Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business
General
Enerpac Tool Group Corp. is a premier industrial tools and services company serving a broad and diverse set of customers in more than 100 countries. The Company is a global leader in the engineering and manufacturing of high pressure hydraulic tools, controlled force products and solutions for precise positioning of heavy loads that help customers safely and reliably tackle some of the most challenging jobs around the world. The Company was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. The Company has two operating segments, Industrial Tools & Service ("IT&S") and Other, with IT&S being the only reportable segment. The IT&S segment is primarily engaged in the design, manufacture and distribution of branded hydraulic and mechanical tools, as well as providing services and tool rental to the industrial, maintenance, infrastructure, oil & gas, alternative energy and other markets. Financial information related to the Company's reportable segment is included in Note 15, "Business Segment, Geographic and Customer Information" in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement ("SPA") to sell the remaining businesses within our legacy Engineered Components & Systems ("EC&S") segment. We closed the transaction during our first quarter of fiscal 2020. The divestiture of the EC&S segment, along with the fiscal 2019 divestitures of the Cortland Fibron and Precision Hayes International ("PHI") businesses, were a part of our strategic shift to become a pure play industrial tools and services company. As such, the results of the EC&S segment as well as the Cortland Fibron and PHI businesses are considered discontinued operations in all periods presented herein.
Our Business Model
Our long-term goal is to create shareholder value and best in class returns through growth of our core businesses, driving efficiency and profitability, generating strong cash flow, and being disciplined in the deployment of our capital.We intend to leverage our strong brand, market positions, and dealer and distribution networks to generate organic core sales growth that exceeds end-market growth rates. Organic growth is accomplished through a combination of market share capture and product innovation, as well as market expansion into new vertical markets, emerging industries and new geographic regions. In addition to organic growth, we also focus on profit margin expansion by utilizing continuous improvement techniques to drive productivity and lower costs and by enacting routine pricing initiatives to generate price realization and offset cost increases, such as commodity and tariff increases and general inflation. Finally, cash flow generation is critical to achieving our financial and long-term strategic objectives. Strong cash flow generation is achieved by maximizing returns on assets and minimizing
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primary working capital needs. The cash flow that results from efficient asset management and improved profitability is used to fund internal growth opportunities, strategic acquisitions, paydown of debt and opportunistic returns to shareholders.
Description of Business Segments
Industrial Tools & Services Reportable Segment
IT&S is a global supplier of both products and services to a broad array of end markets, including infrastructure, industrial maintenance, repair, and operations, oil & gas, mining, alternative and renewable energy, and civil construction markets.
Our primary products include branded tools, cylinders, hydraulic torque wrenches and highly engineered heavy lifting technology solutions. Examples of our products include high-forc e hydraulic and mechanical tools (cylinders, pumps, valves and specialty tools), which are designed to allow users to apply controlled force and motion to increase productivity, reduce labor costs and make work safer and easier to perform, bolt tensioners and other miscellaneous products. These tools operate at very high pressures of approximately 5,000 to 12,000 pounds per square inch. With our products used in a wide variety of end markets, they are often deployed in harsh operating conditions, such as machining, infrastructure maintenance and repair, and oil & gas production, where safety is a key differentiator. As a result, we hold ourselves to a world-class safety standard to protect both our employees and those using our products and services.
On the services side of the segment, our highly trained technicians provide maintenance and manpower services on customer assets to meet their specific needs including bolting, machining, and joint integrity. We also provide rental capabilities for certain of our products.
Our branded tools and services are primarily marketed through the Enerpac, Hydratight, Larzep and Simplex brand names.
The segment delivers products and services primarily through our world-class, global network of distributors, as well as direct sales to OEMs and select end users. Examples of industrial distributors include W.W. Grainger, MSC and Blackwoods.
