Ingersoll Rand Inc. - Annual Report: 2019 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

or

For the transition period from                     to_________

Commission File Number: 001-38095

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

222 East Erie Street, Suite 500

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(414) 212-4700

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes   ☒   No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).     Yes  ☐    No  ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 28, 2019 was approximately $4,560.2 million based on the closing price of such common equity on the New York Stock Exchange on such date.

The registrant had outstanding 205,211,761 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, as of February 19, 2020.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Proxy Statement for the registrant’s 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference in Part III of this report.

Table of Contents

PART I

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

In addition to historical information, this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Form 10-K”) may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections.  All statements, other than statements of historical facts included in this Form 10-K, including statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, beliefs, business strategies, future events, business conditions, results of operations, financial position, business outlook, business trends and other information, may be forward-looking statements.  Words such as “estimates,” “expects,” “contemplates,” “will,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “forecasts,” “may,” “should,” and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.  The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based upon our current expectations, beliefs, estimates and projections, and various assumptions, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control.  Our expectations, beliefs, estimates and projections are expressed in good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them.  However, there can be no assurance that management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, and projections will result or be achieved and actual results may vary materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements.

There are a number of risks, uncertainties, and other important factors, many of which are beyond our control, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-K. Such risks, uncertainties and other important factors include, among others, the risks, uncertainties and factors set forth under “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this Form 10-K.  Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment.  New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties.  See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for more information.

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Gardner Denver Holdings, Inc. is a holding company whose operating subsidiaries are Gardner Denver, Inc. (“GDI”) and certain of GDI’s subsidiaries.  The holding company and its consolidated subsidiaries are collectively referred to in this Annual Report as “we,” “us,” “our,” “ourselves,” “Company,” or “Gardner Denver.”

Service marks, trademarks and trade names, and related designs or logotypes owned by Gardner Denver or its subsidiaries are shown in italics.

Transaction with Ingersoll Rand

In April 2019, the Board of Directors of Gardner Denver approved a merger that will combine Gardner Denver with the industrial segment of Ingersoll-Rand plc (“Ingersoll Rand”) (the “Merger”).  To facilitate this Merger, Ingersoll Rand will cause specific assets and liabilities of its industrial segment to be transferred to Ingersoll-Rand U.S. HoldCo, Inc. (“Ingersoll Rand Industrial”), a newly formed wholly-owned subsidiary of Ingersoll Rand, and distribute the shares of common stock of Ingersoll Rand Industrial to Ingersoll Rand’s shareholders.  Charm Merger Sub Inc., (“Merger Sub”), which is a newly formed wholly-owned subsidiary of Gardner Denver, will be merged with and into Ingersoll Rand Industrial, with Ingersoll Rand Industrial surviving such merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gardner Denver.

Pursuant to the definitive agreement Gardner Denver entered into with Ingersoll Rand, Ingersoll Rand Industrial and Merger Sub with respect to the Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), Gardner Denver will issue an aggregate number of shares of its common stock to Ingersoll Rand Industrial stockholders which will result in Ingersoll Rand Industrial stockholders owning approximately, but not less than, 50.1% of the shares of Gardner Denver common stock outstanding on a fully-diluted basis upon the closing of the Merger.  The number of shares to be issued to Ingersoll Rand Industrial stockholders is based on the exchange ratio set forth in the Merger Agreement.  In addition, Ingersoll Rand will receive approximately $1.9 billion in cash from Ingersoll Rand Industrial that will be funded by newly-issued debt that is expected to be deemed issued under the existing Senior Secured Credit Facilities of Gardner Denver upon consummation of the merger.  The merger is expected to close on February 29, 2020.

The Merger will result in Gardner Denver acquiring Ingersoll Rand Industrial, which includes compressed air and gas systems and services, power tools, material handling systems, fluid management systems as well as Club Car golf, utility and consumer low-speed vehicles.  Following the Merger, the combined company is expected to be renamed and operate under the Ingersoll Rand name and its common stock is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under Ingersoll Rand’s existing ticker symbol “IR.”

See Note 3 “Business Combinations” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K for additional information related to the transaction with Ingersoll Rand.

Our Company

We are a leading global provider of mission-critical flow control and compression equipment and associated aftermarket parts, consumables and services, which we sell across multiple attractive end-markets within the industrial, energy and medical industries. We manufacture one of the broadest and most complete ranges of compressor, pump, vacuum and blower products in our markets, which, combined with our global geographic footprint and application expertise, allows us to provide differentiated product and service offerings to our customers. Our products are sold under a collection of premier, market-leading brands, including Gardner Denver, CompAir, Nash, Emco Wheaton, Robuschi, Elmo Rietschle and Thomas, which we believe are globally recognized in their respective end-markets and known for product quality, reliability, efficiency and superior customer service.

These attributes, along with over 155 years of engineering heritage, generate strong brand loyalty for our products and foster long-standing customer relationships, which we believe have resulted in leading market positions within each of our operating segments. We have sales in more than 175 countries and our diverse customer base utilizes our products across a wide array of end-markets, including industrial manufacturing, energy (with particular exposure to the North American upstream land-based market), transportation, medical and laboratory sciences, food and beverage packaging and chemical processing.

Our products and services are critical to the processes and systems in which they are utilized, which are often complex and function in harsh conditions where the cost of failure or downtime is high. However, our products typically represent only a small portion of the costs of the overall systems or functions that they support. As a result, our customers place a high value on our application expertise, product reliability and the responsiveness of our service. To support our customers and market presence, we maintain significant global scale with 38 key manufacturing facilities, more than 30 complementary service and repair centers across six continents and approximately 6,600 employees worldwide as of December 31, 2019.

The process-critical nature of our product applications, coupled with the standard wear and tear replacement cycles associated with the usage of our products, generates opportunities to support customers with our broad portfolio of aftermarket parts, consumables and services. Customers place a high value on minimizing any time their operations are offline. As a result, the availability of replacement parts, consumables and our repair and support services are key components of our value proposition. Our large installed base of products provides a recurring revenue stream through our aftermarket parts, consumables and services offerings. As a result, our aftermarket revenue is significant, representing 38% of total Company revenue and approximately 42% of our combined Industrials and Energy segments’ revenue in 2019.

Our Segments

Our business is comprised of three strategic segments.

Industrials

We design, manufacture, market and service a broad range of air compression, vacuum and blower products, including associated aftermarket parts, consumables and services, across a wide array of technologies and applications for use in diverse end-markets. Compressors are used to increase the pressure of air or gas, vacuum products are used to remove air or gas in order to reduce the pressure below atmospheric levels, and blower products are used to produce a high volume of air or gas at low pressure. Almost every manufacturing and industrial facility, and many service and process industry applications, use air compression, vacuum and blower products in a variety of process-critical applications such as the operation of industrial air tools, vacuum packaging of food products and aeration of waste water, among others.

We offer one of the broadest portfolios of compression, vacuum and blower technology in our markets which we believe, alongside our geographic footprint, allows us to provide differentiated service to our customers globally and maintain leading positions in many of our end-markets. Our compression products cover the full range of technologies, including rotary screw, reciprocating piston, scroll, rotary vane and centrifugal compressors. Our vacuum products and blowers also cover the full technology spectrum; vacuum technologies include side channel, liquid ring, claw vacuum, screw, turbo and rotary vane vacuum pumps among others, while blower technologies include rotary lobe blowers, screw, claw and vane, side channel and radial blowers. The breadth and depth of our product offering creates incremental business opportunities by allowing us to cross-sell our full product portfolio and uniquely address customers’ needs in one complete solution.

We sell our industrial products through an integrated network of direct sales representatives and independent distributors, which is strategically tailored to meet the dynamics of each target geography or end-market. Our large installed base also provides for a significant stream of recurring aftermarket revenue. For example, on average, the useful life of a compressor is between 10 and 12 years. However, a customer typically services the compressor at regular intervals, starting within the first two years of purchase and continuing throughout the life of the product. The cumulative aftermarket revenue generated by a compressor over the product’s life cycle will typically exceed its original cost.

Industrial air compressors represent the largest market in which we compete in our Industrials segment and is a product category for which we believe there is significant potential to drive increased sales of our aftermarket parts, consumables and services. We use our direct salesforce and strong distributor relationships, the majority of which are exclusive to our business for the products that we sell through them, to sell our broad portfolio of aftermarket parts, consumables and services. Within our Industrials segment, we primarily sell through the Gardner Denver, CompAir, Elmo Rietschle and Robuschi brands, as well as other leading brand names.

Energy

We design, manufacture, market and service a diverse range of positive displacement pumps, liquid ring vacuum pumps, compressors and integrated systems, engineered fluid loading and transfer equipment and associated aftermarket parts, consumables and services. The highly engineered products offered by our Energy segment serve customers across upstream, midstream and downstream energy markets, as well as petrochemical processing, transportation and general industrial sectors. We are one of the largest suppliers of equipment and associated aftermarket parts, consumables and services for the energy market applications that we serve.

Our positive displacement pumps are fit-for-purpose to meet the demands and challenges of modern unconventional drilling and hydraulic fracturing activity, particularly in the major basins and shale plays in the North American land market. Our positive displacement pump offering includes mission-critical oil and gas drilling pumps, frac pumps and well servicing pumps, in addition to sales of associated consumables used in the operation of our pumps and aftermarket parts, consumables and services. The products we sell into upstream energy applications are highly aftermarket-intensive, and so we support these products in the field with one of the industry’s most comprehensive service networks, which encompasses locations across all major basins and shale plays in the North American land market. This service network is critical to serving our customers and, by supporting them in the field, to generating demand for new original equipment sales and aftermarket parts, consumables, service and repair sales which in aggregate are often multiples of the cost of the original equipment.

Our liquid ring vacuum pumps and compressors are highly engineered products specifically designed for continuous duty in harsh environments to serve a wide range of applications, including oil and gas refining and processing, mining, chemical processing, petrochemical and industrial applications. Our liquid ring technology utilizes a service liquid to evacuate or compress gas by forming a rotating ring of liquid that acts like a piston to deliver an uninterrupted flow of gas without pulsation. In addition, our engineered fluid loading and transfer equipment and systems ensure the safe and efficient transportation and transfer of petroleum products as well as certain other liquid commodity products to serve a wide range of industries. Similar to our positive displacement pumps business, we complement these products with a broad array of aftermarket parts, service and repair capabilities by leveraging our global network of manufacturing and service locations to meet the diverse needs of our customers. Within our Energy segment, we primarily sell through the Gardner Denver, Nash and Emco Wheaton brands, as well as other leading brand names.

Medical

We design, manufacture and market a broad range of highly specialized gas, liquid and precision syringe pumps and compressors that are specified by medical and laboratory equipment suppliers and integrated into their final equipment for use in applications, such as oxygen therapy, blood dialysis, patient monitoring, laboratory sterilization and wound treatment, among others. We offer a comprehensive product portfolio across a breadth of technologies to address the medical and laboratory sciences pump and fluid handling industry, as well as a range of end-use vacuum products for laboratory science applications.  Our product performance, quality and long-term reliability are often mission-critical in healthcare applications. We are one of the largest product suppliers in the medical markets we serve and have long-standing customer relationships with industry-leading medical and laboratory equipment providers. Additionally, many of our Medical segment gas and liquid pumps are also used in other technology applications beyond the medical and laboratory sciences. Within our Medical segment, we primarily sell through the Thomas brand, as well as other leading brand names.

Our Industries and Products

We operate in the global markets for flow control and air compression products for the industrial, energy and medical industries. Our highly engineered products and proprietary technologies are focused on serving specialized applications within these attractive and growing industries.

Industrials

Our Industrials segment designs, manufactures, markets and services a broad range of air compression, vacuum and blower products across a wide array of technologies. Compression, vacuum and blower products are used in a wide spectrum of applications in nearly all manufacturing and industrial facilities and many service and process industries in a variety of end-markets, including infrastructure, construction, transportation, food and beverage packaging and chemical processing.

Compression Products

Sales to industrial end-markets include industrial air compression products, as well as associated aftermarket parts, consumables and services. Industrial air compressors compress air to create pressure to power machinery, industrial tools, material handling systems and automated equipment. Compressed air is also used in applications as diversified as snow making and fish farming, on high-speed trains and in hospitals. Compressors can be either stationary or portable, depending on the requirements of the application or customer.

We focus on five basic types of air compression technologies: rotary screw, reciprocating piston, scroll, rotary vane and centrifugal compressors. Rotary screw compressors are a newer technology than reciprocating compressors and exhibit better suitability for continuous processes due to a more compact size, less maintenance and better noise profile. We believe our reciprocating piston compressors provide one of the broadest ranges of pressures in the market and are supported by increasing demand across wide-ranging attractive end-markets. Scroll compressors are most commonly seen where less oil-free air is needed, and is most commonly used in medical and food applications where the need for pure, clean and precise air is of great importance. Rotary vane compressors feature high efficiency, compact compression technology and can be found throughout all sectors of industry, including automotive, food and beverage, energy and manufacturing with specialist solutions within transit, gas and snow making. Centrifugal compressors are most effective when in applications that demand larger quantities of oil-free air and are utilized across a wide range of industries.

Vacuum Products

Industrial vacuum products are integral to manufacturing processes in applications for packaging, pneumatic conveying, drying, holding / lifting, distillation, evacuation, forming / pressing, removal and coating. Within each of these processes are a multitude of sub-applications. As an example of one such end-process, within packaging, a vacuum will be used on blister packaging, foil handling, labeling, carton erection, stacking and palletizing (placing, stacking or transporting goods on pallets), as well as central vacuum supply for entire packaging departments. Management believes that we hold a leading position in our addressable portion of the global vacuum products market.

