ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
OPERATIONAL RISKS
We may be unable to keep pace with rapidly changing technology in wind turbine and other industrial component manufacturing.
The global markets for wind turbines and our other manufactured industrial components are rapidly evolving technologically. Our component manufacturing equipment and technology may not be suited for future generations of products being developed by wind turbine companies. As turbines grow in size, particularly to support the development of offshore windfarms, tower manufacturing becomes more complicated and may require investments in new manufacturing equipment. For example, some wind turbine manufacturers are using wind turbine towers made partially or wholly from concrete instead of steel. Additionally, if we implement emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning into our products and services, we may not be able to anticipate vulnerabilities, flaws or security threats resulting from the use of such technology and develop adequate protection measures. To maintain a successful business in our field, we must keep pace with technological developments and the changing standards of our customers and potential customers and meet their constantly evolving demands. If we fail to adequately respond to the technological changes in our industry, make the necessary capital investments or are not suited to provide components for new types of wind turbines, our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.
We are substantially dependent on a few significant customers and the ordering levels for our products may vary based on customer needs. Further, we face significant risks associated with changes in our relationship with these significant customers.
Historically, the majority of our revenues are highly concentrated with a limited number of customers. Some of the markets we serve have a limited number of customers. In 2023, one customer, GE Renewable Energy, accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated revenues, and our five largest customers accounted for 65% of our consolidated revenues. Certain of our customers have periodically expressed their intent to scale back, delay or restructure existing customer agreements, which has led to reduced revenues from these customers and periodic deviations in expected ordering levels. It is possible that this may occur again in the future. Additionally, not all of our customers make purchases every year. As a result, our operating profits and gross margins have historically been negatively affected by significant variability in production levels, which has created production volume inefficiencies in our operations and cost structures. Because of this variability, we believe that comparisons of our operating results in any particular quarterly period may not be a reliable indicator of future performance.
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Additionally, if our relationships with our significant customers should change materially, it could be difficult for us to immediately and profitably replace lost sales in a market with such concentration, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating and financial results. We could be adversely impacted by decreased customer demand for our products due to (i) the impact of current or future economic conditions on our customers, (ii) our customers’ loss of market share to their competitors that do not use our products, and (iii) our loss of market share with our customers. We could lose market share with our customers to our competitors or to our customers themselves, should they decide to become more vertically integrated and produce the products that we currently provide.
In addition, even if our customers continue to do business with us, we could be adversely affected by a number of other potential developments with our customers. For example:
Because our industry is capital intensive and we have significant fixed and semi-fixed costs, our profitability is sensitive to changes in volume.
The property, plants and equipment needed to manufacture products for our customers and provide our processes and solutions can be very expensive. We must spend a substantial amount of capital to purchase and maintain such property, plant and equipment. Although we believe our current cash balance, along with our projected internal cash flows and available financing sources, will provide sufficient cash to support our currently anticipated operating and capital needs, if we are unable to generate sufficient cash to purchase and maintain the property, plant and equipment necessary to operate our business, we may be required to reduce or delay planned capital expenditures or to incur additional indebtedness.
We face significant risks associated with uncertainties resulting from changes to policies and laws with the periodic changes in the U.S. administration.
Changes of administration in the U.S. federal government may affect our business in a manner that currently cannot be reliably predicted, especially given the potentially significant changes to various laws and regulations that affect us. These uncertainties may include changes in laws and policies in areas such as corporate taxation, taxation on imports of internationally sourced products, international trade including trade treaties such as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, environmental protection and workplace safety laws, labor and employment law, immigration and health care, which individually or in the aggregate could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Disruptions in the supply of parts and raw materials, or changes in supplier relations, may negatively impact our operating results.
We are dependent upon the supply of certain raw materials used in our production process, and these raw materials are exposed to price fluctuations on the open market. Raw material costs for materials such as steel, our primary raw material, have fluctuated significantly and may continue to fluctuate. To reduce price risk caused by market fluctuations, we have generally tried to match raw material purchases to our sales contracts or incorporated price adjustment clauses in our contracts. However, limitations on availability of raw materials or increases in the cost of raw materials (including steel), energy, transportation and other necessary services may impact our operating results if our manufacturing businesses are not able to fully pass on the costs associated with such increases to their respective customers. Alternatively, we will not realize material improvements from any decline in steel prices as the terms of our contracts generally require that we pass these cost savings through to our customers. In addition, we may encounter supplier constraints, be unable to maintain favorable supplier arrangements and relations or be affected by disruptions in the supply chain caused by events such as natural disasters, pandemics, shipping delays, power outages and labor strikes. Additionally, our supply chain has become more global in nature and, thus, more complex from a shipping and logistics perspective. In the event of limitations on availability of raw materials or significant changes in the cost of raw materials, particularly steel, our margins and profitability could be negatively impacted.
We rely on unionized labor, the loss of which could adversely affect our future success.
We depend on the services of unionized labor and have collective bargaining agreements with certain of our operations workforce at our Cicero, Illinois and Neville Island, Pennsylvania Gearing facilities. The loss of the services of these and other personnel, whether through terminations, attrition, labor strike or otherwise, or a material change in our collective bargaining agreements, including a significant increase in labor costs, could have a material adverse impact on us and our future profitability. In November 2022, a four-year collective bargaining agreement was ratified by the collective bargaining union in our Neville Island facility and will remain in effect through October 2026. A four-year collective bargaining agreement in regard to the Cicero, Illinois facility was negotiated in February 2022, and is expected to remain in effect through February 2026. Any failure to negotiate and conclude a new collective bargaining agreement with a union when the applicable agreement expires could result in strikes, boycotts, or other labor disruptions. As of December 31, 2023, these collective bargaining units represented approximately 18% of our workforce.
Our ability to hire and retain qualified personnel at competitive cost could adversely affect our business.
Many of the products we sell, and related services that we provide require that we have skilled labor in our manufacturing facilities. The availability of labor in the markets in which we operate has declined in recent years and competition for such labor has increased, especially under the economic crises experienced throughout and following the COVID-19 pandemic and current inflationary pressures. A significant increase in wages paid by competitors, both within and outside the energy industry, for such work force could result in insufficient availability of workers or increase our labor costs, or both. In the event prevailing wage rates continue to increase in the markets in which we operate, we may be required to concurrently increase the wages paid to our employees to maintain the quality of our workforce and customer service. If the supply of skilled labor is constrained or our costs of attracting and maintaining a workforce increase, our profit margins could decrease, and our growth potential and brand image could be impaired.
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If our estimates for warranty expenses differ materially from actual claims made, or if we are unable to reasonably estimate future warranty expense for our products, our business and financial results could be adversely affected.
We provide warranty terms generally ranging between one and five years to our customers depending upon the specific product and terms of the customer agreement. We reserve for warranty claims based on prior experience and estimates made by management based upon a percentage of our sales revenues related to such products. From time to time, customers have submitted warranty claims to us. However, we have a limited history on which to base our warranty estimates for certain of our manufactured products. Our assumptions could materially differ from the actual performance of our products in the future and could exceed the levels against which we have reserved. In some instances, our customers have interpreted the scope and coverage of certain of our warranty provisions differently from our interpretation of such provisions. The expenses associated with remediation activities in the wind energy industry can be substantial, and if we are required to pay such costs in connection with a customer’s warranty claim, we could be subject to additional unplanned cash expenditures. If our estimates prove materially incorrect, or if we are required to cover remediation expenses in addition to our regular warranty coverage, we could be required to incur additional expenses and could face a material unplanned cash expenditure, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Market disruptions and volatility may result in an increased likelihood of our customers asserting warranty or remediation claims in connection with our products that they would not ordinarily assert in a more stable economic environment. In the event of such a claim, we may incur costs if we decide to compensate the affected customer or to engage in litigation with the affected customer regarding the claim. We maintain product liability insurance, but there can be no guarantee that such insurance will be available or adequate to protect against such claims. A successful claim against us could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Cybersecurity incidents could disrupt our business and result in the compromise of confidential information.
Our business is at risk from and may be impacted by information security incidents, including attempts to gain unauthorized access to our confidential data and data systems, ransomware, malware, business email compromise, phishing attacks, and other electronic security events. Such incidents can range from individual attempts to gain unauthorized access to our information technology systems to more sophisticated security threats. They can also result from internal compromises, such as human error, or malicious acts. While we seek to employ measures to prevent, detect, and mitigate these threats, there is no guarantee such efforts will be successful in preventing a cyber event. Cybersecurity incidents could disrupt our business and compromise confidential information belonging to us and third parties.
Recent increases in inflation and interest rates in the United States and elsewhere could adversely affect our business.
We are exposed to fluctuations in inflation and interest rates, which could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The United States and other jurisdictions have recently experienced high levels of inflation. If the inflation rate continues to increase, it will likely affect our expenses, including, but not limited to, employee compensation and labor expenses and increased costs for supplies, and we may not be successful in offsetting such cost increases. In addition, historically we have carried a significant amount of variable rate debt which is subject to fluctuations in interest rates. Certain government agencies, including the U.S. Treasury, have previously implemented and may implement policies that have resulted and may continue to result in significantly increased interest rates and borrowing costs. Recent increases in interest rates will result in increased interest expense to the extent we cannot limit our debt balances.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR INDUSTRIES
Our financial and operating performance is subject to certain factors out of our control, including the state of the wind energy market in North America.
Our results of operations (like those of our customers) are subject to general economic conditions, and specifically to the state of the wind energy market. In addition to the state and federal government policies supporting renewable energy described below, the growth and development of the larger wind energy market in North America is subject to a number of factors, including, among other things:
● the cost of raw materials used to make wind turbines, particularly steel;
● the general increase in demand for electricity or “load growth;”
● the development of electrical transmission infrastructure;
● public perception and localized community responses to wind energy projects.
Consolidation among wind turbine manufacturers could increase our customer concentration and/or disrupt our supply chain relationships.
Wind turbine manufacturers are among our primary customers. There has been consolidation among these manufacturers, and more consolidation may occur in the future. For example, both Siemens Energy, Inc. and Gamesa Wind US, LLC, were customers for our tower business until early 2017, at which time they merged into SGRE. Customer consolidation may result in pricing pressures, leading to downward pressure on our margins and profits, and may also disrupt our supply chain relationships.
We face competition from industry participants who may have greater resources than we do.
Our businesses are subject to risks associated with competition from new or existing industry participants who may have more resources and better access to capital. Certain of our competitors and potential competitors may have substantially greater financial resources, customer support, technical and marketing resources, larger customer bases, longer operating histories, greater name recognition and more established relationships in the industry than we do. Among other things, these industry participants compete with us based upon price, quality, location and available capacity. We cannot be sure that we will have the resources or expertise to compete successfully in the future. We also cannot be sure that we will be able to match cost reductions by our competitors or that we will be able to succeed in the face of current or future competition.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR CORPORATE STRATEGY
Our plans for growth and diversification may not be successful, and could result in poor financial performance.
We continue to seek to strategically diversify and grow the business to improve operational efficiency and meet customer demand. Our diversification efforts into the natural gas turbine power generation, O&G, mining and other industries may require additional investments in personnel, equipment and operational infrastructure. Moreover, although we have historically participated in most of these lines of business, there is no assurance that we will be able to grow our presence in these markets at a rate sufficient to compensate for a potentially weaker wind energy market. If we are unable to further penetrate these markets, our plans to diversify our operations may not be successful and our anticipated future growth may be adversely affected.
