the practices implemented by Supplier to secure the possession of its own valuable tangible personal property; (iii) not move or relocate the Covered Tools to any facility other than the China Facility; and (iv) not cause any lien, security interest or encumbrance of any kind to be placed on the Covered Tools, or, except in accordance with Section 10.2, sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any Covered Tools.
10.2 Removal.
(a) At any time during the Term or within a commercially reasonable time following the expiration or termination of this Agreement, Buyer may elect to transfer all of the Covered Tools from the China Facility to their ultimate destination within China or abroad (the “Destination Location”). Upon ▇▇▇▇▇’s written request, Supplier shall dismantle, package, prepare for shipment, load, rig, and ship (using standard freight shipping) the Covered Tools from the China Facility to their Destination Location, subject to reasonable scheduling flexibility by Supplier to avoid interference with or disruption of production or other operations at the China Facility. Buyer will cover shipping charges to, and installation costs at, any Destination Location. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, all of Supplier’s obligations to procure Materials and manufacture Electronics Products (and ship any Electronics Products other than those Electronics Products that have been completed) terminates upon Supplier’s commencement of the packaging of the Covered Tools to move to the Destination Location.
(b) Supplier will, and will cause each of its employees, agents, representatives and contractors to, conduct its respective activities and obligations in connection with the removal,
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packing, and shipment of the Covered Tools in a careful and workmanlike manner so as not to cause damage to the Covered Tools or the Destination Location and will be performed at such times and in such manner reasonably approved by Buyer and Supplier. Supplier and its employees, agents, representatives and contractors shall comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, ordinances, and regulations in connection with its handling, disassembly, and transport of the Covered Tools.
(c) Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the Parties, if Buyer fails to remove or request the removal of the Covered Tools, Materials and Electronics Products within 90 days following the termination or expiration of this Agreement, Supplier may, in its discretion, either (i) store the Covered Tools, Materials, and Electronics Products at Buyer’s sole risk and expense, including reasonable storage and handling fees, or (ii) subject to thirty (30) days’ prior written notice to Buyer, treat the Covered Tools, Materials, and Electronics Products as abandoned and dispose of it in a commercially reasonable manner, in which case Supplier will have no liability to Buyer for such disposal and Buyer will remain responsible for all associated costs, including taxes and duties.
10.3 Additional Buyer Responsibilities. Buyer shall be exclusively responsible for, shall bear, and shall indemnify and relieve Supplier Indemnitees from liability for all Losses resulting from bodily injury, death of any person or damage to real or tangible personal property arising from or caused by ▇▇▇▇▇’s negligence or willful misconduct on Supplier’s premises, including at the China Facility. ▇▇▇▇▇ agrees to abide by Supplier’s health, safety, security and environmental guidelines and requirements that are communicated to Buyer at all times in the conduct of ▇▇▇▇▇’s activities at the China Facility.
Section 11. Miscellaneous.
11.1 Anti-Bribery; Anti-Corruption Laws. Each Party, on behalf of itself and its agents, representatives and subcontractors, hereby agrees to conduct all of its business activities in compliance with the United States’ Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and any other applicable laws relating to anti-bribery or anti-corruption.
11.2 Inspection and Audit Rights. Supplier hereby grants to Buyer reasonable access to Supplier’s pertinent books, records and accounts or other information related to Supplier’s performance under this Agreement for the purpose of auditing Supplier’s compliance with the terms of this Agreement. Buyer must provide Supplier written notice at least fifteen (15) business days prior to the start of an audit requesting a site visit and may conduct an audit (a) not more than twice per calendar year if requested by Buyer; provided that Buyer may request an additional third audit in such calendar year if any audit contains discrepancies that would reasonably require an additional audit; or (b) at such other times in connection with an audit requested by a Buyer’s customer and related to activities performed under this Agreement. The audit must take place during Supplier’s regular business hours and shall not unreasonably interfere with the operation of Supplier’s business. Supplier may elect to have Buyer conduct any audit under this Section 11.2 using an auditor from a reputable third-party audit firm agreed upon by the Parties in lieu of Buyer conducting the audit directly, at Buyer’s expense.