We focus on five basic types of vacuum technologies: side channel, liquid ring, claw vacuum, screw and rotary vane vacuum pumps. Side channel vacuum pumps are used for conveying gases and gas-air mixtures in a variety of applications, including laser printers, packaging, soil treatment, textiles and food and beverage products. Liquid ring vacuum pumps are used for extreme conditions, which prevail in humid and wet processes across ceramics, environmental, medical and plastics applications. Claw vacuum pumps efficiently and economically generate contact-free vacuum for chemical, environmental and packaging applications. Screw vacuum pumps are a dry running technology used to reduce the carbon footprint and life cycle costs in drying and packaging applications. Rotary vane vacuum pumps are used for vacuum and combined pressure and vacuum applications in the environmental, woodworking, packaging and food and beverage end-markets.

Blower Products

Blower products are used for conveying high volumes of air and gas at various flow rates and at low pressures, and are utilized in a broad range of industrial and environmental applications, including waste water aeration, biogas upgrading and conveying, pneumatic transport and dehydrating applications for food and beverage, cement, pharmaceutical, petrochemical and mobile industrial applications. We also design, manufacture, market and service frac sand blowers within our Industrials segment. In many cases, blowers are a core component for the operation of the entire end-users’ systems. Management believes that we hold a leading position in our addressable portion of the global blower products market.

We focus on several key technologies within blower products: rotary lobe, screw, claw and vane, turbo, side channel and radial blowers. Rotary lobe blowers, screw blowers and claw and vane blowers are positive displacement technologies that have the ability to consistently move the same volume of gas or air and vary the volume flow according to the speed of the machine itself enabling it to adapt the flow condition in a flexible manner despite pressure in the system. Turbo blowers and side channel and radial blowers are dynamic technologies that have the ability to accelerate gas or air through an impeller and transform their kinetic energy at the discharge with some limitation on flexibility.

Energy

Our Energy segment designs, manufactures, markets and services a diverse range of positive displacement pumps, liquid ring vacuum pumps, compressors and integrated systems, engineered fluid loading and transfer equipment and associated aftermarket parts, consumables and services for a number of attractive, growing market sectors with energy exposure, spanning upstream, midstream, downstream and petrochemical applications. The high cost of failure in these applications makes quality and reliability key purchase criteria for end-users and drives demand for our highly engineered and differentiated products.

Upstream

Through the manufacture and aftermarket service of pumps and manufacture of associated aftermarket parts and consumables used in drilling, hydraulic fracturing and well servicing applications, our Energy segment is well-positioned to capitalize on an upstream recovery, particularly in the North American land-based market, where our customers include market-leading hydraulic fracturing (also known as pressure pumping) and contract drilling service companies, as well as certain other types of well service companies. Sales to upstream energy end-markets consist of positive displacement pumps and associated aftermarket parts, most notably fluid ends, as well as consumables and services.

The level of profitability at which new wells can be drilled is a primary driver of drilling and completions activities, including hydraulic fracturing. Thus, demand for our Energy and Industrials products exposed to the upstream energy industry is driven by the prices of crude oil and natural gas, and the intensity and activity levels of drilling and hydraulic fracturing.

Midstream and Downstream

Sales to midstream and downstream energy end-markets consist of liquid ring vacuum pumps and compressors and integrated systems, engineered fluid loading and transfer equipment and associated aftermarket parts and services. Our downstream energy business contributes a larger share of revenue and profitability than our midstream energy business.

We focus on two basic types of midstream and downstream energy equipment: fluid transfer equipment and liquid ring vacuum pumps and compressors, which are employed in the midstream and downstream markets, respectively.

Petrochemical

Our Energy segment is positioned to capitalize on the large and growing petrochemical industry.  Sales to petrochemical end-markets consist of vacuum and compression process systems, both of which are used in harsh, continuous-duty applications.  Demand for our petrochemical industry products correlates with growth in the development of new petrochemical plants as well as activity levels therein, which drive demand for aftermarket parts and services on our market-leading installed base of equipment.

Medical

The Medical segment designs, manufactures and markets a broad range of flow control products for the durable medical equipment, laboratory vacuum and automated liquid handling end-markets. Key technologies include gas, liquid and precision syringe pumps and automated liquid handling systems.

Our gas pumps are used for a wide range of applications, such as aspirators, blood analyzers, blood pressure monitors, compression therapy, dental carts, dialysis machines, gas monitors and ventilators. Gas pumps transfer and compress gases and generate vacuum to enable precise flow conditions.  Our liquid pump products are primarily used to meter and transfer both neutral and chemically aggressive fluids and our automated liquid handling products, which includes syringe pumps, systems and accessories that are integrated into large scale automated liquid handling systems primarily for clinical, pharmaceutical and environmental analyses.

Our products are also used in the laboratory vacuum equipment space which includes end-use chemically resistant devices used in research and commercial laboratories.

Customers in the durable medical pump end-market and the automated liquid handling end-market develop and manufacture equipment used in a highly regulated environment requiring highly specialized technologies. As a result, relationships with customers are built based on a supplier’s long-term reputation and expertise and deep involvement throughout a product’s evolution, from concept to long-term commercialization. Customers value suppliers that can provide global research and development, regulatory and manufacturing support, as well as sales footprint and expertise to foster close relationships with key decision makers at their company. Combined with the long product life cycle in the regulated medical device space, these factors create a strong, recurring base of business. As a leading pump manufacturer in these markets, we have established a history of innovation that enables us to work closely with our customers to create highly customized flow control solutions for their unique applications. These products are mission-critical in the ultimate device in which they are deployed and remain a key component over the entire life cycle of the end products. The regulated market structure and nature of long-tenured customer relationships enables pump manufacturers to have a highly visible, recurring revenue stream from key customers.

Competition

Industrials

The industrial end-markets we serve are competitive, with an increasing focus on product quality, performance, energy efficiency, customer service and local presence. Although there are several large manufacturers of compression, vacuum and blower products, the marketplace for these products remains highly fragmented due to the wide variety of product technologies, applications and selling channels. Our principal competitors in sales of compression, vacuum and blower products in our Industrials segment include Atlas Copco AB, Ingersoll-Rand plc, Colfax Corp., Flowserve Corporation, IDEX Corporation and Kaeser Compressors, Inc.

Energy

Across our product lines exposed to the energy industry, the competitive landscape is specific to the end-markets served. Our principal competitor for drilling pumps is National Oilwell Varco Inc., and for frac pumps is The Weir Group plc. Within upstream energy, we additionally compete with certain smaller, regional manufacturers of pumps and aftermarket parts, although these are not direct competitors for most of our products. Our principal competitors in sales of fluid transfer equipment include Dover Corporation, SVT GmbH and TechnipFMC plc. Our principal competitors in the sale of liquid ring pumps and compressors are Flowserve Corporation and Busch-Holding GmbH.

Medical

Competition in the medical pump market is primarily based on product quality and performance, as most products must be qualified by the customer for a particular use. Further, there is an increasing demand for more efficient healthcare solutions, which is driving the adoption of premium and high performance systems. Our primary competitors in medical pumps include IDEX Corporation, Watson-Marlow, Inc., KNF Neuberger, Inc. and Thermo Fisher Scientific, as well as other regional and local manufacturers.

Customers and Customer Service

We consider superior customer service to be one of our primary pillars of future success and view it as being built upon a foundation of critical application expertise, an industry leading range of compressor, pump, vacuum and blower products, a global manufacturing and sales presence and a long-standing reputation for quality and reliability. Intense customer focus is at the center of our vision of becoming the industry’s first choice for innovative and application-critical flow control and compression equipment, services and solutions. We strive to collaborate with our customers and become an essential part of their engineering process by drawing on our deep industry and application engineering experience to develop best-in-class products that are critical to the processes and systems in which they operate.

We have established strong and long-standing customer relationships with numerous industry leaders. We sell our products directly to end-use customers and to certain OEMs, and indirectly through independent distributors and sales representatives. Our Energy and Medical products are primarily sold directly to end-use customers and OEMs, while approximately 50% of our Industrials sales in 2019 were fulfilled through independent distributors and sales representatives.

We use a direct sales force to serve end-use customers and OEMs because these customers typically require higher levels of technical assistance, more coordinated shipment scheduling and more complex product service than customers that purchase through distributors. We have distribution centers and warehouses that stock parts, accessories and certain products to provide adequate and timely availability.

In addition to our direct sales force, we are also committed to developing and supporting our global network of over 1,000 distributors and representatives who we believe provide us with a competitive advantage in the markets and industries we serve. These distributors maintain an inventory of complete units and parts and provide aftermarket services to end-users. While most distributors provide a broad range of products from different suppliers, we view our distributors as exclusive at the product category level (e.g. compressor, vacuum and blower). For example, a distributor may exclusively carry our compressor technologies, and also source additional components of the broader industrial system in which those products operate from other suppliers. Our service personnel and product engineers provide the distributors’ service representatives with technical assistance and field training, particularly with respect to installation and repair of equipment. We also provide our distributors with sales and product literature, advertising and sales promotions, order-entry and tracking systems and an annual restocking program. Furthermore, we participate in major trade shows and directly market our offerings to generate sales leads and support the distributors’ sales personnel.

Our customer base is diverse, and we did not have any customers that individually provided more than 3% of 2019 consolidated revenues.

Patents, Trademarks, and Other Intellectual Property

We rely on a combination of intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property. While in the aggregate our more than 600 patents and our trademarks are of considerable importance to the manufacture and marketing of many of our products, we believe that the success of our business depends more on the technical competence, creativity and marketing abilities of our employees than on any individual patent or trademark, and therefore we do not consider any single patent or trademark, group of patents or trademarks, copyright or trade secret to be material to our business as a whole, except for the Gardner Denver trademark. We have registered our trademarks in the countries we deem necessary or in our best interest. We also rely upon trade secret protection for our confidential and proprietary information and techniques, and we routinely enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees as well as our suppliers and other third parties receiving such information.

Pursuant to trademark license agreements, Cooper Industries has exclusive rights to use the Gardner Denver trademark for certain power tools and their components, meaning that we are prevented from using our mark in connection with those products.

Raw Materials and Suppliers

We purchase a wide variety of raw materials to manufacture our products. Our most significant commodity exposures are to cast iron, aluminum and steel. Additionally, we purchase a large number of motors and, therefore, are also exposed to changes in the price of copper, which is a primary component of motors. Most of our raw materials are generally available from a number of suppliers. We have a limited number of long-term contracts with some suppliers of key components, but we believe that our sources of raw materials and components are reliable and adequate for our needs. We use single sources of supply for certain castings, motors and other select engineered components. A disruption in deliveries from a given supplier could therefore have an adverse effect on our ability to meet commitments to our customers. Nevertheless, we believe that we have appropriately balanced this risk against the cost of maintaining a greater number of suppliers. Moreover, we have sought, and will continue to seek, cost reductions in purchases of materials and supplies by consolidating purchases and pursuing alternate sources of supply.

Employees

As of December 31, 2019, we had approximately 6,600 employees of which approximately 1,900 are located in the United States. Of those employees located outside of the United States, a significant portion are represented by works councils and labor unions, and of those employees located in the United States, approximately 200 are represented by labor unions. We believe that our current relations with employees are satisfactory.

Environmental Matters

We are subject to numerous federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to the storage, handling, emission and disposal of materials and discharge of materials into the environment. We believe that our existing environmental control procedures are adequate and we have no current plans for substantial capital expenditures in this area. We have an environmental policy that confirms our commitment to a clean environment and compliance with environmental laws. We have an active environmental management program aimed at complying with existing environmental regulations and reducing the generation of pollutants in the manufacturing processes. We are also subject to laws concerning the cleanup of hazardous substances and wastes, such as the U.S. federal “Superfund” and similar state laws that impose liability for cleanup of certain waste sites and for related natural resource damages. We have been identified as a potentially responsible party with respect to several sites designated for cleanup under the “Superfund” or similar state laws. See “Item 3. Legal Proceedings.”

Corporate History

Gardner Denver Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware on March 1, 2013. Through our predecessors, Gardner Denver was founded in Quincy, Illinois in 1859.  From August 1943 until we were acquired by an affiliate of Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts & Co. L.P. (“KKR”) on July 30, 2013 (the “KKR Transaction”), we operated as a public company.  We returned to being a public company when we completed our initial public offering in May 2017.  Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “GDI” and our principal executive offices are located at 222 East Erie Street, Suite 500, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.

Where You Can Find More Information

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).  Our SEC filings are available to the public over the internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Our SEC filings are also available on our website at http://www.gardnerdenver.com as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the SEC.

We maintain an internet site at http://www.gardnerdenver.com. From time to time, we may use our website as a distribution channel of material company information. Financial and other important information regarding us is routinely accessible through and posted on our website at www.investors.gardnerdenver.com. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about us when you enroll your email address by visiting the Email Alerts section at www.investors.gardnerdenver.com. Our website and the information contained on or connected to that site are not incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

The following risk factors as well as the other information included in this Form 10-K, including “Selected Historical Consolidated Financial Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto should be carefully considered.  Any of the following risks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.  The selected risks described below, however, are not the only risks facing us.  Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or those we currently view to be immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Pending Merger with Ingersoll Rand Industrial

The pending Merger may have a material adverse effect on us whether or not it is completed.

On April 30, 2019, we entered into the Merger Agreement, pursuant to which, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, Ingersoll Rand will separate Ingersoll Rand Industrial and then combine it with the Company. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of Ingersoll Rand and the Company, at the time of close, Ingersoll Rand will receive $1.9 billion in cash from Ingersoll Rand Industrial that will be funded by newly-issued debt assumed by the Company in the Merger. Upon close of the transaction, existing Ingersoll Rand shareholders will receive 50.1% of the shares of the Company on a fully diluted basis.

