MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORP (MATW) Business

ITEM 1.  BUSINESS.

Matthews, founded in 1850 and incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1902, is a global provider of memorialization products, industrial technologies and brand solutions. Memorialization products consist primarily of bronze and granite memorials and other memorialization products, caskets, cremation-related products, and cremation and incineration equipment primarily for the cemetery and funeral home industries. Industrial Technologies includes the design, manufacturing, service and sales of high-tech custom energy storage solutions; product identification and warehouse automation technologies and solutions,

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including order fulfillment systems for identifying, tracking, picking and conveying consumer and industrial products; and coating and converting lines for the packaging, pharma, foil, décor and tissue industries. Brand Solutions consists of brand management, pre-media services, printing plates and cylinders, imaging services, digital asset management, merchandising display systems, and marketing and design services primarily for the consumer goods and retail industries. On May 1, 2025, the Company contributed the vast majority of its Brand Solutions segment (the "SGK Business") to a newly-formed entity, Propelis, in exchange for a 40% ownership interest in Propelis and other consideration. Propelis is a leading global provider of brand solutions. Following the completion of this transaction, the Company's Brand Solutions segment consists of its cylinders business, and its 40% ownership interest in Propelis. Activity prior to May 1, 2025 for the SGK Business is included within the consolidated financial statements of the Company. As of May 1, 2025 the SGK Business has been deconsolidated from the financial statements and is now accounted for as part of the Company's equity-method investment in Propelis. See Notes 8, "Investments" and 23, "Acquisitions and Divestitures" in Item 8 - "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" for further information with respect to the Company's sale of its interest in the SGK Business.

The Company manages its business under three reporting segments, Memorialization, Industrial Technologies, and Brand Solutions. The following table sets forth reported sales for the Company's business segments for the past three fiscal years. Detailed financial information relating to business segments and to domestic and international operations is presented in Note 22, "Segment Information" in Item 8 - "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data."

In fiscal 2025, approximately 71% of the Company's sales were made from North America, 24% were made from Europe, 3% were made from Asia, and 2% were made from other regions. For further information on segments, see Note 22, "Segment Information" in Item 8 - "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data." Memorialization segment products are sold throughout the world, with the segment's principal operations located in North America, Europe, and Australia.  The Industrial Technologies segment sells equipment and consumables directly to industrial consumers and distributors in North America and internationally through the Company's subsidiaries in Sweden, Germany and China, and other foreign distributors.  Matthews owns a minority interest in Industrial Technologies product distributors in Asia, Australia and Europe. Prior to the sale of the Company's interest in the SGK Business, products and services of the Brand Solutions segment were sold throughout the world, with principal locations in North America, Europe and Asia.

Memorialization:

The Memorialization segment manufactures and markets a full line of memorialization products used primarily in cemeteries, funeral homes, and crematories. The segment's products, which are sold principally in North America, Europe and Australia, include cast bronze memorials, granite memorials, caskets, cremation-related products, embalming chemicals and related tools/supplies, cremation and incineration equipment and other memorialization products. The segment also manufactures and markets architectural products that are used to identify or commemorate people, places, events and accomplishments.

Memorial products include flush bronze and granite memorials, upright granite memorials and monuments, concrete burial vaults, cremation memorialization products, granite benches, flower vases, crypt plates and letters, cremation urns, niche units, cemetery features and statues, along with other related products and services. Flush memorials are bronze plaques or granite memorials that contain personal information about a deceased individual (such as name, birth date and death date), photos and emblems. Flush bronze and granite memorials are even or "flush" with the ground and therefore are preferred by many cemeteries for easier lawn mowing and general maintenance. The segment's memorial products also include community and family mausoleums within North America. The segment's other memorial products include bronze plaques, letters, emblems, vases, lights and photo ceramics that can be affixed to granite monuments, mausoleums, crypts and flush memorials. Principal customers for memorial products are cemeteries, memorial parks and monument dealers, which in turn sell the Company's products to the consumer.