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11.3 Supplier Force Majeure. Any delay in performance or the non-performance of any of Supplier’s obligations under this Agreement by circumstances or occurrences beyond Supplier’s reasonable control (a “Supplier Force Majeure Event”). Buyer and Supplier will reasonably cooperate with respect to any “force majeure” matters, including at ▇▇▇▇▇’s request in connection with compliance with the terms of the applicable Buyer’s customer’s supply agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 11.3, Supplier shall promptly notify Buyer of the nature and extent of such circumstances giving rise to the Supplier Force Majeure Event, but in no event later than forty-eight (48) hours of the Supplier Force Majuere Event.
11.4 Confidentiality. The Parties acknowledge that in the course of performing their duties under this Agreement they will have access to confidential, non-public and proprietary information of the other Party, and each Party agrees not to, and agrees to direct its respective Affiliates not to, disclose or use any such information for any purpose other than as contemplated under this Agreement. The confidentiality provisions of this Agreement do not apply to information that: (a) is or becomes generally known to the public through no breach of any duty hereunder; (b) was received lawfully from a third party through no breach of any obligation of confidentiality owed to the disclosing party; (c) is or was independently developed by a Party without the use of, or reference to, the other Party’s confidential information; or (d) is required to be disclosed by law; provided that the disclosing Party, to the extent legally permissible, promptly notifies the other Party and cooperates in limiting the scope of such disclosure. All Reports are confidential information of the Parties and are subject to this Section 11.4.
11.5 Publicity. Neither Party will make or cause to be made any public statement, press release, or other publicity relating to this Agreement or the relationship between the Parties without the prior written consent to the other Party, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each Party may, to the extent legally permitted, (a) reference the existence of this Agreement or the fact of the relationship in communications with investors, customers, or industry partners, provided that such references do not disclose confidential information and (b) make disclosures required by applicable law or regulation, provided that the disclosing Party, to the extent legally permissible, promptly notifies the other Party and cooperates in limiting the scope of such disclosure.
11.6 Independent Contractors. The Parties intend that their relationship hereunder will be that of independent contractors. Nothing contained in this Agreement is to be construed as creating any partnership, joint venture or other arrangement between the Parties. Neither Party has any authority to act for, obligate or bind the other Party in any way.
11.7 Entire Agreement; Amendments. This Agreement and the applicable provisions of the Purchase Agreement referenced herein constitute the sole and entire agreement of the Parties with respect to the subject matter contained herein, and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous understandings and agreements with respect to such subject matter. In the event of a conflict between this Agreement and the Purchase Agreement, the terms of this Agreement control. This Agreement may not be amended except in a writing signed by both Parties.
11.8 Third Party Beneficiaries. Neither Party intends that this Agreement benefits or creates any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim in or on behalf of any Person other than the Parties, the Buyer Indemnitees and the Supplier Indemnitees. This Agreement is for the sole and
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exclusive benefit of (a) the Parties to this Agreement and their successors and permitted assigns and (b) the Buyer Indemnitees and the Supplier Indemnitees who are entitled to indemnification under Section 8.
11.9 Waiver. No waiver of any default by either Party in the performance of any requirement herein will be deemed to be a waiver of, or a release from, the performance of any other requirement herein; nor will such waiver be deemed to be a waiver of, or a release of, said Party from any future performance of the same requirement. Any delay or omission of either Party to exercise any right hereunder will not impair the exercise of any such right, or any like right, accruing to it thereafter.
11.10 Severability. Any term or provision of this Agreement that is invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction will, as to that jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity or unenforceability without rendering invalid or unenforceable the remaining terms and provisions of this Agreement or affecting the validity or enforceability of any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction. If any provision of this Agreement is so broad as to be unenforceable, the provision is to be interpreted to be only so broad as is enforceable.