Our growth efforts through increased production levels at existing facilities, acquisitions and continuous improvement activities such as the proper coordination and integration of the supply chain, the consistent use of systems with respect to production activities, the Advanced Product Quality Processes (APQP) to support the introduction of new products, and the hiring of continuous improvement experts to optimize our production processes, will require coordinated efforts across the Company and continued enhancements to our current operating infrastructure. If the cost of making these changes increases or if our efforts are unsuccessful, the Company may not realize anticipated benefits and our future earnings may be adversely affected.
Our diversification outside of the wind energy market exposes us to business risks associated with the gas turbine, O&G, and mining industries, among others, which may slow our growth or penetration in these markets.
Although we have experience in the gas turbine, O&G and mining industry markets, these markets have not historically been our primary focus. In further diversifying our business to serve these markets, we face competitors who may have more resources, longer operating histories and more well-established relationships than we do, and we may not be able to successfully or profitably generate additional business opportunities in these industries. Moreover, if we are able to successfully diversify into these markets, our businesses may be exposed to risks associated with these industries, which could adversely affect our future earnings and growth. These risks include, among other things:
● Changes in technology;
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If our projections regarding the future market demand for our products are inaccurate, our operating results and our overall business may be adversely affected.
We have previously made significant capital investments in anticipation of rapid growth in the U.S. wind energy market. However, the growth in the U.S. wind energy market has not kept pace with our expectations when some of these capital investments were made, and there can be no assurance that the U.S. wind energy market will grow and develop in a manner consistent with our expectations, or that we will be able to fill our capacity through the further diversification of our operations. Our internal manufacturing capabilities have required significant upfront capital costs. If market demand for our products does not increase at the pace we have anticipated and align with our manufacturing capacity, we may be unable to offset these costs and achieve economies of scale, and our operating results may continue to be adversely affected by high fixed costs, reduced margins and underutilization of capacity which may prevent us from achieving or maintaining profitability. In light of these considerations, we may be forced to reduce our labor force and production to minimum levels, as was done at certain operating locations in the past, temporarily idle existing capacity or sell to third parties manufacturing capacity that we cannot utilize in the near term, in addition to the steps that we have already taken to adjust our capacity more closely to demand. Alternatively, if we experience rapid increased demand for our products in excess of our estimates, or we reduce our manufacturing capacity, our installed capital equipment and existing workforce may be insufficient to support higher production volumes, which could adversely affect our customer relationships and overall reputation. In addition, we may not be able to expand our workforce and operations in a timely manner, procure adequate resources or locate suitable third-party suppliers to respond effectively to changes in demand for our existing products or to the demand for new products requested by our customers, and our business could be adversely affected. Our ability to meet such excess customer demand could also depend on our ability to raise additional capital and effectively scale our manufacturing operations.
Additionally, most of our customers do not commit to long-term contracts or firm production schedules, and accordingly, we frequently experience volatile lead-times in customer orders. Additionally, customers may change production quantities or delay production with little advance notice. Therefore, we rely on and plan our production and inventory levels based on our customers’ advance orders, commitments and/or forecasts, as well as our internal assessments and forecasts of customer demand. The variations in volume and timing of sales make it difficult to schedule production and optimize utilization of manufacturing capacity. This uncertainty may require us to increase staffing and incur other expenses in order to meet an unexpected increase in customer demand, potentially placing a significant burden on our resources. An inability to respond to such changes in a timely manner may also cause customer dissatisfaction, which may negatively affect our customer relationships.
Our growth strategies could be ineffective due to the risks of acquisitions and risks relating to integration.
Our growth strategy includes acquiring complementary businesses. In regards to any other future acquisitions, we could fail to identify, finance or complete suitable acquisitions on acceptable terms and prices, particularly with interest rates at comparatively high levels. Acquisitions and the related integration processes could increase a number of risks, including diversion of operations personnel, financial personnel and management’s attention, difficulties in integrating systems and operations, potential loss of key employees and customers of the acquired companies and exposure to unanticipated liabilities. The price we pay for a business may exceed the value realized and we cannot provide any assurance that we will realize the expected synergies and benefits of any acquisitions. Our discovery of, or failure to discover, material issues during due diligence investigations of acquisition targets, either before closing with regard to potential risks of the acquired operations, or after closing with regard to the timely discovery of breaches of representations or warranties, could materially harm our business. Our failure to meet the challenges involved in integrating a new business to realize the anticipated benefits of an acquisition could cause an interruption or loss of momentum in our existing activities and could adversely affect our profitability. Acquisitions also may result in the recording of goodwill and other intangible assets which are subject to potential impairments in the future that could diminish our reported earnings and operating results.
We are subject to risks associated with proxy contests and other actions of activist stockholders.
Publicly traded companies have increasingly become subject to campaigns by activist investors advocating corporate actions such as governance changes, financial restructurings, increased borrowings, special dividends, stock repurchases or even sales of assets or entire companies to third parties or the activists themselves. We received a notice dated January 18, 2023 from WM Argyle Fund, LLC (“WM Argyle”), which allegedly owned approximately 1.0% of the Company’s outstanding shares at the time of submission, purporting to nominate a slate of six candidates for election as directors at our 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. We did not reach an agreement with WM Argyle in connection with its nomination, and there was a contested election at the Company’s 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, in which none of WM Argyle’s candidates were elected as directors. The cumulative cost to the Company of responding to the proxy contest was approximately $1.8 million. We value input from all stockholders and remain open to ongoing engagement with our stockholders.
A proxy contest or related activities on the part of activist stockholders could adversely affect our business for a number of reasons, including, without limitation, the following:
● Proxy contests may cause our stock price to experience periods of volatility.
FINANCIAL RISKS
We have substantially generated net losses since our inception.
We have experienced operating losses since inception, except that we were profitable in 2016, 2021, and 2023. We have incurred significant costs in connection with the development of our businesses, and because we have operated at low-capacity utilization in certain facilities, there is no assurance that we will generate sufficient revenues to offset anticipated operating costs. Although we anticipate deriving revenues from the sale of our products, no assurance can be given that these products can be sold on a profitable basis. We cannot give any assurance that we will be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis in the future.
We may continue to incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including other risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays, and other unknown factors.
We have significant indebtedness and we may incur additional debt in the future. Servicing our indebtedness requires a significant amount of cash, and the terms of our current indebtedness, and the terms of any future indebtedness, may restrict the activities of the Company.
We have significant indebtedness, including the indebtedness under the 2022 Credit Facility (as defined and further discussed in Note 10 “Debt and Credit Agreements” of our consolidated financial statements). Our debt obligations could potentially have important consequences to us and our investors, including: (1) requiring a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to make debt service payments or to refinance our indebtedness as it becomes due, making it more difficult for us to satisfy our other priorities and obligations; (2) resulting in higher interest expenses, (3) increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions; (4) reducing the cash flows available to fund capital expenditures and other corporate purposes and to grow our business; (5) limiting our flexibility in pursuing strategic opportunities or planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry; (6) placing us at a competitive disadvantage relative to our competitors that may not be as highly leveraged; and (7) limiting our ability to borrow additional funds as needed or take advantage of business opportunities as they arise, pay cash dividends or repurchase shares.
Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance our indebtedness depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive, regulatory factors, and factors beyond our control. Our cash flow from operations in the future may be insufficient to service our indebtedness, including if our actual cash requirements in the future are greater than expected. If we are unable to generate the necessary cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt, incurring new debt or issuing additional equity on terms that may be unfavorable, onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness or incur new debt will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations.
As described in Note 10 “Debt and Credit Agreements” of our consolidated financial statements, the agreements governing our indebtedness contain covenants restricting our operations and limiting our financial flexibility. In addition, some of the agreements governing our indebtedness require that we maintain minimum EBITDA requirements, not exceed a maximum fixed charge coverage ratio and contain certain customary events of default. Our ability to comply with such restrictions and covenants may be affected by various factors, some of which factors may be beyond our control. If we breach any of these restrictions or covenants and do not obtain a waiver from the lenders or holders, as applicable, then, subject to the applicable cure periods and conditions, any outstanding indebtedness could be declared immediately due and payable.
Our PPP Loans were forgiven, but we may still be subject to audit and any resulting adverse audit financings of non-compliance could result in the repayment of a portion or all of the PPP Loans and may restrict our flexibility in operating our business or otherwise adversely affect our results of operations.
On April 15, 2020, we received funds under notes and related documents (“PPP Loans”) with CIBC Bank, USA under the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”), which was established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), as amended by the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (the “SBA”). We received total proceeds of $9,530 from the PPP Loans and made repayments of $379 on May 13, 2020. We used at least 60% of our PPP Loan proceeds to pay for payroll costs and the balance on other eligible qualifying expenses that we believe to be consistent with the PPP.
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During the second quarter of 2021, all of our PPP Loans were forgiven by the SBA. However, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced that it will conduct audits for PPP Loans that exceed $2,000 for a period of six years after forgiveness. Should we be audited or reviewed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the SBA, such audit or review could result in the diversion of management’s time and attention and cause us to incur significant costs. If we were to be audited and receive an adverse outcome in such an audit, we could be required to return the full amount of the PPP Loans and may potentially be subject to civil and criminal fines and penalties. If it is subsequently determined that the PPP Loans must be repaid, we may be required to use a substantial portion of our available cash and/or cash flows from operations to pay interest and principal on the PPP Loans, and any future repayment of such loans, would adversely impact our operations and financial results.
RISKS RELATED TO OWNING OUR COMMON STOCK
There is a limited trading market for our securities and the market price of our securities is subject to volatility.
Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Historically, we have not had an active trading market for our common stock. The absence of an active trading market increases price volatility and reduces the liquidity of our common stock. The market price and level of trading of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include, among other things, our limited trading volume, actual or anticipated variations in our operating results and cash flow, the nature and content of our earnings releases, announcements or events that impact our business and the general state of the securities market, as well as general economic, political and market conditions and other factors that may affect our future results. In 2023, the closing price of our common stock varied from a high of $5.92per share to a low of $1.77per share. Stockholders may have incurred substantial losses with regard to any investment in our common stock adversely affecting stockholder confidence.
Limitations on our ability to utilize our NOLs may negatively affect our financial results.
We may not be able to utilize all of our NOLs. For financial statement presentation, all benefits associated with the NOL carryforwards have been reserved; therefore, this potential asset is not reflected on our balance sheet. To the extent available, we will use any NOL carryforwards to reduce the U.S. corporate income tax liability associated with our operations. However, if we do not achieve sufficient profitability prior to their expiration, we will not be able to fully utilize our NOLs to offset income. Section 382 of the IRC (“Section 382”) generally imposes an annual limitation on the amount of NOL carryforwards that may be used to offset taxable income when a corporation has undergone certain changes in stock ownership. Our ability to utilize NOL carryforwards and built-in losses may be limited, under Section 382 or otherwise, by our issuance of common stock or by other changes in ownership of our stock. After analyzing Section 382 in 2010, we determined that aggregate changes in our stock ownership had triggered an annual limitation of NOL carryforwards and built-in losses available for utilization to $14,284 per annum. Although this event limited the amount of pre ownership change date NOLs and built- in losses we can utilize annually, it does not preclude us from fully utilizing our current NOL carryforwards prior to their expiration. However, subsequent changes in our stock ownership could further limit our ability to use our NOL carryforwards and our income could be subject to taxation earlier than it would if we were able to use NOL carryforwards and built-in losses without an annual limitation, which could result in lower profits. To address these concerns, in February 2013 we adopted a Section 382 Stockholder Rights Plan, which was subsequently approved by our stockholders and extended in 2016, 2019, and 2022 for additional three-year periods (as amended, the “Rights Plan”), designed to preserve our substantial tax assets associated with NOL carryforwards under Section 382. The Rights Plan is intended to deter any person or group from being or becoming the beneficial owner of 4.9% or more of our common stock and thereby triggering a further limitation of our available NOL carryforwards. See Note 14, “Income Taxes” of our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our Rights Plan. There can be no assurance that the Rights Plan will be effective in protecting our NOL carryforwards. Additionally, because the Rights Plan subjects any person that acquires 4.9% of our common stock without the Board’s permission to significant dilution, it could make it harder for a third party to acquire us without the consent of the Board. In particular, the Rights Plan may deter a third party from completing or even initiating an acquisition of the Company, which may prevent stockholders from realizing a control premium from a potential acquirer, or from otherwise maximizing stockholder value.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RISKS
Any failure to protect our customers’ intellectual property that we use in the products we manufacture for them could harm our customer relationships and subject us to liability.