The Memorialization segment sells a full line of cremation-related products, including cremation urns in a variety of sizes, styles and shapes, as well as standard and custom designed granite cremation pedestals and benches. Manufactured bronze and

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granite niche units are comprised of numerous compartments used to display cremation urns in mausoleums and churches. The Company also markets turnkey cremation gardens that include design and all related products for a cremation memorial garden.

Customers of the Memorialization segment can purchase memorials and vases on a "pre-need" basis. This concept permits families to arrange for these purchases in advance of their actual need. Upon request, the Company will manufacture the memorial to the customer's specifications (e.g., name and birth date) and place it in storage for future delivery. Memorials in storage have been paid in full with title conveyed to each pre-need purchaser.

The segment is a leading manufacturer and distributor of caskets and other funeral home products in North America, producing and marketing metal, wood and cremation caskets. Caskets are offered in a variety of colors, interior designs, handles and trim in order to accommodate specific religious, ethnic or other personal preferences and can also be personalized. The segment is the leading supplier of embalming chemicals, supplies, and instruments in North America. Other specialized funeral home products such as urns, jewelry, interior panels, and stationery are also offered.

Metal caskets are made from various gauges of cold-rolled steel, stainless steel, copper and bronze. Metal caskets are generally categorized by whether the casket is non-gasketed or gasketed, and by material (i.e., bronze, copper, or steel) and in the case of steel, by the gauge (thickness) of the metal. Wood caskets are primarily manufactured from nine different species of wood. The species of wood used are poplar, pine, ash, oak, pecan, maple, cherry, walnut and mahogany. The Memorialization segment is a leading manufacturer of all-wood constructed caskets, which are manufactured using pegged and dowelled construction, and include no metal parts. Cremation caskets are made primarily from wood or cardboard covered with cloth or veneer. These caskets appeal primarily to cremation consumers, environmentally concerned consumers and value buyers.

The Memorialization segment produces casket components, which include stamped metal parts, metal locking mechanisms for gasketed metal caskets and adjustable beds. Metal casket parts are produced by stamping cold-rolled steel, stainless steel, copper and bronze sheets into casket component parts. Locking mechanisms and adjustable beds are produced by stamping and assembling a variety of steel parts. The segment purchases various species of uncured wood from sawmills and lumber distributors, which it dries and cures before being processed into casket components.

The segment provides product and service assortment planning, as well as merchandising and display products to funeral service businesses. The Memorialization segment develops and sells technology solutions that help funeral homes manage their businesses and serve families through these digital platforms. Solutions are delivered as software as a service and include funeral home management systems and web-based arrangement and presentation systems. These products assist funeral service professionals in providing information, value and satisfaction to their client families.

The segment offers cremation systems, and cremation service and supplies, to the pet and human sector, and standard and specialized incineration systems. The primary market areas for these products and services are North America and Latin America.

Cremation systems include flame-based systems for cremation of humans and pets, as well as equipment for processing the cremated remains and other related equipment (ventilated workstations, loading systems, tables, cooler racks, vacuums). The principal markets for these products are funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, pet crematories, animal disposers and veterinarians. These products primarily are marketed directly by segment personnel. Cremation service and supplies consist of operator training, preventative maintenance and on-demand service work performed on various makes and models of equipment. This work can be as simple as replacing defective bulbs or as complex as complete reconstruction and upgrading or retrofitting on site. Supplies are consumable items and replacement parts associated with normal crematory operations.

Waste incineration systems encompass both batch-load and continuous-feed systems for incineration of many waste types, as well as mobile incineration systems, plus equipment for in-loading waste and energy recovery. The principal markets for these products are producers and disposers of low-volume, high-value waste streams, including industrial and hazardous wastes; contraband and pharmaceuticals; animal, medical and pathological wastes; confidential waste and wastes from remote operating sites. The segment also provides consulting services to waste producers and disposers on the design of innovative disposal systems and processes. Other services include commissioning, training, and user support for customers of incineration systems. The principal markets for these services are public agencies, the cremation industry and other industries that utilize incinerators for waste reduction and energy production.

