ITEM 1A. Risk Factors
(All currency and share amounts are in millions)
You should consider the risks described below and elsewhere in our documents filed with the SEC before investing in any of our securities. We may amend, supplement or add to the risk factors described below from time to time in future reports filed with the SEC.
Risks Related to our Markets and Customers
Many of the markets in which we operate are cyclical or are subject to industry events, and our results have been and could be affected as a result.
Many of the markets in which we operate are subject to general economic cycles or industry events. In addition, certain of our businesses are subject to market-specific cycles.
Furthermore, contract timing on projects, including those relating to communication technologies, transportation systems, aids to navigation products, and process cooling systems and towers may cause significant fluctuations in revenues and profits from period to period.
The businesses of many of our customers are to varying degrees cyclical and have experienced, and may continue to experience, periodic downturns. Cyclical changes and specific industry events could also affect sales of products in our businesses. Downturns in the business cycles of our different operations may occur at the same time, which could exacerbate any adverse effects on our business. In addition, certain of our businesses have seasonal and weather-related fluctuations, particularly within certain of our heating products businesses within our HVAC reportable segment. Historically, many of our key businesses generally have tended to have stronger performance in the second half of the year. See “MD&A - Results of Continuing Operations and Results of Reportable Segments.”
Our business depends on capital investment and maintenance expenditures by our customers.
Demand for most of our products and services depends on the level of new capital investment and planned maintenance expenditures by our customers. The level of capital expenditures by our customers fluctuates based on planned expansions, new builds and repairs, commodity prices, general economic conditions, availability of credit, and expectations of future market behavior. Although no one customer accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated revenues, many of our businesses derive revenues from large projects or key customer relationships and any of the aforementioned factors, whether individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on our customers and, in turn, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our customers have been and could be impacted by commodity availability and prices.
A number of factors outside our control, including fluctuating commodity prices, impact the demand for our products. Increased commodity prices, including as a result of new or increased tariffs or the impact of new trade laws, may increase our customers’ cost of doing business, thus causing them to delay or cancel large capital projects.
On the other hand, declining commodity prices may cause our customers to delay or cancel projects relating to the production of such commodities.Reduced demand for, or increased costs of, our products and services could result in the delay or cancellation of existing or future orders, or lead to excess manufacturing capacity, which unfavorably impacts our absorption of fixed manufacturing costs. Reduced demand may also erode average selling prices in the relevant market.
We operate in highly competitive markets. Our failure to compete effectively could harm our business.
We sell our products in highly competitive markets, which could result in pressure on our profit margins and limit our ability to maintain or increase the market share of our products. We compete on a number of fronts, including on the basis of service, product performance, technical innovation and price. We have a number of competitors with substantial technological and financial resources, brand recognition and established relationships with global service providers. Some of our competitors have lower cost structures, support from local governments, or both. In addition, new competitors may enter the markets in which we participate. Competitors may be able to offer lower prices, additional products or services or a more attractive mix of products or services, or services or other incentives that we cannot or will not match. These competitors may be in a stronger position to respond quickly to new or emerging technologies and may be able to undertake more extensive marketing campaigns and make more attractive offers to potential customers, employees and strategic partners. In addition, competitive environments in slow-growth markets, to which some of our businesses have exposure, have been inherently more influenced by pricing and
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domestic and global economic conditions. To remain competitive, we need to invest in manufacturing, marketing, customer service and support, and our distribution networks. No assurances can be made that we will have sufficient resources to continue to make the investment required to maintain or increase our market share or that our investments will be successful. If we do not compete successfully, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.
Our business with various governments is subject to government contracting risks.
Our business with government agencies, including sales to prime contractors that supply these agencies, is subject to government contracting risks. U.S. and other government contracts are subject to termination by the government, either for the convenience of the government or for default as a result of our failure to perform under the applicable contract. If terminated by the government as a result of our default, we could be liable for additional costs the government incurs in acquiring undelivered goods or services from another source and any other damages it suffers. In addition, if we or one of our divisions were charged with wrongdoing with respect to a U.S. government contract, the U.S. government could suspend us from bidding on or receiving awards of new government contracts pending the completion of legal proceedings. If convicted or found liable, the U.S. government could subject us to fines, penalties, repayments and treble and other damages, and/or bar us from bidding on or receiving new awards of U.S. government contracts and void any contracts found to be tainted by fraud. The U.S. government also reserves the right to debar a contractor from receiving new government contracts for fraudulent, criminal or other seriously improper conduct.
Risks Related to our Suppliers and Vendors
The price and availability of raw materials and components has and may adversely affect our business.
We are exposed to a variety of risks relating to the price and availability of raw materials and components. In recent years, we have faced volatility in the prices of many key raw materials (e.g., steel and oil) and key components (e.g., circuit boards), including price increases in response to trade laws and tariffs and shortages related to supply chain disruptions, including as a result of public health crises, geopolitical events or other factors. Increases in the prices of raw materials and components, including as a result of new or increased tariffs or the impact of new trade laws, or shortages or allocations of materials and components may have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows, as there may be delays in our ability, or we may not be able, to pass cost increases on to our customers, or our sales may be reduced. We are subject to, or may enter into, long-term supplier contracts that may increase our exposure to pricing fluctuations.
The fact that we outsource various elements of the products and services we sell subjects us to the business risks of our suppliers and subcontractors, which could have a material adverse impact on our operations.
In areas where we depend on third-party suppliers and subcontractors for outsourced products, components or services, we are subject to the risk of customer dissatisfaction with the quality or performance of the products or services we sell due to supplier or subcontractor failure. In addition, business difficulties experienced by a third-party supplier or subcontractor can lead to the interruption of our ability to obtain outsourced products or services and ultimately our inability to supply products or services to our customers. Third-party supplier and subcontractor business interruptions can include, but are not limited to, work stoppages, union negotiations and other labor disputes. Prevailing economic conditions could also impact the ability of suppliers and subcontractors to access credit and, thus, impair their ability to provide us quality products or services in a timely manner, or at all.
Risks Related to Our Manufacturing and Operations
Cost overruns, inflation, delays and other risks could significantly impact our results, particularly with respect to fixed-price contracts.
A portion of our revenues and earnings is generated through fixed-price contracts. We recognize revenues for certain of these contracts over time whereby revenues and expenses, and thereby profit, in a given period are determined based on our estimates as to the project status and the costs remaining to complete a particular project.
Estimates of total revenues and cost at completion are subject to many variables, including the length of time to complete a contract. In addition, contract delays may negatively impact these estimates and our revenues and earnings results for affected periods.
To the extent that we underestimate the remaining cost to complete a project, we may overstate the revenues and profit in a particular period. Further, certain of these contracts provide for penalties or liquidated damages for failure to timely perform our obligations under the contract, or require that we, at our expense, correct and remedy certain defects to the satisfaction of the
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other party. Because some of our contracts are at a fixed price, we face the risk that cost overruns or inflation may exceed, erode or eliminate our expected profit margin, or cause us to record a loss on our projects.
Our operations are at risk of damage, destruction or disruption by natural disasters and other unexpected events.
The loss of, or substantial damage to, one or more of our facilities, our information system infrastructure or the facilities of our suppliers could make it difficult to manufacture our products and fulfill customer orders. Severe weather events (such as flooding, tornadoes or hurricanes), earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, explosions, acts of war, terrorism, civil unrest, or outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics of infectious diseases (such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic) could adversely impact our operations.
Risks Related to Acquisitions and Dispositions
Acquisitions involve a number of risks and present financial, managerial and operational challenges.
Our recent and future acquisitions involve a number of risks and may present financial, managerial and operational challenges, including:
•Adverse effects on our reported operating results due to charges to earnings, including potential impairment charges associated with goodwill and other intangible assets;
•Diversion of management attention from core business operations;
•Integration of technology, operations, personnel and financial and other systems;
•Increased expenses;
•Increased foreign operations, often with unique issues relating to corporate culture, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and other challenges;
•Assumption of known and unknown liabilities and exposure to litigation;
•Increased levels of debt or dilution to existing stockholders;
•Potential disputes with the sellers of acquired businesses; and
•Potential cybersecurity risks, as acquired systems may not possess the appropriate security measures.
We conduct operational, financial, tax, systems, and legal due diligence on all acquisitions; however, we cannot assure that all potential risks or liabilities are adequately discovered, disclosed, or understood in each instance.
In addition, internal controls over financial reporting of acquired companies may not be compliant with required standards. Issues may exist that could rise to the level of significant deficiencies or, in some cases, material weaknesses, particularly with respect to foreign companies or non-public U.S. companies.
Our integration activities may place substantial demands on our management, operational resources and financial and internal control systems. Customer dissatisfaction or performance problems with an acquired business, technology, service or product could also have a material adverse effect on our reputation and business.
Our failure to successfully complete acquisitions could negatively affect us.
We may not be able to consummate desired acquisitions, which could materially impact our growth rate, results of operations, future cash flows and stock price. Our ability to achieve our goals depends upon, among other things, our ability to identify and successfully acquire companies, businesses and product lines, to effectively integrate them and to achieve cost savings. We may also be unable to raise additional funds necessary to consummate these acquisitions. In addition, decreases in our stock price may adversely affect our ability to consummate acquisitions. Competition for acquisitions in our business areas may be significant and result in higher prices for businesses, including businesses that we may target, which may also affect our acquisition rate or benefits achieved from our acquisitions.
We may not achieve the expected cost savings and other benefits of our acquisitions.
We strive for and expect to achieve cost savings in connection with our acquisitions, including: (i) manufacturing process and supply chain rationalization, (ii) streamlining redundant administrative overhead and support activities, (iii) restructuring and repositioning sales and marketing organizations to eliminate redundancies, and (iv) achieving anticipated revenue synergies. Cost savings expectations are estimates that are inherently difficult to predict and are necessarily speculative in nature, and we cannot assure you that we will achieve expected, or any, cost savings in connection with an acquisition. In addition, we cannot assure you that unforeseen factors will not offset the estimated cost savings or other benefits from our acquisitions. As a result, anticipated benefits could be delayed, differ significantly from our estimates and the other information contained in this report, or not be realized.
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Dispositions or liabilities retained in connection with dispositions could negatively affect us.
Our dispositions involve a number of risks and present financial, managerial and operational challenges, including diversion of management attention from running our core businesses, increased expense associated with the dispositions, potential disputes with the customers or suppliers of the disposed businesses, potential disputes with the acquirers of the disposed businesses and a potential dilutive effect on our earnings per share.
If dispositions are not completed in a timely manner, there may be a negative effect on our cash flows and/or our ability to execute our strategy. In addition, we may not realize some or all of the anticipated benefits of our dispositions. See “Business,” “MD&A - Results of Discontinued Operations,” and Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements for the status of our divestitures.
We have divested a number of businesses, including the Spin-Off in 2015. With respect to some of these former businesses, we have contractually agreed to indemnify the counterparties against, or otherwise retain, certain liabilities, including certain lawsuits, tax liabilities, product liability claims, and environmental matters. Even without ongoing contractual indemnification obligations, we could be exposed to liabilities arising out of the businesses for certain activities prior to the divestitures. In addition, certain of the counterparties to those divestitures and/or the divested businesses have agreed to indemnify us or assume certain liabilities relating to those divestitures. However, there can be no assurance that the indemnity or assumption of liability by the counterparties or divested businesses will be sufficient to protect us against the full amount of these liabilities, or that a counterparty or divested business will be able to fully satisfy its obligations. Third parties also could seek to hold us responsible for any of the liabilities that a counterparty or divested business agreed to assume. Even if we ultimately succeed in recovering any amounts for which we were initially held liable, we may be temporarily required to bear these losses ourselves.
Risks Related to Macro-Economic, Domestic and World Events
Governmental laws and regulations could negatively affect our business.
Changes in laws and regulations to which we are or may become subject could have a significant negative impact on our business. In addition, we could face material costs and risks if it is determined that we have failed to comply with relevant laws and regulations. We are subject to U.S. Customs and Export Regulations, including U.S. International Traffic and Arms Regulations and similar laws, which collectively control import, export and sale of technologies by companies and various other aspects of the operation of our business; the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar anti-bribery laws, which prohibit companies from making improper payments to government officials for the purposes of obtaining or retaining business; the California Transparency in Supply Chain Act and similar laws and regulations, which relate to human trafficking and anti-slavery and impose new compliance requirements on our businesses and their suppliers; and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 and the European General Data Protection Regulation, which establish data management requirements for the protection of personal information of individuals. While our policies and procedures mandate compliance with such laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that our employees and agents will always act in strict compliance. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations may result in civil and criminal enforcement, including monetary fines and possible injunctions against shipment of product or other of our activities, which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition.
Several of our businesses are reliant on or may be directly impacted by government regulations. Changes to these regulations may have a significant negative impact on these businesses. For example, (i) a reduction of Federal Aviation Administration regulations mandating lighting of towers and buildings at height; (ii) increases in Department of Energy regulations on energy efficiency requirements for heating, and (iii) a reduction in regulations requiring 811 calls to be made before the commencement of a digging project, could have a significant negative impact on these businesses. While we monitor these regulations and our businesses’ plan for potential changes, there can be no assurance that we will be able to adapt in each circumstance. Failure to adapt if regulations change could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition.
Difficulties presented by domestic economic, political, legal, accounting and business factors could negatively affect our business.