The products we manufacture for our customers often contain our customers’ intellectual property, including copyrights, patents, trade secrets and know-how. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our customers’ intellectual property. The steps we take to protect our customers’ intellectual property may not adequately prevent its disclosure or misappropriation. If we fail to protect our customers’ intellectual property, our customer relationships could be harmed and we may experience difficulty in establishing new customer relationships. Additionally, our customers might pursue legal claims against us for any failure to protect their intellectual property, possibly resulting in harm to our reputation and our business, financial condition and operating results.
We may not be able to protect important intellectual property and we could incur substantial costs defending against claims that our products infringe on the proprietary rights of others.
Our ability to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary system level technologies, systems designs and manufacturing processes. While we have attempted to safeguard and maintain our proprietary rights, we do not know whether we have been or will be successful in doing so.
Further, our competitors may independently develop or patent technologies or processes that are substantially equivalent or superior to ours. If we are found to be infringing third-party patents, we could be required to pay substantial royalties and/or damages, and we do not know whether we will be able to obtain licenses to use such patents on acceptable terms, if at all. Failure to obtain needed licenses could delay or prevent the development, manufacture or sale of our products, and could necessitate the expenditure of significant resources to develop or acquire non infringing intellectual property.
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We may need to pursue lawsuits or legal action in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights and to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. Litigation and other proceedings, even if they are successful, are expensive to pursue and time consuming, and we could use a substantial amount of our management and financial resources in either case.
Confidentiality agreements to which we are party may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. Our trade secrets may also be known without breach of such agreements or may be independently developed by competitors. Our inability to maintain the proprietary nature of our technology and processes could allow our competitors to limit or eliminate any competitive advantages we may have.
LEGAL, TAX, REGULATORY AND COMPLIANCE RISKS
The U.S. wind energy industry is significantly impacted by tax and other economic incentives. A significant change in these incentives could significantly impact our results of operations and growth.
We sell towers to wind turbine manufacturers who supply wind energy generation facilities. The U.S. wind energy industry is significantly impacted by federal tax incentives and state Renewable Portfolio Standards (“RPSs”). Despite recent reductions in the cost of wind energy, due to variability in wind quality and consistency, and other regional differences, wind energy may not be economically viable in certain parts of the country absent such incentives. These programs have provided material incentives to develop wind energy generation facilities and thereby impact the demand for our products. The increased demand for our products that generally results from the credits and incentives could be impacted by the expiration or curtailment of these programs.
One such federal government program, the PTC, provides a supplemental payment based on electricity produced from each qualifying wind turbine. Legislative support for the PTC has been intermittent since its introduction in 1992, which has caused volatility in the demand for new wind energy projects. In 2015, the PTC was extended for a five-year period, with a time-based phase-out depending on the year the wind project is commenced. The phase-out schedule legislated in 2015 provided for: 100% extension of the credit for projects commenced before the end of 2016, 80% extension of the credit for projects commenced in 2017, 60% extension of the credit for projects commenced in 2018 and 40% extension of the credit for projects commenced in 2019. As part of a year-end tax extenders bill in 2019, the PTC was extended for an additional year, allowing for a 60% extension of the credit for projects commenced before the end of 2020.
On December 27, 2020, COVID IV was signed into law. As part of COVID IV, the PTC was extended for an additional year, allowing for a 60% credit for projects that start construction by the end of 2021. In order to benefit from the PTC, qualifying projects must either be completed within four years from their start of construction, or the developer must demonstrate that its projects are in continuous construction between start of construction and completion. As a result of COVID IV, the PTC will subsidize wind projects commenced as late as 2021 and completed by 2025, or later if continuous construction can be demonstrated. The PTC tax benefits are available for the first ten years of operation of a wind energy facility, and also applies to significant redevelopment of existing wind energy facilities. Included in COVID IV is the addition of a new 30% ITC created for offshore wind projects that start construction by the end of 2025. The provision will be retroactively applied to projects that started production in 2016.
On August 16, 2022, the IRA was enacted to reduce inflation and promote clean energy in the United States. The IRA modifies and extends the PTC until the later of 2032 or when greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 75% compared to 2022. It provides for tax credits up to a maximum of 30%, adjusted for inflation annually, for electricity generated from qualified renewable energy sources where taxpayers meet prevailing wage standards and employ a sufficient proportion of qualified apprentices from registered apprenticeship programs. It also provides a bonus credit for qualifying clean energy production in energy communities.
The IRA also includes AMP credits for manufacturers of eligible components, including wind and solar components. Manufacturers qualify for the AMP credits based on the electricity output for each component produced and sold in the US starting in 2023 through 2032. The credit amount varies based on the eligible component, which includes solar components, wind energy components, inverters, qualifying battery components, and critical minerals. Tower manufacturers are eligible for credits of $0.03 per watt for applicable components produced. Manufacturers can elect a direct pay option where they can receive a payment equal to the full value of the tax credits from the Internal Revenue Service anytime during the ten-year period. That election lasts for five years, after which the AMP credits can be used against tax obligations or transferred to third parties in exchange for cash. We expect certain financial benefits as a result of tax incentives provided by the IRA. If these expected financial benefits vary significantly from our assumptions, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected. Any modifications to the law or its effects arising, for example, through (i) technical guidance and regulations from the IRS and U.S. Treasury Department, (ii) subsequent amendments to or interpretations of the law, and/or iii) future laws or regulations rendering certain provisions of the IRA less effective or ineffective, in whole or in part, could result in material adverse changes to the benefits we have recognized and expect to recognize.
RPSs generally require or encourage state regulated electric utilities to supply a certain proportion of electricity from renewable energy sources or to devote a certain portion of their plant capacity to renewable energy generation. Typically, utilities comply with such standards by qualifying for renewable energy credits evidencing the share of electricity that was produced from renewable sources. Under many state standards, these renewable energy credits can be unbundled from their associated energy and traded in a market system, allowing generators with insufficient credits to meet their applicable state mandate. These standards have spurred significant growth in the wind energy industry and a corresponding increase in the demand for our products. Currently, the majority of states have RPSs in place and certain states have voluntary utility commitments to supply a specific percentage of their electricity from renewable sources. The enactment of RPSs in additional states or any changes to existing RPSs (including changes due to the failure to extend or renew the federal incentives described above), or the enactment of a federal RPS or imposition of other greenhouse gas regulations, may impact the demand for our products. We cannot assure that government support for renewable energy will continue including any assurance regarding the adoption of any of the clean energy provisions of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda. The elimination of, or reduction in, state or federal government policies that support renewable energy could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial performance and future development efforts.
Changes to trade regulation, quotas, duties or tariffs, and sanctions caused by changing U.S. and geopolitical policies, may impact our competitive position or adversely impact our margins.
Tariffs have resulted in increased prices, including with respect to certain steel products, and could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows. These tariffs, along with any additional tariffs or trade restrictions that may be implemented by the U.S. or other countries, could result in further increased prices and a decreased available supply of steel and other imported components and inputs. We may not be able to pass price increases on to our customers and may not be able to secure adequate alternative sources of steel on a timely basis.
The existence of government subsidies available to our competitors in certain countries may affect our ability to compete on a price basis. Imports from China and Vietnam have declined following a determination by the U.S. International Trade Commission (“USITC”) in 2013 that wind towers from those countries were being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. As a result of the determination, the U.S. Department of Commerce (“USDOC”) issued antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imports of wind towers from China and an antidumping duty order on imports of towers from Vietnam. In May 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the decision from the U.S. Court of International Trade and at the same time excluded CS Wind Vietnam from the antidumping order. In April 2019, the USDOC extended the term of these duties for an additional five-year period. Following a renewed surge of tower imports from countries not impacted by existing tariffs, in July 2020, the USDOC issued antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imports of wind towers from Canada, Indonesia, and Vietnam and an antidumping order on imports of towers from Korea. The Indonesia countervailing duty order was later revoked after an appeal to the U.S. Court of International Trade (“CIT”). Then in September 2020, a new trade case was brought before the USDOC and USITC, to assess whether wind towers imported from India, Malaysia, and Spain were being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. The USDOC and USITC issued affirmative final determinations in all three antidumping (India, Malaysia, and Spain) and two countervailing duty cases (India and Malaysia). The USDOC imposed orders for two cases in August 2021 and the remainder in December 2021. Appeals of several of the USDOC determinations are currently pending at the CIT and the CAFC.
Additionally, the war in Ukraine has led to economic sanctions imposed against Russia by the U.S. and certain European nations, including a prohibition on doing business with certain Russian companies. Such sanctions may impact companies in many sectors and could lead to volatility of prices in the global energy industry. The extent and duration of the war and extent and strength of the sanctions are still developing, and the corresponding effect on the Company remains uncertain. Certain other geopolitical conflicts, including the war between Israel and Hamas may also lead to material disruptions to certain supply chains and volatility in prices.
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We could incur substantial costs to comply with environmental, health and safety (“EHS”) laws and regulations and to address violations of or liabilities under these requirements.
Our operations are subject to a variety of EHS laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate and sell products governing, among other things, health, safety, pollution and protection of the environment and natural resources, including the use, handling, transportation and disposal of non-hazardous and hazardous materials and wastes, as well as emissions and discharges into the environment, including discharges to air, surface water, groundwater and soil, product content, performance and packaging. We cannot guarantee that we have been, or will at all times be in compliance with such laws and regulations. Changes in existing EHS laws and regulations, or their application, could cause us to incur additional or unexpected costs to achieve or maintain compliance. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations, obtain the necessary permits to operate our business, or comply with the terms and conditions of such permits may subject us to a variety of administrative, civil and criminal enforcement measures, including the imposition of civil and criminal sanctions, monetary fines and penalties, remedial obligations, and the issuance of compliance requirements limiting or preventing some or all of our operations. The assertion of claims relating to regulatory compliance, on or off-site contamination, natural resource damage, the discovery of previously unknown environmental liabilities, the imposition of criminal or civil fines or penalties and/or other sanctions, or the obligation to undertake investigation, remediation or monitoring activities could result in potentially significant costs and expenditures to address contamination or resolve claims or liabilities. Such costs and expenditures could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Under certain circumstances, violation of such EHS laws and regulations could result in us being disqualified from eligibility to receive federal government contracts or subcontracts under the federal government’s debarment and suspension system.
We also are subject to laws and regulations that impose liability and cleanup responsibility for releases of hazardous substances into the environment. Under certain of these laws and regulations, such liabilities can be imposed for cleanup of currently and formerly owned, leased or operated properties, or properties to which hazardous substances or wastes were sent by current or former operators at our current or former facilities, regardless of whether we directly caused the contamination or violated any law at the time of discharge or disposal. Several of our facilities have a history of industrial operations, and contaminants have been detected at some of our facilities. The presence of contamination from hazardous substances or wastes could interfere with ongoing operations or adversely affect our ability to sell, lease or use our properties as collateral for financing. We also could be held liable under third-party claims for property damage, natural resource damage or personal injury and for penalties and other damages under such environmental laws and regulations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. During 2023, we did not incur significant remediation costs or penalties related to environmental matters.