Architectural products include cast bronze and aluminum plaques, etchings and letters that are used to recognize, commemorate and identify people, places, events and accomplishments. The Company's plaques are frequently used to identify the name of a building, or the names of companies or individuals located within a building. Such products are also used to commemorate events or accomplishments, such as military service or financial donations. The principal markets for the segment's architectural

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products are corporations, fraternal organizations, contractors, churches, hospitals, schools and government agencies. These products are sold to and distributed through a network of independent dealers including sign suppliers, awards and recognition companies, and trophy dealers.

Raw materials used by the Memorialization segment to manufacture memorials consist principally of bronze and aluminum ingot, granite, sheet metal, coating materials, photopolymers and construction materials and are generally available in adequate supply. Ingot is obtained from various North American, European and Australian smelters. The primary materials required for casket manufacturing are cold-rolled steel and lumber. The segment also purchases copper, bronze, stainless steel, particleboard, corrugated materials, paper veneer, cloth, ornamental hardware and coating materials. Purchase orders or supply agreements are typically negotiated with steel suppliers that have demonstrated timely delivery, high quality material and competitive prices. Lumber is purchased from a number of sawmills and lumber distributors. Raw materials used to manufacture cremation and incineration products consist principally of structural steel, sheet metal, electrical components, combustion devices and refractory materials. These are generally available in adequate supply from numerous suppliers.

Competition from other manufacturers of memorial products is based on reputation, product quality, delivery, price, and design availability. The Company believes that its superior quality, broad product lines, innovative designs, delivery capability, customer responsiveness, experienced personnel and consumer-oriented merchandising systems are competitive advantages in its markets. Competition in the mausoleum construction industry includes various construction companies throughout North America and is based on design, quality and price. Competitors in the architectural market are numerous and include companies that manufacture cast and painted signs, plastic materials, sand-blasted wood and other fabricated products.

The Memorialization segment markets its casket products in the United States through a combination of Company-owned and independent casket distribution facilities. The segment's casket products are primarily sold through Company-owned distribution centers throughout the United States. The casket business is highly competitive and the Company competes with other manufacturers based on product quality, price, service, design availability and breadth of product line. The Memorialization segment provides a line of casket products that it believes is as comprehensive as any of its major competitors. There are a large number of casket industry participants operating in North America, and a few foreign casket manufacturers, primarily from China, participating in the North American market.

The Company competes with several manufacturers in the cremation and accessory equipment market principally based on product design, quality and price. The Memorialization segment and its three largest global competitors account for a substantial portion of the United States and European cremation equipment market.

The Memorialization segment works to provide a total solution to customers that own and operate businesses in both the cemetery and funeral home markets. The Company's memorial and casket products serve the relatively stable casketed and in-ground burial death market, while its memorial products and cremation and incineration equipment also serve the growing cremation market.

Industrial Technologies:

The Industrial Technologies segment includes the design, manufacturing, service and sales of high-tech custom energy storage solutions; product identification and warehouse automation technologies and solutions, including order fulfillment systems for identifying, tracking, picking and conveying consumer and industrial products; and coating and converting lines for the packaging, pharma, foil, décor and tissue industries.

The energy storage solutions business produces engineered calendering, laminating, and coating equipment used in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries and components of fuel cells. The segment currently delivers products to major vehicle producers and tier 1 battery manufacturers. The segment also offers service, spare parts, calender- and coating-roller refurbishing and retrofits of complete production lines.

The coating and converting solutions business produces both complete production lines and individual units for drying, treating, coating, laminating and winding for the packaging, paper, labeling and foil industry as well as technical textiles and pharma industry but also for embossing, finishing, smoothing, perforating and calibrating web materials. The business supplies high-tech machines to large global customers and develops solutions collaboratively with them to make their processes more resource-efficient and their products more sustainable.