In 2024, approximately 83% of our revenues were generated inside the United States. Our reliance on U.S. revenues and U.S. manufacturing bases exposes us to a number of risks, including:
•Government embargoes or foreign trade restrictions such as antidumping duties, as well as the imposition of trade sanctions by the United States against a class of products imported from or sold and exported to, or the loss of “normal trade relations” status with, countries in which we conduct business, could significantly increase our cost of products imported into or exported from the United States or reduce our sales and harm our business and the relaxation of
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embargoes and foreign trade restrictions by the United States could adversely affect the market for our products in the United States;
•Customs and tariffs may make it difficult or impossible for us to move our products or assets across borders in a cost-effective manner, may increase the price of our products which may lead to lost business, and may increase the cost of our raw materials, including raw materials sourced domestically;
•Transportation and shipping expenses may add additional cost to our products;
•Complications related to shipping, including delays due to weather, labor action, or customs, may impact our profit margins or lead to lost business;
•Environmental and other laws and regulations could increase our costs or limit our ability to run our business; and
•Our ability to obtain supplies from foreign vendors and ship products internationally may be impaired during times of crisis or otherwise.
Any of the above factors or other factors affecting the movement of people and products into and from various countries to North America could have a significant negative effect on our operations. In addition, our concentration on U.S. business may make it difficult to enter new markets, making it more difficult for our businesses to grow.
Worldwide economic conditions could negatively impact our businesses.
Many of our customers historically have tended to delay capital projects, including expensive maintenance and upgrades, during economic downturns. Poor macroeconomic conditions could negatively impact our businesses by adversely affecting, among other things, our:
•Revenues;
•Margins;
•Profits;
•Cash flows;
•Customers’ orders, including order cancellation activity or delays on existing orders;
•Customers’ ability to access credit;
•Customers’ ability to pay amounts due to us; and
•Suppliers’ and distributors’ ability to perform and the availability and costs of materials and subcontracted services.
Downturns in global economies could negatively impact our results of operations and prospects.In addition, economic instabilities resulting from geopolitical activities, including instabilities associated with armed conflicts, and the imposition of governmental sanctions in response thereto, and any conflict or threat of conflict that may affect Taiwan or any other nations, could negatively impact our results of operations and prospects.
Our non-U.S. revenues and operations expose us to numerous risks that may negatively impact our business.
To the extent we generate revenues outside of the United States, non-U.S. revenues and non-U.S. manufacturing bases expose us to a number of risks, including:
•Customs, tariffs and trade restrictions may make it difficult or impossible for us to move our products or assets across borders in a cost-effective manner, may increase the price of our products which may lead to lost business, and may increase the cost of our raw materials, including raw materials sourced domestically;
•Significant competition could come from local or long-term participants in non-U.S. markets who may have significantly greater market knowledge and substantially greater resources than we do;
•Local customers may have a preference for locally-produced products;
•Credit risk or financial condition of local customers and distributors could affect our ability to market our products or collect receivables;
•Regulatory or political systems or barriers may make it difficult or impossible to enter or remain in new markets. In addition, these barriers may impact our existing businesses, including making it more difficult for them to grow;
•Local political, economic and social conditions, including the possibility of hyperinflationary conditions, political instability, and nationalization of private enterprises;
•Unexpected changes relating to currency exchange rates could adversely impact our operations, revenues, operating profit and cash flows;
•Transportation and shipping expenses may add additional cost to our products;
•Complications related to shipping, including delays due to weather, labor action, or customs, may impact our profit margins or lead to lost business;
•Local, regional or worldwide hostilities, including armed conflicts, could impact our operations;
•Distance and language and cultural differences may make it more difficult to manage our business and employees and to effectively market our products and services; and
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•Public health crises, including the outbreak of a pandemic or other contagious disease.
Any of the above factors or other factors affecting social and economic activity in the United Kingdom, Canada, and China or affecting the movement of people and products into and from these countries to our major markets, could have a significant negative effect on our operations.
Climate change and legal or regulatory responses thereto may have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
There is growing concern that increases in global average temperatures as a result of increased concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will cause significant adverse long-term climate changes, as well as more near-term changes in weather patterns that could adversely impact our operations. Moreover, growing concern over climate change may result in additional legal or regulatory requirements to disclose levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions or that are designed to reduce or mitigate the effects of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions on the environment. Many of our manufacturing plants and the products we manufacture, particularly in the HVAC reportable segment, use significant amounts of electricity generated by burning fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide. Additionally, many of the products we manufacture in the HVAC reportable segment use natural gas or oil as a fuel source and may be subject to increasing regulatory restrictions aimed at “de-carbonization” or the elimination of such fuel sources. Increased energy or compliance costs and expenses as a result of increased legal or regulatory requirements may cause disruptions in, or an increase in the costs associated with, the manufacturing and distribution of our products and we may be required to develop product improvements to satisfy developing energy-efficiency targets in order to remain competitive. The impacts of climate change and legal or regulatory initiatives to address climate change could have a long-term adverse impact on our business and results of operations. If we fail to achieve or improperly report on our progress on environmental and sustainability programs and initiatives or fail to develop product improvements to satisfy developing energy-efficiency targets, the results could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
In addition, under recently implemented governmental requirements, we will incur additional costs in complying with climate-related reporting mandates. Under laws enacted in California, we, and other companiesdoing business in California that exceed requisite financial thresholds, will be subject to extensive climate-related reporting. The reporting requirements of the California laws and related regulations will result in increased compliance costs and could result in regulatory reporting risks. Failure to comply with laws and regulations can have adverse consequences, including civil, administrative, and criminal penalties as well as a negative impact on the Company’s reputation, business, results of operations and cash flows.
Failure to meet evolving expectations for other reporting on sustainability and social responsibility matters could adversely affect our sales and results of operations.
Expectations from investors, customers, team members, certain government agencies and other third parties for reporting on sustainability and social responsibility matters have increased, and our ability to meet those expectations is dependent on a variety of factors, including cooperation from sourcing vendors and other third parties and having access to consistent and reliable data. Negative customer perceptions regarding the safety and sourcing of the products we sell and the sufficiency and transparency of our reporting on such matters and events that give rise to actual, potential, or perceived sustainability, social responsibility and similar concerns could hurt our reputation, result in lost sales, cause our customers to seek alternative sources for their needs and make it difficult and costly for us to regain the confidence of our customers.
Risks Related to Information, Technology and Cybersecurity
If we are unable to protect our information systems and networks against data corruption, cyber-based attacks or network security breaches, our operations could be disrupted.
We are increasingly dependent on cloud-based and other information technology (“IT”) systems and networks, some of which are managed by third parties, to process, transmit, and store electronic information. We depend on such IT infrastructure for electronic communications among our locations around the world and between our personnel and suppliers and customers. In addition, we rely on these IT systems to record, process, summarize, transmit, and store electronic information, and to manage or support a variety of business processes and activities, including, among other things, our accounting and financial reporting processes; our manufacturing and supply chain processes; our sales and marketing efforts; and the data related to our research and development efforts. The failure of our IT systems or those of our business partners or third-party service providers to perform properly, or difficulties encountered in the development of new systems or the upgrade of existing systems, could disrupt our business and harm our reputation, which may result in decreased sales, increased costs, excess or obsolete inventory, and product shortages, causing our business, reputation, financial condition, and operating results to suffer. Upon expiration or termination of any of our agreements with third-party vendors, we may not be able to replace the services provided to us in a
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timely manner or on terms and conditions, including service levels and cost, that are favorable to us, and a transition from one vendor to another vendor could subject us to operational delays and inefficiencies until the transition is complete.
IT security threats are increasing in frequency and sophistication. We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, cyber-attacks on our IT systems and networks. Cyber-attacks may be random, coordinated, or targeted, including sophisticated computer crime threats. These threats pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks, and those of our business partners and third-party service providers, and to the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of our data. Despite our implementation of security measures, cybersecurity threats, such as malicious software, ransomware, phishing attacks, computer viruses, and attempts to gain unauthorized access, cannot be completely mitigated and may become more virulent due to further development through the application of artificial intelligence. Our business, reputation, operating results, and financial condition could be materially adversely affected if, as a result of a significant cyber event or otherwise, our operations or industrial processes are disrupted or shutdown; our confidential, proprietary information is stolen or disclosed; the performance or security of our cloud-based product offerings is impacted; our intranet and internet sites are compromised; data is manipulated or destroyed; we incur costs or are required to pay fines in connection with stolen customer, employee, or other confidential information; we must dedicate significant resources to system repairs or increase cyber security protection; or we otherwise incur significant litigation or other costs.
In addition, newer generations of certain of our products include IT systems, including systems that are cloud-based and/or interconnect through the internet. These systems are subject to the same cybersecurity threats described above and the failure of these systems, including by cyber-attack, could disrupt our customers’ business, leading to potential exposure for us.
Operation on multiple Enterprise Resource Planning (“ERP”) information systems and other applications may negatively impact our operations and internal control environment.
We are highly dependent on our information systems infrastructure to prepare customer quotes, process orders, purchase materials, track inventory, ship products in a timely manner, prepare invoices to our customers, maintain internal controls, produce financial data, and otherwise carry on our businesses in the ordinary course. From time to time we also undertake projects to implement new, or update existing, ERP systems and other applications. While we believe we have the experience, skill and management abilities, as well as access to the necessary experts and consultants, to plan and execute these projects without significant disruption to our businesses, ERP and other application implementations and updates are complex and inherently subject to risks and uncertainty. There is no assurance that the projects will succeed or that failures in the design, programming, software or implementation of these projects will not cause significant disruption to our businesses. Such a disruption could cause project cost overruns, which may be significant, losses in revenue, increases in operating costs, and reduced customer satisfaction, all of which would lead to a decline in profitability over the short term and possibly the long term. In addition, as the Company continues to pursue inorganic growth opportunities through acquisitions, our inability to properly assess the acquired ERP systems and other applications and, where necessary, implement upgrades or replacements, may prevent us from maximizing the value and realizing the synergies of those newly acquired businesses and ensuring the operating effectiveness of our internal control processes.
Our technology is important to our success, and failure to develop new products or make the appropriate investment in technology advancements may result in the loss of any sustainable competitive advantage in products, services and processes.
We believe the development of our intellectual property rights is critical to the success of our business. In order to maintain our market positions and margins, we need to regularly develop and introduce high-quality, technologically advanced and cost-effective products on a timely basis, in many cases in multiple jurisdictions around the world. Information technology systems, platforms and products are critical to our operating environment, product offerings and competitive position. Certain digitalization initiatives important to our long-term success may require capital investment, have significant risks associated with their execution, and could take several years to implement. If we do not accurately predict, prepare and respond to new technology innovations, market developments and changing customer needs, our revenues, profitability and long-term competitiveness could be materially adversely affected.
Failure to protect or unauthorized use of our intellectual property may harm our business.
Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties or competitors may copy or otherwise obtain and use our products or technology. The steps we have taken may not prevent unauthorized use of our technology or knowledge, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent as in the United States. Costs incurred to defend our rights may be material.
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Risks Related to Contingent Liabilities
Our current and planned products may contain defects or errors that are detected only after delivery to customers. If that occurs, our reputation may be harmed and we may face additional costs.
We cannot assure you that our product development, manufacturing and integration testing will be adequate to detect all defects, errors, failures and quality issues that could impact customer satisfaction or result in claims against us with regard to our products. As a result, we may have, and from time to time have had, to replace certain components and/or provide remediation in response to the discovery of defects in products that are shipped. The occurrence of any defects, errors, failures or quality issues could result in cancellation of orders, product returns, diversion of our resources, legal actions by our customers or our customers’ end users and other losses to us or to any of our customers or end users, and could also result in the loss of or delay in market acceptance of our products and loss of sales, which would harm our business and adversely affect our revenues, profitability and cash flows.
We are subject to potential liability relating to claims, complaints and proceedings, including those relating environmental, product liability and other matters.
We are subject to various laws, ordinances, regulations and other requirements of government authorities in the United States and other nations. Additionally, changes in laws, ordinances, regulations, or other governmental policies may significantly increase our expenses and liabilities.
Certain claims, complaints, and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business have been asserted or are pending against us or certain of our subsidiaries (collectively, “claims”). These claims relate to litigation matters, environmental matters, product liability matters, and other risk management matters (e.g., general liability, automobile, and workers’ compensation claims). Periodically, claims, complaints and proceedings arising other than in the ordinary course of business have been asserted or are pending against us or certain of our subsidiaries (e.g. patent infringement), including claims with respect to businesses that we have acquired for matters arising before the relevant date of the acquisition. From time to time, we face actions by governmental authorities, both in and outside the United States. Additionally, we may become subject to other claims of which we are currently unaware, which may be significant, or the claims of which we are aware may result in our incurring significantly greater loss than we anticipate. Our insurance may be insufficient or unavailable (e.g., because of insurer insolvency) to protect us against potential loss exposures.
