Item 1. Business
Item 1. BUSINESS
Our Company
Mueller Water Products, Inc. is a Delaware corporation that was incorporated on September 22, 2005 under the name Mueller Holding Company, Inc.
We are a leading manufacturer and marketer of products and services used in the transmission, distribution and measurement of water in North America. Our products and services are used by municipalities and the residential and non-residential construction industries. Some of our products have leading positions as a result of their strong brand recognition and reputation for quality, service and innovation. We believe we have one of the largest installed bases of iron gate valves and fire hydrants in the United States. Our iron gate valve or fire hydrant products are specified for use in the largest 100 metropolitan areas in the United States. Our large installed base, broad product range and well-known brands have led to long-standing relationships with the key distributors and end users of our products. Our consolidated net sales were $1,111.0 million in 2021.
We operate our business through two segments, Infrastructure and Technologies. Segment sales, operating results and additional financial data and commentary are provided in the Segment Analysis section in Part II, Item 7. “ MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS ” and in Note 16. of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8. “ FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA ” of this Annual Report.
Organization Updates
On December 3, 2018, we completed our acquisition of Krausz Industries Development Ltd. and subsidiaries (“Krausz”), a manufacturer of pipe couplings, grips and clamps with operations in the United States and Israel, for $140.7 million, net of cash acquired, including the assumption and simultaneous repayment of certain debt of $13.2 million. The acquisition of Krausz was financed with cash on hand. The results of Krausz are included within our Infrastructure segment for all periods following the acquisition date.
In October 2019, we acquired the remaining 51% noncontrolling ownership interest of our previously existing joint venture operation.
On June 14, 2021, we acquired all the outstanding capital stock of i2O Water Ltd (“i2O’), a provider of pressure management solutions to more than 100 water companies in 45 countries. i2O is organized under the laws of the United Kingdom. The consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2021 includes the preliminary estimated fair values of the net assets of i2O. The results of i2O’s operations and cash flows for the period subsequent to the acquisition are included in the consolidated statement of operations and consolidated statement of cash flows, respectively, since the acquisition date.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure manufactures valves for water and gas systems, including iron gate, butterfly, tapping, check, knife, plug, automatic control and ball valves, as well as dry-barrel and wet-barrel fire hydrants, service brass products and a broad line of pipe repair products, such as clamps and couplings used to repair leaks. Infrastructure’s net sales were $1,022.0 million in 2021. Sales of Infrastructure products are driven principally by spending on water and wastewater infrastructure upgrade, repair and replacement, and by construction of new water and wastewater infrastructure, which is typically associated with construction of new residential communities. Infrastructure sells its products primarily through waterworks distributors. We believe a majority of Infrastructure’s 2021 net sales were for infrastructure upgrade, repair and replacement. Infrastructure also sells products for pipe repair to natural gas utilities.
Technologies
Technologies offers residential and commercial water metering, water leak detection and pipe condition assessment products, systems and services. Technologies’ net sales were $89.0 million in 2021. Technologies sells water metering systems, products, services and software directly to municipalities and to waterworks distributors, and water leak detection and pipe condition assessment products and services primarily to municipalities. i2O, which we acquired during our fiscal third quarter of 2021, sells pressure management intelligent water network solutions and software.
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Business Strategy
Our business strategy is to capitalize on the large, attractive and growing water infrastructure markets worldwide. Key elements of this strategy are as follows:
Accelerate development of new products.
We plan to continue to increase investments in our product development capabilities, including expanding our engineering staff, to develop and market new products and services. We expect to add new products to our portfolio and offer new products into different end markets. We expect this expansion to come through internal investments as well as acquisitions.
Develop and implement fully-integrated intelligent technology platform for infrastructure testing, monitoring and control.
We have introduced a new software platform, Sentryx, that provides data intelligence to help water utilities make strategic and operational decisions. As our customers seek to use real-time data and analytics to manage and repair their aging infrastructures more efficiently, we believe we are uniquely positioned to provide solutions given our expertise and the large installed base of our products. This data includes leak detection, pressure monitoring, advanced metering and water quality, which are aggregated and consolidated within the Sentryx platform, providing utilities with critical information regarding their distribution systems.
Drive operational excellence.