The Merger and the preparation for the integration of our business with Ingersoll Rand Industrial has placed a significant burden on management and internal resources. In addition, if the proposed Merger is completed, the anticipated benefits of the Merger may not be realized fully or at all and may take longer to realize than expected. The integration process will be complex, costly and time-consuming, which could adversely affect our businesses, financial results and financial condition. Even if we are able to integrate Ingersoll Rand Industrial successfully, the Merger may not result in the realization of the full benefits of anticipated cost synergies, innovation, operational efficiencies and incremental revenue growth opportunities that we expect to realize or these benefits may not be achieved within a reasonable period of time. Moreover, the combined company may be unable to implement its business strategy or retain and hire key personnel.

We currently anticipate that we will close the Merger on February 29, 2020, but we cannot be certain that the customary closing conditions will be satisfied or waived on or prior to that date. We may be required to pay to Ingersoll Rand a termination fee of approximately $176 million if the Merger Agreement is terminated under certain circumstances. See also “Risks Related to Our Business—Acquisitions and integrating such acquisitions create certain risks and may affect our operating results.”

Risks Related to Our Business

We have exposure to the risks associated with instability in the global economy and financial markets, which may negatively impact our revenues, liquidity, suppliers and customers.

Our financial performance depends, in large part, on conditions in the markets we serve and on the general condition of the global economy, which impacts these markets. Any sustained weakness in demand for our products and services resulting from a contraction or uncertainty in the global economy could adversely impact our revenues and profitability.

In addition, we believe that many of our suppliers and customers access global credit markets to provide liquidity, and in some cases, utilize external financing to purchase products or finance operations. If our customers are unable to access credit markets or lack liquidity, it may impact customer demand for our products and services.

Furthermore, our products are sold in many industries, some of which are cyclical and may experience periodic contractions.  Cyclical weakness in the industries that we serve could adversely affect demand for our products and affect our profitability and financial performance.

More than half of our sales and operations are in non-U.S. jurisdictions and we are subject to the economic, political, regulatory and other risks of international operations.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, approximately 59% of our revenues were from customers in countries outside of the United States.  We have manufacturing facilities in Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Finland, Italy, India and other countries.  We intend to continue to expand our international operations to the extent that suitable opportunities become available. Non-U.S. operations and United States export sales could be adversely affected as a result of: political or economic instability in certain countries; differences in foreign laws, including increased difficulties in protecting intellectual property and uncertainty in enforcement of contract rights; credit risks; currency fluctuations, in particular, changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar, Euro, British Pound and the Chinese Renminbi; exchange controls; changes in and uncertainties with respect to tariffs and import/export trade restrictions (including changes in United States trade policy toward other countries, such as the imposition of tariffs and the resulting consequences), as well as other changes in political policy in the United States, China, the U.K. and certain European countries (including the impacts of the U.K.’s national referendum resulting in the U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union); royalty and tax increases; nationalization of private enterprises; civil unrest and protests, strikes, acts of terrorism, war or other armed conflict; shipping products during times of crisis or war; and other factors inherent in foreign operations.

In addition, our expansion into new countries may require significant resources and the efforts and attention of our management and other personnel, which will divert resources from our existing business operations. As we expand our business globally, our success will depend, in large part, on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these risks associated with our international operations.

Our revenues and operating results, especially in the Energy segment, depend on the level of activity in the energy industry, which is significantly affected by volatile oil and gas prices.

Demand for certain products of our Energy segment, particularly in the upstream energy market, depends on the level of activity in oil and gas exploration, development and production, and is primarily tied to the number of working and available drilling rigs, number of wells those rigs drill annually, the amount of hydraulic fracturing horsepower required on average to fracture each well and, ultimately, oil and natural gas prices overall. The energy market is volatile as the worldwide demand for oil and natural gas fluctuates.

Generally, when worldwide demand or our customers’ expectations of future prices for these commodities are depressed, the demand for our products used in drilling and recovery applications is reduced. Other factors, including availability of quality drilling prospects, exploration success, relative production costs and political and regulatory environments are also expected to affect the demand for our products. Worldwide military, political and economic events have in the past contributed to oil and gas price volatility and are likely to do so in the future.  A change in economic conditions also puts pressure on our receivables and collections.

Accordingly, our operating results for any particular period are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for any future period as the markets for our products have historically experienced volatility. In particular, orders in the Energy segment have historically corresponded to demand for oil and gas and petrochemical products and have been influenced by prices and inventory levels for oil and natural gas, rig count, number of wells those rigs drill annually, the amount of hydraulic fracturing horsepower required on average to fracture each well and other economic factors which we cannot reasonably predict. The Energy segment generated approximately 35% of our consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Our results of operations are subject to exchange rate and other currency risks. A significant movement in exchange rates could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.

We conduct our business in many different currencies. A significant portion of our revenue, approximately 56% for the year ended December 31, 2019, is denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Accordingly, currency exchange rates, and in particular unfavorable movement in the exchange rates between U.S. dollars and Euros, British Pounds and Chinese Renminbi, affect our operating results. The effects of exchange rate fluctuations on our future operating results are unpredictable because of the number of currencies in which we do business and the potential volatility of exchange rates. We are also subject to the risks of currency controls and devaluations. Although historically not significant, if currency controls were enacted in countries where the Company generates significant cash balances, these controls may limit our ability to convert currencies into U.S. dollars or other currencies, as needed, or to pay dividends or make other payments from funds held by subsidiaries in the countries imposing such controls, which could adversely affect our liquidity. Currency devaluations could also negatively affect our operating margins and cash flows.

Potential governmental regulations restricting the use, and increased public attention to and litigation regarding the impacts, of hydraulic fracturing or other processes on which it relies could reduce demand for our products.

Oil and natural gas extracted from unconventional sources, such as shale, tight sands and coal bed methane, frequently requires hydraulic fracturing. Recent initiatives to study, regulate or otherwise restrict hydraulic fracturing and processes on which it relies, such as water disposal, as well as litigation over hydraulic fracturing impacts, could adversely affect some of our customers and their demand for our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

For example, although hydraulic fracturing currently is generally exempt from regulation under the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act’s (“SDWA”) Underground Injection Control program and is typically regulated by state oil and natural gas commissions or similar agencies, several federal agencies have asserted regulatory authority over certain aspects of the process. These include, among others, a number of regulations issued and other steps taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) over the last five years, including its New Source Performance Standards issued in 2012, its June 2016 rules establishing new emissions standards for methane and additional standards for volatile organic compounds from certain new, modified and reconstructed equipment and processes in the oil and natural gas source category and its June 2016 rule prohibiting the discharge of wastewater from onshore unconventional oil and natural gas extraction facilities to publicly owned wastewater treatment plants; and the federal Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) rule in March 2015 that established new or more stringent standards relating to hydraulic fracturing on federal and American Indian lands (which was the subject of litigation and which the BLM rescinded in December 2017). While the EPA in the Trump administration  and the Trump administration more generally have indicated their interest in scaling back or rescinding regulations that inhibit the development of the U.S. oil and gas industry and have taken steps to do so, it is difficult to predict the extent to which such policies will be implemented or the outcome of litigation challenging such implementation, such as the suit the State of California’s attorney general filed in January 2018 challenging the BLM’s rescission of its March 2015 rule referred to above; in July 2018, the federal district judge in the Northern District of California, where the suit was filed, denied motions by the BLM and several petroleum industry groups to transfer the challenge to Wyoming.

Moreover, some states and local governments have adopted, and other governmental entities are considering adopting, regulations that could impose more stringent requirements on hydraulic fracturing operations. For example, Texas, Colorado and North Dakota among others have adopted regulations that impose new or more stringent permitting, disclosure, disposal and well construction requirements on hydraulic fracturing operations. States could also elect to prohibit high volume hydraulic fracturing altogether, following the approach taken by the State of New York in 2015. Local land use restrictions, such as city ordinances, may restrict drilling in general and hydraulic fracturing in particular. Some state and federal regulatory agencies have also recently focused on a connection between the operation of injection wells used for oil and natural gas waste disposal and seismic activity. Similar concerns have been raised that hydraulic fracturing may also contribute to seismic activity. In March 2016, the United States Geological Survey identified six states with the most significant hazards from induced seismicity, including Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Arkansas. In light of these concerns, some state regulatory agencies have modified their regulations or issued orders to address induced seismicity. For example, in December 2016, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s Oil and Gas Conservation Division (the “OCC Division”) and the Oklahoma Geologic Survey released well completion seismicity guidance, which requires operators to take certain prescriptive actions, including mitigation, following anomalous seismic activity within 1.25 miles of hydraulic fracturing operations. In February 2017, the OCC Division issued an order limiting future increases in the volume of oil and natural gas wastewater injected into the ground in an effort to reduce earthquakes in the state, and it announced further requirements (involving seismic monitoring) in February 2018. Ongoing lawsuits have also alleged that disposal well operations have caused damage to neighboring properties or otherwise violated state and federal rules regulating waste disposal. Increased regulation and attention given to induced seismicity could lead to greater opposition to, and litigation concerning, oil and natural gas activities utilizing hydraulic fracturing or injection wells for waste disposal. The adoption of more stringent regulations regarding hydraulic fracturing and the outcome of litigation over hydraulic fracturing could adversely affect some of our customers and their demand for our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We face competition in the markets we serve, which could materially and adversely affect our operating results.

We actively compete with many companies producing similar products. Depending on the particular product and application, we experience competition based on a number of factors, including price, quality, performance and availability. We compete against many companies, including divisions of larger companies with greater financial resources than we possess. As a result, these competitors may be both domestically and internationally better able to withstand a change in conditions within the markets in which we compete and throughout the global economy as a whole.

In addition, our ability to compete effectively depends on how successfully we anticipate and respond to various competitive factors, including new competitors entering our markets, new products and services that may be introduced by competitors, changes in customer preferences, pricing pressures and new government regulations. If we are unable to anticipate our competitors’ development of new products and services, identify customer needs and preferences on a timely basis, or successfully introduce new products and services or modify existing products and service offerings in response to such competitive factors, we could lose customers to competitors. If we cannot compete successfully, our sales and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.

Large or rapid increases in the cost of raw materials and component parts, substantial decreases in their availability or our dependence on particular suppliers of raw materials and component parts could materially and adversely affect our operating results.

Our primary raw materials, directly and indirectly, are cast iron, aluminum and steel. We also purchase a large number of motors and, therefore, also have exposure to changes in the price of copper, which is a primary component of motors. We have long-term contracts with only a few suppliers of key components. Consequently, we are vulnerable to fluctuations in prices and availability of such raw materials. Factors such as supply and demand, freight costs and transportation availability, inventory levels of brokers and dealers, the level of imports and general economic conditions may affect the price and availability of raw materials. In addition, we use single sources of supply for certain iron castings, motors and other select engineered components that are critical in the manufacturing of our products. From time to time in recent years, we have experienced disruptions to our supply deliveries for raw materials and component parts and may experience further supply disruptions. Any such disruption could have a material adverse effect on our ability to timely meet our commitments to customers and, therefore, our operating results.

Our operating results could be adversely affected by a loss or reduction of business with key customers or consolidation or the vertical integration of our customer base.

We derive revenue from certain key customers, in particular with respect to our oilfield service products and services. The loss or reduction of significant contracts with any of these key customers could result in a material decrease of our future profitability and cash flows. In addition, the consolidation or vertical integration of key customers may result in the loss of certain customer contracts or impact demand or competition for our products. Any changes in such customers’ purchasing practices, or decline in such customers’ financial condition, may have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Some of our customers are significantly larger than we are, have greater financial and other resources and also have the ability to purchase products from our competitors. As a result of their size and position in the marketplace, some of our customers have significant purchasing leverage and could cause us to materially reduce the price of our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and profitability. In addition, in the petroleum product market, lost sales may be difficult to replace due to the relative concentration of the customer base. We are unable to predict what effect consolidation in our customers’ industries may have on prices, capital spending by customers, selling strategies, competitive position, our ability to retain customers or our ability to negotiate favorable agreements with customers.

Credit and counterparty risks could harm our business.

The financial condition of our customers could affect our ability to market our products or collect receivables. In addition, financial difficulties faced by our customers as a result of an adverse economic event or other market factors may lead to cancellation or delay of orders. Our customers may suffer financial difficulties that make them unable to pay for a product or solution when payments become due, or they may decide not to pay us, either as a matter of corporate decision-making or in response to changes in local laws and regulations. Although historically not material, we cannot be certain that, in the future, expenses or losses for uncollectible amounts will not have a material adverse effect on our revenues, earnings and cash flows.

Acquisitions and integrating such acquisitions create certain risks and may affect our operating results.

We have acquired businesses in the past and may continue to acquire businesses or assets in the future. The acquisition and integration of businesses or assets involves a number of risks. The core risks are valuation (negotiating a fair price for the business), integration (managing the process of integrating the acquired company’s people, products, technology and other assets to extract the value and synergies projected to be realized in connection with the acquisition), regulation (obtaining necessary regulatory or other government approvals that may be necessary to complete acquisitions) and diligence (identifying undisclosed or unknown liabilities or restrictions that will be assumed in the acquisition).

In addition, acquisitions outside of the United States often involve additional or increased risks including, for example:

The process of integrating operations could cause an interruption of, or loss of momentum in, the activities of one or more of our combined businesses and the possible loss of key personnel. The diversion of management’s attention and any delays or difficulties encountered in connection with acquisitions and the integration of an acquired company’s operations could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.