We face environmental exposures including, for example, those relating to discharges from and materials handled as part of our operations, the remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated by petroleum products or hazardous substances or wastes, and the health and safety of our employees. We may be liable for the costs of investigation, removal, or remediation of hazardous substances or petroleum products on, under, or in our current or formerly owned or leased properties, or from third-party disposal facilities that we may have used, without regard to whether we knew of, or caused, the presence of the contaminants. The presence of, or failure to properly remediate, these substances may have adverse effects, including, for example, substantial investigative or remedial obligations and limitations on the ability to sell or rent affected property or to borrow funds using affected property as collateral. New or existing environmental matters or changes in environmental laws or policies could lead to material costs for environmental compliance or cleanup. In addition, environmentally related product regulations are growing globally in number and complexity and could contribute to increased costs with respect to disclosure requirements, product sales and distribution related costs, and post-sale recycling and disposal costs. There can be no assurance that these liabilities and costs will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
See “MD&A - Critical Accounting Estimates - Contingent Liabilities” and Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion.
Risks Related to Human Capital Resources
The loss of key personnel and an inability to attract and retain qualified employees could have a material adverse effect on our operations.
We are dependent on the continued services of our leadership teams. The loss of these personnel without adequate replacement could have a material adverse effect on our operations. Additionally, we need qualified managers and skilled employees with technical and manufacturing industry experience in many locations in order to operate our business successfully. From time to time, there may be a shortage of qualified managers or skilled labor, which may make it more difficult and expensive for us to attract and retain qualified employees. If we were unable to attract and retain sufficient numbers of qualified individuals or our costs to do so were to increase significantly, our operations could be materially adversely affected.
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We are subject to work stoppages, union negotiations, labor disputes and other matters associated with our labor force, which may adversely impact our operations and cause us to incur incremental costs.
At December 31, 2024, we had six domestic collective bargaining agreements covering approximately 460 of our approximately 4,300 employees. None of these collective bargaining agreements will expire in 2025 or are scheduled for negotiation and renewal. We also have various collective labor arrangements covering certain non-U.S. employee groups. We are subject to potential union campaigns, work stoppages, union negotiations and other potential labor disputes. Further, we may be subject to work stoppages, which are beyond our control, at our suppliers or customers.
Risks Related to Financial Matters
We may not be able to finance future needs or adapt our business plan to react to changes in economic or business conditions because of restrictions placed on us by our senior credit facilities and any existing or future instruments governing our other indebtedness.
Our senior credit facilities and agreements governing our other indebtedness contain, or future or revised instruments may contain, various restrictions and covenants that limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness, grant liens, and make investments unless certain financial tests or other criteria are satisfied. We also must comply with certain specified financial ratios and tests. Our subsidiaries may also be subject to restrictions on their ability to make distributions to us. In addition, our senior credit facilities and agreements governing our other indebtedness contain or may contain additional affirmative and negative covenants. Material existing restrictions are described more fully in the “MD&A - Liquidity and Financial Condition - Senior Credit Facilities” and Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements. Each of these restrictions could affect our ability to operate our business and may limit our ability to take advantage of potential business opportunities, such as acquisitions.
If we do not comply with the covenants and restrictions contained in our senior credit facilities and agreements governing our other indebtedness, we could default under those agreements, and the debt, together with accrued interest, could be declared due and payable. If we default under our senior credit facilities, the lenders could cause all our outstanding debt obligations under our senior credit facilities to become due and payable or require us to repay the indebtedness under these facilities. If our debt is accelerated, we may not be able to repay or refinance our debt. In addition, any default under our senior credit facilities or agreements governing our other indebtedness could lead to an acceleration of debt under other debt instruments that contain cross-acceleration or cross-default provisions. If the indebtedness under our senior credit facilities is accelerated, we may not have sufficient assets to repay amounts due under our senior credit facilities or other debt securities then outstanding. Our ability to comply with these provisions of our senior credit facilities and agreements governing our other indebtedness will be affected by changes in the economic or business conditions or other events beyond our control. Complying with our covenants may also cause us to take actions that are not favorable to us and may make it more difficult for us to successfully execute our business strategy and compete, including against companies that are not subject to such restrictions.
A significant portion of our debt accrues interest at variable rates and increases in applicable benchmark interest rates could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.
Our profitability and cash flows may be adversely affected during any periods of unexpected or rapid increases in interest rates. We maintain a credit agreement with both term loan facilities and a revolving credit facility. Borrowings under these facilities accrue interest at either an alternate base rate or Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) plus, in each case, an applicable margin based on our consolidated leverage ratio as defined in the credit agreement. A significant increase in Term SOFR or the other benchmark rates used in determining the alternative base rate would significantly increase our cost of borrowings. Further, any changes in regulatory standards or industry practices, such as the discontinuation of the use of Term SOFR and/or the transition to alternative benchmark rates may result in the usage of higher interest rates under the credit agreement, and our current or future indebtedness may be adversely affected. We are also exposed to risks if the U.S. Federal Reserve raises its benchmark interest rate, which may reduce the availability of, and increase the cost of, obtaining new debt and refinancing existing indebtedness.
For additional information related to this risk, see Item 7A “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.”
Currency conversion risk could have a material impact on our reported results of business operations.
Our operating results are presented in U.S. dollars for reporting purposes. The strengthening or weakening of the U.S. dollar against other currencies in which we conduct business could result in unfavorable translation effects as the results of transactions in foreign countries are translated into U.S. dollars.
Increased strength of the U.S. dollar will increase the effective price of our products sold in U.S. dollars into other countries, which may have a material adverse effect on sales or require us to lower our prices, and also decrease our reported
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revenues or margins related to sales conducted in foreign currencies to the extent we are unable or determine not to increase local currency prices. Likewise, the increased strength of the U.S. dollar could allow competitors with foreign-based manufacturing costs to sell their products in the U.S. at lower prices. Alternatively, decreased strength of the U.S. dollar could have a material adverse effect on the cost of materials and products purchased overseas.
Similarly, increased or decreased strength of the currencies of non-U.S. countries in which we manufacture will have a comparable effect against the currencies of other jurisdictions in which we sell. For example, our Radiodetection business manufactures a number of detection instruments in the United Kingdom and sells to customers in other countries, therefore increased strength of the British pound sterling will increase the effective price of these products sold in British pound sterling into other countries; and decreased strength of British pound sterling could have a material adverse effect on the cost of materials and products purchased outside of the United Kingdom.
Credit and counterparty risks could harm our business.
The financial condition of our customers and distributors could affect our ability to market our products or collect receivables. In addition, financial difficulties faced by our customers may lead to cancellations or delays of orders.
Our customers may suffer financial difficulties that make them unable to pay for a project when completed, or they may decide not, or be unable, to pay us, either as a matter of corporate decision-making or in response to changes in local laws and regulations. We cannot assure you that expenses or losses for uncollectible amounts will not have a material adverse effect on our earnings and cash flows.
Currency and interest rate hedging activities may adversely impact our financial performance as a result of changes in relevant interest rates and currency rates.
We use derivative financial instruments in order to reduce the substantial effects of currency and interest rate exposure on our cash flow and financial condition. These instruments may include foreign currency, currency swap agreements and currency option contracts, as well as interest rate swap agreements. We have entered into, and may continue to enter into, these or other hedging arrangements. By utilizing hedging instruments, we may forgo benefits that might result from fluctuations in currency exchange and interest rates. We are also exposed to the risk that counterparties to hedging contracts will default on their obligations. A default by such counterparties in performing their obligations under these hedging instruments could have an adverse effect on us.
Changes in tax laws and regulations or other factors could cause our income tax obligations to increase, potentially reducing our net income and adversely affecting our cash flows.
We are subject to taxation in various jurisdictions around the world. In preparing our financial statements, we provide for income taxes based on current tax laws and regulations and the estimated taxable income within each of these jurisdictions. Our income tax obligations, however, may be higher due to numerous factors, including changes in tax laws or regulations and the outcome of audits and examinations of our tax returns.
Officials in some of the jurisdictions in which we do business have proposed, or announced that they are reviewing, tax changes that could potentially increase taxes, and other revenue-raising laws and regulations, including those that may be enacted as a result of various OECD projects. Changes in applicable U.S. or foreign tax laws and regulations, or their interpretation and application, could have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.
As indicated in Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements, we regularly have various income tax returns under examination or audit. In connection with these and any future examinations or audits, there is a risk that we could be challenged by tax authorities on certain of the tax positions we have taken, or will take, on our tax returns. Although we believe that current tax laws and regulations support our positions, there can be no assurance that tax authorities will agree with our positions. In the event tax authorities were to challenge one or more of our tax positions, an unfavorable outcome could have a material adverse impact on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.
If the fair value of any of our reporting units is insufficient to recover the carrying value of the goodwill and other intangible assets of the respective reporting unit, a material non-cash charge to earnings could result.
At December 31, 2024, we had goodwill and other intangible assets, net, of $1,537.5. We conduct annual impairment testing to determine if we will be able to recover all or a portion of the carrying value of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. In addition, we review goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment more frequently if impairment indicators arise. If the fair value is insufficient to recover the carrying value of our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, we may be required to record a material non-cash charge to earnings.
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The fair values of our reporting units generally are based on discounted cash flow projections that are believed to be reasonable under current and forecasted circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about carrying values of the reported net assets of our reporting units. Other considerations are also incorporated, including comparable price multiples. Many of our businesses closely follow changes in the industries and end markets that they serve. Accordingly, we consider estimates and judgments that affect the future cash flow projections, including principal methods of competition such as volume, price, service, product performance and technical innovations and estimates associated with cost reduction initiatives, capacity utilization, and assumptions for inflation and foreign currency changes. We monitor impairment indicators across all of our businesses. Significant changes in market conditions and estimates or judgments used to determine expected future cash flows that indicate a reduction in carrying value may give, and have given, rise to impairments in the period that the change becomes known.
Cost reduction actions may affect our business.
Cost reduction actions often result in charges against earnings. These charges can vary significantly from period to period and, as a result, we may experience fluctuations in our reported net income and earnings per share due to the timing of cost reduction actions.
Changes in key estimates and assumptions related to our defined benefit pension and postretirement plans, such as discount rates, assumed long-term return on assets, assumed long-term trends of future cost, and accounting and legislative changes, as well as actual investment returns on our pension plan assets and other actuarial factors, could affect our results of operations and cash flows.
We have defined benefit pension and postretirement plans, including both qualified and non-qualified plans, which cover a portion of our salaried and hourly employees and retirees, including a portion of our employees and retirees in foreign countries. As of December 31, 2024, our net liability to these plans was $96.8. The determination of funding requirements and pension expense or income associated with these plans involves significant judgment, particularly with respect to discount rates, long-term trends of future costs and other actuarial assumptions. If our assumptions change significantly due to changes in economic, legislative and/or demographic experience or circumstances, our pension and other benefit plans’ expense, funded status and our required cash contributions to such plans could be negatively impacted. In addition, returns on plan assets could have a material impact on our pension plans’ expense, funded status and our required contributions to the plans. Changes in regulations or law could also significantly impact our obligations. For example, see “MD&A - Critical Accounting Estimates” for the impact that changes in certain assumptions used in the calculation of our costs and obligations associated with these plans could have on our results of operations and financial position.
Our incurrence of additional indebtedness may affect our business and may restrict our operating flexibility.
At December 31, 2024, we had $614.7 in total indebtedness. On that same date, we had $909.0 of available borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facilities, after giving effect to borrowings under the domestic revolving loan facilities of $80.0 and $11.0 reserved for outstanding letters of credit. In addition, at December 31, 2024, we had $8.0 of available issuance capacity under our foreign credit instrument facilities after giving effect to $17.0 reserved for outstanding letters of credit. At December 31, 2024, our cash and equivalents balance was $161.4. See “MD&A - Liquidity and Financial Condition - Borrowings” and Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion. We may incur additional indebtedness in the future, including indebtedness incurred to finance, or assumed in connection with, acquisitions. We may renegotiate or refinance our senior credit facilities or other debt facilities, or enter into additional agreements that have different or more stringent terms. Increases in the level of our indebtedness relative to our cash balances could:
•Impact our ability to obtain new, or refinance existing, indebtedness, on favorable terms or at all;
•Limit our ability to obtain, or obtain on favorable terms, additional debt financing for working capital, capital expenditures or acquisitions;
•Limit our flexibility in reacting to competitive and other changes in the industry and economic conditions;
•Limit our ability to pay dividends on our common stock in the future;
•Coupled with a substantial decrease in net operating cash flows due to economic developments or adverse developments in our business, make it difficult to meet debt service requirements; and
•Expose us to interest rate fluctuations to the extent existing borrowings are, and any new borrowings may be, at variable rates of interest, which could result in higher interest expense and interest payments in the event of increases in interest rates.
Our ability to make scheduled payments of principal or pay interest on, or to refinance, our indebtedness and to satisfy our other debt obligations will depend upon our future operating performance, which may be affected by general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory, business and other factors beyond our control. In addition, we cannot assure you
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that future borrowings or equity financing will be available for the payment or refinancing of our indebtedness. If we are unable to service our indebtedness, whether in the ordinary course of business or upon an acceleration of such indebtedness, we may pursue one or more alternative strategies, such as restructuring or refinancing our indebtedness, selling assets, reducing or delaying capital expenditures, revising implementation of or delaying strategic plans or seeking additional equity capital. Any of these actions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and stock price. In addition, we cannot assure that we would be able to take any of these actions, that these actions would enable us to continue to satisfy our capital requirements, or that these actions would be permitted under the terms of our various debt agreements.
Numerous banks in many countries are syndicate members in our credit facility. Failure of one or more of our larger lenders, or several of our smaller lenders, could significantly reduce availability of our credit, which could harm our liquidity.