We seek to bring best practices focused on Lean manufacturing with an investment mindset to deliver manufacturing productivity improvements. We expect these efforts will facilitate innovation and new product development, helping us drive sales growth and improve product margins. Productivity improvements at our facilities should allow us to lower costs, which can fund additional manufacturing initiatives and continued investment in product development.
Modernize manufacturing facilities.
We are prioritizing capital investments through 2023 to modernize our manufacturing facilities and processes. We believe this modernization will improve product quality, drive non-price margin expansion and expand our product portfolio. Our large valve manufacturing expansion in Chattanooga, Tennessee continued to ramp up production in 2021, and we expect to enter full-scale production in 2022. We are building out our new facility in Kimball, Tennessee to expand our machining and assembly capabilities in the Chattanooga area. In March 2021, we announced plans to consolidate our facilities in Aurora, Illinois and Surrey, British Columbia into the Kimball facility. We expect these investments will allow us to capitalize on the growing need for large valves as a result of the migration to more densely populated, urban areas and an increased focus by customers on products made in America. In addition, we are building a new brass foundry in Decatur, Illinois, scheduled to begin production late in 2022, to replace our nearby, existing brass foundry.
Continue to seek to acquire and invest in businesses and technologies that expand our existing portfolio of businesses or allow us to enter new markets.
We will continue to evaluate the acquisition of strategic businesses, technologies and product lines that have the potential to strengthen our competitive position, enhance or expand our existing product and service offerings, expand our technological capabilities, leverage our manufacturing capabilities, provide synergistic opportunities, enhance our customer relationships or allow us to enter new markets. As part of this strategy, we may pursue international opportunities, including acquisitions, joint ventures and partnerships.
Description of Products and Services
We offer a broad line of water infrastructure, flow control, metrology and leak detection products and services primarily in the United States and Canada. Infrastructure sells water and gas valves, service brass, fire hydrants and pipe repair products. Technologies sells water metering products and systems as well as leak detection and pipe condition assessment products and services. Our products are designed, manufactured and tested in compliance with relevant industry standards.
Infrastructure
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Infrastructure manufactures valves for water and gas systems, as well as fire hydrants, service brass and pipe repair products for water distribution.
Infrastructure’s water distribution products are manufactured to meet or exceed American Water Works Association (“AWWA”) Standards and, where applicable, certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 61 for potable water conveyance. In addition, Underwriters Laboratory (“UL”) and FM Approvals (“FM”) have approved many of these products. These products are typically specified by a water utility for use in its infrastructure system.
Water and Gas Valves and Related Products. Infrastructure manufactures valves for water and gas systems, including iron gate, butterfly, tapping, check, knife, plug, automatic control and ball valves, and sells these products under a variety of brand names, including Mueller, Pratt, U.S. Pipe Valve and Hydrant, and Singer Valve. Water and gas valves and related products, generally made of iron or brass, accounted for $681.1 million, $583.2 million and $576.4 million of our gross sales in our 2021, 2020 and 2019 fiscal years, respectively. These valve products are used to control distribution and transmission of potable water, non-potable water or gas. Water valve products typically range in size from ¾ inch to 36 inches in diameter. Infrastructure also manufactures significantly larger valves as custom orders through some of its product lines. Most of these valves are used in water transmission or distribution, water treatment facilities or industrial applications.
Infrastructure also produces machines and tools for tapping, drilling, extracting, installing and stopping-off, which are designed to work with its water and gas fittings and valves as an integrated system.
Fire Hydrants. Infrastructure manufactures dry-barrel and wet-barrel fire hydrants. Sales of fire hydrants and fire hydrant parts accounted for $236.7 million, $201.4 million and $199.7 million of our gross sales in our 2021, 2020 and 2019 fiscal years, respectively. Infrastructure sells fire hydrants for new water infrastructure development, fire protection systems and water infrastructure repair and replacement projects.
These fire hydrants consist of an upper barrel and nozzle section and a lower barrel and valve section that connects to a water main. In dry-barrel hydrants, the valve connecting the barrel of the hydrant to the water main is located below ground at or below the frost line, which keeps the upper barrel dry. Infrastructure sells dry-barrel fire hydrants under the Mueller and U.S. Pipe Valve and Hydrant brand names in the United States and the Canada Valve brand name in Canada. Infrastructure also makes wet-barrel hydrants, where the valves are located in the hydrant nozzles and the barrel contains water at all times. Wet-barrel hydrants are made for warm weather climates, such as in California and Hawaii, and are sold under the Jones brand name.