Our ability to comply with regulatory requirements and potential environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) regulations and trends is critical to our future success, and there can be no guarantee that our businesses are in full compliance with all such requirements.
As a manufacturer and distributor of wind and other energy industry products we are subject to the requirements of federal, state, local and foreign regulatory authorities. In addition, we are subject to a number of authorities setting industry standards, such as the American Gear Manufacturers Association and the American Welding Society. Changes in the standards and requirements imposed by such authorities could have a material adverse effect on us. In the event we are unable to meet any such standards when adopted, our businesses could be adversely affected. We may not be able to obtain all regulatory approvals, licenses and permits that may be required in the future, or any necessary modifications to existing regulatory approvals, licenses and permits, or maintain all required regulatory approvals, licenses and permits. There can be no guarantee that our businesses are fully compliant with such standards and requirements.
Additionally, other ESG-related laws, regulations, treaties, and similar initiatives and programs are being proposed, adopted and implemented throughout the world. If we were to violate or become liable under environmental or certain ESG-related laws or if our products become non-compliant with such laws or market access requirements, our customers may refuse to purchase our products, and we could incur costs or face other sanctions, such as restrictions on our products entering certain jurisdictions, fines, and/or civil or criminal sanctions. In addition to potential implementation of ESG laws, investor advocacy groups, certain institutional investors, investment funds, other market participants, political figures, stockholders, and customers have focused increasingly on the ESG practices of companies, including those associated with climate change. If our ESG practices do not meet investor or other industry stakeholder expectations and standards, which continue to evolve, our brand, reputation and employee retention may be negatively impacted based on an assessment of our ESG practices.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
Risk Management and Strategy
We rely on information systems to obtain, rapidly process, analyze, and manage data in order to effectively operate our business. We are committed to protecting our business information, intellectual property, customer, supplier and employee data and information systems from cybersecurity risks and maintain an active cybersecurity risk management program.
We maintain enterprise-wide information security policies, processes and standards that set the requirements around acceptable use of information systems and data, risk assessment and management, identity and access management, data security, security operations, security incident response and threat and vulnerability management. We work to align to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-171 Cybersecurity Framework, as its program controls are designed to protect and maintain confidentiality, integrity, and continued availability of our data and information systems. Our team of information system professionals and third-party providers monitors our information systems for cybersecurity threats, breaches, intrusions and other weaknesses, responds to cybersecurity incidents, develops and implements plans to mitigate cybersecurity threats and facilitates training for our employees.
We also engage consultants and other third-party advisors to conduct independent assessments of our cybersecurity readiness and control effectiveness. In collaboration with our third-party providers, we seek to gain insights into emerging threats and vulnerabilities, industry trends, and leading practices to inform our cybersecurity response.
Governance
Management plays a critical role in assessing and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats. Our Director of Information Technology leads an internal team and works directly with our third-party information security professionals to manage our cybersecurity risk management program and activities. This includes monitoring our information systems for cybersecurity threats, reviewing cybersecurity incidents, analyzing emerging threats, and the development and implementation of risk mitigation strategies.
Our Director of Information Technology reports directly to our executive leadership team on cybersecurity matters, providing the leadership team with updates on enterprise risks, cybersecurity incidents, the status of ongoing initiatives, key metrics, and additional cybersecurity topics. Our information technology team, led by the Director of Information Technology, meets regularly to discuss the progress of ongoing program initiatives, cybersecurity priorities, identified risks and metrics.
The Board of Directors exercises direct oversight of strategic risks to the Company. The Board has delegated the responsibility for cybersecurity oversight to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include reviewing and discussing with management the strategies, process and controls pertaining to the management of information technology operations, including cybersecurity risks and information security. The Director of Information Technology reports to the Audit Committee annually and more frequently, as needed, on cybersecurity matters, including the cybersecurity threat landscape, key metrics demonstrating the overall management of our cybersecurity risk and risk management program, related key initiatives, enterprise program framework alignment, annual risk mitigation strategy, and review of cybersecurity incidents. Our Board is committed to maintaining a well-informed and cybersecurity-aware posture, regularly engaging through regular and requested updates on our strategy and evolving threat landscape.
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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our corporate headquarters is located in Cicero, Illinois, a suburb located west of Chicago, Illinois. In addition, the Subsidiaries own or lease operating facilities, which are presented by operating segment as follows (information below is as of December 31, 2023).
Owned / Approximate
Operating Segment and Facility Type Location Leased Square Footage
Heavy Fabrications (1)
Tower Manufacturing Manitowoc, WI Leased 194,000
Tower Manufacturing Abilene, TX Owned 175,000
Industrial Fabrications Manufacturing Manitowoc, WI Leased 84,000
Gearing and Corporate
Industrial Solutions
Industrial Solutions Manufacturing Sanford, NC Leased 105,000
We consider our active facilities to be in good condition and adequate for our present and future needs.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are party to a variety of legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of our business. While the results of these legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes that the final outcome of these proceedings will not have a material adverse effect, individually or in the aggregate, on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. Due to the inherent uncertainty of litigation, there can be no assurance that the resolution of any particular claim or proceeding would not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. It is possible that if one or more of such matters were decided against us, the effects could be material to our results of operations in the period in which we would be required to record or adjust the related liability and could also be material to our financial condition and cash flows in the period in which we would be required to pay such liability.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not Applicable.
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PART II
(Dollar amounts are presented in thousands, except per share data and unless otherwise stated)
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market (“NASDAQ”) under the symbol “BWEN.” The following table sets forth the high and low bid prices of our common stock traded on the NASDAQ.
Common Stock
High Low
Common Stock
High Low
The closing price for our common stock as of February 29, 2024 was $2.48. As of February 29, 2024, there were 50 holders of record of our common stock.
Dividends
We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock and have no current plan to do so in the foreseeable future. The declaration and payment of dividends on our common stock are subject to the discretion of our Board and are further limited by our credit agreement and other contractual agreements we may have in place from time to time. The decision of our Board to pay future dividends will depend on general business conditions, the effect of a dividend payment on our financial condition, and other factors our Board may consider relevant. The current policy of our Board is to reinvest cash generated in our operations to promote future growth and to fund potential investments.
Repurchases
There were no repurchases of our equity securities made during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
There were no unregistered sales of equity securities for the years ended December 31, 2023 or 2022.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
See Part III, Item 12 “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information as of December 31, 2023 with respect to shares of our common stock that may be issued under our existing share-based compensation plans.
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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
[RESERVED]
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
As used in this Annual Report, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “Broadwind,” and the “Company” refer to Broadwind, Inc., a Delaware corporation headquartered in Cicero, Illinois, and its Subsidiaries.
(Dollar amounts are presented in thousands, except per share data and unless otherwise stated)
We booked $101,060 in net new orders in 2023, down from $368,027 in 2022. Heavy Fabrications orders decreased by 83% from the prior year primarily due to the timing of tower orders as a major wind tower customer secured relatively longer-term capacity during the fourth quarter of 2022 instead of ordering in more regular intervals consistent with how orders are typically placed. Partially offsetting this decrease in wind tower orders was a 14% increase in industrial fabrication product line orders primarily due to improved demand for our Pressure Reducing Systems (“PRS”) units. Gearing segment orders decreased 54% from the prior year primarily due to reduced demand from O&G and mining customers. Industrial Solutions segment orders increased by 26% in 2023 from the prior year primarily due to an increase in orders associated with new gas turbine and aftermarket projects.
We recognized revenue of $203,477 in 2023, up 15% from revenue of $176,759 in 2022. Heavy Fabrications segment revenues increased by 14% primarily due to a 18% increase in wind tower revenue as a resultof a 30 section increase in tower sections sold,less customer supplied materials in the current year and increased steel content, which is generally a pass-through to customers. Additionally, industrial fabrication product line revenues increased primarily due to higher shipments of our PRS units in the current year. Gearing segment revenue increased 7% relative to 2022 primarily due to higher shipments for industrial and steel customers, partially offset by a decrease in revenue from mining and O&G customers. Industrial Solutions segment revenue increased 41% from the prior year primarily due to increased demand for new and aftermarket gas turbine content, and increased revenue from international customers.
We reported net income of $7,649, or $0.36 per share in 2023, compared to a net loss of $9,730 or $0.48 per share in 2022 primarily due to higher sales and $14,493 of gross AMP credits (discussed below) recognized in the current year.
In January 2023, we announced that we had entered into a supply agreement for wind tower purchases valued at approximately $175 million with a leading global wind turbine manufacturer. Under the terms of the supply agreement, order fulfillment is to occur beginning in 2023 through year-end 2024. In early November 2023, the parties discussed their joint intent to shift approximately half of the contracted tower section orders initially planned for 2024 into 2025, while maintaining the total number of tower sections stipulated under the supply agreement.
During 2023, we recognized gross AMP credits totaling $14,493, within the Heavy Fabrications segment. These AMP credits were introduced as part of the IRA, which was enacted on August 16, 2022. The IRA includes advanced manufacturing tax credits for manufacturers of eligible components, including wind and solar components. Manufacturers of wind components qualify for the AMP credits based on the total rated capacity, expressed on a per watt basis, of the completed wind turbine for which such component is designed. The credit applies to each component produced and sold in the U.S. beginning in 2023 through 2032. Wind towers within the Company’s Heavy Fabrications segment are eligible for credits of $0.03 per watt for each wind tower produced. In calculating the eligible credit, we relied on the megawatt rating provided by the customer. Manufacturers who qualify for the AMP credits can apply to the Internal Revenue Service for cash refunds of the AMP credits or sell the AMP credits to third parties for cash, or apply the AMP credits against taxable income. We recognized the AMP credits as a reduction to cost of sales in our consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023. The assets related to the AMP credits are recognized as current assets in the “AMP credit receivable” line item in our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023.
On December 21, 2023, we entered into an agreement to sell 2023 and 2024 AMP credits to a third party. At that time, we sold a portion of the gross 2023 credits in the amount of $6,952 and recognized a 6.5% discount on the sale in the amount of $452 which was recognized in cost of sales. In addition, we wrote down the remaining receivable of $7,541 to net realizable value and recorded the expected loss on sale of $490 in cost of sales. The remaining 2023 AMP credit receivable was collected during the first quarter of 2024. We also incurred other miscellaneous administrative costs related to selling the credits in the amount of $254, $197 of which has been recorded as cost of sales, with the remaining capitalized and included in the “Prepaid expenses and other current assets” line item of our consolidated financial statements at December 31, 2023.
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We use our credit facility to fund working capital requirements and believe that our credit facility, together with the operating cash generated by our businesses, and any potential proceeds from access to the public or private debt or equity markets, are sufficient to meet all cash obligations over the next twelve months. On December 31, 2023, we had $4,657 outstanding under our senior secured revolving credit facility, $6,135 outstanding under our senior secured term loan, $1,099 of cash on hand, with the ability to borrow an additional $21,714. For a further discussion of our capital resources and liquidity, including a description of recent amendments and waivers under our credit facility, please see the discussion under “Liquidity, Financial Position and Capital Resources” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
KEY METRICS USED BY MANAGEMENT TO MEASURE PERFORMANCE
In addition to measures of financial performance presented in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), we use certain other financial measures to analyze our performance. These non-GAAP financial measures primarily consist of adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, share-based compensation, and other stock payments, restructuring costs, impairment charges, proxy contest-related expenses, and other non-cash gains and losses) and free cash flow which help us evaluate growth trends, establish budgets, assess operational efficiencies, oversee our overall liquidity, and evaluate our overall financial performance.