The loss of, or disruption in, our distribution network could have a negative impact on our abilities to ship products, meet customer demand and otherwise operate our business.

We sell a significant portion of our products through independent distributors and sales representatives. We rely in large part on the orderly operation of this distribution network, which depends on adherence to shipping schedules and effective management. We conduct all of our shipping through independent third parties. Although we believe that our receiving, shipping and distribution process is efficient and well-positioned to support our operations and strategic plans, we cannot provide assurance that we have anticipated all issues or that events beyond our control, such as natural disasters or other catastrophic events, labor disagreements, acquisition of distributors by a competitor, consolidation within our distributor network or shipping problems, will not disrupt our distribution network. If complications arise within a segment of our distribution network, the remaining network may not be able to support the resulting additional distribution demands. Any of these disruptions or complications could negatively impact our revenues and costs.

Our ongoing and expected restructuring plans and other cost savings initiatives may not be as effective as we anticipate, and we may fail to realize the cost savings and increased efficiencies that we expect to result from these actions. Our operating results could be negatively affected by our inability to effectively implement such restructuring plans and other cost savings initiatives.

We continually seek ways to simplify or improve processes, eliminate excess capacity and reduce costs in all areas of our operations, which from time to time includes restructuring activities. We have implemented significant restructuring activities across our global manufacturing, sales and distribution footprint, which include workforce reductions and facility consolidations. From 2015 to 2018, we incurred restructuring charges of approximately $60.7 million across our segments. In 2019, we incurred restructuring charges of $17.1 million.  Costs of future initiatives may be material and the savings associated with them are subject to a variety of risks, including our inability to effectively eliminate duplicative back office overhead and overlapping sales personnel, rationalize manufacturing capacity, synchronize information technology systems, consolidate warehousing and distribution facilities and shift production to more economical facilities. As a result, the contemplated costs to effect these initiatives may materially exceed estimates. The initiatives we are contemplating may require consultation with various employees, labor representatives or regulators, and such consultations may influence the timing, costs and extent of expected savings and may result in the loss of skilled employees in connection with the initiatives.

Although we have considered the impact of local regulations, negotiations with employee representatives and the related costs associated with our restructuring activities, factors beyond the control of management may affect the timing of these projects and therefore affect when savings will be achieved under the plans. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully implement these cost savings initiatives in the time frames contemplated (or at all) or that we will realize the projected benefits of these and other restructuring and cost savings initiatives. If we are unable to implement our cost savings initiatives, our business may be adversely affected. Moreover, our continued implementation of cost savings initiatives may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, as we consolidate facilities and relocate manufacturing processes to lower-cost regions, our success will depend on our ability to continue to meet customer demand and maintain a high level of quality throughout the transition. Failure to adequately meet customer demand or maintain a high level or quality could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our success depends on our executive management and other key personnel and our ability to attract and retain top talent throughout the Company.

Our future success depends to a significant degree on the skills, experience and efforts of our executive management and other key personnel and their ability to provide us with uninterrupted leadership and direction. The failure to retain our executive officers and other key personnel or a failure to provide adequate succession plans could have an adverse impact. Our future success also depends on our ability to attract, retain and develop qualified personnel at all levels of the organization. The availability of highly qualified talent is limited in a number of the jurisdictions in which we operate, and the competition for talent is robust.  A failure to attract, retain and develop new qualified personnel throughout the organization could have an adverse effect on our operations and implementation of our strategic plan.

If we are unable to develop new products and technologies, our competitive position may be impaired, which could materially and adversely affect our sales and market share.

The markets in which we operate are characterized by changing technologies and introductions of new products and services. Our ability to develop new products based on technological innovation can affect our competitive position and often requires the investment of significant resources. Difficulties or delays in research, development or production of new products and technologies, or failure to gain market acceptance of new products and technologies, may significantly reduce future revenues and materially and adversely affect our competitive position. We cannot assure you 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.

Cost overruns, delays, penalties or liquidated damages could negatively impact our results, particularly with respect to fixed-price contracts for custom engineered products.

A portion of our revenues and earnings is generated through fixed-price contracts for custom engineered products. 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 to the satisfaction of the other party certain defects. Because substantially all of our custom engineered product contracts are at a fixed price, we face the risk that cost overruns, delays, penalties or liquidated damages may exceed, erode or eliminate our expected profit margin, or cause us to record a loss on our projects.

The risk of non-compliance with U.S. and foreign laws and regulations applicable to our international operations could have a significant impact on our results of operations, financial condition or strategic objectives.

Our global operations subject us to regulation by U.S. federal and state laws and multiple foreign laws, regulations and policies, which could result in conflicting legal requirements. These laws and regulations are complex, change frequently, have become more stringent over time and increase our cost of doing business.  These laws and regulations include import and export control, environmental, health and safety regulations, data privacy requirements, international labor laws and work councils and anti-corruption and bribery laws such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act, the U.N. Convention Against Bribery and local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to government officials.

We are subject to the risk that we, our employees, our affiliated entities, contractors, agents or their respective officers, directors, employees and agents may take actions determined to be in violation of any of these laws, for which we might be held responsible, particularly as we expand our operations geographically through organic growth and acquisitions. An actual or alleged violation could result in substantial fines, sanctions, civil or criminal penalties, debarment from government contracts, curtailment of operations in certain jurisdictions, competitive or reputational harm, litigation or regulatory action and other consequences that might adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition or strategic objectives.

Changes in tax or other laws, regulations, or adverse determinations by taxing or other governmental authorities could increase our effective tax rate and cash taxes paid or otherwise affect our financial condition or operating results.

On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”). The Tax Act makes broad and complex changes to the U.S. tax code that affected 2017 and 2018, including, but not limited to (1) requiring a one-time transition tax on certain unrepatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries that is payable over eight years and (2) bonus depreciation that will allow for full expensing of qualified property.  The Tax Act also established new tax laws that significantly affected 2019, 2018 and 2017.

While we monitor proposals and other developments that would materially impact our tax burden and/or effective tax rate and investigate our options, we could still be subject to increased taxation on a going forward basis no matter what action we undertake if certain legislative proposals or regulatory changes are enacted, certain tax treaties are amended and/or our interpretation of applicable tax or other laws is challenged and determined to be incorrect.  The inability to realize any anticipated tax benefits related to our operations and corporate structure could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.  See Note 1 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 15 “Income Taxes” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K for additional information related to our accounting for income tax matters.

The inability to realize any anticipated tax benefits related to our operations and corporate structure could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Further, the specific future impacts of the Tax Act on holders of our common shares are uncertain and could in certain instances be adverse. We urge our stockholders to consult with their legal and tax advisors with respect to any such legislation and the potential tax consequences of investing in our common stock.

A significant portion of our assets consists of goodwill and other intangible assets, the value of which may be reduced if we determine that those assets are impaired.

As a result of the KKR Transaction, we applied the acquisition method of accounting and established a new basis of accounting on July 30, 2013. Goodwill is recorded as the difference, if any, between the aggregate consideration paid for an acquisition and the fair value of the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed and any non-controlling interest. Intangible assets, including goodwill, are assigned to our reporting units based upon their fair value at the time of acquisition. In accordance with GAAP, goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment annually, or more frequently if circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred.  In 2017, we recorded an impairment charge related to other intangible assets of $1.6 million primarily within the Industrials segment. As of December 31, 2019, the net carrying value of goodwill and other intangible assets, net represented $2,542.7 million, or 55%, of our total assets. A future impairment, if any, could have a material adverse effect to our consolidated financial position or results of operations. See Note 8 “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K for additional information related to impairment testing for goodwill and other intangible assets and the associated charges taken.

Our business could suffer if we experience employee work stoppages, union and work council campaigns or other labor difficulties.

As of December 31, 2019, we had approximately 6,600 employees of which approximately 1,900 were located in the United States. Of those employees located outside of the United States, a significant portion are represented by works councils and labor unions, and of those employees located in the United States, approximately 200 are represented by labor unions. Although we believe that our relations with employees are satisfactory and have not experienced any material work stoppages, work stoppages have occurred, and may in the future occur, and we may not be successful in negotiating new collective bargaining agreements. In addition, negotiations with our union employees may (1) result in significant increases in our cost of labor, (2) divert management’s attention away from operating our business or (3) break down and result in the disruption of our operations. The occurrence of any of the preceding conditions could impair our ability to manufacture our products and result in increased costs and/or decreased operating results.

We are a defendant in certain asbestos and silica-related personal injury lawsuits, which could adversely affect our financial condition.

We have been named as a defendant in many asbestos and silica-related personal injury lawsuits. The plaintiffs in these suits allege exposure to asbestos or silica from multiple sources, and typically we are one of approximately 25 or more named defendants. We believe that, given our financial reserves and anticipated insurance recoveries, the pending and potential future lawsuits are not likely to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or liquidity. However, future developments, including, without limitation, potential insolvencies of insurance companies or other defendants, an adverse determination in the Adams County Case (discussed below), or other inability to collect from our historical insurers or indemnitors, could cause a different outcome. In addition, even if any damages payable by us in any individual lawsuit are not material, the aggregate damages and related defense costs could be material and could materially adversely affect our financial condition if we were to receive an adverse judgment in a number of these lawsuits. Accordingly, the resolution of pending or future lawsuits may have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or liquidity. See Note 20 “Contingencies” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

A natural disaster, catastrophe, pandemic or other event could adversely affect our operations.

Some of our operations involve risks of, among other things, property damage, which could curtail our operations. For example, if one or more of our manufacturing facilities are damaged by severe weather or any other disaster, accident, catastrophe or event, our operations could be significantly interrupted impacting our ability to produce products and sell products to customers. These interruptions might involve significant damage to, among other things, property, and repairs might take from a week or less for a minor incident to many months for a major interruption.  In addition, disruptions in our supply chain due to natural disasters, catastrophes, pandemic or other events could reduce our ability to produce products and satisfy customer demand. Similar interruptions could result from damage to production or other facilities that provide supplies or other raw materials to our plants.  Interruptions to our operations and supply chain could also result from pandemic which could adversely impact our workforce or that of our suppliers, causing disruption to the manufacturing process or our supply chain, and last a week or months depending on the severity of the disruption.

Information systems failure may disrupt our business and result in financial loss and liability to our customers.

Our business is highly dependent on financial, accounting and other data-processing systems and other communications and information systems, including our enterprise resource planning tools. We process a large number of transactions on a daily basis and rely upon the proper functioning of computer systems. If any of these systems fail, whether caused by fire, other natural disaster, power or telecommunications failure, acts of cyber terrorism or war or otherwise, or they do not function correctly, we could suffer financial loss, business disruption, liability to our customers, regulatory intervention or damage to our reputation. If our systems are unable to accommodate an increasing volume of transactions, our ability to grow could be limited. Although we have backup systems, procedures and capabilities in place, they may also fail or be inadequate. Further, to the extent that we may have customer information in our databases, any unauthorized disclosure of, or access to, such information could result in claims under data protection laws and regulations. If any of these risks materialize, our reputation and our ability to conduct our business may be materially adversely affected.

The nature of our products creates the possibility of significant product liability and warranty claims, which could harm our business.

Customers use some of our products in potentially hazardous applications that can cause injury or loss of life and damage to property, equipment or the environment. In addition, our products are integral to the production process for some end-users and any failure of our products could result in a suspension of operations. Although we maintain quality controls and procedures, we cannot be certain that our products will be completely free from defects. We maintain amounts and types of insurance coverage that we believe are currently adequate and consistent with normal industry practice for a company of our relative size, and we limit our liability by contract wherever possible. However, we cannot guarantee that insurance will be available or adequate to cover all liabilities incurred. We also may not be able to maintain insurance in the future at levels we believe are necessary and at rates we consider reasonable. We may be named as a defendant in product liability or other lawsuits asserting potentially large claims if an accident occurs at a location where our equipment and services have been or are being used.

Environmental compliance costs and liabilities could adversely affect our financial condition.

Our operations and properties are subject to increasingly stringent domestic and foreign laws and regulations relating to environmental protection, including laws and regulations governing air emissions, water discharges, waste management and workplace safety. Under such laws and regulations, we can be subject to substantial fines and sanctions for violations and be required to install costly pollution control equipment or put into effect operational changes to limit pollution emissions or decrease the likelihood of accidental hazardous substance releases.

We use and generate hazardous substances and waste in our manufacturing operations. In addition, many of our current and former properties are, or have been, used for industrial purposes. We have been identified as a potentially responsible party with respect to several sites designated for cleanup under U.S. federal “Superfund” or similar state laws that may impose joint and several liability for cleanup of certain waste sites and for related natural resource damages. An accrued liability on our balance sheet reflects costs that are probable and estimable for our projected financial obligations relating to these matters. If we have underestimated our remaining financial obligations, we may face greater exposure that could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, operating costs to comply with environmental laws and regulations. In addition, new laws and regulations, stricter enforcement of existing laws and regulations, the discovery of previously unknown contamination or the imposition of new cleanup requirements could require us to incur costs or become the basis for new or increased liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Third parties may infringe upon our intellectual property or may claim we have infringed their intellectual property, and we may expend significant resources enforcing or defending our rights or suffer competitive injury.