Failure of our internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect our business and financial results.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting is not intended to provide absolute assurance that we would prevent or detect a misstatement of our financial statements or fraud. Any failure to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting could limit our ability to report our financial results accurately and timely or to detect and prevent fraud.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
Provisions in our corporate documents and Delaware law may delay or prevent a change in control of our company, and accordingly, we may not consummate a transaction that our stockholders consider favorable.
Provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws may inhibit changes in control of our company not approved by our Board. These provisions include, for example: a classified board of directors with directors serving staggered three-year terms; a prohibition on stockholder action by written consent; a requirement that special stockholder meetings be called only by our Chairman, President or Board; advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and nominations; limitations on stockholders’ ability to amend, alter or repeal the By-laws; enhanced voting requirements for certain business combinations involving substantial stockholders; the authority of our Board to issue, without stockholder approval, preferred stock with terms determined in its discretion; and limitations on stockholders’ ability to remove directors. In addition, we are afforded the protections of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which could have similar effects. In general, Section 203 prohibits us from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” (each as defined in Section 203) for at least three years after the time the person became an interested stockholder unless certain conditions are met. These protective provisions could result in our not consummating a transaction that our stockholders consider favorable or discourage entities from attempting to acquire us, potentially at a significant premium to our then-existing stock price.
Increases in the number of shares of our outstanding common stock could adversely affect our common stock price or dilute our earnings per share.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of common stock into the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could have a material adverse effect on our stock price. As of December 31, 2024, we had the ability to issue up to an additional 3.409 shares as restricted stock units, performance stock units, or stock options under our 2019 Stock Compensation Plan. We also may issue a significant number of additional shares, in connection with acquisitions, through a registration statement, or otherwise. Additional shares issued would have a dilutive effect on our earnings per share.
ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
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ITEM 1C. Cybersecurity
All companies utilizing technology are subject to threats of breaches of their cybersecurity programs. We understand the importance of securing our data and information technology systems and networks, as well as the data customers and other stakeholders entrust to us. We have established policies, processes and practices for assessing, identifying, and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats which are integrated into our overall risk management program and based on frameworks established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”), the International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”) and other applicable industry standards. Despite this, there can be no guarantee that our policies and procedures will be effective. Refer to “Risk Factors” for additional detail about the material cybersecurity risks we face. Our cybersecurity program includes the following:
Collaboration, Education, Incident Response and Recovery Planning
Our key security, risk, and compliance personnel meet regularly and, together with our cybersecurity consultants, develop strategies for preserving the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data and our information technology systems and networks. We have established incident response and recovery plans to address potential cybersecurity incidents, including assessing the severity of a cyber incident, which are regularly evaluated for their effectiveness. Management maintains controls and procedures and periodically conducts tabletop exercises that are designed to ensure prompt escalation of material cybersecurity incidents so that decisions regarding public disclosure and reporting of such incidents can be made by management and the Board of Directors (our “Board”) in a timely manner. In addition, we regularly educate employees on the importance of maintaining the security of our information technology systems and networks and over handling and protecting customer and employee data, including through regular phishing awareness campaigns, security awareness communications, and recurring privacy and security training.
Risk Assessment and Technical Safeguards
On an ongoing basis, we assess cybersecurity risk, including the review of our policies, standards, processes and practices. These assessments include a variety of activities including third party security penetration testing and independent reviews of our information security control environment and operating effectiveness. The results of these assessment activities are presented to our Board, Audit Committee, and members of management. We regularly assess and deploy technical safeguards based on vulnerability assessments, cybersecurity threat intelligence and incident response experience. In addition, our third-party technology service providers are contractually obligated to maintain cybersecurity controls and complete our security questionnaires at the time of onboarding. On a recurring basis, our third-party service providers are required to update their responses to our security questionnaires and, where available, additional information such as System and Organization Controls (“SOC”) SOC 1 or SOC 2 reports are provided.
Board and Management Oversight
Our chief information officer (“CIO”) and chief information security officer (“CISO”) have primary responsibility for assessing and managing material cybersecurity risks. Quarterly cybersecurity updates are provided to executive leadership to review security key performance indicators, identify security risks, and assess the status of approved security enhancements, and risk mitigation strategies.Our CIO has served in various roles in information technology and information security for over 30 years, including serving as the CIO of three other companies. Our CIO holds an undergraduate degree in computer science. Our CISO holds 11 industry security, risk, and/or privacy certifications and has served in various roles in information technology and information security for 25 years, including serving as the Director, Global Security, Privacy & Data Governance for one of the world's largest privately held transport corporations. Our Board, in coordination with the Audit Committee, oversees our management of cybersecurity risk. The Audit Committee receives regular cybersecurity risk reports from management and, at least annually, our Board receives reports from management, including our CIO and CISO about the prevention, detection, mitigation, and remediation of cybersecurity incidents, including material security risks and information security vulnerabilities.
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ITEM 2. Properties
The following is a summary of our principal properties as of December 31, 2024:
No. of ApproximateSquare Footage
Location Facilities Owned Leased
(in millions)
HVAC reportable segment 11 U.S. states and 3 foreign countries 28 2.3 1.9
Corporate 1 U.S. state 1 — 0.1
In addition to manufacturing plants, we own and lease various sales, service and other locations throughout the world. We consider these properties, as well as the related machinery and equipment, to be well maintained and suitable and adequate for their intended purposes.
ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings
See “Risk Factors,” “MD&A — Critical Accounting Estimates — Contingent Liabilities,” and Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion of legal proceedings.
We are also subject to legal proceedings and claims that arise in the normal course of business. We believe these matters are either without merit or of a kind that should not have a material effect individually or in the aggregate on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows; however, we cannot assure you that these proceedings or claims will not have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
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P A R T I I
ITEM 5. Market For Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SPXC.”
We discontinued dividend payments in September 2015 in connection with the Spin-off and, thus, there have been no dividends declared since such time.
On May 14, 2024, May 9, 2023, and May 10, 2022, our Board of Directors re-authorized management, in its sole discretion, to repurchase our capital stock in any fiscal year. Under the authorization, we may repurchase shares through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise, and at prices and times and in amounts as we determine, subject to applicable restrictions under our senior credit agreement. Our senior credit agreement permits an unlimited amount of share repurchases if our consolidated leverage ratio (as calculated under the senior credit agreement) is less than 2.75 to 1.00. Otherwise, the senior credit agreement restricts our repurchase of shares if the amount of repurchases in any fiscal year exceeds $100.0 million plus a basket amount based on our cumulative consolidated net income from a specified date.
Pursuant to the 2022 re-authorization, we repurchased 706,827 of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $33.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2022.
As of December 31, 2024, the maximum approximate dollar value of our common stock that may be purchased under this authorization during the current fiscal year is $100.0 million. The number of stockholders of record of our common stock as of February 21, 2025 was 2,038.
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Company Performance
This graph shows a five-year comparison of cumulative total returns for SPX, the S&P 500 Index, the S&P 1500 Industrials Index, and the S&P 600 Index. The graph assumes an initial investment of $100 on December 31, 2019 and the reinvestment of dividends.
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ITEM 6. [Reserved]
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ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
(in millions, except share data)
The following should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto. Unless otherwise indicated, amounts provided in Item 7 pertain to continuing operations only.
Potential Impacts of Geopolitical Conflicts
Ongoing geopolitical conflicts, and governmental actions implemented in response to these conflicts, did not have a significant adverse impact on our operating results during the periods presented. We are monitoring the availability of certain raw materials that are supplied by businesses in the countries impacted by these conflicts. However, at this time, we do not expect the potential impact to be material to our operating results. These conflicts have created additional demand for certain products within our communication technologies business. The longer-term impact of these global events on our business is currently unknown due to the uncertainty around their duration and broader impact.
Supply Chain Disruptions, Labor Shortages, and Cost Increases
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operating results throughout 2024 and 2023 was minimal. However, during January 2022, there was an increase in pandemic cases at certain of our manufacturing facilities, which resulted in a high-level of absenteeism at such facilities during the month. In addition, since the second half of 2021, certain of our businesses experienced supply chain disruptions, as well as labor shortages, while all of our businesses experienced increases in raw material, component, and transportation costs. The combination of these matters negatively impacted our operating results during the first half of 2022, as we experienced lower absorption of manufacturing costs and, in some cases, the negative impact of cost increases on fixed-price customer contracts. Throughout 2024 and 2023, we experienced more stable labor and supply chain environments and continue to actively manage these matters.
Executive Overview
Revenues for 2024 totaled $1,983.9, compared to $1,741.2 in 2023 (and $1,460.9 in 2022). The increase in revenues during 2024, compared to 2023, was due primarily to (i) inorganic revenue growth resulting from the Ingénia, ASPEQ, and TAMCO acquisitions (each within the HVAC reportable segment) and (ii) organic revenue growth within the HVAC reportable segment. Revenues for 2024, compared to 2023, within our Detection and Measurement reportable segment increased slightly, with foreign currency translation benefits offset by a minor organic revenue decline. The organic revenue growth within the HVAC reportable segment was due primarily to (i) increased volume of cooling products driven by continued strength in demand and higher throughput resulting from expanded production capacity and (ii) execution of a larger-than-typical service project within our cooling business. These increases were partially offset by modest organic revenue declines of heating products due primarily to the unseasonably warm winter conditions prevalent in relevant end markets mainly during the first quarter of 2024. The minor organic revenue decline within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment was primarily driven by lower project volumes within our communication technologies business associated with a larger-than-typical project that executed throughout 2023 and completed in the first quarter of 2024, partially offset by higher project volumes at our aids to navigation business. Project volumes within our Detection and Measurement reportable segment can vary from period to period based on execution timing. The increase in revenues during 2023, compared to 2022, was due primarily to the impact of organic revenue growth within the HVAC and Detection and Measurement reportable segments and, to a lesser extent, the impact of the TAMCO and ASPEQ acquisitions. The organic revenue growth within the HVAC reportable segment was due primarily to increased sales of cooling products associated with both volume and price increases. Organic revenue growth within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment was due primarily to higher volumes of large projects within the communication technologies, transportation and aids to navigation businesses.
For 2024, operating income totaled $308.3, compared to $221.9 in 2023 (and $51.0 in 2022). The increase in operating income in 2024, compared to 2023, was due primarily to (i) higher income from our reportable segments of $107.4, (ii)a charge incurred in 2023 of $9.0 related to the resolution of a dispute with a former representative at one of our businesses within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment, and (iii) lower corporate expense of $4.8. These impacts were partially offset by (i) increases during the period, compared to 2023, in intangible asset amortization expense of $20.6, (ii) a charge of $8.4 related to a settlement with the seller of ULC Robotics (“ULC”) regarding additional contingent consideration, and (iii) an increase of $2.8 in special charges related to restructuring actions (see Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details regarding these actions). The increase in income from our reportable segments was primarily due to (i) the revenue growth mentioned above and associated operating leverage, (ii) more favorable project execution and product mix, primarily within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment, and (iii) the impact of continuous improvement initiatives, partially offset by increases in personnel costs, primarily within our HVAC reportable segment, due to annual merit increases and growth-related headcount additions. The increase in intangible asset amortization expense was driven by the acquisitions mentioned above. The increase in operating income in 2023, compared to 2022, was due primarily to (i) higher income for both our HVAC and Detection and Measurement reportable segments of $103.6, (ii) the loss on the Asbestos Portfolio Sale of $73.9 incurred in 2022, and (iii) lower corporate expense of $10.2 primarily related to higher costs incurred on strategic and transformational initiatives
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executed during 2022, primarily related to the Asbestos Portfolio Sale, as well as expenses incurred in connection with asbestos-related matters during 2022, prior to the Asbestos Portfolio Sale. The impact of these factors was partially offset by increases in (i) employee compensation, including increases in short-term incentive compensation expense, (ii) intangible asset amortization expense of $15.4, (iii) acquisition-related and other integration costs resulting from the acquisitions of TAMCO and ASPEQ, and (iv) a charge of $9.0 related to the resolution of a dispute with a former representative at one of our businesses within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment. The increase in income for our HVAC reportable segment was primarily due to the organic revenue growth mentioned above and greater absorption of manufacturing costs resulting from higher volumes and more stable labor and supply chain environments, as well as the income associated with the TAMCO and ASPEQ acquisitions. The increase in income for our Detection and Measurement reportable segment was due primarily to the organic revenue growth mentioned above.
Operating cash flows from continuing operations totaled $313.1 in 2024, compared to operating cash flows from continuing operations of $243.8 in 2023 (and operating cash flows used in continuing operations of $115.2 in 2022). The increase in cash flows from operating activities in 2024, compared to 2023, was due primarily to (i) cash inflows resulting from the increase in operating income discussed above, exclusive of non-cash expenses (primarily intangible asset amortization and depreciation expense) incurred during the respective periods, (ii) lower income tax payments of $14.9, primarily resulting from the acceleration of certain acquired tax attributes, and (iii) reductions in the level of raw material and component purchases during the 2024 period due to stabilization of the supply chain environment. These impacts were partially offset by (i) additional interest payments of $17.8 due to higher average debt balances resulting from borrowings associated with the Ingénia, ASPEQ, and TAMCO acquisitions, (ii) $11.9 in additional short-term incentive compensation payments, (iii) a payment, during the first quarter of 2024, related to the resolution of a dispute with a former representative at one of our businesses within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment of $9.0, and (iv) a payment of $8.4 associated with a settlement for additional contingent consideration to the seller of ULC mentioned above. The increase in cash flows from operating activities in 2023, compared to 2022, was due primarily to (i) the increase in income during the period discussed above, (ii) cash contributed during 2022 to the divested subsidiaries of $138.8 in connection with the Asbestos Portfolio Sale, (iii) a reduction in the level of elevated purchases of raw materials and components during 2023, primarily within our HVAC reportable segment, due to a more stable supply chain environment, (iv) working capital improvements at certain of our project-related businesses, as cash flows for these businesses are often subject to contract milestones that can impact the timing of cash flows from period to period, (v) net payments for asbestos-related matters made prior to the Asbestos Portfolio Sale in 2022, of $15.3, and (vi) a cash payment of $10.0 during the first half of 2022 in connection with the transfer of our postretirement life insurance benefit obligation to an insurance carrier (see Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details).