11.11 Notice. All notices required or permitted hereunder will be in writing and will be deemed to have been duly given or made (a) when delivered in person, (b) when delivered by email transmission (assuming no “bounceback” or similar notice of non-delivery is received) or
(c) upon delivery by an overnight courier service, to the address set forth below, or to such other addresses as the Parties may designate by notice in accordance with this Section 11.11.
If to Supplier:
Stoneridge Control Devices, Inc.
c/o Center Rock Capital Partners, LP ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Attn: ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇; ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Email: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇@▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇; ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇@▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇
With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
▇▇▇▇▇ Day
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Cleveland, OH 44114
Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇.; ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
Email: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇@▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇; ▇▇▇▇▇▇@▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇
If to Buyer:
Stoneridge Electronics AS
Valdmäe tn 5, Tänassilma küla (village), ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ (rural municipality),
▇▇▇▇▇ maakond (County), 76406 Estonia
With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
▇▇▇▇, Gotshal & ▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
New York, NY 10153 Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Email: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇@▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇
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11.12 Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in multiple counterparts, including DocuSign, pdf and other electronically transmitted counterparts, each of which will be an original and all of which taken together will constitute one agreement.
11.13 Assignment. Neither Party may assign any of its rights or delegate any of its obligations hereunder, voluntarily or involuntarily, without the prior written consent of the other Party, which consent may be withheld in such Party’s sole discretion, provided that either Party may assign this Agreement to (a) an Affiliate or (b) any successor entity if that Party is acquired whether by equity or asset purchase, merger, corporate restructuring or reorganization, or the like, provided further that, in each case, such an assignment will not relieve the assigning Party of any of its obligations hereunder. For the avoidance of doubt, ▇▇▇▇▇ acknowledges that Supplier may from time-to-time engage third party subcontractors in the course of manufacturing and supplying Electronics Products under this Agreement, and Buyer agrees that no such engagement shall be deemed an assignment or delegation of Supplier’s obligations under this Agreement. Any purported assignment or delegation in violation of this Section 11.13 will be null and void. For purposes of this Agreement, “Affiliate” means, with respect to any specified Person, any other Person that, at the time of determination (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any future Affiliate of any Person that would be considered an “Affiliate” under this definition as of the applicable time of determination), directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by or is under common control with such specified Person. For purposes of the definition of “Affiliate” in this Section 11.13, “control” means, with respect to any Person, the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.
11.14 Governing Law; Venue. The laws of the state of Michigan, without giving effect to any law, or rule, or choice of law principle that would cause the laws of any jurisdiction other than the state of Michigan to be applied, shall govern all matters arising out of or relating to this Agreement, including its validity, interpretation, construction, performance and enforcement. Subject to Section 11.16, any dispute controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be brought exclusively in arbitration in Detroit, Michigan and administered by JAMS pursuant to its Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures. The Tribunal shall consist of one arbitrator with at least 10 years of experience with disputes in the automotive industry. The language to be used in the arbitral proceedings will be English. Judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof.
11.15 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT IS AWARE OF AND UNDERSTANDS THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, EACH PARTY HEREBY KNOWINGLY, VOLUNTARILY, AND IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY. THIS WAIVER IS INTENDED TO APPLY TO ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, WHETHER ARISING IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE.
11.16 Dispute Resolution. Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement will first be subject to good faith negotiations between the Parties. If the Parties are unable to resolve the dispute, controversy, or claim within sixty (60) days of initiating such
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negotiations (evidenced by a written request for negotiation), the matter may be submitted exclusively to arbitration in Detroit, Michigan in accordance with Section 11.14.
11.17 Construction. Any rule of construction to the effect that ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party will not be applied in the construction or interpretation of this Agreement. The words “include”, “including” and variations thereof will be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”. The use of “or” will not be deemed to be exclusive.
[Signatures on following page.]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized officers as of the date and year first above written.
STONERIDGE ELECTRONICS AS
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Its: Management Board Member
[Signature Page to China Manufacturing Agreement]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized officers as of the date and year first above written.
STONERIDGE ASIA PACIFIC ELECTRONICS (SUZHOU) CO. LTD.
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇
Title: General Manager
[Signature Page to China Manufacturing Agreement]