Our success depends in part on the creation, maintenance and protection of our proprietary technology and intellectual property rights. We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, confidentiality provisions, contractual restrictions and licensing arrangements to establish and protect our proprietary rights. Our nondisclosure agreements and confidentiality agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our proprietary information, technologies and processes, and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of breach of such agreements or unauthorized disclosure of such information, and if a competitor lawfully obtains or independently develops our trade secrets, we would have no right to prevent such competitor from using such technology or information to compete with us, either of which could harm our competitive position. Our applications for patent and trademark protection may not be granted, or the claims or scope of such issued patents or registered trademarks may not be sufficiently broad to protect our products. In addition, effective patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited for some of our trademarks and patents in some foreign countries. We may be required to spend significant resources to monitor and police our intellectual property rights, and we cannot guarantee that such efforts will be successful in preventing infringement or misappropriation. If we fail to successfully enforce these intellectual property rights, our competitive position could suffer, which could harm our operating results.

Although we make a significant effort to avoid infringing known proprietary rights of third parties, the steps we take to prevent misappropriation, infringement or other violation of the intellectual property of others may not be successful and from time to time we may receive notice that a third party believes that our products may be infringing certain patents, trademarks or other proprietary rights of such third party. Responding to and defending such claims, regardless of their merit, can be costly and time-consuming, can divert management’s attention and other resources, and we may not prevail. Depending on the resolution of such claims, we may be barred from using a specific technology or other rights, may be required to redesign or re-engineer a product which may require significant resources, may be required to enter into licensing arrangements from the third party claiming infringement (which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all), or may become liable for significant damages.

If any of the foregoing occurs, our ability to compete could be affected or our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We face risks associated with our pension and other postretirement benefit obligations.

We have both funded and unfunded pension and other postretirement benefit plans worldwide.  As of December 31, 2019, our projected benefit obligations under our pension and other postretirement benefit plans exceeded the fair value of plan assets by an aggregate of approximately $101.9 million (“unfunded status”), compared to $96.9 million as of December 31, 2018.  Estimates for the amount and timing of the future funding obligations of these benefit plans are based on various assumptions. These assumptions include discount rates, rates of compensation increases, expected long-term rates of return on plan assets and expected healthcare cost trend rates. If our assumptions prove incorrect, our funding obligations may increase, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

We have invested the plan assets of our funded benefit plans in various equity and debt securities. A deterioration in the value of plan assets could cause the unfunded status of these benefit plans to increase, thereby increasing our obligation to make additional contributions to these plans. An obligation to make contributions to our benefit plans could reduce the cash available for working capital and other corporate uses, and may have an adverse impact on our operations, financial condition and liquidity.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

Our substantial indebtedness could have important adverse consequences and adversely affect our financial condition.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness. As of December 31, 2019, we had total indebtedness of $1,611.4 million, and we had availability under the Revolving Credit Facility and the Receivables Financing Agreement of $445.6 million and $62.4 million, respectively.  Our high level of debt could have important consequences, including: making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our debt; limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund future working capital, capital expenditures, investments or acquisitions, or other general corporate requirements; requiring a substantial portion of our cash flows to be dedicated to debt service payments instead of other purposes, thereby reducing the amount of cash flows available for working capital, capital expenditures, investments or acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; increasing our vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions; exposing us to the risk of increased interest rates as certain of our borrowings, including borrowings under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities, are at variable rates of interest; limiting our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in the industries in which we compete; placing us at a disadvantage compared to other, less leveraged competitors; increasing our cost of borrowing; and hampering our ability to execute on our growth strategy.  For a complete description of the Company’s credit facilities and definitions of capitalized terms used in this section, see Note 10 “Debt” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness, and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on, or refinance, our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which are subject to prevailing economic, industry and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business, legislative, regulatory and other factors beyond our control (as well as and including those factors discussed under “Risks Related to Our Business” above). We may be unable to maintain a level of cash flow from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness.

If our cash flow and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures or to dispose of material assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity capital, or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to implement any such alternative measures on commercially reasonable terms or at all and, even if successful, those alternative actions may not allow us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations.

If we cannot make scheduled payments on our debt, we will be in default and the lenders under the Revolving Credit Facility could terminate their commitments to loan money, and our secured lenders (including the lenders under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities) could foreclose against the assets securing their borrowings and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

Despite our level of indebtedness, we and our subsidiaries may still be able to incur substantially more debt, including off-balance sheet financing, contractual obligations and general and commercial liabilities. This could further exacerbate the risks to our financial condition described above.

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur significant additional indebtedness in the future, including off-balance sheet financings, contractual obligations and general and commercial liabilities. Although the credit agreement governing the Senior Secured Credit Facilities contains restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions, and the additional indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. In addition, we can increase the borrowing availability under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities by up to $450.0 million in the form of additional commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility and/or incremental term loans plus an additional amount so long as we do not exceed a specified senior secured leverage ratio. We also can incur additional secured indebtedness under the Term Loan Facilities if certain specified conditions are met under the credit agreement governing the Term Loan Facilities. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could intensify.  For a complete description of the Company’s credit facilities and definitions of capitalized terms used in this section, see Note 10 “Debt” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

The terms of the credit agreement governing the Senior Secured Credit Facilities may restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes or to take certain actions.

The credit agreement governing the Senior Secured Credit Facilities contains a number of restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and may limit our ability to engage in acts that may be in our best interest, including restrictions on our ability to: incur additional indebtedness and guarantee indebtedness; pay dividends, make other distributions in respect of, or repurchase or redeem capital stock; prepay, redeem or repurchase certain debt; make loans, investments and other restricted payments; sell or otherwise dispose of assets; incur liens; enter into transactions with affiliates; enter into agreements restricting our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends; consolidate, merge or sell all or substantially all of our assets; make needed capital expenditures; make strategic acquisitions, investments or enter into joint ventures; plan for or react to market conditions or otherwise execute our business strategies; and engage in business activities, including future opportunities, that may be in our interest.

A breach of the covenants under the credit agreement governing the Senior Secured Credit Facilities could result in an event of default under the applicable indebtedness. Such a default may allow the creditors to accelerate the related debt principal and/or related interest payments and may result in the acceleration of any other debt to which a cross-acceleration or cross-default provision applies. In addition, an event of default under the credit agreement governing our Senior Secured Credit Facilities would permit the lenders under our Revolving Credit Facility to terminate all commitments to extend further credit under that facility. Furthermore, if we were unable to repay the amounts due and payable under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities, those lenders could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness. In the event our lenders or noteholders accelerate the repayment of our borrowings and/or interest, we and our subsidiaries may not have sufficient assets to repay that indebtedness.

Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.

Borrowings under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and our Receivables Financing Agreement are at variable rates of interest and expose us to interest rate risk. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness will increase even though the amount borrowed will remain the same, and our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, will correspondingly decrease.

We utilize derivative financial instruments to reduce our exposure to market risks from changes in interest rates on our variable rate indebtedness and we will be exposed to risks related to counterparty credit worthiness or non-performance of these instruments.

We have entered into pay-fixed interest rate swap instruments to limit our exposure to changes in variable interest rates. Such instruments will result in economic losses should interest rates not rise above the pay-fixed interest rate in the derivative contracts. We will be exposed to credit-related losses which could impact the results of operations in the event of fluctuations in the fair value of the interest rate swaps due to a change in the credit worthiness or non-performance by the counterparties to the interest rate swaps. See Note 18 “Hedging Activities, Derivative Instruments and Credit Risk” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

If the financial institutions that are part of the syndicate of our Revolving Credit Facility fail to extend credit under our facility or reduce the borrowing base under our Revolving Credit Facility, our liquidity and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We have access to capital through our Revolving Credit Facility, which is part of our Senior Secured Credit Facilities. Each financial institution which is part of the syndicate for our Revolving Credit Facility is responsible on a several, but not joint, basis for providing a portion of the loans to be made under our facility. If any participant or group of participants with a significant portion of the commitments in our Revolving Credit Facility fails to satisfy its or their respective obligations to extend credit under the facility and we are unable to find a replacement for such participant or participants on a timely basis (if at all), our liquidity may be adversely affected.

The Company may face risk associated with the discontinuation of and transition from currently used financial reference rates.

 

LIBOR and certain other floating rate benchmark indices to which our floating rate debt is tied, including, without limitation, the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (collectively, “IBORs”) are the subject of recent national, international and regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. In a speech on July 27, 2017, Andrew Bailey, the Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority of the U.K., or the FCA, announced the FCA’s intention to cease sustaining LIBOR after 2021. The FCA has statutory powers to require panel banks to contribute to LIBOR where necessary. The FCA has decided not to ask, or to require, that panel banks continue to submit contributions to LIBOR beyond the end of 2021. The FCA has indicated that it expects that the current panel banks will voluntarily sustain LIBOR until the end of 2021. It is possible that the ICE Benchmark Administration Limited (formerly NYSE Euronext Rate Administration Limited), or the IBA, and the panel banks could continue to produce LIBOR on the current basis after 2021, if they are willing and able to do so, but we do not currently anticipate that LIBOR will survive in its current form, or at all. Other jurisdictions have also indicated they will implement reforms or phase-outs, which are currently scheduled to take effect at the end of calendar year 2021. The U.S. Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, has identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or SOFR, a new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities, as its preferred alternative rate for LIBOR. At this time, it is not possible to predict how markets will respond to SOFR or other alternative reference rates as the transition away from the IBOR benchmarks is anticipated in coming years.

 

As of December 31, 2019, we had $1.6 billion of floated rate debt with maximum maturities extending past 2021 tied to IBOR benchmarks and $825.0 million of interest rate swaps with maximum maturities extending past 2021 tied to IBOR benchmarks. There is currently no definitive information regarding the future utilization of any IBOR benchmark or of any particular replacement rate. In addition, any IBOR benchmark may perform differently during any phase-out period than in the past. As such, the potential effect of any such event on our cost of capital cannot yet be determined and any changes to benchmark interest rates could increase our financing costs, which could impact our results of operations and cash flows. In addition, we may need to renegotiate certain of our debt agreements that extend past 2021 with lenders, which could require us to incur significant expense and may subject us to disputes or litigation over the appropriateness or comparability to the relevant IBOR benchmark of the replacement reference rates. We are assessing the impact of a potential transition from IBOR; however, we cannot reasonably estimate the impact of the transition at this time.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our corporate headquarters is a leased facility located at 222 East Erie Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.  The number of significant properties used by each of our segments is summarized by segment, type and geographic location in the tables below.

Of the 75 significant properties included in the above table, 44 of the properties are leased and 31 of the properties are owned.  We believe that our properties, taken as a whole, are in good operating condition and are suitable for our business operations.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are a party to various legal proceedings, lawsuits and administrative actions, which are of an ordinary or routine nature for a company of our size and sector.  We believe that such proceedings, lawsuits and administrative actions will not materially adversely affect our operations, financial condition, liquidity or competitive position.  For a detailed discussion of certain of these proceedings, lawsuits and administrative actions, see Note 20, “Contingencies” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this form 10-K.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not Applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information

Our Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share, trades on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “GDI.”  As of January 31, 2020, there were 106 holders of record of our common stock.  This stockholder figure does not include a substantially greater number of holders whose shares are held of record by banks, brokers, and other financial institutions.

Dividend Policy

We did not declare or pay dividends to the holders of our common stock in the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.  We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.  Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions contained in current or future financing instruments and other factors that our board of directors deem relevant.

Company Purchases

The following table contains detail related to the repurchase of our common stock based on the date of trade during the quarter ended December 31, 2019.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Set forth below is our selected consolidated financial data as of the dates and for the periods indicated.  The selected consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.  The selected consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes to our audited consolidated financial statements not included in this Form 10-K.

The selected historical consolidated financial data set forth below should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified by reference to, “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

We use Free Cash Flow to review the liquidity of our operations. We measure Free Cash Flow as cash flows from operating activities less capital expenditures. We believe Free Cash Flow is a useful supplemental financial measure for us and investors in assessing our ability to pursue business opportunities and investments and to service our debt. Free Cash Flow is not a measure of our liquidity under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities.

As a result, we and our board of directors regularly use these measures as tools in evaluating our operating and financial performance and in establishing discretionary annual compensation. Such measures are provided in addition to, and should not be considered to be a substitute for, or superior to, the comparable measure under GAAP. In addition, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Free Cash Flow are frequently used by investors, analysts and other interested parties in the evaluation of issuers, many of which also present Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Free Cash Flow when reporting their results in an effort to facilitate an understanding of their operating and financial results and liquidity.

Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Free Cash Flow should not be considered as alternatives to net income (loss) or other performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, or as alternatives to cash flow from operating activities as a measure of our liquidity. Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Free Cash Flow have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider such measures either in isolation or as substitutes for analyzing our results as reported under GAAP.

Set forth below are the reconciliations of net income to Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income and cash flows from operating activities to Free Cash Flow.