Additional details on certain matters noted above as well as significant items impacting the financial results for 2024, 2023, and 2022 are as follows:
2024:
•On February 7, 2024, we completed the acquisition of Ingénia
◦The purchase price for Ingénia was Canadian Dollar (“CAD”) 393.9 (or $292.0 at the time of purchase), net of (i) an adjustment to the purchase price of $2.1 received during 2024 related to acquired working capital and (ii) cash acquired of $1.5.
◦The post-acquisition operating results of Ingénia are included within our HVAC reportable segment.
•Financing Activities
◦On August 30, 2024, we entered into an amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement governing our senior credit facilities (as amended, the “Credit Agreement”).
◦The amendment increases the aggregate revolving credit commitments under the Credit Agreement from $500.0 to $1,000.0 and makes certain conforming changes and other amendments to the Credit Agreement.
◦We expect to utilize the increased revolving credit capacity to finance, in part, permitted acquisitions, to pay related fees, costs and expenses and for other lawful corporate purposes.
◦During the third quarter of 2024, we renewed, and increased the capacity of, our trade receivables financing agreement for a period of 12 months, whereby we can borrow, on a continuous basis, up to $100.0, as available.
◦See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
•Changes in Estimated Fair Value of an Equity Security
◦We recorded a loss of $4.2 within “Other expense, net” related to decreases in the estimated fair value of an equity security that we hold.
◦See Note 17 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
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•Actuarial Losses on Pension and Postretirement Plans
◦During 2024, we recorded actuarial losses of $2.6 in the fourth quarter in connection with the annual remeasurement of our pension and postretirement plans with such losses resulting primarily from lower than expected returns on plan assets, partially offset by increases in discount rates.
◦See Notes 1 and 11 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
•Resolution of Dispute with Seller of ULC
◦In connection with our acquisition of ULC in September 2020, the seller of ULC was eligible for contingent consideration of up to $45.0 under an earn-out provision.
◦During the third quarter of 2021, we concluded that none of the milestones for the payment of any of the contingent consideration had been achieved.
◦On May 20, 2024, we entered into a settlement agreement with the seller of ULC to resolve a lawsuit it commenced in August 2022 seeking contingent consideration of $15.0, prejudgment interest on that amount, and attorney’s fees.
◦The settlement agreement required a payment by us to the seller of ULC of $8.4, which was paid during the second quarter of 2024, with a corresponding charge recorded within “Other operating expense, net” within our consolidated statement of operations. We expect this payment to be tax deductible in future periods.
•Resolution of claims with Prime Contractor of the South Africa Power Projects
◦On September 5, 2023, SPX and DBT entered into an agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Power — ZAF (f.k.a. Mitsubishi-Hitachi Power Systems Africa (PTY) LTD) (“MHI”) to affect the negotiated resolution of all claims between the parties with respect to DBT’s involvement in two large power projects in South Africa - Kusile and Medupi (the “Settlement Agreement”).
◦In connection with the Settlement Agreement, DBT made a payment of $25.1 (net of $2.0 received on a related foreign currency forward agreement) during the year ended December 31, 2024.
◦See Notes 4 and 15 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
2023:
•On April 3, 2023, we completed the acquisition of TAMCO
◦The purchase price for TAMCO was $125.5, inclusive of an adjustment of $0.2 paid during 2023 related to acquired working capital, and net of cash acquired of $1.0.
◦The post-acquisition operating results of TAMCO are included within our HVAC reportable segment.
•On June 2, 2023, we completed the acquisition of ASPEQ
◦The purchase price for ASPEQ was $421.5, net of (i) an adjustment to the purchase price of $0.3 received during 2023 related to acquired working capital and (ii) cash acquired of $0.9.
◦The post-acquisition operating results of ASPEQ are included within our HVAC reportable segment.
•Incremental Term Loan
◦On April 21, 2023, the prior iteration of the Credit Agreement was amended to provide for an additional senior secured term loan in the aggregate amount of $300.0, which was borrowed during the second quarter of 2023.
◦The funds from the additional term loan (“Incremental Term Loan”) were used to partially fund the acquisition of ASPEQ.
◦See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
•Resolution of Claims with Prime Contractor of South Africa Power Projects
◦In connection with the Settlement Agreement, the Company incurred a charge, net of tax, of $54.2 during the third quarter of 2023. The charge included the write-off of $15.2 in net amounts due from MHI. Such charge is included in “Loss on disposition of discontinued operations, net of tax” for the year ended December 31, 2023. In addition, DBT made a payment of $25.3 to MHI during the year ended December 31, 2023, in connection to the Settlement Agreement.
◦See Notes 4 and 15 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
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•Actuarial Losses on Pension and Postretirement Plans
◦During 2023, we recorded actuarial losses of $11.3 in the fourth quarter in connection with the annual remeasurement of our pension and postretirement plans with such losses resulting primarily from decreases in discount rates.
◦See Notes 1 and 11 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
•Resolution of Dispute with Former Representative
◦During the fourth quarter of 2023, we recorded a charge within “Other operating expense, net” of $9.0 related to the resolution of a dispute with a former representative at one of our businesses within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment.
◦See Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
2022:
•Transfer of Postretirement Life Insurance Benefit Obligation
◦On February 17, 2022, we transferred a portion of our obligation for life insurance benefits under our postretirement benefit plans to an insurance carrier for cash consideration paid of $10.0.
◦In connection with the transfer, we recorded a net charge of $0.3 to “Other expense, net.”
◦See Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
•On March 31, 2022, we completed the acquisition of ITL
◦The purchase price for ITL was $40.4, net of (i) an adjustment to the purchase price received during 2022 of $1.4 related to acquired working capital and (ii) cash acquired of $1.1.
◦The post-acquisition operating results of ITL are included within our Detection and Measurement reportable segment.
•Amendment of Senior Credit Agreement
◦On August 12, 2022, we amended and restated our then-existing credit agreement.
◦The then-existing credit agreement provided for committed senior secured financing with an aggregate amount of $770.0, with a final maturity of August 12, 2027.
◦See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
•Settlement and Actuarial Gains and Losses - Pension and Postretirement Plans
◦In connection with the sale of Transformer Solutions, a significant number of participants of the U.S. Pension Plan (“U.S. Plan”) who were employees of Transformer Solutions elected to receive lump-sum payments from the U.S. Plan.
◦The extent of these lump-sum payments, combined with other lump-sum payments that were made by the U.S. Plan during the first nine months of 2022, required us to record settlement and actuarial losses of $6.2 during this period.
◦In addition, we recorded settlement and actuarial gains of $8.0 in the fourth quarter of 2022 in connection with the annual remeasurement of our pension and postretirement plans, with such gains resulting primarily from the impact of increases in discount rates, partially offset by lower than expected returns on plan assets.
◦See Notes 1 and 11 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
•Repurchases of Common Stock — During the second quarter of 2022, we repurchased 706,827 shares of our common stock for $33.7.
•Changes in Estimated Fair Value of an Equity Security
◦We recorded losses of $3.0 within “Other expense, net” related to decreases in the estimated fair value of an equity security that we hold.
◦See Note 17 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
•Asbestos-Related Matters
◦During the third quarter of 2022, we received a ruling from a North Carolina trial court that certain excess insurance carriers associated with our then-existing asbestos product liability matters are not required to cover the costs of defending suits that are dismissed without an indemnity payment.
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◦As a result of this ruling, we recorded charges of $21.7 during the third quarter, with $16.5 reflected in “Income from continuing operations before income taxes” and the remainder in “Loss on disposition of discontinued operations, net of tax.”
◦On November 1, 2022, we completed the Asbestos Portfolio Sale. In connection with the sale, we contributed $138.8 to the divested subsidiaries and recorded a loss on sale of $73.9. See Notes 1 and 4 to our consolidated financial statements for additional detail.
•Impairment of Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
◦During the fourth quarter of 2022, we performed our annual impairment analyses of our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. As a result of such analyses, we recorded impairment charges of $13.4, with $12.0 related to goodwill and the remainder to trademarks.
◦See Notes 1 and 10 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
Results of Continuing Operations
Cyclicality of End Markets, Seasonality and Competition — The financial results of our businesses closely follow changes in the industries in which they operate and end markets in which they serve. In addition, certain of our businesses have seasonal fluctuations. For example, certain of our heating products businesses tend to be stronger in the third and fourth quarters, as customer buying habits are driven largely by seasonal weather patterns. In aggregate, our businesses generally tend to be stronger in the second half of the year.
Although our businesses operate in highly competitive markets, our competitive position cannot be determined accurately in the aggregate or by segment since none of our competitors offer all the same product lines or serve all the same markets as we do. In addition, specific reliable comparative figures are not available for many of our competitors. In most product groups, competition comes from numerous concerns, both large and small. The principal methods of competition are service, product performance, technical innovation and price. These methods vary with the type of product sold. We believe we compete effectively on the basis of each of these factors.
Non-GAAP Measures — Organic revenue growth (decline) presented herein is defined as revenue growth (decline) excluding the effects of foreign currency fluctuations and acquisitions/divestitures. We believe this metric is a useful financial measure for investors in evaluating our operating performance for the periods presented, as, when read in conjunction with our revenues, it presents a useful tool to evaluate our ongoing operations and provides investors with a tool they can use to evaluate our management of assets held from period to period. In addition, organic revenue growth (decline) is one of the factors we use in internal evaluations of the overall performance of our business. This metric, however, is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP, should not be considered a substitute for net revenue growth (decline) as determined in accordance with GAAP, and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.
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The following table provides selected financial information for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, including the reconciliation of organic revenue increase to net revenue increase:
Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets — — 13.4 * *
Other operating expense, net 8.4 9.0 74.9 * *
Other expense, net (9.3) (10.1) (15.2) * *
Loss on amendment/refinancing of senior credit agreement — — (1.1) * *
Components of consolidated revenue increase:
Foreign currency — 0.1
___________________________________________________________________
* Not meaningful for comparison purposes.
Revenues— For 2024, the increase in revenues, compared to 2023, was due primarily to (i) inorganic revenue growth resulting from the Ingénia, ASPEQ, and TAMCO acquisitions (each within the HVAC reportable segment) and (ii) organic revenue growth within the HVAC reportable segment. Revenues for 2024, compared to 2023, within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment increased slightly, with foreign currency translation benefits offset by a minor organic revenue decline. The organic revenue growth within the HVAC reportable segment was due primarily to (i) increased volume of cooling products driven by continued strength in demand and higher throughput resulting from expanded production capacity and (ii) execution of a larger-than-typical service project within our cooling business. These increases were partially offset by modest organic revenue declines of heating products due primarily to the unseasonably warm winter conditions prevalent in relevant end markets mainly during the first quarter of 2024. The minor organic revenue decline within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment was primarily driven by lower project volumes within our communication technologies business associated with a larger-than-typical project that executed throughout 2023 and completed in the first quarter of 2024, partially offset by higher project volumes at our aids to navigation business. Project volumes within our Detection and Measurement reportable segment can vary from period to period based on execution timing.
For 2023, the increase in revenues, compared to 2022, was due to the impact of organic revenue growth within the HVAC and Detection and Measurement reportable segments and, to a lesser extent, the impact of the TAMCO and ASPEQ acquisitions. The organic revenue growth within the HVAC reportable segment was due primarily to increased sales of cooling products associated with both volume and price increases. Organic revenue growth within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment was due primarily to higher volumes of large projects within the communication technologies, transportation and aids to navigation businesses.
Gross Profit — For 2024, the increase in gross profit and gross profit as a percentage of revenues, compared to 2023, was due primarily to (i) the revenue growth mentioned above and associated operating leverage, (ii) more favorable project execution and product mix, primarily within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment, and (iii) the impact of continuous improvement initiatives, partially offset by increases in personnel costs, primarily within our HVAC reportable segment, due to annual merit increases and growth-related headcount additions.
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For 2023, the increase in gross profit and gross profit as a percentage of revenues, compared to 2022, was due primarily to the increase in revenues noted above and greater absorption of manufacturing costs as a result of higher volumes. The higher volumes were aided by improved operational execution resulting from investments in plant automation and more stable labor and supply chain environments, particularly within our HVAC reportable segment. The resulting favorable impact on gross profit as a percentage of revenue was partially offset by less favorable sales mix within our Detection and Measurement reportable segment.
Selling, General and Administrative (“SG&A”) Expense — For 2024, the increase in SG&A expense, compared to 2023, was due primarily to incremental SG&A resulting from (i) the acquisitions of Ingénia, ASPEQ, and TAMCO of $20.7 (including integration costs of $3.3), (ii) increases in personnel costs, primarily within our HVAC reportable segment, due to annual merit increases and growth-related headcount additions, and (iii) $1.6 of additional long-term incentive compensation, partially offset by a reduction in corporate expense of $4.8.