Most municipalities have approved a limited number of fire hydrant brands for installation within their systems as a result of their desire to use the same tools and operating instructions across their systems and to minimize inventories of spare parts. We believe Infrastructure’s large installed base of fire hydrants throughout the United States and Canada, reputation for superior quality and performance as well as specification positions have contributed to the leading market position of its fire hydrants. This large installed base also leads to recurring sales of replacement hydrants and hydrant parts.
Repair Products and Services. Infrastructure also sells pipe repair products, such as couplings, grips and clamps used to repair leaks, under the HYMAX, Mueller and Krausz brand names.
Technologies
Technologies provides innovative technology-based solutions, products and services that actively diagnose, measure and monitor the delivery of water.
Water Metering Products and Systems . In Technologies, we manufacture and source a variety of water technology products under the Mueller and Hersey brand names that are designed to help water providers accurately measure and control water usage. Technologies offers a complete line of residential, fire line and commercial metering solutions. Residential and commercial water meters are generally classified as either manually read meters or remotely read meters via radio technology. A manually read meter consists of a water meter and a register that gives a visual meter reading display. Meters equipped with radio transmitters (endpoints) use encoder registers to convert the measurement data from the meter (mechanical or static) into an encrypted digital format which is then transmitted via radio frequency to a receiver that collects and formats the data appropriately for water utility billing systems. These remotely or electronically read systems are either automatic meter reading (“AMR”) systems or fixed network advanced metering infrastructure (“AMI”) systems. With an AMR system, utility personnel with mobile equipment, including a radio receiver, computer and reading software, collect the data from utilities’ meters. With an AMI system, a network of permanent data collectors or gateway receivers that are always active or listening for the radio transmission from the utilities’ meters gather the data. AMI systems eliminate the need for utility personnel to travel through service territories to collect meter reading data. These systems provide the utilities with more frequent and diverse data at specified intervals from the utilities’ meters and allow for two-way communication. Technologies sells both AMR and AMI
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systems and related products. Our remote disconnect water meter enables the water flow to be stopped and started remotely via handheld devices or from a central operating facility.
Sales of water metering products and systems accounted for 78%, 79% and 81% of Technologies’ net sales in our 2021, 2020 and 2019 fiscal years, respectively.
Water Leak Detection and Pipe Condition Assessment Products and Services . Technologies develops technologies and offers products and services under the Echologics brand name that can non-invasively (without disrupting service or introducing a foreign object into the water system) detect underground leaks and assess the condition of water mains comprised of a variety of materials. We leverage our proprietary acoustic technology to offer leak detection and condition assessment surveys. We also offer fixed leak detection systems that allow customers to continuously monitor and detect leaks on water distribution and transmission mains. We believe Technologies’ ability to offer non-invasive leak detection and pipe condition assessment services is a key competitive advantage.
Intelligent Water Network Solutions. i2O, which was acquired in June of 2021, develops and provides a range of intelligent water solutions including advanced pressure management, network analytics, event management and data logging.
Manufacturing
See “Item 2. PROPERTIES” for a description of our principal manufacturing facilities.
We will continue to expand the use of Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma business improvement methodologies where appropriate to safely capture higher levels of quality, service and operational efficiency in our manufacturing facilities in both segments.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure operates eleven manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada, Israel and China. These manufacturing operations include foundry, machining, fabrication, assembly, testing and painting operations. Not all facilities perform each of these operations. Infrastructure’s existing manufacturing capacity is sufficient for anticipated near-term requirements. However, in order to meet longer-term capacity requirements and modernize some production facilities, Infrastructure has expanded its large valve casting capabilities at its foundry located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is currently building out its new manufacturing facility in nearby Kimball, Tennessee to insource certain activities and assemble certain large valves. Additionally, Infrastructure is constructing a new brass foundry in Decatur, Illinois that will replace our existing brass foundry located nearby in Decatur.
Infrastructure foundries use both lost foam and green sand casting techniques. Infrastructure uses the lost foam technique for fire hydrant production in its Albertville, Alabama facility and for iron gate valve production in its Chattanooga, Tennessee facility. The lost foam technique has several advantages over the green sand technique for high-volume products, including a reduction in the number of manual finishing operations, lower scrap levels and the ability to reuse some of the materials.