		Year Ended December 31,
		2019				2018				2017
Net Income		$	159.1			$	269.4			$	18.5
Plus:
Interest expense			88.9				99.6				140.7
Provision (benefit) for income taxes			31.8				80.1				(131.2	)
Depreciation expense			53.8				54.6				54.9
Amortization expense(a)			124.3				125.8				118.9
Impairment of other intangible assets(b)			-				-				1.6
KKR fees and expenses(c)			-				-				17.3
Restructuring and related business transformation costs(d)			25.6				38.8				24.7
Acquisition related expenses and non-cash charges(e)			54.6				16.7				4.1
Environmental remediation loss reserve(f)			0.1				-				0.9
Expenses related to public stock offerings(g)			-				2.9				4.1
Establish public company financial reporting compliance(h)			0.6				4.3				8.1
Stock-based compensation(i)			23.1				(2.3	)			194.2
Loss on extinguishment of debt(j)			0.2				1.1				84.5
Foreign currency transaction losses (gains), net			8.1				(1.9	)			9.3
Shareholder litigation settlement recoveries(k)			(6.0	)			(9.5	)			-
Other adjustments(l)			0.6				2.2				10.9
Adjusted EBITDA		$	564.8			$	681.8			$	561.5
Minus:
Interest expense		$	88.9			$	99.6			$	140.7
Income tax provision, as adjusted(m)			77.9				119.0				105.4
Depreciation expense			53.8				54.6				54.9
Amortization of non-acquisition related intangible assets			11.8				13.9				11.2
Adjusted Net Income		$	332.4			$	394.7			$	249.3
Free Cash Flow
Cash flows - operating activities		$	343.3			$	444.5			$	200.5
Minus:
Capital expenditures			43.2				52.2				56.8
Free Cash Flow		$	300.1			$	392.3			$	143.7

		Year Ended December 31,
		2019				2018				2017
Restructuring charges		$	17.1			$	12.7			$	5.3
Severance, sign-on, relocation and executive search costs			2.5				4.1				3.5
Facility reorganization, relocation and other costs			2.4				3.1				5.3
Information technology infrastructure transformation			1.2				0.8				5.2
Losses (gains) on asset and business disposals			0.8				(1.1	)			0.8
Consultant and other advisor fees			0.3				14.1				1.7
Other, net			1.3				5.1				2.9
Total restructuring and related business transformation costs		$	25.6			$	38.8			$	24.7

Represents stock-based compensation expense recognized for the year ended December 31, 2018 of $2.8 million, reduced by $5.1 million primarily due to a decrease in the estimated accrual for employer taxes related to deferred stock units (“DSU”) as a result of a lower per share stock price.

Represents stock-based compensation expense recognized for the year ended December 31, 2017 for stock options outstanding of $77.6 million and DSUs granted to employees at the date of the initial public offering of $97.4 million and employer taxes related to DSUs granted to employees at the date of the initial public offering of $19.2 million.

The income tax provision, as adjusted for each of the periods presented below consists of the following.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion contains management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations and should be read together with “Item 6. Selected Financial Data” and our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.  This discussion contains forward-looking statements and involves numerous risks and uncertainties.  Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under the “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

Transaction with Ingersoll Rand

In April 2019, our Board of Directors approved a merger that will combine Gardner Denver with the industrial segment of Ingersoll-Rand plc (“Ingersoll Rand”) (the “Merger”).  To facilitate this Merger, Ingersoll Rand will cause specific assets and liabilities of its industrial segment to be transferred to Ingersoll-Rand U.S. HoldCo, Inc. (“Ingersoll Rand Industrial”), a newly formed wholly-owned subsidiary of Ingersoll Rand, and distribute the shares of common stock of Ingersoll Rand Industrial to Ingersoll Rand’s shareholders.  Charm Merger Sub Inc. (“Merger Sub”), which is a newly formed wholly-owned subsidiary of Gardner Denver, will be merged with and into Ingersoll Rand Industrial, with Ingersoll Rand Industrial surviving such merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gardner Denver.

Pursuant to the definitive agreement Gardner Denver entered into with Ingersoll Rand, Ingersoll Rand Industrial and Merger Sub with respect to the Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), Gardner Denver will issue an aggregate number of shares of its common stock to Ingersoll Rand Industrial stockholders which will result in Ingersoll Rand Industrial stockholders owning approximately, but not less than, 50.1% of the shares of Gardner Denver common stock outstanding on a fully-diluted basis upon the closing of the Merger.  The number of shares to be issued to Ingersoll Rand Industrial stockholders is based on the exchange ratio set forth in the Merger Agreement.  In addition, Ingersoll Rand will receive approximately $1.9 billion in cash from Ingersoll Rand Industrial that will be funded by newly-issued debt that is expected to be deemed issued under the existing Senior Secured Credit Facilities of Gardner Denver upon consummation of the merger.  The Merger is expected to close on February 29, 2020.

The Merger will result in Gardner Denver acquiring Ingersoll Rand Industrial, which includes compressed air and gas systems and services, power tools, material handling systems, fluid management systems as well as Club Car golf, utility and consumer low-speed vehicles.  Following the Merger, the combined company is expected to be renamed and operate under the Ingersoll Rand name and its common stock is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under Ingersoll Rand’s existing ticker symbol “IR.”

See Note 3 “Business Combinations” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K for additional information related to the transaction with Ingersoll Rand.

Executive Overview

Our Company

We are a leading global provider of mission-critical flow control and compression equipment and associated aftermarket parts, consumables and services, which we sell across multiple attractive end-markets within the industrial, energy and medical industries. We manufacture one of the broadest and most complete ranges of compressor, pump, vacuum and blower products in our markets, which, combined with our global geographic footprint and application expertise, allows us to provide differentiated product and service offerings to our customers. Our products are sold under a collection of premier, market-leading brands, including Gardner Denver, CompAir, Nash, Emco Wheaton, Robuschi, Elmo Rietschle and Thomas, which we believe are globally recognized in their respective end-markets and known for product quality, reliability, efficiency and superior customer service. These attributes, along with over 155 years of engineering heritage, generate strong brand loyalty for our products and foster long-standing customer relationships, which we believe have resulted in leading market positions within each of our operating segments. We have sales in more than 175 countries and our diverse customer base utilizes our products across a wide array of end-markets that have favorable near- and long-term growth prospects, including industrial manufacturing, energy (with particular exposure to the North American upstream land-based market), transportation, medical and laboratory sciences, food and beverage packaging and chemical processing.

Our products and services are critical to the processes and systems in which they are utilized, which are often complex and function in harsh conditions where the cost of failure or downtime is high. However, our products and services typically represent only a small portion of the costs of the overall systems or functions that they support. As a result, our customers place a high value on our application expertise, product reliability and the responsiveness of our service. To support our customers and market presence, we maintain significant global scale with 38 key manufacturing facilities, more than 30 complementary service and repair centers across six continents and approximately 6,600 employees worldwide as of December 31, 2019.

The process-critical nature of our product applications, coupled with the standard wear and tear replacement cycles associated with the usage of our products, generates opportunities to support customers with our broad portfolio of aftermarket parts, consumables and services. Customers place a high value on minimizing any time their operations are offline. As a result, the availability of replacement parts, consumables and our repair and support services are key components of our value proposition. Our large installed base of products provides a recurring revenue stream through our aftermarket parts, consumables and services offerings. As a result, our aftermarket revenue is significant, representing 38% of total Company revenue and approximately 42% of our combined Industrials and Energy segments’ revenue in 2019.

Our Segments

We report our results of operations through three reportable segments: Industrials, Energy and Medical.

Industrials

In the Industrials segment, we design, manufacture, market and service a broad range of air compression, vacuum and blower products across a wide array of technologies and applications. Almost every manufacturing and industrial facility, and many service and process industries, use air compression and vacuum products in a variety of applications such as operation of pneumatic air tools, vacuum packaging of food products and aeration of waste water. We maintain a leading position in our markets and serve customers globally. We offer comprehensive aftermarket parts and an experienced direct and distributor-based service network world-wide to complement all of our products.  In 2019, the Industrials segment generated Segment Revenue of $1,301.3 million and Segment Adjusted EBITDA of $296.6 million, reflecting a Segment Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 22.8%.

Energy

In the Energy segment, we design, manufacture, market and service a diverse range of positive displacement pumps, liquid ring vacuum pumps and compressors, and engineered loading systems and fluid transfer equipment, consumables, and associated aftermarket parts and services.  We serve customers in the upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas markets, and various other markets including petrochemical processing, power generation, transportation, and general industrial. We are one of the largest suppliers in these markets and have long-standing customer relationships. Our positive displacement pumps are used in the oilfield for drilling, hydraulic fracturing, completion and well servicing. Our liquid ring vacuum pumps and compressors are used in many power generation, mining, oil and gas refining and processing, chemical processing and general industrial applications including flare gas and vapor recovery, geothermal gas removal, vacuum de-aeration, enhanced oil recovery, water extraction in mining and paper and chlorine compression in petrochemical operations. Our engineered loading systems and fluid transfer equipment ensure the safe handling and transfer of crude oil, liquefied natural gas, compressed natural gas, chemicals, and bulk materials.  In 2019, the Energy segment generated Segment Revenue of $870.2 million and Segment Adjusted EBITDA of $225.1 million, reflecting a Segment Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 25.9%.

Medical

In the Medical segment, we design, manufacture and market a broad range of highly specialized gas, liquid and precision syringe pumps and compressors primarily for use in the medical, laboratory and biotechnology end markets.  Our customers are mainly medium and large durable medical equipment suppliers that integrate our products into their final equipment for use in applications such as oxygen therapy, blood dialysis, patient monitoring, wound treatment, and others. Further, with recent acquisitions, we expanded into liquid handling components and systems used in biotechnology applications including clinical analysis instrumentation. We also have a broad range of end use deep vacuum products for laboratory science applications.  In 2019, the Medical segment generated Segment Revenue of $280.4 million and Segment Adjusted EBITDA of $84.4 million, reflecting a Segment Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 30.1%.

Components of Our Revenue and Expenses

Revenues

We generate revenue from sales of our highly engineered, application-critical products and by providing associated aftermarket parts, consumables and services. We sell our products and deliver aftermarket services both directly to end-users and through independent distribution channels, depending on the product line and geography. Below is a description of our revenues by segment and factors impacting total revenues.

Industrials Revenue

Our Industrials Segment Revenues are generated primarily through sales of air compression, vacuum and blower products to customers in multiple industries and geographies.  A significant portion of our sales in the Industrials segment are made to independent distributors.  The majority of Industrials segment revenues are derived from short duration contracts and revenue is recognized at a single point in time when control is transferred to the customer, generally at shipment or when delivery has occurred or services have been rendered.  Certain contracts may involve significant design engineering to customer specifications, and depending on the contractual terms, revenue is recognized either over the duration of the contract or at contract completion when equipment is delivered to the customer.  Our large installed base of products in our Industrials segment drives demand for recurring aftermarket support services primarily composed of replacement part sales to our distribution partners and, to a lesser extent, by directly providing replacement parts and repair and maintenance services to end customers.  Revenue for services is recognized when services are performed.

Energy Revenue

Our Energy Segment Revenues are generated primarily through sales of positive displacement pumps, liquid ring vacuum pumps, compressors and integrated systems and engineered fluid loading and transfer equipment and associated aftermarket parts, consumables and services for use primarily in upstream, midstream, downstream and petrochemical end-markets across multiple geographies. The majority of Energy segment revenues are derived from short duration contracts and revenue is recognized at a single point in time when control is transferred to the customer, generally at shipment or when delivery has occurred or services have been rendered.  Certain contracts with customers in the mid- and downstream and petrochemical markets are higher sales value and often have longer lead times and involve more application specific engineering.  Depending on the contractual terms, revenue is recognized either over the duration of the contract or at contract completion when equipment is delivered to the customer.  Provisions for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts are recognized in the period in which such losses are determined to be probable.  As a result, the timing of these contracts can result in significant variation in reported revenue from quarter to quarter.  Our large installed base of products in our Energy segment drives demand for recurring aftermarket support services to customers, including replacement parts, consumables and repair and maintenance services.  The mix of aftermarket to original equipment revenue within the Energy segment is impacted by trends in upstream energy activity in North America.  Revenue for services is recognized when services are performed.  In response to customer demand for faster access to aftermarket parts and repair services, we expanded our direct aftermarket service locations in our Energy segment, particularly in North American markets driven by upstream energy activity.  Energy segment products and aftermarket parts, consumables and services are sold both directly to end customers and through independent distributors, depending on the product category and geography.

Medical Revenue

Our Medical Segment Revenues are generated primarily through sales of highly specialized gas, liquid and precision syringe pumps that are specified by medical and laboratory equipment suppliers for use in medical and laboratory applications. Our products are often subject to extensive collaborative design and specification requirements, as they are generally components specifically designed for, and integrated into, our customers’ products. Revenue is recognized when control is transferred to the customer, generally at shipment or when delivery has occurred.  Our Medical segment also has limited aftermarket revenues related to certain products.

Expenses

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales includes the costs we incur, including purchased materials, labor and overhead related to manufactured products and aftermarket parts sold during a period. Depreciation related to manufacturing equipment and facilities is included in cost of sales. Purchased materials represent the majority of costs of sales, with steel, aluminum, copper and partially finished castings representing our most significant materials inputs. Stock-based compensation expense for employees associated with the manufacture of products or delivery of services to customers is included in cost of sales. We have instituted a global sourcing strategy to take advantage of coordinated purchasing opportunities of key materials across our manufacturing plant locations.

Cost of sales for services includes the direct costs we incur, including direct labor, parts and other overhead costs including depreciation of equipment and facilities, to deliver repair, maintenance and other field services to our customers.

Selling and Administrative Expenses

Selling and administrative expenses consist of (i) salaries and other employee-related expenses for our selling and administrative functions and other activities not associated with the manufacture of products or delivery of services to customers; (ii) facility operating expenses for selling and administrative activities, including office rent, maintenance, depreciation and insurance; (iii) marketing and direct costs of selling products and services to customers including internal and external sales commissions; (iv) research and development expenditures; (v) professional and consultant fees; (vi) KKR fees and expenses; (vii) expenses related to our  public stock offerings and to establish public company reporting compliance; (viii) employee related stock-based compensation for our selling and administrative functions and other activities not associated with the manufacture of products or delivery of services to customers; and (ix) other miscellaneous expenses. Certain corporate expenses, including those related to our shared service centers in the United States and Europe, that directly benefit our businesses are allocated to our business segments. Certain corporate administrative expenses, including corporate executive compensation, treasury, certain information technology, internal audit and tax compliance, are not allocated to the business segments.