For 2023, the increase in SG&A expense, compared to 2022, was due primarily to (i) higher employee compensation, inclusive of increases in short-term incentive compensation expense, (ii) increases in sales incentive plan expense driven by the higher revenues mentioned above, (iii) acquisition-related costs and incremental SG&A expenses associated with the acquired TAMCO and ASPEQ businesses, and (iv) higher travel expense. These increases were partially offset by (i) lower costs related to various strategic and transformational initiatives during 2023, as 2022 included significant costs on strategic and transformational initiatives related to the Asbestos Portfolio Sale, and (ii) expenses in connection with asbestos-related matters incurred during 2022 prior to the Asbestos Portfolio Sale.
Intangible Amortization — For 2024, the increase in intangible amortization, compared to 2023, was primarily related to incremental amortization associated with (i) backlog from the Ingénia acquisition and (ii) other intangible assets associated with the acquisition of Ingénia and a full year of amortization for the TAMCO and ASPEQ acquisitions.
For 2023, the increase in intangible amortization, compared to 2022, was primarily due to incremental intangible amortization related to backlog and other intangible assets associated with the TAMCO and ASPEQ acquisitions. In addition, 2023 included a full year of amortization related to the ITL acquisition, compared to nine months in the 2022 period.
Impairment of Goodwill and Intangible Assets — During 2022, we recorded impairment charges of $12.9 related to the goodwill and trademarks of ULC and $0.5 related to certain other trademarks. See Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
Special Charges, Net — Special charges, net, relate primarily to restructuring initiatives to consolidate manufacturing, distribution, sales and administrative facilities, reduce workforce, and rationalize certain product lines. See Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements for the details of actions taken in 2024, 2023, and 2022. The components of special charges, net, are as follows:
Year ended December 31,
Employee termination costs $ 2.4 $ 0.8 $ 0.1
Facility consolidation costs 0.3 — —
Non-cash asset write-downs 0.9 — 0.3
Other Operating Expense, Net — During 2024, we recorded a charge of $8.4 related to a settlement with the seller of ULC regarding additional contingent consideration. See Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details.
During 2023, we recorded a charge of $9.0 related to the resolution of a dispute with a former representative at one of our businesses within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment. See Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details.
During 2022, and in connection with the Asbestos Portfolio Sale, we recorded a loss of $73.9. Additionally, prior to the Asbestos Portfolio Sale, we recorded charges of $2.3 for asbestos product liability matters, partially offset by a reduction in the fair value/liability associated with the contingent consideration related to the acquisition of Enterprise Control Systems Ltd (“ECS”), which was completed in 2021, of $1.3.
Other Expense, Net — Other expense, net, for 2024 was composed primarily of (i) environmental remediation charges of $6.7, (ii) a loss of $4.2 related to a change in the estimated fair value of an equity security that we hold, and (iii) pension and
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postretirement expense of $4.5 (including actuarial losses of $2.6), partially offset by gains on disposal of property, plant and equipment of $3.2, income derived from company-owned life insurance (“COLI”) policies of $2.3, and foreign currency transaction gains of $0.8.
Other expense, net, for 2023 was composed primarily of (i) pension and postretirement expense of $12.2 (including actuarial losses of $11.3), (ii) foreign currency transaction losses of $0.9, and (iii) environmental remediation charges of $0.9, partially offset by gains of (i) $3.6 related to a change in the estimated fair value of an equity security that we hold and (ii) $0.4 related to income derived from COLI policies.
Other expense, net, for 2022 was composed primarily of $16.5 of asbestos-related charges incurred prior to the Asbestos Portfolio Sale, a loss of $3.0 related to a change in the estimated fair value of an equity security that we hold, environmental remediation charges of $2.9, and foreign currency transaction losses of $1.1, partially offset by pension and postretirement income (inclusive of net settlement and actuarial gains of $1.5) of $4.4, income of $2.0 derived from COLI policies, and $3.0 of income associated with transition services agreements.
Interest Expense, Net — Interest expense, net, includes both interest expense and interest income. The increase in interest expense, net, during 2024, compared to 2023, was due primarily to higher average debt balances during the 2024 periods, primarily resulting from borrowings associated with the Ingénia, ASPEQ, and TAMCO acquisitions. Refer to Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details.
The increase in interest expense, net, during 2023, compared to 2022, was the result of higher average debt balances and a higher average effective interest rate during 2023, with the higher average debt balances primarily resulting from borrowings in connection with the TAMCO and ASPEQ acquisitions.
Loss on Amendment/Refinancing of Senior Credit Agreement — During 2022, we amended our senior credit agreement. In connection with the amendment, we recorded a charge of $1.1, which consisted of the write-off of a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs related to our senior credit facilities ($0.7) and certain expenses incurred in connection with the amendment ($0.4).
Income Taxes — During 2024, we recorded an income tax provision of $53.6 on $255.4 of pre-tax income from continuing operations, resulting in an effective rate of 21.0%. The most significant items impacting the income tax provision for 2024 were (i) $11.0 of excess tax benefits associated with stock-based compensation awards that vested and/or were exercised during the period and (ii) $0.7 of tax benefits related to changes in our estimate of valuation allowances recognized against certain deferred tax assets, as we now expect to realize these deferred tax assets.
During 2023, we recorded an income tax provision of $41.6on $186.3 of pre-tax income from continuing operations, resulting in an effective rate of 22.3%. The most significant items impacting the income tax provision for 2023 were (i) $2.3 of tax benefits related to changes in our estimate of valuation allowances recognized against certain deferred tax assets, as we now expect to realize these deferred tax assets, (ii) $1.8 of excess tax benefits associated with stock-based compensation awards that vested and/or were exercised during the period, and (iii) $1.1 of tax benefits related to revisions to liabilities for uncertain tax positions.
During 2022, we recorded an income tax provision of $7.3 on $27.1 of pre-tax income from continuing operations, resulting in an effective rate of 26.9%. The most significant item impacting the effective tax rate for 2022 was the $73.9 loss on the Asbestos Portfolio Sale, which generated a tax benefit of only $1.1. In addition, the 2022 effective income tax rate was also impacted by (i) a $4.7 tax benefit related to the release of valuation allowances recognized against certain deferred tax assets, as we now expect to realize these deferred tax assets, primarily due to the Holding Company Reorganization completed in 2022, (ii) $3.0 of tax benefits related to statute expirations and other revisions to liabilities for uncertain tax positions, and (iii) $1.7 of excess tax benefits associated with stock-based compensation awards that vested and/or were exercised during the year.
Results of Discontinued Operations
Wind-Down of the Heat Transfer Business
Following the Spin-Off, we initiated a strategic shift away from the power generation markets. As part of this strategic shift, we sold the dry cooling and Balcke Dürr businesses in 2016 and commenced efforts to sell the Heat Transfer business. After an unsuccessful attempt to sell the Heat Transfer business, we implemented a wind-down plan for the business in 2018. During the fourth quarter of 2020, we completed the wind-down plan, which included providing all products and services on the business’s remaining contracts with customers. As a result, we are reporting Heat Transfer as a discontinued operation for all periods presented.
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Sale of Transformer Solutions Business
On October 1, 2021, we completed the sale of Transformer Solutions pursuant to the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement dated June 8, 2021. We transferred all of the outstanding common stock of Transformer Solutions to GE-Prolec Transformers, Inc. (the “Purchaser”) and Prolec GE Internacional, S. de R.L. de C.V. for an aggregate cash purchase price of $645.0 (the “Transaction”). The purchase price was subject to potential adjustment based on Transformer Solutions’ cash, debt and working capital on the date the Transaction was consummated, as well as for specified transaction expenses and other specified items. During 2022, we agreed to the final adjustment of the purchase price which resulted in a payment to the Purchaser of $13.9. We have classified the business as a discontinued operation in our consolidated financial statements for all periods presented. See Notes 1 and 4 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
Wind-Down of DBT Business
As the culmination of our strategic shift away from power generation markets, we completed the wind-down of our DBT business during the fourth quarter of 2021. As a result, we are reporting DBT as a discontinued operation in our consolidated financial statements for all periods presented.
As previously disclosed, DBT had asserted claims against the remaining prime contractor on two large projects, MHI, of approximately South African Rand 1,000.0 (or $53.2) and MHI had asserted, or issued letters of intent to claim for, alleged damages against DBT. Although it was reasonably possible that some loss may have been incurred in connection with these claims (which totaled approximately South African Rand 2,815.2 or $149.7), we were unable to estimate the potential loss or range of potential loss associated with these claims due to the (i) lack of support provided by MHI for these claims; (ii) complexity of contractual relationships between the end customer, MHI, and DBT; (iii) legal interpretation of the contract provisions and application of South African law to the contracts; and (iv) unpredictable nature of any dispute resolution processes that had occurred or may have occurred in connection with these claims. Although we had experienced success in enforcing and defending our rights through the dispute resolution process over the past few years (including the matters mentioned below), we had invested, and would have continued to invest, significant management and financial resources to defend and pursue these matters.
On September 5, 2023, DBT and SPX entered into the Settlement Agreement with MHI to resolve all claims between the parties with respect to the two large power projects in South Africa. The Settlement Agreement provides for full and final settlement and mutual release of all claims between the parties with respect to the projects, including any claim against SPX Technologies, Inc. as guarantor of DBT's performance on the projects. It also provides that the underlying subcontracts are terminated and all obligations of both parties under the subcontracts have been satisfied in full. In connection with the Settlement Agreement, we incurred a charge, net of tax, of $54.2 during the third quarter of 2023. The charge included the write-off of $15.2 in net amounts due from MHI. Such charge is included in “Loss on disposition of discontinued operations, net of tax” for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Prior to the Settlement Agreement, on February 22, 2021, a dispute adjudication panel issued a ruling in favor of DBT against MHI related to costs incurred in connection with delays on two units of the Kusile project. In connection with the ruling, DBT received South African Rand 126.6 (or $8.6 at the time of payment). This ruling was subject to final and binding arbitration in this matter. In March 2023, an arbitration tribunal upheld the decision of the dispute adjudication panel. As a result, the South African Rand 126.6 (or $7.0) was recorded as income during the first quarter of 2023, with such amount recorded within “Loss on disposition of discontinued operations, net of tax.” Additionally, in June 2023, the arbitration tribunal ruled DBT was entitled to recover $1.3 of legal costs incurred related to the arbitration. Such amount received from MHI was recorded to “Loss on disposition of discontinued operations, net of tax” during the year ended December 31, 2023. Additionally, in May 2023, a separate arbitration tribunal ruled DBT was entitled to recover $5.5 of legal costs incurred related to another prior arbitration. Such amount received from MHI was recorded to “Loss on disposition of discontinued operations, net of tax” during the year ended December 31, 2023.
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For the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, results of operations from our businesses reported as discontinued operations were as follows:
Year ended December 31,
Transformer Solutions
Loss from discontinued operations (1) $ — $ — $ (0.6)
Income tax benefit — — 0.9
Income from discontinued operations, net — — 0.3
DBT
Loss from discontinued operations(2) (0.6) (69.0) (17.3)
Income tax benefit (provision) (0.1) 15.3 2.1
Loss from discontinued operations, net (0.7) (53.7) (15.2)
All other (3)
Loss from discontinued operations (0.3) (1.3) (6.4)
Income tax benefit (provision) (0.3) 0.2 1.7
Loss from discontinued operations, net (0.6) (1.1) (4.7)
Total
Loss from discontinued operations (0.9) (70.3) (24.3)
Income tax benefit (provision) (0.4) 15.5 4.7
Loss from discontinued operations, net $ (1.3) $ (54.8) $ (19.6)
________________________________________________
(1) Loss for the year ended December 31, 2022 resulted primarily from revisions to liabilities retained in connection with the disposition.
(2) Loss for the year ended December 31, 2023 resulted primarily from the charge, and related income tax impacts, recorded in connection with the Settlement Agreement referred to above and legal costs incurred in connection with the various dispute resolution matters. This loss for the year ended December 31, 2023 was partially offset by arbitration awards received, which are discussed above. Loss for the year ended December 31, 2022 resulted primarily from legal costs incurred in connection with various dispute resolution matters prior to the Settlement Agreement.
(3) Loss for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022 resulted primarily from revisions to liabilities, including income tax liabilities, retained in connection with prior dispositions and, for the year ended December 31, 2022, asbestos-related charges for businesses previously disposed of.
Results of Reportable Segments
The following information should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes. These results exclude the operating results of discontinued operations for all periods presented. See Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements for a description of each of our reportable segments.
Non-GAAP Measures — Throughout the following discussion of reportable segments, we use “organic revenue” growth (decline) to facilitate explanation of the operating performance of our segments. Organic revenue growth (decline) is a non-GAAP financial measure, and is not a substitute for net revenue growth (decline). Refer to the explanation of this measure and purpose of use by management under “Results of Continuing Operations — Non-GAAP Measures.”
