Invacare Announces Restructuring Initiative

ELYRIA, Ohio–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Invacare (NYSE: IVC) today announced a restructuring initiative that is expected to generate $14 to $15 million in annualized pre-tax savings when fully instituted in 2015. The initiative includes a reduction to the Company’s workforce of approximately 150 associates and 40 temporary associates from the North America/Home Medical Equipment (HME), Institutional Products Group and Asia/Pacific segments.

”Invacare is committed to improving free cash flow^(a) and restoring profitability in the North America/HME and Asia/Pacific businesses. While the decision to downsize our workforce is extremely difficult, it is a necessary step toward achieving these objectives in light of our financial results for the first six months of 2014 and the slow sales start to the third quarter,” said Robert K. Gudbranson, Invacare interim president and chief executive officer. ”All of our associates, including those affected by this restructuring, have been committed to Invacare. As always, we will provide support to our impacted associates during this transition period.”

Due to the realignment, the Company expects to incur restructuring charges not to exceed $6 million on a pre-tax basis.

^(a) Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure which is defined as net cash provided (used) by operating activities, excluding net cash flow impact related to restructuring activities, less purchases of property and equipment, net of proceeds from sales of property and equipment. Management believes that this financial measure provides meaningful information for evaluating the overall financial performance of the Company and its ability to repay debt or make future investments (including, for example, acquisitions).

Invacare (NYSE:IVC), headquartered in Elyria, Ohio, is the global leader in the manufacture and distribution of innovative home and long-term care medical products that promote recovery and active lifestyles. The Company had approximately 5,400 associates as of June 30, 2014, and markets its products in approximately 80 countries around the world. For more information about the Company and its products, visit Invacare’s website at www.invacare.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the ”Safe Harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Terms such as ”will,” ”should,” ”could,” ”plan,” ”intend,” ”expect,” ”continue,” ”believe” and ”anticipate,” as well as similar comments, denote forward-looking statements that are subject to inherent uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results and events may differ significantly from those expressed or anticipated as a result of risks and uncertainties, which include, but are not limited to, the following: ineffective cost reduction and restructuring efforts or inability to realize anticipated cost savings from such efforts; delays, disruptions or excessive costs incurred in facility closures or consolidations; compliance costs, limitations on the production and/or distribution of the Company’s products, inability to bid on or win certain contracts, unabsorbed capacity utilization, including fixed costs and overhead, or other adverse effects of the FDA consent decree of injunction; any circumstances or developments that might further delay or adversely impact the results of the final, most comprehensive third-party expert certification audit or FDA inspection of the Company’s quality systems at the Elyria, Ohio, facilities impacted by the FDA consent decree, including any possible requirement to perform additional remediation activities or further resultant delays in receipt of the written notification to resume operations (which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, liquidity or results of operations); the failure or refusal of customers or healthcare professionals to sign verification of medical necessity (VMN) documentation or other certification forms required by the exceptions to the FDA consent decree; possible adverse effects of being leveraged, including interest rate or event of default risks, including those relating to the Company’s financial covenants under its credit facility (particularly as might result from the impacts associated with the FDA consent decree); the Company’s inability to satisfy its liquidity needs, including efforts to negotiate a new bank agreement, or additional costs to do so; adverse changes in government and other third-party payor reimbursement levels and practices both in the U.S. and in other countries (such as, for example, more extensive pre-payment reviews and post-payment audits by payors, or the Medicare National Competitive Bidding program); impacts of the U.S. Affordable Care Act that was enacted in 2010 (such as, for example, the impact on the Company of the excise tax on certain medical devices, which began on January 1, 2013, and the Company’s ability to successfully offset such impact); legal actions, governmental enforcement actions, regulatory proceedings or the Company’s failure to comply with regulatory requirements or receive regulatory clearance or approval for the Company’s products or operations in the United States or abroad; product liability or warranty claims; product recalls, including more extensive recall experience than expected; exchange rate or tax rate fluctuations; inability to design, manufacture, distribute and achieve market acceptance of new products with greater functionality or lower costs or new product platforms that deliver the anticipated benefits; consolidation of health care providers; lower cost imports; uncollectible accounts receivable; difficulties in implementing/upgrading Enterprise Resource Planning systems; risks inherent in managing and operating businesses in many different foreign jurisdictions; decreased availability or increased costs of materials which could increase the Company’s costs of producing or acquiring the Company’s products, including possible increases in commodity costs or freight costs; heightened vulnerability to a hostile takeover attempt arising from depressed market prices for Company shares; provisions of Ohio law or in the Company’s debt agreements, shareholder rights plan or charter documents that may prevent or delay a change in control, as well as the risks described from time to time in the Company’s reports as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except to the extent required by law, the Company does not undertake and specifically declines any obligation to review or update any forward-looking statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of such statements to reflect future events or developments or otherwise.

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