Amortization of Intangible Assets

Amortization of intangible assets includes the periodic amortization of intangible assets recognized when an affiliate of KKR acquired us on July 30, 2013, intangible assets recognized in connection with businesses we acquired since July 30, 2013, including customer relationships and trademarks, and internally developed software.

Impairment of Other Intangible Assets

Impairment of other intangible assets includes non-cash charges we recognized for the impairment of intangible assets other than goodwill.

Other Operating Expense, Net

Other operating expense, net includes foreign currency gains and losses, restructuring charges, certain litigation and contract settlement losses, environmental remediation and other miscellaneous operating expenses.

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes

The provision or benefit for income taxes includes U.S. federal, state and local income taxes and all non-U.S. income taxes. We are subject to income tax in approximately 35 jurisdictions outside of the United States. Because we conduct operations on a global basis, our effective tax rate depends, and will continue to depend, on the geographic distribution of our pre-tax earnings among several different taxing jurisdictions. Our effective tax rate can also vary based on changes in the tax rates of the different jurisdictions, the availability of tax credits and non-deductible items.

Items Affecting our Reported Results

General Economic Conditions and Capital Spending in the Industries We Serve

Our financial results closely follow changes in the industries and end-markets we serve. Demand for most of our products depends on the level of new capital investment and planned and unplanned maintenance expenditures by our customers. The level of capital expenditures depends, in turn, on the general economic conditions as well as access to capital at reasonable cost. In particular, demand for our Industrials products generally correlates with the rate of total industrial capacity utilization and the rate of change of industrial production. Capacity utilization rates above 80% have historically indicated a strong demand environment for industrial equipment. In our Energy segment, demand for our products that serve upstream energy end-markets are influenced heavily by energy prices and the expectation as to future trends in those prices.  Energy prices have historically been cyclical in nature and are affected by a wide range of factors.  In addition to energy prices, demand for our upstream energy products are positively impacted by increasing global land rig count, drilled but uncompleted wells, the level of hydraulic fracturing intensity and activity measured by horsepower utilization and lateral lengths as well as drilling and completion capital expenditures.  In the midstream and downstream portions of our Energy segment, overall economic growth and industrial production, as well as secular trends, impact demand for our products. In our Medical segment we expect demand for our products to be driven by favorable trends, including the growth in healthcare spend and expansion of healthcare systems due to an aging population requiring medical care and increased investment in health solutions and safety infrastructures in emerging economies. Over longer time periods, we believe that demand for all of our products also tends to follow economic growth patterns indicated by the rates of change in the GDP around the world, as augmented by secular trends in each segment. Our ability to grow and our financial performance will also be affected by our ability to address a variety of challenges and opportunities that are a consequence of our global operations, including efficiently utilizing our global sales, manufacturing and distribution capabilities and engineering innovative new product applications for end-users in a variety of geographic markets.

Foreign Currency Fluctuations

A significant portion of our revenues, approximately 56% for the year ended December 31, 2019, was denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.  Because much of our manufacturing facilities and labor force costs are outside of the United States, a significant portion of our costs are also denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.  Changes in foreign exchange rates can therefore impact our results of operations and are quantified when significant to our discussion.

Factors Affecting the Comparability of our Results of Operations

As a result of a number of factors, our historical results of operations are not comparable from period to period and may not be comparable to our financial results of operations in future periods. Key factors affecting the comparability of our results of operations are summarized below.

Variability within Upstream Energy Markets

We sell products and services to customers in upstream energy markets, primarily in the United States.  For the upstream energy end-market, in our Energy segment, we manufacture pumps and associated aftermarket products and services used in drilling, hydraulic fracturing and well service applications.

Demand for upstream energy products has historically corresponded to the supply and demand dynamics related to oil and natural gas products, and has been influenced by oil and natural gas prices, the level and intensity of hydraulic fracturing activity rig count, drilling activity and other economic factors.  These factors have caused the level of demand for certain of our Energy products to change at times (both positively and negatively) and we expect these trends to continue in the future.

We believe it is helpful to consider the impact of our energy exposure to upstream energy in evaluating our 2018 and 2019 Segment Revenue and Segment Adjusted EBITDA, in order to better understand other drivers of our performance during those periods, including operational improvements.  For the Energy segments, we assess the impact of our exposure to upstream energy as the portion of Energy Segment Adjusted EBITDA of the business unit serving the upstream energy market.

Restructuring and Other Business Transformation Initiatives

We continue to implement business transformation initiatives.  A key element of those business transformation initiatives was restructuring programs within our Industrials, Energy and Medical segments as well as at the Corporate level.  Restructuring charges, program related facility reorganization, relocation and other costs, and related capital expenditures were impacted most significantly.

We announced a restructuring program in the third quarter of 2018 that primarily involves workforce reductions and facility consolidations.  For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, $17.1 million and $12.7 million, respectively were charged to expense related to this restructuring program.

Acquisitions

The revenues for these acquisitions subsequent to the respective dates of acquisition included in our financial results were $137.6 million $96.2 million and $13.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The operating income for these acquisitions subsequent to their respective dates of acquisition, including organic growth since acquisition, included in our financial results was $19.1 million, $8.3 million and $1.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

See Note 3 “Business Combinations” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K for further discussion around the outstanding holdbacks for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

For the year ended December 31, 2018, we incurred stock-based compensation expense of approximately $2.8 million which was reduced by $5.1 million primarily due to a decrease in the estimated accrual for employer taxes related to deferred stock units (“DSU”) as a result of a lower per share stock price.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, we incurred stock-based compensation expense of approximately $19.2 million which was increased by $3.9 million due to costs associated with employer taxes.  See Note 17 “Stock-Based Compensation” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K for further discussion around our stock-based compensation expense.

Income Taxes

On December 22, 2017, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”) was enacted into law.  The new legislation contains several key tax provisions that affected us, including a one-time mandatory transition tax on accumulated foreign earnings and a reduction of the corporate income tax rate to 21% effective January 1, 2018, among others. We are required to recognize the effect of the tax law changes, including the determination of the transition tax, the remeasurement of our U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities as well as the reassessment of the net realizability of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, in the period of enactment. In December 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, Income Tax Accounting Implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“SAB 118”), which allowed us to record provisional amounts during a measurement period not to extend beyond one year of the enactment date. As a result, we previously provided a provisional estimate of the effect of the Tax Act in our financial statements for 2017 and through the first nine months of 2018.  In the fourth quarter of 2018, we completed our accounting for all of the enactment-date income tax effects of the Tax Act by increasing the total benefit taken in 2017 of $95.3 million to $96.5 million.  Due to the Tax Act, the total U.S. deferred changed from a tax benefit of $89.6 million in 2017 to $74.5 million in 2018, with a 2018 measurement-period adjustment of $15.1 million and the ASC 740-30 (formerly APB 23) liability, related to the permanent reinvestment of earnings in foreign subsidiaries assertion, changed from a tax benefit of $69.0 million in 2017 to $72.5 million in 2018, with a 2018 measurement-period adjustment of $3.5 million. The provisional one-time transition tax of $63.3 million in 2017 decreased to $50.5 million in 2018, with a 2018 measurement-period adjustment of $12.8 million. The total $1.2 million benefit had a (0.3)% impact to the overall rate in 2018.

The Tax Act creates a new requirement that certain income (i.e., GILTI) earned by controlled foreign corporations (“CFC”) must be included currently in the gross income of the CFCs’ U.S. shareholder. GILTI is the excess of the shareholder’s “net CFC tested income” over the net deemed tangible income return, which is currently defined as the excess of (1) 10% of the aggregate of the U.S. shareholder’s pro rata share of the qualified business asset investment of each CFC with respect to which it is a U.S. shareholder over (2) the amount of certain interest expense taken into account in the determination of net CFC-tested income.

Under U.S. GAAP, we are allowed to make an accounting policy election of either (1) treating taxes due on future U.S. inclusions  in taxable income related to GILTI as a current-period expense when incurred (the “period cost method”) or (2) factoring such amounts into a company’s measurement of its deferred taxes (the “deferred method”). The Company has determined that it will follow the period cost method (option 1 above) going forward.  The tax provision for the twelve month period ended December 31, 2019 reflects this decision.  All of the additional calculations and rule changes found in the Tax Act have been considered in the tax provision for the year ended December 31, 2019. The Company recorded a tax expense of $2.0 million in 2019 for the GILTI provisions of the Tax Act that were effective for the first time during 2018.

See Note 15 “Income Taxes” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

Outlook

Industrials Segment

The mission-critical nature of our Industrials products across manufacturing processes drives a demand environment and outlook that are correlated with global and regional industrial production, capacity utilization and long-term GDP growth.  In the fourth quarter of 2019, we booked $307.6 million of orders in our Industrials segment, a decrease of 4.6% over the fourth quarter of 2018, or a 3.1% decrease on a constant currency basis. 

Energy Segment

Our Energy segment has a diverse range of equipment and associated aftermarket parts, consumables and services for a number of market sectors with both energy exposure, spanning upstream, midstream, downstream and petrochemical applications.

Our upstream products demand environment and outlook are influenced heavily by the supply and demand dynamics related to oil and natural gas products, and has been influenced by oil and natural gas prices, the level and intensity of hydraulic fracturing activity, global land rig count, drilled but uncompleted wells and other economic factors.  These factors have caused the level of demand for certain of our upstream products to change at times (both positively and negatively) and we expect these trends to continue in the future.  We believe we are well positioned to continue to benefit given our market position, diverse range of equipment, aftermarket parts and consumables and our service presence, despite the current demand environment.

Our midstream and downstream products demand environment and outlook are relatively stable with attractive, long-term growth trends influenced by long-term GDP growth and the continued increase in the production and transportation of hydrocarbon.  Demand for our petrochemical industry products correlates with capital expenditures related to growth and maintenance of petrochemical plants as well as activity levels therein.  Advancements in the development of unconventional natural gas resources in North America over the past decade have resulted in the abundant availability of locally-sourced natural gas as feedstock for petrochemical plants in North America, supporting long-term growth.

In the fourth quarter of 2019, we booked $171.8 million of orders in our Energy segment, a decrease of 36.3% over the fourth quarter of 2018, or a 35.4% decrease on an constant currency basis.

Medical Segment

In 2020, we believe that demand for products and services in the Medical space will continue to benefit from attractive secular growth trends in the aging population requiring medical care, emerging economies modernizing and expanding their healthcare systems and increased investment globally in health solutions. In addition, we expect growing demand for higher healthcare efficiency, requiring premium and high performance systems. In the fourth quarter of 2019 we booked $63.7 million of orders in our Medical segment, a decrease of 3.2% over 2018, or a 1.8% decrease on a constant currency basis. 

How We Assess the Performance of Our Business

We manage operations through the three business segments described above. In addition to our consolidated GAAP financial measures, we review various non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Free Cash Flow.

We believe Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income are helpful supplemental measures to assist us and investors in evaluating our operating results as they exclude certain items whose fluctuation from period to period do not necessarily correspond to changes in the operations of our business. Adjusted EBITDA represents net income (loss) before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and certain non-cash, non-recurring and other adjustment items. We believe that the adjustments applied in presenting Adjusted EBITDA are appropriate to provide additional information to investors about certain material non-cash items and about non-recurring items that we do not expect to continue at the same level in the future. Adjusted Net Income is defined as net income (loss) including interest, depreciation and amortization of non-acquisition related intangible assets and excluding other items used to calculate Adjusted EBITDA and further adjusted for the tax effect of these exclusions.

We use Free Cash Flow to review the liquidity of our operations. We measure Free Cash Flow as cash flows from operating activities less capital expenditures. We believe Free Cash Flow is a useful supplemental financial measure for us and investors in assessing our ability to pursue business opportunities and investments and to service our debt. Free Cash Flow is not a measure of our liquidity under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities.

Management and our board of directors regularly use these measures as tools in evaluating our operating and financial performance and in establishing discretionary annual compensation. Such measures are provided in addition to, and should not be considered to be a substitute for, or superior to, the comparable measures under GAAP. In addition, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Free Cash Flow are frequently used by investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of issuers, many of which also present Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Free Cash Flow when reporting their results in an effort to facilitate an understanding of their operating and financial results and liquidity.

Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Free Cash Flow should not be considered as alternatives to net income (loss) or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP, or as alternatives to cash flow from operating activities as a measure of our liquidity. Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Free Cash Flow have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider such measures either in isolation or as substitutes for analyzing our results as reported under GAAP.

Included in our discussion of our consolidated and segment results below are changes in revenues and Adjusted EBITDA on a Constant Currency basis. Constant Currency information compares results between periods as if exchange rates had remained constant period over period. We define Constant Currency revenues and Adjusted EBITDA as total revenues and Adjusted EBITDA excluding the impact of foreign exchange rate movements and use it to determine the Constant Currency revenue and Adjusted EBITDA growth on a year-over-year basis. Constant Currency revenues and Adjusted EBITDA are calculated by translating current period revenues and Adjusted EBITDA using corresponding prior period exchange rates. These results should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, results reported in accordance with GAAP. Results on a Constant Currency basis, as we present them, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies and are not a measure of performance presented in accordance with GAAP.

For further information regarding these measures, see “Item 6. Selected Financial Data.”

Results of Operations

Consolidated results should be read in conjunction with segment results and the Segment  Information notes to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K, which provide more detailed discussions concerning certain components of our consolidated statements of operations.  All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated within the consolidated results.

This section discusses our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2018.  For a discussion and analysis of the year ended December 31, 2018, compared to the same in 2017, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition” and “Results of Operations” included in Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2019.