Production capabilities are available in Germany, the Czech Republic and the United States, with design and assembly in Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the United States. The business is globally active with well-established customer relations.

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The energy storage solutions business has grown over the last few years, primarily reflecting demand for batteries for use in electric vehicles. The segment has over a decade of experience in developing dry electrode battery solutions. Dry electrode technology makes producing lithium-ion batteries less expensive than the wet electrode process, and is also more environmentally sustainable. These factors could contribute to increased utilization of dry electrode batteries in the electric vehicle market, and thus greater demand for this form of battery production in the future.

Product identification systems range from stand-alone marking products to complex ink-jet printing systems that integrate into a customer's production process. The Company manufactures and markets products and systems that employ different marking technologies, including laser and ink-jet printing. These technologies apply product information required for identification and traceability, as well as to facilitate inventory and quality control, regulatory compliance and brand name communication. The segment also develops innovative, custom solutions to address specific customer requirements in a variety of industries, including oil field services and security scanning.

Warehouse automation systems provide the tracking and distribution of a customer's products with software for warehouse execution systems ("WES") and warehouse control systems ("WCS"), order fulfillment technologies, and controls for material handling systems. The fulfillment technologies automate picking, kitting, sorting, assembly, and other material handling tasks. Customers for this business include some of the largest retail, e-commerce, and third-party logistics companies in the United States.

A portion of the revenue of the Industrial Technologies segment is attributable to the sale of consumables and replacement parts required by the marking, coding and tracking products sold by Matthews. The Company develops inks exclusively for the use with its marking equipment, which is critical to ensure ongoing equipment reliability and mark quality.

The principal customers for the Company's marking and fulfillment systems products are manufacturers, suppliers and distributors of durable goods, building products, consumer goods manufacturers (including food and beverage processors) and producers of pharmaceuticals. The Company also serves a wide variety of industrial markets, including metal fabricators, manufacturers of woven and non-woven fabrics, plastic, rubber and automotive products.

A portion of this segment's sales are outside the United States, sourced through the Company's subsidiaries in Sweden, Germany, Malaysia and China in addition to other international distributors. The Company owns a minority interest in distributors in Asia, Australia and Europe.

Major raw materials for this segment's products include precision components, electronics, printing components, chemicals, steel, copper, and film all of which are presently available in adequate supply from various sources.

Competitors in the marking and fulfillment systems industries are diverse, with some companies offering limited product lines for well-defined specialty markets, while others operate similarly to the Company, offering a broad product line and competing in multiple product markets and countries. Competitive differentiation for marking and fulfillment systems products is based on product performance, ease of integration into the manufacturing and/or distribution process, service and price. The Company typically competes with specialty companies in specific brand marking solutions and traceability applications. In the energy storage solutions business, the Company has patents and pending patent applications on its dry electrode calendering equipment. The Company believes that, in general, its Industrial Technologies segment offers one of the broadest lines of products to address a wide variety of high-tech custom energy storage solutions, product identification and warehouse automation applications.

Brand Solutions:

The Brand Solutions segment historically provided brand management, pre-media services, printing plates and cylinders, imaging services, digital asset management, merchandising display systems, and marketing and design services primarily for the consumer goods and retail industries. On May 1, 2025, the Company contributed the vast majority of its Brand Solutions segment (the “SGK Business”) to a newly-formed entity, Propelis, in exchange for a 40% ownership interest in Propelis and other consideration. Following the completion of this transaction, the Company's Brand Solutions segment consists of its cylinders business, and its 40% ownership interest in Propelis.

Propelis was formed through the merger of the SGK Business with SGS & Co., and is a leading global provider of brand solutions. Its broad range of integrated solutions include brand creative, packaging, print solutions, branded environments, and content production. Services are delivered through its family of brands: SGX, Marks, Equator, Collide, and 5Flow. With a combined legacy spanning more than 150 years, Propelis has approximately 10,000 employees in 30+ countries, nearly $1 billion in annual sales, and a diverse client base of over 2,000 leading companies.