Technologies
Technologies designs, manufactures, and assembles water metering products in Cleveland, North Carolina. Certain Technologies products are also manufactured in facilities primarily dedicated to Infrastructure products. Technologies designs and supports AMR and AMI systems in our research and development center of excellence for software and electronics in Atlanta, Georgia, designs leak detection and condition assessment products in Toronto, Ontario and designs and supports intelligent water solutions products and services in Southampton, United Kingdom.
Purchased Components and Raw Materials
Our products are made using various purchased components and several basic raw materials, including brass ingot, scrap steel, sand and resin. Purchased parts and raw materials represented approximately 36% and 20%, respectively, of Cost of sales in 2021.
Patents, Licenses and Trademarks
We have active patents relating to the design of our products and trademarks for our brands and products. We have filed and continue to file, when appropriate, patent applications used in connection with our business and products. Many of the
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patents for technology underlying the majority of our products have been in the public domain for many years, and we do not believe third-party patents individually or in the aggregate are material to our business. However, we consider the pool of proprietary information, consisting of expertise and trade secrets relating to the design, manufacture and operation of our products to be particularly important and valuable. We generally own the rights to the products that we manufacture and sell, and we are not dependent in any material way upon any license or franchise to operate. See “Item 1A. RISK FACTORS-Any inability to protect our intellectual property or our failure to effectively defend against intellectual property infringement claims could adversely affect our competitive position.”
The table below highlights selected brand names by segment.
Infrastructure Technologies
Canada Valve™ Echologics®
Centurion® Echoshore®
Ez-Max® ePulse®
Hydro Gate® Hersey™
Hydro-Guard® i2O Water Ltd
HYMAX® LeakFinderRT®
HYMAX VERSA® LeakFinderST™
Jones® LeakListener®
Krausz® LeakTuner®
Milliken™ Mi.Echo®
Mueller® Mi.Data®
Pratt® Mi.Hydrant™
Pratt Industrial® Mi.Net®
Repamax® Mueller Systems®
Repaflex® Sentryx™
Singer™
U.S. Pipe Valve and Hydrant, LLC
Seasonality
Our water infrastructure business depends upon construction activity, which is seasonal in many areas as a result of the impact of cold weather conditions on construction. Net sales and operating income have historically been lowest in the quarters ending December 31 and March 31 when the northern United States and all of Canada generally face weather conditions that restrict significant construction and other field crew activity. Generally speaking, for Infrastructure, approximately 45% of a fiscal year’s net sales occurs in the first half of the fiscal year with 55% occurring in the second half of the fiscal year, though this pattern was disrupted by the pandemic in 2020. See “Item 1A. RISK FACTORS-Seasonal demand for certain of our products and services may adversely affect our financial results.”
Sales, Marketing and Distribution
We sell primarily to distributors. Our distributor relationships are generally non-exclusive, but we attempt to align ourselves with key distributors in the principal markets we serve. We believe “Mueller” is the most recognized brand in the United States water infrastructure industry.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure sells its products primarily through waterworks distributors to a wide variety of end user customers, including municipalities, water and wastewater utilities, gas utilities, and fire protection and construction contractors. Sales of our products are heavily influenced by the specifications for the underlying projects. Approximately 8%, 7% and 8% of Infrastructure’s net sales were to Canadian customers in our 2021, 2020 and 2019 fiscal years, respectively.
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Infrastructure’s extensive installed base, broad product range and well-known brands have led to many long-standing relationships with the key distributors in the principal markets we serve. Our distribution network covers all of the major locations for our principal products in the United States and Canada. Although we have long-standing relationships with most of our key distributors, we typically do not have long-term contracts with them, including our two largest distributors, which together accounted for approximately 38%, 35% and 34% of Infrastructure’s gross sales in our 2021, 2020 and 2019 fiscal years, respectively. The loss of either of these distributors would have a material adverse effect on our business. See “Item 1A. RISK FACTORS-Our business depends on a small group of key customers for a significant portion of our sales.”
Technologies
Technologies sells its water metering systems, products and services directly to municipalities and to waterworks distributors, and sells water leak detection and pipe condition assessment products and services, and intelligent water network solutions primarily to municipalities and to utility companies. Technologies’ five largest customers accounted for approximately 48%, 45% and 50% of its gross sales in our 2021, 2020 and 2019 fiscal years, respectively. The loss of any of these customers would have a material adverse effect on our business. See “Item 1A. RISK FACTORS-Our business depends on a small group of key customers for a significant portion of our sales.”