Other Operating Segment
The Other operating segment includes our Cortland U.S. business, which primarily designs and manufactures high performance synthetic ropes and biomedical textiles. The Other operating segment does not meet the quantitative or qualitative thresholds to be considered a reportable segment. Therefore, the results are not disclosed separately as would be required if the Other operating segment were considered a reportable segment, and as the business is not closely related to the IT&S segment, results are not aggregated to be included in the results of the IT&S reportable segment. Certain information related to the Other operating segment is disclosed within Note 15, "Business Segment, Geographic, and Customer Information" in order to comply with U.S generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") requirements to reconcile certain required disclosures to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Acquisitions and Divestitures
For a summary of recent acquisition and divestiture transactions impacting continuing operations, see Note 4, "Acquisi tions" and Note 5, "Discontinued Operations and Other Divestiture Activities" in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
International Business
Our products and services are generally available globally, with our principal markets outside the United States being Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In fiscal 2021, we derived 36% of our net sales from the United States, 29% from Europe, 12% from the Middle East, 10% from Asia and 13% from other geographic areas. We have operations around the world that allow us to draw on the skills of a global workforce, provide flexibility to our operations, allow us to drive economies of scale, provide revenue streams that may help offset economic trends that are specific to individual countries and offer u s an opportunity to access new markets. Although international operations are subject to certain risks, we continue to believe that a global presence is key to maintaining strong relationships with many of our global customers and suppliers. Financial information related to the Company's geographic footprint of our continuing operations is included in Note 15, "Business Segment, Geographic and Customer Information" in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
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Product Development and Engineering
We conduct research and development activities to develop new products and to enhance the functionality, effectiveness, ease of use and reliability of our existing products. We believe that our engineering and research and development efforts have been, and continue to be, key drivers of our success in the marketplace. Our advanced design and engineering capabilities contribute to the development of innovative and highly engineered products, maintain our technological leadership and enhance our ability to provide c ustomers with unique and customized solutions and products. We anticipate that we will continue to make significant expenditures for research and development as we seek to provide new innovative tools and services to grow our market share. Research and development ("R&D") costs are expensed as incurred. R&D costs were $7.4 million in fiscal 2021, an increase of 1% from $7.3 million in fiscal 2020 and a decrease of 22% from $9.3 million in fiscal 2019. We target a minimum of 10% of consolidated product sales annually to be from new product development as a result of our research and development activities.
The Company holds numerous patents and trademarks; however, no individual patent or trademark is believed to be o f such importance that its termination would have a material adverse effect on our business.
Competition
The markets for our products are highly competitive. We provide a diverse and broad range of industrial products and services to numerous global end markets, many of which are highly fragmented. Although we face larger competitors in several served markets, some of our competition is comprised of smaller companies which may lack the footprint or financial resources to serve global customers. We compete for business principally on the basis of customer service, product quality and availability, engineering and research and development expertise. In addition, we believe that our cost structure, strategic global sourcing capabilities and global distribution support our competitive position.
Manufacturing and Operations
While we do have manufacturing capabilities including machining and fabrication, our manufacturing consists primarily of light assembly of components we source from a net work of global suppliers. We have implemented single piece flow processes in most of our plants, which reduces inventory levels, lowers re-work costs and shortens lead times to customers. Components are built to our highly engineered specifications by a variety of suppliers, including those in best-cost countries such as China and India. We have built strong relationships with our key suppliers and, while we single source certain of our components, in most cases there are several qualified alternative sources.
Raw Material Costs and Inflation
We source materials and components from a network of global suppliers. These items are typically available from multiple suppliers. Raw materials that go into the components we source, such as steel, aluminum, plastic resin, brass, steel wire and rubber, are subject to price fluctuations and tariffs, which could have an impact on our results. We have been able to offset the impact of inflation in recent years with pricing actions, manufacturing efficiencies and cost reductions. In addition, several of our products have been subject to tariffs, but to date we have been able to offset the majority of additional costs from tariffs through price increases. We continue to manage our supply chain to mitigate ongoing risks associated with the evolving political environments.
Order Backlogs and Seasonality
Our operating segments have a relatively short order-to-ship cycle. We had order backlogs of $55 million and $31 million at August 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in our order backlog year over year was primarily due to higher order volumes, and to a lesser extent, logistical constraints as a result of the demand surge following the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of fiscal 2021. Substantially all orders are expected to be filled within twelve months. While we typically experience a stronger second half to our fiscal year, our consolidated sales are not subject to significant seasonal fluctuations. Results for the year ended August 31, 2020 were not consistent with historical trends due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic which most negatively impacted our results of operations in the third and fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 and the first two quarters of fiscal 2021.