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HVAC Reportable Segment
Components of revenue increase:
Foreign currency (0.1) (0.2)
Revenues — For 2024, the increase in revenues, compared to 2023, was due primarily to (i) inorganic revenue growth resulting from the Ingénia, ASPEQ, and TAMCO acquisitions and (ii) organic revenue growth. The organic revenue growth was due primarily to (i) increased volume of cooling products driven by continued strength in demand and higher throughput resulting from expanded production capacity and (ii) execution of a larger-than-typical service project within our cooling business. These increases were partially offset by modest organic revenue declines of heating products due primarily to the unseasonably warm winter conditions prevalent in relevant end markets mainly during the first quarter of 2024.
For 2023, the increase in revenues, compared to 2022, was due primarily to (i) organic revenue growth driven primarily by increased sales of cooling products and (ii) the impact of the TAMCO and ASPEQ acquisitions. The increase in organic revenue was associated with volume increases, primarily of cooling products, resulting from greater plant throughput and more stable labor and supply chain environments, and price increases.
Income — For 2024, the increase in income, compared to 2023, was due primarily to the revenue growth mentioned above and associated operating leverage, as well as the impact of continuous improvement initiatives, partially offset by increases in personnel costs due to annual merit increases and growth-related headcount additions.
For 2023, the increase in income, compared to 2022, was due primarily to the impact of the revenue growth mentioned above. For 2023, the increase in margin, compared to 2022, was due primarily to price increases and greater absorption of manufacturing costs as a result of higher volumes, as well as favorable sales mix primarily associated with acquisitions. The higher volumes were aided by improved operational execution across our heating and cooling businesses resulting from more stable labor and supply chain environments and facility-related investments.
Backlog — The segment had backlog of $436.8 and $306.1 as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Backlog associated with the Ingénia acquisition totaled $152.8 as of December 31, 2024. Approximately 88% of the segment’s backlog as of December 31, 2024 is expected to be recognized as revenue during 2025.
Detection and Measurement Reportable Segment
Components of revenue increase:
Foreign currency 0.2 0.3
Acquisitions — 0.4
Net revenue increase — 13.1
Revenues — For 2024, the increase in revenues, compared to 2023, was due primarily to foreign currency translation benefits offset by a minor organic revenue decline. The minor organic revenue decline was primarily driven by lower project volume within our communication technologies business associated with a larger-than-typical project that executed throughout 2023 and completed in the first quarter of 2024, partially offset by higher project volumes at our aids to navigation business. Project volumes within our Detection and Measurement reportable segment can vary from period to period based on execution timing.
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For 2023, the increase in revenues, compared to 2022, was due primarily to organic revenue growth and, to a lesser extent, the full year impact of the ITL acquisition. The organic revenue growth was driven primarily by higher volumes of large projects within the communication technologies, transportation, and aids to navigation businesses.
Income — For 2024, the increase in income and margin, compared to 2023, was due primarily to (i) increased volume at our aids to navigation business, (ii) more favorable project execution and product mix within our communications technologies, aids to navigation, and transportation businesses, and (iii) the impact of continuous improvement initiatives. These impacts were partially offset by the reduction in income associated with volume declines from the larger-than-typical project within our communications technologies business mentioned above.
For 2023, the increase in income, compared to 2022, was due primarily to the revenue growth mentioned above. For 2023, the decrease in margin, compared to 2022, was due primarily to a less favorable sales mix associated with our short-cycled businesses and certain of the large projects mentioned above, primarily within our communication technologies business.
Backlog — The segment had backlog of $220.9 and $244.5 as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Approximately 58% of the segment’s backlog as of December 31, 2024 is expected to be recognized as revenue during 2025.
Corporate Expense and Other Expense
% of revenues 2.7 % 3.4 % 4.7 %
Corporate Expense — Corporate expense generally relates to the personnel and general operating costs of our corporate headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. The decrease in corporate expense during 2024, compared to 2023, was due primarily to (i) a reduction of $2.8 in various strategic and acquisition-related costs, largely associated with the acquisitions of ASPEQ and TAMCO acquired in 2023, partially offset by expense incurred for the Ingénia acquisition in 2024 and (ii) a reduction in short-term incentive compensation expense. These declines were partially offset by annual personnel merit increases.
The decrease in corporate expense during 2023, compared to 2022, was due primarily to (i) higher costs related to various strategic and transformational initiatives, including the Asbestos Portfolio Sale, during 2022 and (ii) expenses in connection with asbestos-related matters incurred during 2022 prior to the Asbestos Portfolio Sale, partially offset by higher short-term incentive compensation and higher acquisition-related and other integration costs primarily associated with the TAMCO and ASPEQ acquisitions.
Long-Term Incentive Compensation Expense — Long-term incentive compensation expense represents our consolidated expense, which we do not allocate for segment reporting purposes. The increase in long-term incentive compensation expense in 2024, compared to 2023, was due primarily to an increase in the fair value of performance based share awards resulting from plan design changes in 2024, which increased the maximum potential payout range from 150% to 200% of target, and the accumulation of awards related to recent changes in certain key management positions.
The increase in long-term incentive compensation expense in 2023, compared to 2022, was due primarily to the impact of forfeitures resulting from various participant resignations during 2022.
See Note 16 to our consolidated financial statements for further details on our long-term incentive compensation plans.
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Liquidity and Financial Condition
Cash Flows
Listed below are the cash flows from (used in) operating, investing and financing activities, and discontinued operations, as well as the net change in cash and equivalents for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022.
Year Ended December 31,
Continuing operations:
Cash flows from (used in) operating activities $ 313.1 $ 243.8 $ (115.2)
Cash flows used in investing activities (284.5) (570.2) (52.2)
Cash flows from (used in) financing activities 53.1 309.6 (39.9)
Cash flows used in discontinued operations (27.2) (35.3) (34.5)
Net change in cash and equivalents $ 56.5 $ (52.2) $ (238.9)
2024 Compared to 2023
Operating Activities -The increase in cash flows from operating activities of continuing operations during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to 2023, was due primarily to (i) cash inflows resulting from the increase in operating income discussed previously, exclusive of non-cash expenses (primarily intangible asset amortization and depreciation expense) incurred during the respective periods, (ii) lower income tax payments of $14.9, primarily resulting from the acceleration of certain acquired tax attributes, and (iii) reductions in the level of raw material and component purchases during the 2024 period due to stabilization of the supply chain environment. These impacts were partially offset by (i) additional interest payments of $17.8 due to higher average debt balances resulting from borrowings associated with the Ingénia, ASPEQ, and TAMCO acquisitions, (ii) $11.9 in additional short-term incentive compensation payments, (iii) a payment, during the first quarter of 2024, related to the resolution of a dispute with a former representative at one of our businesses within the Detection and Measurement reportable segment of $9.0, and (iv) a payment of $8.4 associated with a settlement for additional contingent consideration to the seller of ULC mentioned previously.
Investing Activities - Cash flows used in investing activities of continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 were comprised of net cash utilized in the acquisition of Ingénia of $292.0 and capital expenditures of $38.0, partially offset by net proceeds from COLI policies of $41.9, inclusive of borrowings of $41.2 against the cash surrender value of these COLI policies (see Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details) and proceeds of $3.6 received for the sale of property, plant and equipment. Cash flows used in investing activities of continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2023, were comprised of net cash utilized in the acquisitions of TAMCO and ASPEQ of $547.0 and capital expenditures of $23.9, partially offset by net proceeds from COLI policies of $0.7.
Financing Activities - Cash flows from financing activities of continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 were comprised of (i) net borrowings under the Credit Agreement of $63.0, primarily in connection with the Ingénia acquisition, (ii) net repayments under our trade receivables financing arrangement of $7.0 and other various debt instruments of $1.2, and (iii) fees paid in connection with the August 30, 2024 amendment of our Credit Agreement of $2.6. These net borrowings were partially offset by proceeds from options exercised, net of minimum tax withholdings paid on behalf of employees related to long-term incentive awards, of $0.9. Cash flows from financing activities of continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 were comprised of net borrowings under the Credit Agreement and trade receivables financing arrangement of $296.6 and $16.0, respectively, primarily in connection with the TAMCO and ASPEQ acquisitions. These borrowings were partially offset by minimum tax withholdings paid on behalf of employees on long-term incentive awards, net of proceeds from options exercised, of $1.3, and fees paid in connection with the Incremental Term Loan of $1.3. Net repayments under our other various debt instruments totaled $0.4.
Discontinued Operations - Cash flows used in discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 relate primarily to the final payment under the Settlement Agreement of $25.1 (net of the cash received upon maturation of the related foreign currency forward contracts of $2.0) to MHI and disbursements for liabilities retained in connection with previous dispositions. Cash flows used in discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 relate primarily to (i) cash payments of $25.3 made by DBT to MHI during the third quarter of 2023 in connection with the Settlement Agreement, and (ii) disbursements of $14.7 for professional fees and support costs incurred principally in connection with the various dispute resolution matters resolved by the Settlement Agreement, partially offset by the recovery of legal costs we were awarded in arbitration proceedings between DBT and MHI of $6.8. Refer to Notes 4 and 15 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details related to the Settlement Agreement.
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Change in Cash and Equivalents Due to Changes in Foreign Currency Exchange Rates - Changes in foreign currency exchange rates did not have a significant impact on our cash and equivalents during 2024 and 2023.
2023 Compared to 2022
Operating Activities - The increase in cash flows from operating activities of continuing operations during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 2022, was due primarily to (i) the increase in income during the period discussed previously, (ii) cash contributed during 2022 to the divested subsidiaries of $138.8 in connection with the Asbestos Portfolio Sale, (iii) a reduction in the level of elevated purchases of raw materials and components, primarily within our HVAC reportable segment, during 2023, due to a more stable supply chain environment, (iv) working capital improvements at certain of our project-related businesses, as cash flows for these businesses are often subject to contract milestones that can impact the timing of cash flows from period to period, (v) net payments for asbestos-related matters made prior to the Asbestos Portfolio Sale in 2022, of $15.3, and (vi) a cash payment of $10.0 during the first half of 2022 in connection with the transfer of a portion of our postretirement life insurance benefit obligation to an insurance carrier (see Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details).
Investing Activities - Cash flows used in investing activities of continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 were comprised of net cash utilized in the acquisitions of TAMCO and ASPEQ of $547.0 and capital expenditures of $23.9, partially offset by net proceeds from COLI policies of $0.7. Cash flows used in investing activities of continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 were comprised of cash utilized in the acquisition of ITL of $41.8 and capital expenditures of $15.9, partially offset by net proceeds from COLI policies of $3.7 and $1.8 received upon agreement with the sellers on acquired working capital balances associated with the acquisitions of Cincinnati Fan & Ventilator Co., Inc. acquired in 2021 and ITL acquired in 2022.
Financing Activities - Cash flows from financing activities of continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 were comprised of net borrowings under the Credit Agreement and trade receivables financing arrangement of $296.6 and $16.0, respectively, primarily in connection with the TAMCO and ASPEQ acquisitions. These borrowings were partially offset by minimum tax withholdings paid on behalf of employees on long-term incentive awards, net of proceeds from options exercised, of $1.3, and fees paid in connection with the Incremental Term Loan of $1.3. Net repayments under our other various debt instruments totaled $0.4. Cash flows used in financing activities of continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 were comprised primarily of repurchases of common stock of $33.7, minimum tax withholdings paid on behalf of employees on net-share settlements of long-term incentive awards, net of proceeds from options exercised, of $3.5, and contingent consideration of $1.3 paid in relation to the acquisition of Sensors & Software, Inc. (“Sensors & Software”), which was acquired in 2020. Additionally, prior to the August 12, 2022 amendment of our Credit Agreement, we made scheduled repayments under our then-existing term loan of $6.3 and in connection with entering the Credit Agreement, we received $245.0 under our new term loan and (i) repaid the remaining balance under the then-existing term loan of $237.4 and (ii) paid fees in connection with the refinancing of $1.9. Net repayments under our various other debt instruments totaled $0.8.
Discontinued Operations - Cash flows used in discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 relate primarily to (i) cash payments of $25.3 made by DBT to MHI during the third quarter of 2023 in connection with the Settlement Agreement, and (ii) disbursements of $14.7 for professional fees and support costs incurred principally in connection with the various dispute resolution matters resolved by the Settlement Agreement, partially offset by the recovery of legal costs we were awarded in arbitration proceedings between DBT and MHI of $6.8. Refer to Notes 4 and 15 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details related to the Settlement Agreement. Cash flows used in discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 related primarily to (i) disbursements for professional fees incurred in connection with the claims activities related to the large power projects in South Africa (see Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details), (ii) disbursements related to asbestos product liability matters made prior to the Asbestos Portfolio Sale, (iii) a payment of $13.9 to the buyer of Transformer Solutions related to the settlement of the final working capital balances for the business, and (iv) disbursements for liabilities retained in connection with dispositions, including fees associated with the sale of Transformer Solutions. These disbursements were partially offset by proceeds from stock options exercised of $1.0.
Change in Cash and Equivalents Due to Changes in Foreign Currency Exchange Rates - Changes in foreign currency exchange rates did not have a significant impact on our cash and equivalents during 2023 and 2022.
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Borrowings
The following summarizes our debt activity (both current and non-current) for the year ended December 31, 2024:
Less: short-term debt 17.9 10.1
Less: current maturities of long-term debt 17.3 27.6
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(1)The revolving loan facility extends through August 2027 under the terms of the Credit Agreement and is primarily used to provide liquidity for funding acquisitions, including related fees and expenses, and was utilized as the primary funding mechanism for the Ingénia acquisition.