Backlog
We consider backlog to represent orders placed by customers for which goods or services have yet to be shipped. Backlog is a meaningful indicator for several of our product lines in Infrastructure and in our metering business in Technologies. The delivery lead time for these product lines can be longer than one year, and we expect approximately 6% of Infrastructure’s backlog at the end of 2021 will not be shipped until beyond 2022. Technologies manufactures or sources water meter systems that are sometimes ordered in large quantities with delivery dates over several years, and we expect approximately 23% of Technologies’ backlog will not be shipped until beyond 2022. Backlogs for Infrastructure and Technologies are as follows.
September 30,
2021 2020
(in millions)
Infrastructure $ 391.2 $ 147.6
Technologies 49.0 72.8
Total backlog 440.2 220.4
Sales cycles for metering systems can span several years, and it is common for customers to place orders throughout the contract period. Although we believe we have a common understanding with our customer as to the total value of a contract when it is awarded, we do not include customer orders in our backlog until the customer order is received.
Competition
The United States and Canadian markets for water infrastructure and flow control products are very competitive. See “Item 1A. RISK FACTORS-Strong competition could adversely affect prices and demand for our products and services, which would adversely affect our operating results.” There are only a few competitors for most of our product and service offerings. Many of our competitors are well-established companies with products that have strong brand recognition. We consider our installed base, product quality, customer service level, brand recognition, innovation, distribution and technical support to be competitive strengths.
The competitive environment for most of Infrastructure’s valve and hydrant products is mature and many end users are slow to transition to brands other than their historically preferred brand making it difficult to increase market share in this environment. We believe our fire hydrants and valves enjoy strong competitive positions based primarily on the extent of their installed base, product quality, specified position and brand recognition. Our principal competitors for fire hydrants and iron gate valves are McWane, Inc. and American Cast Iron Pipe Company. The primary competitors for our brass products are The Ford Meter Box Company, Inc. and A.Y. McDonald Mfg. Co. Many brass valves are interchangeable among different manufacturers. With respect to our specialty valve products such as butterfly, plug, and check valves, our principal competitors are mainly DeZURIK, Val-Matic and McWane, Inc.
We believe the markets for many of Infrastructure’s repair products are open to product innovation. Our current marketing is primarily focused on repair, joining and restraining of water infrastructure piping systems. The majority of this infrastructure
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consists of cast iron, ductile iron and plastic pipe, and our repair solutions work well with all of these. We believe our brand names are generally associated with premium products as a result of our patented technology and features. Our primary competitors in the repair market are: Romac Industries, Smith Blair, Viking Johnson, AVK Group, JCM Industries, and Georg Fisher Ltd.
The markets for products and services sold by Technologies are very competitive. Technologies sells water metering products and systems, primarily in the United States. We believe a substantial portion of this market is in the process of transitioning from manually read meters to electronically read meters, but we also expect this transition to be relatively slow and that many end users will be reluctant to adopt brands other than their historically preferred brand. Although Technologies’ market position is relatively small, we believe our electronically read meters and associated technology are well positioned to gain a greater share of these markets. Our principal competitors are Sensus, Itron, Inc., Neptune Technology Group Inc., Badger Meter, Inc., and Master Meter, Inc. Technologies also sells water leak detection and pipe condition assessment products and services in North America, the United Kingdom and select countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, with our primary markets being the United States and Canada. The worldwide market for leak detection and pipe condition assessment is highly fragmented with numerous competitors. Our more significant competitors are Pure Technologies Ltd., Gutermann AG and Syrinix Ltd.