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PATENTS, TRADEMARKS AND LICENSES:

The Company holds a number of trademarks and in excess of 100 domestic and foreign patents for its products and related technologies. In addition, the Company maintains numerous trade secrets that further comprise its portfolio of intellectual property assets. The Company continues to assess, refine and expand its intellectual property portfolio, considering options to pursue additional patent filings and to further develop and continue to maintain processes to identify, inventory and safeguard evolving trade secrets and other intellectual property assets. The Company also enters into agreements with customers that authorize the use of certain intellectual property through various licensing arrangements.

HUMAN CAPITAL RESOURCES:

Introduction:

The Company’s culture of Inspired Possibilities empowers global teams to think creatively to inspire change that favorably impacts outcomes for the Company's customers, clients, and one another. Matthews’ human resource strategies align with the business strategies to enable and optimize internal talent to achieve business and financial performance. At every stage of the employee lifecycle, the Company’s people programs are rooted in a set of organizational competencies and capabilities, aligned with the Company's core values, that collectively build talent, enhance employee engagement, sustain retention, inspire innovation and drive results.

Workforce Composition:

As of October 31, 2025, the Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries employed over 5,500 people globally in four continents and more than 145 locations and 18 countries around the world. Its diverse team of talented employees possesses a vast array of skills, including engineering, manufacturing, research and development, plant operations, production, logistics, creative design, and corporate functional services, including legal, information technology, human resources and finance. Many of Matthews’ employees have highly specialized skills and subject-matter expertise in their respective disciplines, enabling the Company to deliver industry leading products and services to its customers throughout the world.

Diversity and Inclusion:

Matthews views diversity and inclusion (“D&I”) as a priority to be valued and promoted in every aspect of its business. The Company understands and firmly believes in the value that diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas bring to the workforce and offer to clients. Matthews knows its employees deserve equal opportunities regardless of race, gender, gender expression, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation and more. Matthews has consistently advocated that mutual respect, valuing the worth of all people, doing what's right and celebrating diversity is essential to how the Company operates and the way it does business.

Aligned and designed to optimize the Company's HR Strategy, the D&I programming embraces, encourages, and enhances Matthews as an organization that is diverse in culture, talent, and geography. The program focuses on priorities across four key pillars: Infrastructure, Employee Engagement, Talent Acquisition, and Community. Central to these efforts is representing the Company’s diversity across businesses, regions, and cultures. Additional efforts include awareness and education programs, Employee Resource Groups (“ERGs”), and external partnerships that strengthen recruiting and professional development opportunities. The Company stands committed to a culture reflecting the people, clients, customers, and communities it serves.

Talent Acquisition and Total Rewards:

To continue to grow and compete in a highly competitive labor market, Matthews works hard to attract and select top talent through a compelling employment value proposition. The Company’s employment brand highlights its values including innovation, commitment to people culture, diversity, equity and inclusion, employee growth, and wellbeing. The Company’s selection process includes key behavioral questions that help select the right people for the right roles which helps ensure cultural alignment.

Matthews understands the highly competitive market for talent and believes that to attract and retain top talent, it must offer a comprehensive total rewards package. This encompasses compensation, benefits, and wellbeing programs designed to align with local regulations, market practices, and regional needs. The Company evaluates roles to ensure pay is at market rate and offers annual incentive programs. As a global company, adjustments are made for global and regional market demands.

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Talent Management:

From onboarding to leadership development, Matthews believes that investing in its people leads to greater success. The Company’s onboarding program reinforces its values and culture, supports its managers in creating a positive employee experience and rapid assimilation during the first 90 days which builds early commitment with all new hires.

Matthews knows that when employees have opportunities to learn and grow, see how their goals and objectives lead to something greater and understand their part in the organization’s success, it helps build a place where people want to stay. Matthews’ globally accessible learning hub is a gateway to personal growth and professional development that allows employees to:

•Explore personalized learning opportunities tailored to specific needs and career aspirations.