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Percentages of Sales by Fiscal Quarter
2021 2020
Quarter 1 (September - November) 23 % 30 %
Quarter 2 (December - February) 23 % 27 %
Quarter 3 (March - May) 27 % 21 %
Quarter 4 (June - August) 27 % 22 %
100 % 100 %
Human Capital Management
The goal of human capital management strategy and practices is for Enerpac to be considered an employer of choice, and our initiatives and programs are predicated on making this objective a reality.
The talent and skills of our workforce (approximately 2,100 employees) are critical to our future success and ability to deliver shareholder value. Our development framework starts with robust performance management. Together with their leaders, employees establish annual goals and objectives that clearly align with our organizational commitments. We monitor progress throughout the year, with candid and frequent dialogue encouraged along the way. Annually, our senior leadership team reviews the skills we require to execute our corporate strategy and key roles to identify development opportunities for our emerging talent and perform succession planning. We promote a longer-term view by inviting employees to work with leaders to create their own unique individual development plan. Training programs in many different manners are available for all levels throughout Enerpac, addressing a wide variety of skills and competencies, both general and technical. We believe in coaching and the sharing of perspectives and facilitate mentorship opportunities for the benefit of our workforce. We are committed to devoting the time, resources and planning necessary to maximize the potential of our employees.
We offer competitive compensation and benefits tailored to the geographical markets and industries in which we operate. In the U.S., employees who work more than 30 hours per week are eligible for a comprehensive menu of benefits, including paid time off, healthcare (health, dental, and vision), short and long-term disability, life and accidental disability insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan with a Company match, access to our Employee Assistance Program, an annual bonus program with broad participation, equity incentive programs, an Employee Stock Ownership Plan that allows employees to buy company shares at a discount, flexible work arrangements and up to 12 weeks of maternity leave. We also offer annual tuition reimbursement of up to $3,500 for undergraduate programs and $5,000 for graduate programs for all U.S. full-time employees and $1,000 for part-time employees who work more than 20 hours per month. We continue to evaluate enhancements to our compensation and benefit programs in all locations to ensure we remain competitive and meet the needs of our employees. Consistent with this desire, we have enhanced or added several benefits for our U.S. employees beginning in calendar 2022, including expanded paid parental leave, adoption assistance, medical coverage for fertility treatments and expanded short-term disability benefits for hourly employees.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. Our senior leadership team and management at all levels are dedicated to creating a culture of inclusion and belonging and a workplace where all employees can thrive and do their best work, and senior management reports to the Board on the Company’s progress on a regular basis. Over the past year, we have significantly enhanced our focus on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion ("DE&I") and have incorporated these objectives into our core strategy. Our DE&I objectives include: (i) a focus on our culture, (ii) supporting education for disadvantaged groups in our communities, and (iii) broadening our recruiting efforts to reach and attract more diverse employees. Because of the strategic importance of DE&I, and to embed it into our strategy, DE&I initiatives are under the responsibility of our Chief Strategy Officer. To date, as part of our strategy execution, we have engaged a third-party consulting firm to assist in execution on our priorities, created DE&I councils in our four operating regions, and formed the Women of Enerpac, our first employee resource group. Our DE&I initiatives have strong ties into the broader organization to ensure we are successful in achieving our goals.
We also believe diversity at the executive and Board level is key to the long-term success of the Company and to promote diversity and inclusion in our workplace. At the end of fiscal 2021, our management executive committee was comprised of 20% female (1) and 20% racially diverse (1) individuals. We believe that valuing diversity as part of our core strategy will provide great opportunity for Enerpac to attract and retain talent, benefit from diverse points of view and ultimately assist in achieving our goals to drive shareholder value creation.