Research and Development
Our primary research and development (“R&D”) facilities are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Ariel, Israel for Infrastructure and in Atlanta, Georgia, Toronto, Ontario and Southampton, United Kingdom for Technologies. The primary focus of these operations is to develop new products, improve and refine existing products and obtain and assure compliance with industry approval certifications or standards, such as AWWA, UL, FM, NSF and The Public Health and Safety Company. At September 30, 2021, we employed 46 people dedicated to R&D activities. R&D expenses were $17.1 million, $15.0 million and $14.3 million during 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Regulatory and Environmental Matters
Our operations are subject to numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations, both within and outside the United States, in areas such as: competition, government contracts, international trade, labor and employment, tax, licensing, consumer protection, environmental protection, workplace health and safety, and others. These and other laws and regulations impact the manner in which we conduct our business, and changes in legislation or government policies can affect our operations, both favorably and unfavorably. For example, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) and similar state laws affect our operations by, among other things, imposing investigation and cleanup requirements for threatened or actual releases of hazardous substances. Under CERCLA, joint and several liability may be imposed on operators, generators, site owners, lessees and others regardless of fault or the legality of the original activity that caused or resulted in the release of the hazardous substances. Thus, we may be subject to liability under CERCLA and similar state laws for properties that (1) we currently own, lease or operate, (2) we, our predecessors, or former subsidiaries previously owned, leased or operated, (3) sites to which we, our predecessors or former subsidiaries sent waste materials, and (4) sites at which hazardous substances from our facilities’ operations have otherwise come to be located. The purchaser of U.S. Pipe has been identified as a “potentially responsible party” (“PRP”) under CERCLA in connection with a former manufacturing facility operated by U.S. Pipe that was in the vicinity of a Superfund site located in North Birmingham, Alabama. Under the terms of the acquisition agreement relating to our sale of U.S. Pipe, we agreed to indemnify the purchaser for certain environmental liabilities, including those arising out of the former manufacturing site in North Birmingham. Accordingly, the purchaser tendered the matter to us for indemnification, which we accepted. Ultimate liability for the site will depend on many factors that have not yet been determined, including the determination of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) remediation costs, the number and financial viability of the other PRPs (there are three other PRPs currently) and the determination of the final allocation of the costs among the PRPs. For more information regarding this matter as well as others that may affect our business, including our capital expenditures, earnings and competitive position, see “Item 1A. RISK FACTORS,” “Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - Contingencies” and Note 17. of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Our operations are subject to federal, state and local laws, regulations and ordinances relating to various environmental, health and safety matters. We believe our operations are in compliance with, or we are taking actions designed to ensure compliance with, these laws, regulations and ordinances. However, the nature of our operations exposes us to the risk of claims concerning non-compliance with environmental, health and safety laws or standards, and there can be no assurance that material costs or liabilities will not be incurred in connection with those claims. Except for certain orders issued by environmental, health and safety regulatory agencies, with which we believe we are in compliance and which we believe are immaterial to our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity, we are not currently named as a party in any judicial or administrative proceeding relating to environmental, health and safety matters.
Greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions have increasingly become the subject of political and regulatory focus. Concern over potential climate change, including global warming, has led to legislative and regulatory initiatives directed at limiting GHG emissions. In addition to certain federal proposals in the United States to regulate GHG emissions, many states and countries are considering and are enacting GHG legislation, regulations or international accords, either individually and/or as part of regional initiatives. It is likely that additional climate change related mandates will be forthcoming, and it is expected that they may adversely impact our costs by increasing energy costs and raw material prices, requiring operational or equipment modifications to reduce emissions and creating costs to comply with regulations or to mitigate the financial consequences of such compliance.
We work to minimize the amount of water we use at our manufacturing facilities and maintain stringent water quality standards. Our processes are designed to return the water used in manufacturing at a quality level that does not negatively impact the receiving environment.
Future events, such as changes in existing laws and regulations, new legislation to limit GHG emissions or contamination of sites owned, operated or used for waste disposal by us, including currently unknown contamination and contamination caused by prior owners and operators of such sites or other waste generators, may give rise to additional costs which could have a material effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.
Our anticipated capital expenditures for environmental projects are not expected to have a material effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.
Human Capital
We believe our employees are our greatest asset and we strive to provide a safe, inclusive, high-performance culture where our people thrive. We strive to recruit, develop, engage, train and protect our workforce. The following are key human capital measures and objectives on which the Company currently focuses.
Core Values. Our core values of respect, integrity, trust, safety and inclusion shape our culture and define who we are. These are guiding principles that we live by every day and are evident in everything we do. We are committed to upholding fundamental human rights and believe that all human beings should be treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.
Employee Total Compensation and Benefits Philosophy. We pay at or above a living wage at each of our locations. Living wage is defined as the minimum necessary income for a worker to meet the worker’s basic needs, which can fluctuate based on physical location and other local factors. We based our calculations on a single worker with no children. We are dedicated to our employees and their health and well-being. We provide access to benefits and offer programs that support work-life balance and overall well-being including financial, physical and mental health resources, such as those listed below.