Key Financial Measures
Year Ended
December 31,
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The following table reconciles our non-GAAP key financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure:
Year Ended
December 31,
Net income (loss) from continuing operations $ 7,649 $ (9,730 )
Income tax provision 241 35
Depreciation and amortization 6,383 6,060
Share-based compensation and other stock payments 2,220 2,861
Proxy contest-related expenses 1,780 —
Changes in operating working capital (18,933 ) 18,160
Proceeds from disposal of property and equipment 21 —
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022
The summary of selected financial data table below should be referenced in connection with a review of the following discussion of our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022.
% of Total % of Total
2023 Revenue 2022 Revenue $ Change % Change
Operating expenses
Other expense, net
Consolidated
Revenues increased by $26,718 during the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily due to a 14% increase in Heavy Fabrications segment revenues. Wind tower revenue increased 18% from the prior year primarily as a resultof a 30 section increase in tower sections sold, less customer supplied materials in the current year and increased steel content, which is generally a pass-through to customers. Additionally, industrial fabrication product line revenues increased primarily due to higher shipments of our PRS units in the current year. Gearing segment revenue increased 7% relative to 2022 primarily due to higher shipments for industrial and steel customers, partially offset by a decrease in revenue from mining and O&G customers. Industrial Solutions segment revenue increased 41% from the prior year primarily due to increased demand for new and aftermarket gas turbine content, in addition to increased revenue recognized from international customers.
Gross profit improved by $21,798 during the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily due to the higher sales volumes within all segments and $14,493 recognized from the AMP credits. As a result, our gross margin increased from 6.1% for the year ended December 31, 2022, to 16.0% for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Operating expenses as a percentage of sales increased to 10.5% in 2023 from 9.8% in 2022 primarily due to proxy-contest related expenses, higher medical costs, and increased incentive compensation.
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Net income increased from a net loss of $9,730 for the year ended December 31, 2022 to net income of $7,649 for the year ended December 31, 2023.The increase in net income was primarily due to the factors described above.
Heavy Fabrications Segment
The following table summarizes the Heavy Fabrications segment operating results for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:
Year Ended
December 31,
Operating margin 11.3 % (0.9 )%
Heavy Fabrications orders decreased by 83% versus the prior year primarily due to the timing of tower orders as a major wind tower customer secured relatively longer-term capacity during the fourth quarter of 2022 instead of ordering in more regular intervals consistent with how orders are typically placed. Partially offsetting this decrease in wind tower orders was a 14% increase in industrial fabrication product line orders primarily due to improved demand for our PRS units. Segment revenues increased by 14% primarily due to a 18% increase in wind tower revenue primarily as a resultof a 30 section increase in tower sections sold, less customer supplied materials in the current year and increased steel content, which is generally a pass-through to customers. Additionally, industrial fabrication product line revenues increased primarily due to higher shipments of our PRS units in the current year.
Heavy Fabrications segment operating results improved by $16,050 as compared to the prior year. The improvement in operating performance was primarily a result of reduced wind tower costs as a result of the AMP credits recognized of $14,493 in the current year. Operating profit margin was 11.3% during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to (0.9%) during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Gearing Segment
The following table summarizes the Gearing segment operating results for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:
Year Ended
December 31,
Operating margin 4.1 % 0.1 %
Gearing segment orders for the year ended December 31, 2023 decreased 54% compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to reduced demand from O&G and mining customers. Revenues increased 7% during the year ended December 31, 2023 from the prior year primarily due to higher shipments of industrial and steel customers, partially offset by a decrease in revenue from mining and O&G customers.
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The Gearing segment's operating income improved by $1,803during the year ended December 31, 2023 from the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to higher sales, improved operational efficiencies,a more profitable product mix sold, and the absence of ramp-up costs incurred in the prior year. Operating margin was4.1% for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 0.1% during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Industrial Solutions Segment
The following table summarizes the Industrial Solutions segment operating results for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Year Ended
December 31,
Operating margin 12.6 % 0.7 %
Industrial Solutions segment orders increased by 26% for the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily due to an increase in orders associated with new gas turbine and aftermarket projects. Segment revenue increased 41% from the prior year primarily due to increased demand for new and aftermarket gas turbine content, in addition to revenue recognized from international customers. The improvement in operating income during the year ended December 31, 2023 was a result of higher sales and a more profitable mix of product sold. The operating margin improved from 0.7% during the year ended December 31, 2022, to 12.6% during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Corporate and Other
Corporate and Other expenses increased by $3,162 during the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily due to higher medical costs, increased incentive compensation, and increased professional fees associated with the contested proxy election.
SUMMARY OF CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
The methods, estimates and judgments that we use in applying our critical accounting policies have a significant impact on the results that we report in our financial statements. Some of our accounting policies require us to make difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates regarding matters that are inherently uncertain.
We have identified the accounting policies listed below to be critical to obtain an understanding of our consolidated financial statements. This section should also be read in conjunction with Note 1, “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of these and other significant accounting policies.
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Revenue Recognition
We recognize revenue when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. Customer deposits and other receipts are deferred and recognized when the revenue is realized and earned. Cash payments to customers, like those made for liquidated damages, are presumed to be classified as reductions of revenue in our statement of operations.
In many instances within our Heavy Fabrications segment, wind towers as well as certain 2023 sales within our Gearing segment, are sold under terms included in bill and hold sales arrangements that result in different timing for revenue recognition versus shipment, due to our customers’ preference to ship products in batches to support efficient construction of wind farms. We recognize revenue under these arrangements when there is a substantive reason for the arrangement (i.e., the buyer requests the arrangement), the ordered goods are segregated from inventory and not available to fill other orders, the goods are currently ready for physical transfer to the customer, and we do not have the ability to use the product or to direct it to another customer. Assuming these required revenue recognition criteria are met, revenue is recognized upon completion of product manufacture and customer acceptance.
During 2023 and 2022, we also recognized revenue over time, versus point in time, when products in the Heavy Fabrications segments had no alternative use to us and we had an enforceable right to payment, including profit, upon termination of the contract by the customer. Since the projects are labor intensive, we use labor hours as the input measure of progress for the contract. Contract assets are recorded when performance obligations are satisfied but we are not yet entitled to payment. We recognize contract assets associated with this revenue which represents our rights to consideration for work completed but not billed at the end of the period.
Warranty Liability
We provide warranty terms that generally range from one to five years for various products relating to workmanship and materials supplied by us. In certain contracts, we have recourse provisions for items that would enable us to seek recovery from third parties for amounts paid to customers under warranty provisions. We estimate the warranty accrual based on various factors, including historical warranty costs, current trends, product mix and sales.
Inventories
Inventories consist of raw materials, work-in-process and finished goods. Raw materials consist of components and parts for general production use. Work-in-process consists of labor and overhead, processing costs, purchased subcomponents, and materials purchased for specific customer orders. Finished goods consist of components purchased from third parties as well as components manufactured by us.
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Where necessary, we have recorded a reserve for the excess of cost over net realizable value in our inventory allowance. Net realizable value of inventory, and management’s judgment concerning the need for reserves, encompasses consideration of many business factors including physical condition, inventory holding period, contract terms and usefulness. Inventories are valued based either on actual cost or using a first-in, first out method.
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Long-Lived Assets
We review property and equipment and other long-lived assets (“long-lived assets”) for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Due to triggering events identified within our segments at various times in the past, we continue to evaluate the recoverability of certain of the long-lived assets. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we did not identify any triggering events within our segments and no impairment expense was recorded.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes based upon an asset and liability approach. Deferred tax assets and liabilities represent the future tax consequences of the differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities versus the tax basis of assets and liabilities. Under this method, deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary differences, and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The impact of tax rate changes on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the year that the change is enacted.
In connection with the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our income tax liability for each of the tax jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves estimating our actual current income tax expense and assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of certain income or expense items for income tax reporting and financial reporting purposes. We also recognize the expected future income tax benefits of NOL carryforwards as deferred income tax assets. In evaluating the realizability of deferred income tax assets associated with NOL carryforwards, we consider, among other things, expected future taxable income, the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary reporting differences, and the expected impact of tax planning strategies that may be implemented to prevent the potential loss of future income tax benefits. Changes in, among other things, income tax legislation, statutory income tax rates or future taxable income levels could materially impact our valuation of income tax assets and liabilities and could cause our income tax provision to vary significantly among financial reporting periods.
We also account for the uncertainty in income taxes related to the recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in an income tax return. We follow the applicable pronouncement guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure, and transition related to the uncertainty in these income tax positions.
27
LIQUIDITY, FINANCIAL POSITION AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
On August 4, 2022, we entered into a credit agreement (as amended, the “2022 Credit Agreement”) with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as lender (“Wells Fargo”), providing the Company and its subsidiaries with a $35,000 senior secured revolving credit facility (which may be further increased by up to an additional $10,000 upon the request of the Company and at the sole discretion of Wells Fargo) and a $7,578 senior secured term loan (collectively, as amended, the “2022 Credit Facility”). The proceeds of the 2022 Credit Facility are available for general corporate purposes, including strategic growth opportunities. As of December 31, 2023, cash totaled $1,099, a decrease of $11,633from December 31, 2022. Debt and finance lease obligations at December 31, 2023 totaled $17,678, and we had the ability to borrow up to $21,714 under the 2022 Credit Facility.
In addition to the 2022 Credit Facility, we also utilize supply chain financing arrangements as a component of our funding for working capital, which accelerates receivable collections and helps to better manage cash flow. Under these agreements, we have agreed to sell certain of our accounts receivable balances to banking institutions who have agreed to advance amounts equal to the net accounts receivable balances due, less a discount as set forth in the respective agreements. The balances under these agreements are accounted for as sales of accounts receivable, as they are sold without recourse. Cash proceeds from these agreements are reflected as operating activities included in the change in accounts receivable in the consolidated statements of cash flows. Fees incurred in connection with the agreements are recorded as interest expense.
On September 22, 2023, we filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3, which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on October 12, 2023 (the “Form S-3”) and which will expire on October 12, 2026, replacing a prior shelf registration statement which expired on October 12, 2023. This shelf registration statement, which includes a base prospectus, allows us to offer any combination of securities described in the prospectus in one or more offerings. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement accompanying the base prospectus, we would use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered pursuant to the shelf registration statement for general corporate purposes.
On September 12, 2022, we entered into a Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with Roth Capital Partners, LLC and HC Wainwright & Co., LLC (collectively, the “Agents”). Pursuant to the terms of the Sales Agreement, we may sell from time to time through the Agents shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share with an aggregate sales price of up to $12,000. We will pay a commission to the Agents of 2.75% of the gross proceeds of the sale of the shares sold under the Sales Agreement and reimburse the Agents for the expenses incident to the performance of their obligations under the Sales Agreement. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we issued 100,379 shares of our common stock under the Sales Agreement and the net proceeds (before upfront costs) to us from the sale of our common stock were approximately $323 after deducting commissions paid of approximately $9 and before deducting other expenses of $93. No shares of our common stock were issued under the Sales Agreement during the year ended December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, shares of our common stock having a value of approximately $11,667 remained available for issuance under the Sales Agreement. Any additional shares offered and sold under the Sales Agreement are to be issued pursuant to the Form S-3 and a 424(b) prospectus supplement.
We anticipate that we will be able to satisfy the cash requirements associated with, among other things, working capital needs, capital expenditures and lease commitments through at least the next twelve months primarily through cash generated from operations, available cash balances, our Credit Facility, sales of shares under the Sales Agreement, additional equipment financing, and access to the public or private debt and/or equity markets, including the option to raise additional capital from the sale of our securities under the Form S-3, and proceeds from sales of AMP credits.