(2)The term loans are repayable in quarterly installments equal to 1.25% of the initial term loan balances of $545.0, in all quarters of 2025 and 2026, and the first two quarters of 2027. The remaining balances are payable in full on August 12, 2027. Balances are net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $1.2 and $1.7 at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
(3)Under this arrangement, we can borrow, on a continuous basis, up to $100.0, as available. Borrowings under this arrangement are collateralized by eligible trade receivables of certain of our businesses. At December 31, 2024, we had $61.7 of available borrowing capacity under this facility after giving effect to outstanding borrowings of $9.0.
(4)Primarily includes balances under a purchase card program of $1.1 and $1.9 and finance lease obligations of $1.2 and $0.5 at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. The purchase card program allows for payment beyond the normal payment terms for goods and services acquired under the program. As this arrangement extends the payment of these purchases beyond their normal payment terms through third-party lending institutions, we have classified these amounts as short-term debt.
(5)“Other” includes the impact of amortization of debt issuance costs associated with the term loans.
Maturities of long-term debt payable during each of the five years subsequent to December 31, 2024 are $27.6, $27.7, $550.3, $0.2, and $0.1, respectively.
Senior Credit Facilities
On August 30, 2024, we entered into the Credit Agreement pursuant to the Second Amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and Incremental Facility Activation Notice (the “Second Amendment”) with Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent (the “Administrative Agent”), the lenders party thereto, and certain domestic subsidiaries of the Company, as guarantors, which amended our prior Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of August 12, 2022 with the lenders party thereto, Deutsche Bank AG, as foreign trade facility agent, and the Administrative Agent.
The Second Amendment increases the aggregate revolving credit commitments under the Credit Agreement from $500.0 to $1,000.0 and makes certain conforming changes and other amendments to the Credit Agreement. We expect to utilize the increased revolving credit capacity to finance, in part, permitted acquisitions, to pay related fees, costs and expenses and for other lawful corporate purposes. In connection with the Second Amendment, we capitalized $2.6 of debt issuance costs within “Other assets” on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024.
On April 21, 2023, we entered into an Incremental Facility Activation Notice with Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto, which amended the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of August 12, 2022, among the Company, the lenders party thereto, Deutsche Bank AG, as foreign trade facility agent, and the Administrative Agent (“Incremental Amendment”).
The Incremental Amendment provides for an Incremental Term Loan in the aggregate amount of $300.0, which was available in up to three drawings (subject to customary conditions) from the Incremental Amendment Effective Date to October 18, 2023. The proceeds of the Incremental Term Loan were available to be used to finance, in part, permitted acquisitions, to pay related fees, costs and expenses and for other lawful corporate purposes. The Incremental Term Loan will mature on August 12, 2027. We may voluntarily prepay the Incremental Term Loan, in whole or in part, without premium or penalty. In June 2023, we borrowed $300.0 under the Incremental Term Loan in connection with the ASPEQ acquisition.
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The credit facilities (the “Senior Credit Facilities”) under the Credit Agreement consist of the following at December 31, 2024 (each with a final maturity of August 12, 2027):
•Term loan facilities with original aggregate principal amounts of $545.0 ($245.0 and $300.0 related to our original term loan and the Incremental Term Loan, respectively);
•A multicurrency revolving credit facility, available for loans and letters of credit in Dollars, Euro, Sterling and other currencies, in an aggregate principal amount up to the equivalent of $1,000.0 (with sub-limits equal to the equivalents of $200.0 for financial letters of credit, $50.0 for non-financial letters of credit, and $150.0 for non-U.S. exposure); and
•A bilateral foreign credit instrument facility, available for performance letters of credit and bank undertakings, in an aggregate principal amount in various currencies up to the equivalent of $25.0.
At December 31, 2024, we had $909.0 of available borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facilities, after giving effect to borrowings under the domestic revolving loan facilities of $80.0 and $11.0 reserved for outstanding letters of credit. In addition, at December 31, 2024, we had $8.0 of available issuance capacity under our foreign credit instrument facilities after giving effect to $17.0 reserved for outstanding letters of credit.
At December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with all covenants of our Credit Agreement.
Refer to Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details of the Credit Agreement, including details of covenants, applicable interest rate margins and fees.
Other Borrowings and Financing Activities
Certain of our businesses purchase goods and services under a purchase card program allowing for payment beyond their normal payment terms. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the participating businesses had $1.1 and $1.9, respectively, outstanding under this arrangement.
We are party to a trade receivables financing agreement, which is renewed annually for twelve months during the third quarter, whereby we can borrow, on a continuous basis, up to $100.0. Availability of funds may fluctuate over time given, among other things, changes in eligible receivable balances, but will not exceed the $100.0 program limit. The facility contains representations, warranties, covenants and indemnities customary for facilities of this type. The facility does not contain any covenants that we view as materially constraining to the activities of our business.
In addition, we maintain an uncommitted line of credit facility in China which is available to fund operations in this region, when necessary, at the discretion of the lender. At December 31, 2024, the aggregate amount of borrowing capacity under this facility was $10.0, while there were no borrowings outstanding.
Company-owned Life Insurance
The Company has investments in COLI policies, which are recorded at their cash surrender value at each balance sheet date. Changes to the cash surrender value at each balance sheet date are recorded as a gain or loss within “Other expense, net” within the consolidated statements of operations. The Company has the ability to borrow against a portion of its investments in the COLI policies as an additional source of liquidity. During 2024, the Company borrowed $41.2 against the cash surrender value of these COLI policies, after which minimal capacity to borrow against the policies remains. Such borrowings were primarily used to pay down amounts payable under the revolving credit facility. The amounts borrowed incur interest at a weighted-average rate of 5.3%. See Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details of the COLI policies.
Financial Instruments
We measure our financial assets and liabilities on a recurring basis, and nonfinancial assets and liabilities on a non-recurring basis, at fair value. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. We utilize market data or assumptions that we believe market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk and the risks inherent in the inputs to the valuation technique. These inputs can be readily observable quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1), significant other observable inputs (Level 2) or significant unobservable inputs (Level 3).
Our derivative financial assets and liabilities include interest rate swap agreements and forward contracts to manage exposure on contracts with forecasted transactions denominated in non-functional currencies which manage the risk of transaction gains and losses associated with assets/liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of
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certain subsidiaries (“FX forward contracts”) that are measured at fair value using observable market inputs such as forward rates, interest rates, our own credit risk, and our counterparties’ credit risks. Based on these inputs, the derivative assets and liabilities are classified within Level 2 of the valuation hierarchy. Based on our continued ability to enter into FX forward contracts and interest rate swap agreements, we consider the markets for our fair value instruments active.
As of December 31, 2024, there was no significant impact to the fair value of our derivative liabilities due to our own credit risk as the related instruments are collateralized under our Senior Credit Facilities. Similarly, there was no significant impact to the fair value of our derivative assets based on our evaluation of our counterparties’ credit risk.
We primarily use the income approach, which uses valuation techniques to convert future amounts to a single present amount. Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are further discussed below.
Interest Rate Swaps
In 2020, we entered into interest swap agreements (“Initial Swaps”) that covered the period through November 2024, and effectively converted borrowings under our senior credit facilities to a fixed rate of 1.077%, plus the applicable margin. In September 2024, commensurate with the Second Amendment, we entered into additional interest rate swap agreements (“Additional Swaps”). The Additional Swaps have a notional amount of $524.6, cover the period from December 2024 to June 2026, and effectively convert this portion of the borrowings under our senior credit facilities to a fixed rate of 3.58%, plus the applicable margin. We have designated, and are accounting for, our Additional Swaps (and, prior to their maturity, accounted for the Initial Swaps) as cash flow hedges.
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the unrealized gain, net of tax, recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) was $2.6 and $5.7, respectively. In addition, as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the fair value of our interest rate swap agreements was $3.4 (with $2.7 recorded as a current asset and $0.7 as a non-current asset) and $7.5 recorded as a current asset, respectively. Changes in fair value of our interest rate swap agreements are reclassified into earnings as a component of interest expense when the forecasted transaction impacts earnings.
Currency Forward Contracts
We manufacture and sell our products in a number of countries and, as a result, are exposed to movements in foreign currency exchange rates. Our objective is to preserve the economic value of non-functional currency-denominated cash flows and to minimize the impact of changes as a result of currency fluctuations. Our principal currency exposures relate to the South African Rand, British Pound Sterling, Canadian Dollar, and Euro.
From time to time, we enter into FX forward contracts. Certain of our FX forward contracts are designated as cash flow hedges. Changes in these derivatives’ fair value are included in AOCI and are reclassified into earnings as a component of revenues or cost of products sold, as applicable, when the forecasted transaction impacts earnings. In addition, if the forecasted transaction is no longer probable, the cumulative change in the derivatives’ fair value is recorded into earnings in the period in which the transaction is no longer considered probable of occurring.
We had FX forward contracts with an aggregate notional amount of $22.9 and $9.4 outstanding as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, with all of the $22.9 scheduled to mature within one year. There were no unrealized gains/losses recorded in AOCI related to the FX forward contracts designated as cash flow hedges as of December 31, 2024 and 2023. The fair value of our FX forward contracts was less than $0.1 at December 31, 2024 and 2023.
In addition to the above, we entered FX forward contracts associated with the Settlement Agreement to mitigate our exposure to fluctuations in the South African Rand, with a notional amount of South African Rand 480.9 (or $24.9 at the time of execution) and a fair value of $1.3, which was included within “Assets of DBT and Heat Transfer” on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023. We designated and accounted for these FX forward contracts as fair value hedges. These FX forward contracts matured during the third quarter of 2024 commensurate with the final payment under the Settlement Agreement, resulting in cash received of $2.0 presented within “Net cash used in discontinued operations” within the consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2024. Refer to Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject us to significant concentrations of credit risk consist of cash and equivalents, trade accounts receivable, COLI policies, interest rate swaps, and FX forward contracts. These financial instruments, other than trade accounts receivable, are placed with high-quality financial institutions throughout the world. We periodically evaluate the credit standing of these financial institutions.
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We maintain cash levels in bank accounts that, at times, may exceed federally-insured limits. We have not experienced significant loss, and believe we are not exposed to significant risk of loss, in these accounts.
We have credit loss exposure in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to the above financial instruments, but have no other off-balance-sheet credit risk of accounting loss. We anticipate, however, that counterparties will be able to fully satisfy their obligations under the contracts. We do not obtain collateral or other security to support financial instruments subject to credit risk, but we do monitor the credit standing of counterparties.
Concentrations of credit risk arising from trade accounts receivable are due to selling to customers in a particular industry. Credit risks are mitigated by performing ongoing credit evaluations of our customers’ financial conditions and obtaining collateral, advance payments, or other security when appropriate. No one customer, or group of customers that to our knowledge are under common control, accounted for more than 10% of our revenues for any period presented.
Cash and Other Commitments
Balances under the Credit Agreement are payable in full on August 12, 2027. Our term loans are repayable in quarterly installments equal to 1.25% of the initial term loan balances of $545.0, in all quarters of 2025 and 2026, and the first two quarters of 2027. The remaining balance is payable in full on August 12, 2027.
We use operating leases to finance certain equipment, vehicles and properties. At December 31, 2024, we had $62.9 of future minimum rental payments under operating leases with remaining non-cancelable terms in excess of one year.
Capital expenditures for 2024 totaled $38.0, compared to $23.9 and $15.9 in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Capital expenditures in 2024 related primarily to upgrades to existing, and expansion into new, manufacturing facilities, including replacement of equipment. We expect 2025 capital expenditures to approximate $35.0 to $50.0, with a significant portion related to upgrades to existing, and expansion into new, manufacturing facilities.
In 2024, we made contributions and direct benefit payments of $11.1 to our defined benefit pension and postretirement benefit plans. We expect to make $11.6 of minimum required funding contributions and direct benefit payments in 2025. Our pension plans have not experienced any liquidity difficulties or counterparty defaults due to the volatility in the credit markets. Our pension fund assets had returns of approximately 0.0% in 2024. See Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements for further disclosure of expected future contributions and benefit payments.
On a net basis, both from continuing and discontinued operations, net income tax payments totaled $43.5, $58.4, and $59.6 in 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. In 2024, we made payments of $47.0 associated with the actual and estimated tax liability for federal, state and foreign tax obligations and received refunds of $3.5. The amount of income taxes that we receive or pay annually is dependent on various factors, including the timing of certain deductions. Deductions and the amount of income taxes can and do vary from year-to-year.
Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that we indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law for any personal liability in connection with their employment or service with us, subject to limited exceptions. While we maintain insurance for this type of liability, the liability could exceed the amount of the insurance coverage.
We continually review each of our businesses in order to determine their long-term strategic fit. These reviews could result in selected acquisitions to expand an existing business or result in the disposition of an existing business. In addition, you should read “Risk Factors,” “Results for Reportable Segments” included in this MD&A, and “Business” for an understanding of the risks, uncertainties and trends facing our businesses.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2024, except as discussed in the contractual obligations table below, we did not have any material guarantees, off-balance sheet arrangements or purchase commitments other than the following: (i) $18.1 of certain standby letters of credit outstanding, all of which relate to self-insurance or environmental matters and $11.0 of which reduce the available borrowing capacity on our domestic revolving credit facility, (ii) $17.0 of letters of credit outstanding, all of which reduce the available borrowing capacity on our foreign trade facilities, and (iii) $79.6 of surety bonds.
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Contractual Obligations