Consolidated Results of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

Revenues

Revenues for 2019 were $2,451.9 million, a decrease of $237.9 million, or 8.8%, compared to $2,689.8 million in 2018.  The decrease in revenues was due primarily to lower revenues from upstream exposed markets (8.8% or $235.6 million) and the unfavorable impact of foreign currencies (2.4% or $65.2 million), partially offset by improved pricing (1.4% or $36.8 million) and higher volume in our Industrials and Medical segments including acquisitions (1.1% or $28.9 million). The percentage of consolidated revenues derived from aftermarket parts and services was 37.8% in 2019 compared to 39.2% in 2018.

Gross Profit

Gross profit in 2019 was $911.7 million, a decrease of $100.8 million, or 10.0%, compared to $1,012.5 million in 2018, and as a percentage of revenues was 37.2% in 2019 and 37.6% in 2018. The decrease in gross profit reflects primarily the lower revenues from upstream energy exposed markets, the unfavorable impact of foreign currencies and higher materials and other manufacturing costs, partially offset by improved pricing. The slight decrease in gross profit as a percentage of revenues primarily reflects the unfavorable impact of foreign currencies and higher materials and other manufacturing costs in our Industrials and Medical segments, partially offset by improved pricing.

Selling and Administrative Expenses

Selling and administrative expenses were $436.4 million in 2019, an increase of $1.8 million, or 0.4%, compared to $434.6 million in 2018.  Selling and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues increased to 17.8% in 2019 from 16.2% in 2018. This increase in selling and administrative expenses was primarily due to increased stock based compensation expense and other employee-related expenses, partially offset by lower professional and consultant fees.

Amortization of Intangible Assets

Amortization of intangible assets was $124.3 million in 2019, a decrease of $1.5 million compared to $125.8 million in 2018. The decrease was primarily due to intangibles that became fully amortized in 2019, partially offset by the amortization of intangibles acquired in 2018 and 2019.

Other Operating Expense, Net

Other operating expense, net was $75.7 million in 2019, an increase of $66.6 million compared to $9.1 million in 2018. The increase was primarily due to increased acquisition related expenses and non-cash charges of $44.0 million, foreign currency transaction losses of $8.1 million in 2019 compared to gains of $1.9 million in 2018, increased restructuring costs of $4.4 million and lower shareholder litigation settlement recoveries of $3.5 million.

Interest Expense

Interest expense was $88.9 million in 2019, a decrease of $10.7 million compared to $99.6 million in 2018. The decrease was primarily due to reduced debt as a result of prepayments in 2018 and 2019, partially offset by an increased weighted-average rate of 5.4% in 2019 compared to 5.2% in 2018.

Other Income, Net

Other income, net, was $4.7 million in 2019, a decrease of $2.5 million compared to $7.2 million in 2018. The decrease in other income, net was primarily due to an increase of $4.6 million in the other components of net periodic benefit cost and a decrease of $0.8 million in other financing income, partially offset by increased gains on postretirement plan investments of $2.9 million.

Provision for Income Taxes

The provision for income taxes was $31.8 million resulting in a 16.7% effective tax rate in 2019 compared to a provision of $80.1 million resulting in a 22.9% effective tax provision rate in 2018.  The decrease in the tax provision and the decrease in the effective tax rate is primarily due to a decrease in pretax book income and an increase in a benefit related to equity compensation.

Net Income

Net income was $159.1 million in 2019 compared to net income of $269.4 million in 2018. The decrease in net income was primarily due to lower gross profit on lower revenues and higher other operating expense, net, partially offset by lower interest expense and a lower provision for income taxes.

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA decreased $117.0 million to $564.8 million in 2019 compared to $681.8 million in 2018.  Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenues decreased 230 basis points to 23.0% in 2019 from 25.3% in 2018. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to lower revenue in upstream energy exposed markets in our Energy segment of $110.4 million, higher selling and administrative expenses of $19.4 million, the unfavorable impact of foreign currencies of $15.6 million, higher materials and other manufacturing costs in our Industrials and Medical segments of $12.4 million and higher volume including acquisitions being offset by the dilutive impact of acquisitions in our Industrials segment of $7.4 million, partially offset by improved pricing of $36.8 million and higher volume in other markets in our Energy segment and in our Medical segment including acquisitions of $10.7 million.

Adjusted Net Income

Adjusted Net Income decreased $62.3 million to $332.4 million in 2019 compared to $394.7 million in 2018. The decrease was primarily due to lower Adjusted EBITDA, partially offset by a lower income tax provision, as adjusted and lower interest expense.

Segment Results

We classify our businesses into three segments: Industrials, Energy and Medical. Our Corporate operations (as described below) are not discussed separately as any results that had a significant impact on operating results are included in the consolidated results discussion above.

We evaluate the performance of our segments based on Segment Revenues and Segment Adjusted EBITDA. Segment Adjusted EBITDA is indicative of operational performance and ongoing profitability. Our management closely monitors Segment Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate past performance and identify actions required to improve profitability.

The segment measurements provided to, and evaluated by, the chief operating decision maker are described in Note 22 “Segment Information” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

Included in our discussion of our segment results below are changes in Segment Revenues and Segment Adjusted EBITDA on a Constant Currency basis. Constant Currency information compares results between periods as if exchange rates had remained constant period over period. We define Constant Currency as changes in Segment Revenues and Segment Adjusted EBITDA excluding the impact of foreign exchange rate movements. We use these measures to determine the Constant Currency Segment Revenues and Segment Adjusted EBITDA growth on a year-on-year basis. Constant Currency Segment Revenues and Segment Adjusted EBITDA are calculated by translating current period Segment Revenues and Segment Adjusted EBITDA using prior period exchange rates. These results should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, results reported in accordance with GAAP. Results on a constant currency basis, as we present them, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies and are not a measure of performance presented in accordance with GAAP.

Segment Results for Years Ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

The following tables display Segment Revenues, Segment Adjusted EBITDA and Segment Adjusted EBITDA Margin (Segment Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of Segment Revenues) for each of our Segments and illustrates, on a percentage basis, the impact of foreign currency fluctuations on Segment Revenues and Segment Adjusted EBITDA growth.

Industrials Segment Results

Segment Revenues for 2019 were $1,301.3 million, a decrease of $2.0 million, or 0.2%, compared to $1,303.3 million in 2018.  The decrease in Segment Revenues was primarily due to unfavorable impact of foreign currencies (3.3% or $42.4 million), partially offset by improved pricing (2.3% or $29.8 million) and higher volume including acquisitions (0.8% or $10.6 million). The percentage of Segment Revenues derived from aftermarket parts and service was 31.4% in 2019 compared to 31.5% in 2018.

Segment Adjusted EBITDA in 2019 was $296.6 million, an increase of $8.4 million, or 2.9%, from $288.2 million in 2018. Segment Adjusted EBITDA Margin increased 70 bps to 22.8% from 22.1% in 2018. The increase in Segment Adjusted EBITDA was due primarily to improved pricing of $29.8 million and lower selling and administrative expenses of $5.1 million, partially offset by the unfavorable impact of foreign currencies of $9.6 million, higher material and other manufacturing costs of $9.5 million, and higher volume including acquisitions offset by the dilutive impact of acquisitions $7.4 million.

Energy Segment Results

Segment Revenues for 2019 were $870.2 million, a decrease of $250.9 million, or 22.4%, compared to $1,121.1 million in 2018.  The decrease in Segment Revenues was primarily due to lower revenues from upstream energy exposed markets (21.0% or $235.6 million), the unfavorable impact of foreign currencies (1.3% or $14.9 million) and lower volume in other markets in our Energy segment (0.3% or $2.8 million), partially offset by improved pricing in other markets in our Energy segment (0.2% or $2.4 million). The percentage of Segment Revenues derived from aftermarket parts and service was 58.7% in 2019 compared to 56.6% in 2018.

Segment Adjusted EBITDA in 2019 was $225.1 million, a decrease of $112.7 million, or 33.4%, from $337.8 million in 2018. Segment Adjusted EBITDA Margin decreased 420 bps to 25.9% from 30.1% in 2018. The decrease in Segment Adjusted EBITDA was due primarily to lower revenues from upstream energy exposed markets of $110.4 million, the unfavorable impact of foreign currencies of $3.9 million and higher selling and administrative expenses of $2.8 million, partially offset by improved pricing in other markets in our Energy segment of $2.4 million.

Medical Segment Results

Segment Revenues for 2019 were $280.4 million, an increase of $15.0 million, or 5.7%, compared to $265.4 million in 2018.  The increase in Segment Revenues was primarily due to higher volume including acquisitions (6.9% or $18.3 million) and improved pricing (1.7% or $4.6 million), partially offset by unfavorable impact of foreign currencies (3.0% or $7.9 million). The percentage of Segment Revenues derived from aftermarket parts and service was 2.6% in 2019 compared to 3.3% in 2018.

Segment Adjusted EBITDA in 2019 was $84.4 million, an increase of $9.4 million, or 12.5%, from $75.0 million in 2018. Segment Adjusted EBITDA Margin increased 180 bps to 30.1% from 28.3% in 2018. The increase in Segment Adjusted EBITDA was due primarily to higher volume including acquisitions of $9.1 million, improved pricing of $4.6 million and lower selling and administrative costs of $1.4 million, partially offset by higher material and other manufacturing costs of $2.9 million and unfavorable impact of foreign currencies of $2.7 million.

Unaudited Quarterly Results of Operations

Represents stock-based compensation expense recognized for the year ended December 31, 2018 of $2.8 million, reduced by $5.1 million primarily due to a decrease in the estimated accrual for employer taxes related to DSUs as a result of a lower per share stock price.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our investment resources include cash generated from operations and borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility and the Receivables Financing Agreement.

For a description of our material indebtedness, see Note 10 “Debt” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

As of December 31, 2019, we had $4.4 million of outstanding letters of credit written against the Revolving Credit Facility and $445.6 million of unused availability.  We also had $27.6 million of letters of credit outstanding against the Receivables Financing Agreement and $62.4 million unused availability.

As of December 31, 2019 and 2018 we were in compliance with all of our debt covenants and no event of default had occurred or was ongoing.

Liquidity

A substantial portion of our liquidity needs arise from debt service requirements, and from the ongoing cost of operations, working capital and capital expenditures.

We can increase the borrowing availability under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities by up to $250.0 million in the form of additional commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility and/or incremental term loans plus an additional amount so long as we do not exceed a specified senior secured leverage ratio. We can incur additional secured indebtedness under the Term Loan Facilities if certain specified conditions are met under the credit agreement governing the Senior Secured Credit Facilities. Our liquidity requirements are significant primarily due to debt service requirements. See Note 10 “Debt” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K for further details.

Our principal sources of liquidity have been existing cash and cash equivalents, cash generated from operations and borrowings under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities and the Receivables Financing Agreement. Our principal uses of cash will be to provide working capital, meet debt service requirements, fund capital expenditures and finance strategic plans, including possible acquisitions.  We may also seek to finance capital expenditures under capital leases or other debt arrangements that provide liquidity or favorable borrowing terms. We continue to consider acquisition opportunities, but the size and timing of any future acquisitions and the related potential capital requirements cannot be predicted. In the event that suitable businesses are available for acquisition upon acceptable terms, we may obtain all or a portion of the necessary financing through the incurrence of additional long-term borrowings. As market conditions warrant, we may from time to time, seek to repay loans that we have borrowed, including the borrowings under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities. Based on our current level of operations and available cash, we believe our cash flow from operations, together with availability under the Revolving Credit Facility and the Receivables Financing Agreement, will provide sufficient liquidity to fund our current obligations, projected working capital requirements, debt service requirements and capital spending requirements for the foreseeable future. Our business may not generate sufficient cash flows from operations or future borrowings may not be available to us under our Revolving Credit Facility or the Receivables Financing Agreement in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay our indebtedness, or to fund our other liquidity needs. Our ability to do so depends on, among other factors, prevailing economic conditions, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, upon the occurrence of certain events, such as a change in control, we could be required to repay or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to refinance any of our indebtedness, including the Senior Secured Credit Facilities, on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Any future acquisitions, joint ventures, or other similar transactions may require additional capital and there can be no assurance that any such capital will be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.

The majority of our cash is in jurisdictions outside of the United States.  We do not assert ASC 740-30 (formerly APB 23) indefinite reinvestment of our historical non-U.S. earnings or future non-U.S. earnings. The Company records a deferred foreign tax liability to cover all estimated withholding, state income tax and foreign income tax associated with repatriating all non-U.S. earnings back to the United States. Our deferred income tax liability as of December 31, 2019 is $7.8 million which consists mainly of withholding taxes.

Working Capital

Net working capital increased $234.5 to $969.3 as of December 31, 2019 from $734.8 million as of December 31, 2018. Operating working capital decreased $43.1 million to $603.0  as of December 31, 2019 from $646.1 million as of December 31, 2018. Operating working capital as of December 31, 2019 was 24.6% of 2019 revenues as compared to 24.0% as of December 31, 2018 as a percentage of 2018 revenues.  The decrease in operating working capital was primarily due to lower accounts receivable and lower inventories, partially offset by higher contract assets, lower accounts payable and lower contract liabilities. The decrease in accounts receivable was primarily due to lower sales in 2019 compared to 2018. The decrease in inventory was due to concerted supply chain optimization initiatives. The increase in contract assets was due to the timing of revenue recognition and billing on our overtime contracts. The decrease in contract liabilities was due to the timing of customer milestone payments for in-process engineered to order contracts.  The decrease in accounts payable was primarily due to the timing of vendor cash disbursements.

Cash Flows

The following table reflects the major categories of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.