Other
We have outstanding notes payable for capital expenditures in the amount of $1,361 and $1,094 as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, with $163 and $88 included in the “Line of credit and current maturities of long-term debt” line item of our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The notes payable have monthly payments that range from $3 to $15 and an interest rate of6%. The equipment purchased is utilized as collateral for the notes payable. The outstanding notes payable have maturity dates in September 2028.
Sources and Uses of Cash
The following table summarizes our cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:
Year Ended
December 31,
Total cash (used in) provided by :
Net (decrease) increase in cash $ (11,633 ) $ 11,880
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Operating Cash Flows
During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash used in operating activities was $6,946 compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $16,643 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease in net cash provided by operating activities was primarily attributable to the new AMP credit receivable and a decrease in customer deposits in 2023, versus an increase in the prior year. Partially offsetting this was a decrease in inventory during 2023 as compared to an increase in the prior year.
Investing Cash Flows
During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash used in investing activities was $6,384 compared to net cash used in investing activities of $3,098 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily due to an increase in net purchases of property and equipment.
Financing Cash Flows
During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash provided by financing activities totaled $1,697 compared to net cash used in financing activities of $1,665 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily due to increased net borrowings under the 2022 Credit Facility in the current year period.
Contractual Obligations
We enter into a variety of contractual obligations as part of our normal operations in addition to capital expenditures. As of December 31, 2023, we have (i) debt obligations related to our Credit Facility and other notes payable as described in Note 10, “Debt and Credit Agreements” of our consolidated financial statements (ii) cash payments for operating and finance lease obligations that are described in Note 11, “Leases” of our consolidated financial statements and (iii) purchase obligations made in the normal course of business. We expect to fund these cash requirements primarily through cash generated from operations, available cash balances, our 2022 Credit Facility, sales of shares under the Sales Agreement, additional equipment financing, proceeds from sales of AMP credits, and access to the public or private debt and/or equity markets, including the option to raise additional capital from the sale of our securities under a “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and as such are not required to provide information under this item.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The financial information required by Item 8 is contained in Part IV, Item 15 “EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES” of this Annual Report.
29
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We seek to maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. This information is also accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management, under the supervision and with the participation of our CEO and CFO, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the most recent fiscal year reported on herein. Based on that evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2023.
(b) Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
(c) Report of Management on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management, including our CEO and CFO, is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act).
Our management, including our CEO and CFO, assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. Management based this assessment on criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in “Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013)” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment, management determined that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2023.
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Rule 10b5-1 Trading Arrangements
None of our directors or executive officers adopted or terminated a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement or a non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement (as defined in Item 408(c) of Regulation S-K) during the fourth quarter of 2023.
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
None.
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PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
With the exception of the description of our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct below, the information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference from the discussion under the headings “Directors and Director Compensation,” “Corporate Governance,” and “Executive Officers” in our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed in connection with our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2024 Proxy Statement”).
Code of Ethics and Business Conduct
We have adopted a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct (the “Code”) that applies to all of our directors, executive officers and senior financial officers (including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, controller, and any person performing similar functions). The Code is available on our website at www.bwen.com under the caption “Investors” and is available in print, free of charge, to any stockholder who sends a request for a paper copy to Broadwind, Inc., Attn: Investor Relations, 3240 South Central Avenue, Cicero, IL 60804. We intend to include on our website any amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of the Code that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions, that relates to any element of the code of ethics definition enumerated in Item 406(b) of Regulation S-K.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Information regarding director and executive compensation is incorporated by reference from the discussion under the headings “Directors and Director Compensation,” “Executive Officers” and “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” in the 2024 Proxy Statement.
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Certain of the information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference from the discussion under the heading “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Holders and Management” in the 2024 Proxy Statement.
31
The following table provides information as of December 31, 2023, with respect to shares of our common stock that may be issued under our existing equity compensation plans:
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
(a) (b) (c)
Number of securities
remaining available for
Number of securities future issuances under
to be issued upon Weighted‐average equity compensation
exercise of exercise price of plans (excluding
outstanding options, outstanding options, securities reflected in
Plan Category warrants, and rights warrants, and rights column (a))
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference from the discussion under the headings “Certain Transactions and Business Relationships” and “Corporate Governance” in the 2024 Proxy Statement.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference from the discussion under the heading “Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in the 2024 Proxy Statement.
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PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
1. Financial Statements
The financial statements listed on the Index to Financial Statements (page 34) are filed as part of this Annual Report.
2. Financial Statement Schedules
These schedules have been omitted because the required information is included in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto or because they are not applicable or not required.
3. Exhibits
The exhibits listed on the Index to Exhibits are filed as part of this Annual Report.
ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None.
33
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 49) 35
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 37
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 41
34
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Broadwind, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Broadwind, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements (collectively, the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical AuditMatter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
35
Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credits
As described in Note 7 of the financial statements, in 2023, the Company recognized gross Advanced Manufacturing Production tax credits (AMP Credits) totaling $14,493, within the Heavy Fabrications segment. These AMP Credits were introduced as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which was enacted on August 16, 2022. Eligible manufacturers of wind components qualify for the AMP Credits based on the total rated capacity, expressed on a per watt basis, of the completed wind turbine for which such component is designed. The credit applies to each component produced and sold in the U.S. beginning in 2023 through 2032. Wind towers within the Company’s Heavy Fabrications segment are eligible for credits of $0.03 per watt for each wind tower produced. In calculating the eligible credit, the Company relied on the megawatt rating provided by the customer. Manufacturers who qualify for the AMP Credits can apply to the Internal Revenue Service for cash refunds of the AMP Credits, sell the AMP Credits to third parties for cash, or apply the AMP Credits against taxable income. The Company recognized the AMP Credits as a reduction to cost of sales in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023. The assets related to the AMP credits are recognized as current assets in the “AMP credit receivable” line item in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023.
On December 21, 2023, the Company entered into an agreement to sell 2023 and 2024 AMP Credits to a third party. At that time, the Company sold a portion of the gross 2023 credits in the amount of $6,952 and recognized a 6.5% discount on the sale in the amount of $452, which was recognized in cost of sales. In addition, the Company wrote down the remaining receivable of $7,541 to net realizable value and recorded the expected loss on sale of $490 in cost of sales. The remaining 2023 AMP credit receivable was collected during the first quarter of 2024. The Company also incurred other miscellaneous administrative costs related to selling the credits in the amount of $254, $197 of which has been recorded as cost of sales, with the remaining capitalized and included in the “Prepaid expenses and other current assets” line item of the Company's consolidated financial statements at December 31, 2023.
The evaluation of the initial accounting, and subsequent sale of the AMP Credits involves judgement as there is no direct authoritative guidance under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (US GAAP). Additionally, current IRS and Department of the Treasury regulations are in the proposed stages.
Changes in IRS and Department of the Treasury, or US GAAP guidance could have a significant impact on the accounting and presentation of AMP Credits in future periods.
We identified accounting for the AMP Credits as a critical audit matter because of the high degree of judgement and subjectivity involved in auditing management’s assertions related to the initial accounting for the AMP Credits, the subsequent sale of the AMP Credits, and the presentation and disclosure of the transactions related to the AMP Credits in the consolidated financial statements.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
The audit procedures performed related to the evaluation of Company management’s assertions regarding the initial accounting for the AMP Credits, the subsequent sale of the AMP Credits, and the presentation and disclosure the AMP Credits, included the following, among others:
/S/ RSM US LLP
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2016.
Chicago, Illinois
March 5, 2024
36
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share data)
As of December 31,
ASSETS
CURRENT ASSETS:
AMP credit receivable 7,051 —
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 3,500 3,291
LONG-TERM ASSETS:
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Line of credit and current maturities of long-term debt $ 5,903 $ 1,170
Current portion of finance lease obligations 2,153 2,008
Current portion of operating lease obligations 1,851 1,882
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:
Long-term debt, net of current maturities 6,250 7,141
Long-term finance lease obligations, net of current portion 3,372 4,226
Long-term operating lease obligations, net of current portion 15,888 16,696
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY $ 135,156 $ 144,540
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
37
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except per share data)
For the Years Ended December 31,
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Intangible amortization 664 725
OTHER EXPENSE, net:
Total other expense, net (3,249 ) (3,088 )
Net income (loss) before provision for income taxes 7,890 (9,695 )
Provision for income taxes 241 35
NET INCOME (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE—BASIC:
Net income (loss) $ 0.36 $ (0.48 )
WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING—BASIC 21,189 20,299
NET INCOME (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE—DILUTED:
Net income (loss) $ 0.36 $ (0.48 )
WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING—DILUTED 21,491 20,299
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
38
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(In thousands, except share data)
Common Stock Treasury Stock
Shares Issued Issued Additional Accumulated
Issued Amount Shares Amount Paid-in Capital Deficit Total
Stock issued for restricted stock 818,956 — — — — — —
Share-based compensation — — — — 944 — 944
Share-based compensation — — — — 877 — 877
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
39
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Adjustments to reconcile net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization expense 6,383 6,060
Deferred income taxes (10 ) (13 )
Change in fair value of interest rate swap agreements — (27 )
Stock-based compensation 877 944
Allowance for doubtful accounts 82 (30 )
Common stock issued under defined contribution 401(k) plan 1,336 1,244
Loss on disposal of assets 42 3
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
AMP credit receivable (7,051 ) —
Employee retention credit receivable — 497
Prepaid expenses and other current assets (210 ) (629 )
Other non-current assets and liabilities 175 135
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (6,946 ) 16,643
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchases of property and equipment (6,405 ) (3,098 )
Proceeds from disposals of property and equipment 21 —
Net cash used in investing activities (6,384 ) (3,098 )
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from (payments on) line of credit, net 4,705 (6,368 )
Payments for deferred financing costs (48 ) (452 )
Payments on long-term debt (1,872 ) (863 )
Principal payments on finance leases (1,409 ) (1,776 )
Proceeds from sale of common stock, net — 230
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 1,697 (1,665 )
Supplemental cash flow information:
Income taxes paid $ 17 $ 23
Non-cash investing and financing activities:
Equipment additions via finance lease $ 719 $ 3,882
Non-cash purchases of property and equipment $ 482 $ 134
Settlement of incentive compensation liability with stock $ 619 —
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
40
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023 and 2022
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Description of Business
Broadwind, Inc. (the “Company”) is a precision manufacturer of structures, equipment and components for clean tech and other specialized applications. The Company provides technologically advanced high value products to customers with complex systems and stringent quality standards that operate in energy, mining and infrastructure sectors, primarily in the United States of America (the “U.S.”). The Company’s most significant presence is within the U.S. wind energy industry, although the Company has increasingly diversified into other industrial markets. Within the U.S. wind energy industry, the Company provides products primarily to turbine manufacturers. The Company also provides precision gearing and heavy fabrications to a broad range of industrial customers for oil and gas (“O&G”), mining, steel and other industrial applications, in addition to supplying components for natural gas turbines. The Company has three reportable operating segments: Heavy Fabrications, Gearing, and Industrial Solutions.