•Access a wide range of learning resources on demand, designed to help prepare employees to meet career aspirations.

•Discover diverse career paths and build the right skills aligned with goals through high-quality content from a variety of sources.

•Enhance skill sets to stay innovative and adaptable in an ever-evolving technological landscape.

Matthews is committed to fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, ensuring all employees have the resources and support they need to succeed.

Succession Management:

The Company’s future success depends upon tomorrow’s leaders. Succession Planning for senior leaders is a key focus area built on the foundation of a structured talent review process for identifying the key roles critical to future success, and the key talent to achieve success. The outputs of this annual process are presented first to the executive team, which then selects a cohort of future leaders to participate in comprehensive leadership programs designed to prepare leaders for enterprise roles, and then presented to the Matthews Board of Directors. The Company believes this investment, which includes classroom learning, assessments, coaching/mentoring and real-time strategic project application, both strengthens the organization for the future, and deepens the commitment of its top talent to be prepared and ready to assume senior roles.

Performance Management:

Connecting employees to the Company's strategy ensures individual effort to a larger goal and strengthens commitment to the organization. The Company supports an annual leadership strategy cascade where each segment, division, group and team identifies and aligns goals and objectives which serve as the basis for individual performance objectives, keeping employees firmly connected to the work and the Company’s collective success. This process is rooted in ongoing coaching and feedback, and measures not just what was accomplished, but how it was accomplished because Matthews believes staying true to its values and key behaviors serves clients better, strengthens culture and keeps employees engaged.

Change Management:

Matthews is a constantly evolving multi-national company, leveraging new ways of working to improve its quality, service and delivery systems to better help customers and clients succeed. Building change capability to support employees through changes accelerates new ways of working, minimizes productivity loss, and accelerates adoption of innovations and improvement measures. The Company has a trained global change network embedded in the business to support transformational projects to help realize the goals and benefits of organizational changes.

Environmental, Health and Safety:

The Company’s leadership team is committed to integrating Environmental, Health, and Safety ("EHS") principles into the Company's business strategy and operations, as it is one of the Company’s core values. The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors provides oversight of these efforts by meeting with EHS staff to review policies and practices, assess program effectiveness, and evaluate compliance with applicable regulations. Matthews continually improves its EHS management system and performance by setting measurable EHS objectives and targets, regularly reviewing progress, and implementing corrective actions when necessary. A safe and healthy work environment can only be achieved through active participation. Employees at all levels are encouraged and empowered to report hazards, participate in safety programs, and suggest improvements.

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BACKLOG:

The Company's current backlog is expected to be mostly filled in fiscal 2026. Cremation and incineration equipment sales backlogs vary in a range of four to six months of sales. Backlogs vary in a range of approximately nine to twelve months of sales for mausoleums. Backlogs are generally in excess of a year for purpose-built machinery projects. Backlogs for warehouse automation and fulfillment systems generally vary in a range depending on size of the project from several weeks up to ten to twelve months for custom systems. Backlogs for Product Identification are generally up to four weeks for standard products.

REGULATORY MATTERS:

The Company’s operations are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations requiring strict compliance, including, but not limited to, the protection of the environment. The Company has established numerous internal compliance programs to further ensure lawful satisfaction of the applicable regulations. In addition, the Company is party to specific environmental matters which include obligations to investigate and mitigate the effects on the environment of certain materials at operating and non-operating sites. The Company is currently performing environmental assessments and remediation at certain sites, as applicable.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION:

The Company's principal executive offices are located at Two NorthShore Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212, its telephone number is (412) 442-8200 and its website is www.matw.com.  The Company files or furnishes all required reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act").  The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and amendments to those reports are available free of charge on the Company's website as soon as reasonably practicable after being filed or furnished to the SEC. The Company's reports filed or furnished with the SEC, including exhibits attached to such reports, are also available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.