Employee Safety . The safety, health, and well-being of our employees, contractors, and visitors at our sites globally is our top priority and a principle that is deeply embedded in our culture. Our health, safety, security, environment, and quality (“HSSEQ”) programs are fully embraced by our leaders and employees at all levels and translate into an enterprise-wide obligation to provide healthy, safe and productive work environments for our employees and deliver high standards of safety and quality in the products, services and solutions for our customers and end-users. At the heart of our HSSEQ efforts is a desire to foster a culture of continuous improvement and employee empowerment through training, frequent and constructive management engagement, a risk-based evaluation of business activities and behaviors, and the deployment of programs and
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resources to mitigate those risks. We continually track and report our performance, including through reviews of incidents, near-misses, and quality issues; and management accountability and discussion of these improvement opportunities is a cornerstone of all business reviews.
COVID-19 Response: Throughout fiscal 2021, our business and our employees experienced the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we responded by implementing various polices and protocols to support the health and safety of our employees. In addition to strictly following the recommendations of local and regional health authorities, for those employees who worked onsite, the Company provided necessary PPE, completed daily health assessments including temperature checks, extended paid leave benefits if self-quarantine was required according to our protocols, enhanced cleaning and sanitation practices at our facilities, and implemented social distancing policies. For all other employees who could effectively do their jobs while not being in the office, we implemented broad work-from-home initiatives allowing for limited entry to the office where additional safety protocols were in place. These and other COVID-19-related protocols were highly effective in maintaining a safe and productive environment for our global teams and ensured that we were able to support our customers’ needs throughout the pandemic. Our global employee base continues to return to offices where that can be accomplished in a safe manner.
Executive Officers of the Registrant
The names, ages and positions of all of the executive officers of the Company as o f October 15, 2021 are listed below.
Name Age Position
Paul E. Sternlieb 49 President and Chief Executive Officer
Rick T. Dillon 50 Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Barbara G. Bolens 60 Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer
Fabrizio R. Rasetti 55 Executive Vice President—General Counsel, Secretary and Global Human Resources
J. Jeffrey Schmaling 62 Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Paul Sternlieb, President, Chief Executive Officer, was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company in October 2021. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Sternlieb served as Executive Vice President and President, Protein, at John Bean Technologies Corporation ("JBT") since October 2017. Prior to JBT, Mr. Sternlieb was Group President, Global Cooking in the Food Equipment Group at Illinois Tool Works since 2014. He served as a Vice President & General Manager with Danaher from 2011 to 2014. Before Danaher, he held management roles with the H.J. Heinz Company, a leading food production company and was a consultant with McKinsey & Company.
Rick Dillon, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, joined the Company in December 2016. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Dillon served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Century Aluminum Co. Prior to that, Mr. Dillon served as Vice President-Finance Global Surface Mining Group and Vice President-Controller and Chief Accounting Officer of Joy Global Inc. from 2009 to 2014. Prior to Joy Global, Mr. Dillon served as Vice President-Business Planning and Analysis and Vice President-Controller and Chief Accounting Officer at Newell Brands, and Vice President-Controller and Chief Accounting Officer at Briggs & Stratton Corporation.
Barbara Bolens, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, joined the Company in August 2018 as Vice President of Investor Relations and Corporate Strategy and was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer in October 2019. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Bolens spent over six years at Komatsu Mining Corporation (formerly Joy Global Inc.) as its VP and Treasurer. Prior to Komatsu, she held financial leadership positions of progressive responsibility at several other multinational corporations as well as early career leadership roles in sales and marketing.
Fabrizio Rasetti, Executive Vice President—General Counsel, Secretary and Global Human Resources, joined the Company in May 2018 from Boart Longyear where he held the position of Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary since 2006. For the ten years prior he worked at SPX Corporation in roles of increasing responsibility including Segment General Counsel & Vice President, Business Development, Flow Segment. Earlier in his career he worked in private law practice.
J. Jeffrey Schmaling, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, joined the Company in February 2018. Prior to joining the Company, he held the position of President, North America for Komatsu Mining Corporation (formerly Joy Global Inc.) since 2010. Prior to that, he served as Senior Director Dealer Development and Account Management at Case International Harvester, a Division of Fiat S.p.A. Earlier in his 30-plus-year career he held various sales, marketing and product development roles.
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