Heavy Fabrications
The Company provides large, complex and precision fabrications to customers in a broad range of industrial markets. The Company’s most significant presence is within the U.S. wind energy industry, although it has diversified into other industrial markets in order to improve capacity utilization, reduce customer concentrations, and reduce exposure to uncertainty related to governmental policies currently impacting the U.S. wind energy industry. Within the U.S. wind energy industry, the Company provides steel towers and adapters primarily to wind turbine manufacturers. Production facilities, located in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and Abilene, Texas, are situated in close proximity to the primary U.S. domestic wind energy and equipment manufacturing hubs. The two facilities have a combined annual tower production capacity of up to approximately 550 towers (1650 tower sections), sufficient to support turbines generating more than 1,100 MW of power. The Company has expanded its production capabilities and leveraged manufacturing competencies, including welding, lifting capacity and stringent quality practices, into aftermarket and original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”) components utilized in surface and underground mining, construction, material handling, O&G and other infrastructure markets. The Company has designed and manufactures a mobile, modular pressure reducing system for the compressed natural gas virtual pipeline market. The Company manufactures components for buckets, shovels, car bodies, drill masts and other products that support mining and construction markets. In other industrial markets, the Company provides crane components, pressure vessels, frames and other structures.
41
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
December 31, 2023 and 2022
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
Gearing
The Company provides gearing, gearboxes and precision machined components to a broad set of customers in diverse markets including; surface and underground mining, wind energy, steel, material handling, infrastructure, onshore and offshore O&G fracking and drilling, marine, and other industrial markets. The Company has manufactured loose gearing, gearboxes and systems, and provided heat treat services for aftermarket and OEM applications for a century. The Company uses an integrated manufacturing process, which includes machining and finishing processes in addition to gearbox repair in Cicero, Illinois, and heat treatment and gearbox repair in Neville Island, Pennsylvania.
Industrial Solutions
The Company provides supply chain solutions, light fabrication, inventory management, kitting and assembly services, primarily serving the combined cycle natural gas turbine market. The Company has recently expanded into the U.S. wind power generation market, by providing tower internals kitting solutions for on-site installations, as OEMs domesticate their supply chain due to lead time and reliability issues. The Company leverages a global supply chain to provide instrumentation & controls, valve assemblies, sensor devices, fuel system components, electrical junction boxes & wiring, energy storage services and electromechanical devices. The Company also provides packaging solutions and fabricates panels and sub-assemblies to reduce customers’ costs, improve manufacturing velocity and reliability.
Liquidity
The Company meets its short term liquidity needs through cash generated from operations, its available cash balances, through its 2022 Credit Facility (as defined and further discussed in Note 10 “Debt and Credit Agreements” of these consolidated financial statements), equipment financing, access to the public and private debt and/or equity markets, and has the option to raise capital under the Company’s registration statement on Form S-3 (as discussed below), and proceeds from sales of Advanced Manufacturing Production tax credits (“AMP credits”) (discussed in Note 7 “AMP Credits” of these consolidated financial statements). The Company uses the 2022 Credit Facility to fund working capital requirements. Under the 2022 Credit Facility, borrowings are continuous and all cash receipts are usually applied to the outstanding borrowed balance. As of December 31, 2023, cash totaled $1,099, a decrease of $11,633 from December 31, 2022. The Company had the ability to borrow up to $21,714 under the 2022 Credit Facility as of December 31, 2023.
The Company also utilizes supply chain financing arrangements as a component of its funding for working capital, which accelerates receivable collections and helps to better manage cash flow. Under these agreements, the Company has agreed to sell certain of its accounts receivable balances to banking institutions who have agreed to advance amounts equal to the net accounts receivable balances due, less a discount as set forth in the respective agreements. The balances under these agreements are accounted for as sales of accounts receivable, as they are sold without recourse. Cash proceeds from these agreements are reflected as operating activities included in the change in accounts receivable in the Company's consolidated statements of cash flows. Fees incurred in connection with the agreements are recorded as interest expense by the Company.
During the years ended December 31,2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company sold account receivables totaling $40,343and $93,245, respectively, related to supply chain financing arrangements, of which customers’ financial institutions applied discount fees totaling $858 and $1,431, respectively.
42
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
December 31, 2023 and 2022
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
Debt and finance lease obligations at December 31, 2023 totaled $17,678, which includes current outstanding debt and finance lease obligations totaling $8,056. The Company's outstanding debt includes $6,135outstanding from the senior secured term loan under the 2022 Credit Facility. The Company had $4,657 drawn on the senior secured revolving credit facility as of December 31, 2023.
On September 22, 2023, the Company filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3, which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on October 12, 2023 (the “Form S-3”), replacing a prior shelf registration statement which expired on October 12, 2023. This shelf registration statement, which includes a base prospectus, allows the Company to offer any combination of securities described in the prospectus in one or more offerings. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement accompanying the base prospectus, the Company would use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered pursuant to the shelf registration statement for general corporate purposes.
On September 12, 2022, the Company entered into a Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with Roth Capital Partners, LLC and HC Wainwright & Co., LLC (collectively, the “Agents”). Pursuant to the terms of the Sales Agreement, the Company may sell from time to time through the Agents shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share with an aggregate sales price of up to $12,000. The Company will pay a commission to the Agents of 2.75% of the gross proceeds of the sale of the shares sold under the Sales Agreement and reimburse the Agents for the expenses incident to the performance of their obligations under the Sales Agreement. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company issued 100,379 shares of the Company’s common stock under the Sales Agreement and the net proceeds (before upfront costs) to the Company from the sale of the Company’s common stock were approximately $323 after deducting commissions paid of approximately $9 and before deducting other expenses of $93. No shares of the Company’s common stock were issued under the Sales Agreement during the year ended December 31,2023. As of December 31,2023, shares of the Company’s common stock having a value of approximately $11,667 remained available for issuance under the Sales Agreement. Any additional shares offered and sold under the Sales Agreement are to be issued pursuant to the Form S-3 and a 424(b) prospectus supplement.
In January 2023, the Company announced that it had entered into a supply agreement for wind tower purchases valued at approximately $175 million with a leading global wind turbine manufacturer. Under the terms of the supply agreement, order fulfillment is to occur beginning in 2023 through year-end 2024. In early November 2023, the parties discussed their joint intent to shift approximately half of the contracted tower section orders initially planned for 2024 into 2025, while maintaining the total number of tower sections stipulated under the supply agreement.
The Company anticipates that current cash resources, amounts available under the 2022 Credit Facility, sales of shares under the Sales Agreement, cash to be generated from operations and equipment financing, any potential proceeds from the sale of further Company securities under the Form S-3, and proceeds from sales of AMP credits will be adequate to meet the Company’s liquidity needs for at least the next twelve months.
Reclassifications
Certain prior year amounts, which are not material, have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation in the consolidated financial statements and the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Management’s Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“GAAP”) requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Significant estimates, among others, include inventory reserves, warranty reserves, impairment of long-lived assets, allowance for doubtful accounts, and valuation allowances on deferred taxes. Although these estimates are based upon management’s best knowledge of current events and actions that the Company may undertake in the future, actual results could differ from these estimates.
43
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
December 31, 2023 and 2022
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
Cash
As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, cash totaled $1,099 and $12,732, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, interest income was $8and $0, respectively.
Revenue Recognition
Revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. Customer deposits, deferred revenue and other receipts are deferred and recognized when the revenue is realized and earned. Cash payments to customers are presumed to be classified as reductions of revenue in the Company’s statement of operations.
For substantially all tower sales within the Company’s Heavy Fabrications segment, as well as certain 2023 sales within our Gearing segment, products are sold under terms included in bill and hold sales arrangements that result in different timing for revenue recognition versus shipment. The Company recognizes revenue under these arrangements only when there is a substantive reason for the agreement, the ordered goods are identified separately as belonging to the customer and not available to fill other orders, the goods are currently ready for physical transfer to the customer, and the Company does not have the ability to use the product or to direct it to another customer. Assuming these required revenue recognition criteria are met, revenue is recognized upon completion of product manufacture and customer acceptance.
During2023 and 2022, the Company also recognized revenue over time, versus point in time, when products in the Heavy Fabrications segments had no alternative use to the Company and the Company had an enforceable right to payment, including profit, upon termination of the contract by the customer. Since the projects are labor intensive, the Company uses labor hours as the input measure of progress for the contract. Contract assets are recorded when performance obligations are satisfied but the Company is not yet entitled to payment. The Company recognizes contract assets associated with this revenue which represents its rights to consideration for work completed but not billed at the end of the period.
Cost of Sales
Cost of sales represents all direct and indirect costs associated with the production of products for sale to customers. These costs include operation, repair and maintenance of equipment, materials, direct and indirect labor and benefit costs, rent and utilities, maintenance, insurance, equipment rentals, freight, and depreciation. AMP credits and related discounts and administrative fees are also recognized in cost of sales. See “AMP Credits” discussion below in this “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” for further details.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses include all corporate and administrative functions such as sales and marketing, legal, human resource management, finance, investor and public relations, information technology and senior management. These functions serve to support the Company’s current and future operations and provide an infrastructure to support future growth. Major expense items in this category include management and staff wages and benefits, share-based compensation and professional services.
44
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
December 31, 2023 and 2022
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
Accounts Receivable (A/R)
The Company generally grants uncollateralized credit to customers on an individual basis based upon the customer’s financial condition and credit history. Credit is typically on net 30 day terms and customer deposits are frequently required at various stages of the production process to finance customized products and minimize credit risk.
Historically, the Company’s A/R is highly concentrated with a select number of customers. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company’s five largest customers accounted for 65% of its consolidated revenues and 27% of outstanding A/R balances, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 when the Company’s five largest customers accounted for 69% of its consolidated revenues and 43% of its outstanding A/R balances.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Beginning January 1, 2023, the Company assessed and recorded an allowance for credit losses using the current expected credit loss (“CECL”) model. The adjustment for credit losses to management’s current estimate is recorded in net income as credit loss expense. All credit losses were on trade receivables and/or contract assets arising from the Company’s contracts with customers.
The Company selected a loss-rate method for the CECL model based on the relationship between historical write-offs of receivables and the underlying sales by major customers. Utilizing this model, a historical loss-rate is applied against the amortized cost of applicable assets, at the time the asset is established. The loss rate reflects the Company’s current estimate of the risk of loss (even when that risk is remote) over the expected remaining contractual life of the assets. The Company’s policy is to deduct write-offs from the allowance for credit losses account in the period in which the financial assets are deemed uncollectible. The adjustment for credit losses using this CECL model on accounts receivable and contract assets during the year ended December 31,2023 was not material.
The allowance for credit losses for prior periods was prepared in accordance with legacy GAAP. Based upon past experience and judgment, the Company established an allowance for doubtful accounts with respect to accounts receivable. The Company’s standard allowance estimation methodology considered a number of factors that, based on its collections experience, the Company believed would have an impact on its credit risk and the collectability of its accounts receivable. These factors included individual customer circumstances, history with the Company, the length of the time period during which the account receivable had been past due and other relevant criteria.
The Company monitors its collections and write-off experience to assess whether or not adjustments to its allowance estimates are necessary. Changes in trends in any of the factors that the Company believes may impact the collectability of its accounts receivable, as noted above, or modifications to its credit standards, collection practices and other related policies may impact the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts and its financial results.
AMP Credits
The Company accounts for government assistance that is not subject to the scope of ASC 740 using a grant accounting model, by analogy to International Accounting Standards 20, Accounting for Government Grants and Disclosure of Government Assistance, and recognizes such grants when it has reasonable assurance that it will comply with the grant’s conditions and that the grant will be received. Income-based grants are initially recognized as “AMP credit receivable” and as a reduction to cost of sales. The Company recognizes grants expected to be received directly from a government entity at their stated value. When the Company expects to transfer grants to a third party, it recognizes the grants at, or adjusts their carrying value to, the amount expected to be received from the transaction. Proceeds received from income-based grants are presented as cash inflows from operating activities.
Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Net realizable value is the value that can be realized upon the sale of the inventory less a reasonable estimate of selling costs. Cost is determined either based on the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method, or on a standard cost basis that approximates the FIFO method. Any excess of cost over net realizable value is included in the Company’s inventory allowance. Net realizable value of inventory, and management’s judgment of the need for reserves, encompasses consideration of other business factors including physical condition, inventory holding period, contract terms and usefulness.
Inventories consist of raw materials, work-in-process and finished goods. Raw materials consist of components and parts for general production use. Work-in-process consists of labor and overhead, processing costs, purchased subcomponents and materials purchased for specific customer orders. Finished goods consist of components purchased from third parties as well as components manufactured by the Company that will be used to produce final customer products.
45
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
December 31, 2023 and 2022
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
Long-Lived Assets
Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment is recognized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets for financial reporting purposes, and generally using an accelerated method for income tax reporting purposes. Depreciation expense related to property and equipment for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $5,719 and $5,335, respectively. Expenditures for additions and improvements are capitalized, while replacements, maintenance and repairs that do not improve or extend the useful lives of the respective assets are expensed as incurred. Property or equipment sold or disposed of is removed from the respective property accounts, with any corresponding gains and losses recorded within the operating results of the Company’s consolidated statement of operations.
The Company reviews property and equipment and other long-lived assets (“long-lived assets”) for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Asset recoverability is first measured by comparing the assets’ carrying amounts to their expected future undiscounted net cash flows to determine if the assets are impaired.
In evaluating the recoverability of long-lived assets, the Company must make assumptions regarding estimated future cash flows and other factors to determine the fair value of such assets. If the Company’s fair value estimates or related assumptions change in the future, the Company may be required to record impairment charges related to property and equipment and other long-lived assets. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment recognized is measured based on the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value. See Note 8, “Long-Lived Assets” of these consolidated financial statements for further discussion of long-lived assets.
Leases
The Company leases various property and equipment under operating lease arrangements. The Company recognizes operating lease assets and liabilities on the balance sheet. Rent expense for these types of leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. In addition, the Company has entered into finance lease arrangements to finance property and equipment and assumed finance lease obligations in connection with certain acquisitions. The cost basis and accumulated amortization of assets recorded under finance leases are included in property and equipment, while the liabilities are included in finance lease obligations.
46
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
December 31, 2023 and 2022
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
Warranty Liability
The Company provides warranty terms that generally range from one to five years for various products and services relating to workmanship and materials supplied by the Company. In certain contracts, the Company has recourse provisions for items that would enable the Company to pursue recovery from third parties for amounts paid to customers under warranty provisions. Warranty liability is recorded in accrued liabilities within the consolidated balance sheet. The Company estimates the warranty accrual based on various factors, including historical warranty costs, current trends, product mix and sales. The changes in the carrying amount of the Company’s total product warranty liability for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were as follows:
As of December 31,
Balance, beginning of period $ 149 $ 125
Increase of warranty reserve 206 23
Warranty claims (19 ) —
Other adjustments (14 ) 1
Balance, end of period $ 322 $ 149
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes based upon an asset and liability approach. Deferred tax assets and liabilities represent the future tax consequences of the differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities versus the tax basis of assets and liabilities. Under this method, deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary differences, and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The impact of tax rate changes on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the year that the change is enacted.
In connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements, the Company is required to estimate its income tax liability for each of the tax jurisdictions in which the Company operates. This process involves estimating the Company’s actual current income tax expense and assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of certain income or expense items for income tax reporting and financial reporting purposes. The Company also recognizes as deferred income tax assets the expected future income tax benefits of net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards. In evaluating the realizability of deferred income tax assets associated with NOL carryforwards, the Company considers, among other things, expected future taxable income, the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary reporting differences and the expected impact of tax planning strategies that may be implemented to prevent the potential loss of future income tax benefits. Changes in, among other things, income tax legislation, statutory income tax rates or future taxable income levels could materially impact the Company’s valuation of income tax assets and liabilities and could cause its income tax provision to vary significantly among financial reporting periods.
47
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
December 31, 2023 and 2022
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
The Company also accounts for the uncertainty in income taxes related to the recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in an income tax return. The Company follows the applicable pronouncement guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition related to the uncertainty in these income tax positions.
Share-Based Compensation
The Company grants incentive stock options, restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and/or performance awards (“PSUs”) to certain officers, directors, and employees. The Company accounts for share-based compensation related to these awards based on the estimated fair value of the equity award and recognizes expense ratably over the required vesting term of the award. The expense associated with PSUs is also based on the probability of achieving embedded targets. Awards that are based on a fixed number of shares are treated as equity while awards that are based on a fixed amount of dollars are treated as liabilities. See Note 15 “Share-Based Compensation” of these consolidated financial statements for further discussion of the Company’s share-based compensation plans, the nature of share-based awards issued and the Company’s accounting for share-based compensation.
Net Income Per Share
The Company presents both basic and diluted net income (loss) per share. Basic net income (loss) per share is based solely upon the weighted average number of common shares outstanding and excludes any dilutive effects of restricted stock, options, warrants and convertible securities. Diluted net income (loss) per share is based upon the weighted average number of common shares and common-share equivalents outstanding during the year excluding those common-share equivalents where the impact to basic net income (loss) per share would be anti-dilutive.
2. REVENUES
Revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services.
The following table presents the Company’s revenues disaggregated by revenue source for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:
Year Ended December 31,
The Company’s revenue is generally recognized at a point in time, typically when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to its customers in an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct product or service to the customer. The Company measures revenue based on the consideration specified in the purchase order and revenue is recognized when the performance obligations are satisfied. If applicable, the transaction price of a contract is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when or as the customer receives the benefit of the performance obligation.
48
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
December 31, 2023 and 2022
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
For substantially all tower sales within the Company’s Heavy Fabrications segment as well as certain 2023 sales within our Gearing segment, products are sold under terms included in bill and hold sales arrangements that result in different timing for revenue recognition versus shipment. The Company recognizes revenue under these arrangements only when there is a substantive reason for the arrangement, the ordered goods are identified separately as belonging to the customer and not available to fill other orders, the goods are currently ready for physical transfer to the customer, and the Company does not have the ability to use the product or to direct it to another customer. Assuming these required revenue recognition criteria are met, revenue is recognized upon completion of product manufacture and customer acceptance. During the year ended December 31,2023, the Company recognized $5,370 of revenue within the Gearing segment under terms included in bill and hold sales arrangements.
During the years ended December 31,2023 and 2022, the Company recognized a portion of revenue within the Heavy Fabrications segments over time, as the products had no alternative use to the Company and the Company had an enforceable right to payment, including profit, upon termination of the contracts. Since the projects are labor intensive, the Company uses labor hours as the input measure of progress for the applicable contracts. Within the Heavy Fabrications segment, the Company recognized revenue for contracts that meet over time criteria of $11,033 and $15,117 for the years ended December 31,2023 and 2022, respectively. Contract assets are recorded when performance obligations are satisfied but the Company is not yet entitled to payment. Contract assets represent the Company’s rights to consideration for work completed but not billed at the end of the period.
The Company generally expenses sales commissions when incurred. These costs are recorded within selling, general and administrative expenses. Customer deposits, deferred revenue and other receipts are deferred and recognized when the revenue is realized and earned. Cash payments to customers are classified as reductions of revenue in the Company’s statement of operations.
The Company does not disclose the value of the unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with an original expected length of one year or less.
3. EARNINGS PER SHARE
The following table presents a reconciliation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 as follows:
For the Years Ended December 31,
Basic earnings per share calculation:
Basic net income (loss) per share $ 0.36 $ (0.48 )
Diluted earnings per share calculation:
Common stock equivalents:
Non-vested stock awards (1) 302,601 —
Diluted net income (loss) per share $ 0.36 $ (0.48 )
(1) Restricted stock units granted and outstanding of 822,737are excluded from the computation of diluted earnings for the year ended December 31, 2022 due to the anti-dilutive effect as a result of the Company’s net loss for that period.
49
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
December 31, 2023 and 2022
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
4. RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
The Company reviews new accounting standards as issued. Although some of the accounting standards issued or effective in the current fiscal year may be applicable to it, the Company believes that none of the new standards have a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements.
In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No.2016-13, “Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326),” which replaces the current incurred loss impairment methodology for most financial assets with the CECL methodology. The series of new guidance amends the impairment model by requiring entities to use a forward-looking approach based on expected losses rather than incurred losses to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including trade receivables and contract assets. The guidance should be applied on either a prospective transition or modified-retrospective approach depending on the subtopic. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company implemented CECL during the year ended December 31,2023. The impact on the Company's financial statements was not material. See Note 1, “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” of these consolidated financial statements for a further discussion of CECL.
In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No.2023-07, “Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures,” which requires additional disclosure of significant segment expenses on an annual and interim basis. This guidance will be applied retrospectively and will be effective for the annual periods beginning the year ended December 31, 2024, and for interim periods beginning January 1, 2025. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No.2023-09, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures,” which improves the transparency of income tax disclosures by requiring consistent categories and greater disaggregation of information in the effective tax rate reconciliation and income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. This guidance will be effective for the annual periods beginning the year ended December 31, 2025. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
5. ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS
The activity in the accounts receivable allowance from operations for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 consists of the following:
For the Year Ended December 31,
Balance at beginning of period $ 17 $ 47
Bad debt expense 127 —
Write-offs (47 ) —
Other adjustments 2 (30 )
Balance at end of period $ 99 $ 17
6. INVENTORIES
The components of inventories as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 are summarized as follows:
As of December 31,
50
BROADWIND, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
December 31, 2023 and 2022
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
7. AMPCREDITS
During 2023, the Company recognized gross AMP credits totaling $14,493, within the Heavy Fabrications segment. These AMP credits were introduced as part of the IRA, which was enacted on August 16, 2022. The IRA includes advanced manufacturing tax credits for manufacturers of eligible components, including wind and solar components. Manufacturers of wind components qualify for the AMP credits based on the total rated capacity, expressed on a per watt basis, of the completed wind turbine for which such component is designed. The credit applies to each component produced and sold in the U.S. beginning in 2023 through 2032. Wind towers within the Company’s Heavy Fabrications segment are eligible for credits of $0.03 per watt for each wind tower produced. In calculating the eligible credit, the Company relied on the megawatt rating provided by the customer. Manufacturers who qualify for the AMP credits can apply to the Internal Revenue Service for cash refunds of the AMP credits or sell the AMP credits to third parties for cash, or apply the AMP credits against taxable income. The Company recognized the AMP credits as a reduction to cost of sales in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31,2023. The assets related to the AMP credits are recognized as current assets in the “AMP credit receivable” line item in the Company's consolidated balance sheet as of December 31,2023.
On December 21, 2023, the Company entered into an agreement to sell 2023 and 2024 AMP credits to a third party. At that time, the Company sold a portion of the gross 2023 credits in the amount of $6,952 and recognized a 6.5% discount on the sale in the amount of $452 which was recognized in cost of sales. In addition, the Company wrote down the remaining receivable of $7,541 to net realizable value and recorded the expected loss on sale of $490 in cost of sales. The remaining 2023 AMP credit receivable was collected during the first quarter of 2024. The Company also incurred other miscellaneous administrative costs related to selling the credits in the amount of $254, $197 of which has been recorded as cost of sales, with the remaining capitalized and included in the “Prepaid expenses and other current assets” line item of the Company's consolidated financial statements at December 31,2023.
8. LONG-LIVED ASSETS
The cost basis and estimated lives of property and equipment as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 are as follows:
As of December 31,
Leasehold improvements 9,068 9,040 Shorter of asset life or life of lease
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization (120,074 ) (114,894 )
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had commitments of $1,523 related to the completion of projects within construction in progress.