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Financial Health and Wellness Work-Life Balance
Competitive Base Pay
Medical, Dental and Vision Benefits (including telemedicine) Paid time off, paid holidays and jury duty pay
Employee Incentive Plan (Annual Bonus) Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts Paid Parental Leave (maternity, paternity, adoption)
Supplemental Pay (Overtime) Supplemental Health Benefits Elder Care and Childcare Assistance
Employee Stock Purchase Plan Wellness Rewards Program Employee Assistance Program (mental health, legal, financial services)
Recognition Pay and Service Awards Health Plan Incentives Associate Discount Programs and Services
401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with Company Match (Traditional and Roth) On-site and complimentary Vaccinations Flexible Work Arrangements
Life Insurance (employee and dependents)
Short-term and Long-term Disability Insurance
Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion. We strive to promote inclusion in the workplace, engage with communities to build on our understanding of potential human rights issues, and encourage our suppliers to treat their employees, and to interact with their communities, in a manner that respects human rights. We condemn human rights abuses and do not condone the use of slave or forced labor, human trafficking, child labor, the degrading treatment of individuals, physical punishment, or unsafe working conditions. All employees are required to understand and obey local laws, to report any suspected violations, and to act in accordance with our Core Values and Code of Conduct. We have recently completed a pay equity study for all employees and job grades based on gender and race. We believe we addressed any anomalies identified through appropriate pay adjustments. We also strive to ensure all new employee offers and internal promotions are aligned with the market and are equitable on an internal basis. We launched a Diversity and Inclusion (“D&I”) Council during our 2021 fiscal year that is governed by executive sponsors and includes representatives from each United States plant location, as well as our Headquarters. Our D&I Council is working to establish an overall diversity and inclusion framework for the Company.
We recognize the importance of having diverse perspectives on our Board of Directors and aspire to promote diversity. Our diversity and inclusion framework includes Board of Directors and leadership development. As of September 30, 2021, women represented 27% and minorities represented 36% of our Board of Directors.
Talent Acquisition and Retention. We strive to attract, develop and retain high-performing talent, and we support and reward employee performance. Programs to strengthen our talent include an employee referral program, tuition reimbursement, continued training and development and succession planning. We also have partnerships with local and national educational institutions for our recruiting efforts. We prioritize employee engagement and transparency by implementing programs and processes to ensure our employees have opportunities to ask questions, voice concerns, and share feedback. This is accomplished in part by conducting an annual employee satisfaction survey, through quarterly town hall meetings, and regular video messages from our executives. Our fiscal year 2021 turnover rate was approximately 25%.
Leadership and Culture Development. As new generations enter the workforce, their passions and commitments to sustainability are fundamental to our future success. The Mueller Development Program (“MDP”) is designed to provide a pipeline for future talent. During 2021, we also launched our Frontline Leader training program at all of our plant locations to offer tools in time management, communication, and team building, along with personal coaching.
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At September 30, 2021, we employed approximately 3,400 people, of whom 85% work in the United States. At September 30, 2021, 66% of our hourly workforce was represented by collective bargaining agreements. We believe we have good relations with our employees, including those represented by collective bargaining agreements.
We successfully negotiated and extended several of our collective bargaining agreements in the past two years. Our locations with employees covered by such agreements are presented below.
Location Expiration of current agreement(s)
Chattanooga, TN October 2022, January 2023
Decatur, IL June 2025
Albertville, AL October 2025
Aurora, IL August 2022
Securities Exchange Act Reports
We file annual and quarterly reports, proxy statements and other information with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as required. You may read and print materials that we have filed with the SEC from its website at www.sec.gov . Our SEC filings may also be viewed and copied at the SEC public reference room located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room.
In addition, certain of our SEC filings, including our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, our current reports on Form 8-K, our proxy statements and any amendments to them can be viewed and printed free of charge from the investor information section of our website at www.muellerwaterproducts.com . Copies of our filings, specified exhibits and corporate governance materials are also available free of charge by writing us using the address on the cover of this Annual Report. We are not including the information on our website as a part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this Annual Report.
Our principal executive office is located at 1200 Abernathy Road N.E., Suite 1200, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, and our main telephone number at that address is (770) 206-4200.
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