BWEN Broadwind Inc

PART I

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward‑Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10 K (“Annual Report”) contains “forward looking statements”—that is, statements related to future, not past, events—as defined in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that reflect our current expectations regarding our future growth, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, performance, business prospects and opportunities, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, our management. Forward looking statements include any statement that does not directly relate to a current or historical fact. We have tried to identify forward looking statements by using words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “should,” “may,” “plan” and similar expressions, but these words are not the exclusive means of identifying forward looking statements. Forward looking statements include any statement that does not directly relate to a current or historical fact. Our forward-looking statements may include or relate to our beliefs, expectations, plans and/or assumptions with respect to the following: (i) state, local and federal regulatory frameworks affecting the industries in which we compete, including the wind energy industry, and the related extension, continuation or renewal of federal tax incentives and grants and state renewable portfolio standards; (ii) our customer relationships and efforts to diversify our customer base and sector focus and leverage customer relationships across business units; (iii) our ability to continue to grow our business organically and through acquisitions; (iv) the sufficiency of our liquidity and alternate sources of funding, if necessary; (v) our ability to realize revenue from customer orders and backlog; (vi) our ability to operate our business efficiently, manage capital expenditures and costs effectively, and generate cash flow; (vii) the economy and the potential impact it may have on our business, including our customers; (viii) the state of the wind energy market and other energy and industrial markets generally and the impact of competition and economic volatility in those markets; (ix) the effects of market disruptions and regular market volatility, including fluctuations in the price of oil, gas and other commodities; (x) the effects of the recent change of administrations in the U.S. federal government; (xi) our ability to successfully integrate and operate the business of Red Wolf Company, LLC and to identify, negotiate and execute future acquisitions; and (xii) the potential loss of tax benefits if we experience an “ownership change” under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “IRC”). These statements are based on information currently available to us and are subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual growth, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, performance, business prospects and opportunities to differ materially  from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements. We are under no duty to update any of these statements. You should not consider any list of such factors to be an exhaustive statement of all of the risks, uncertainties or other factors that could cause our current beliefs, expectations, plans and/or assumptions to change.

(Dollar amounts are presented in thousands, except per share data and unless otherwise stated)

In 2016, 92% of our sales were linked to new wind energy installations, predominantly for towers used for new wind turbines. The market for new U.S. wind energy installations is affected by a number of factors, including: (i) economic growth and the associated demand for new electricity generation; (ii) the cost of competing energy sources, primarily natural gas; (iii) federal and state‑level renewable energy development incentives; (iv) available transmission infrastructure and the proliferation of smart grid technology; (v) improvements in wind energy cost competitiveness resulting from the maturation of technologies and services within the wind energy industry; and (vi) state and federal government actions relating to regulation of carbon emissions.

The highest impact development incentive has been the PTC for new wind energy projects. Legislative support for the PTC has been intermittent in the past, which has caused volatility in the demand for new wind energy projects. For example, after the PTC was allowed to expire briefly in 2013, new installations at wind farms fell 92%, causing significant disruption in the industry. In December 2015, the PTC was extended for an additional five-year period, which is helping to stabilize wind energy markets and attract new investment in the medium term. The 2015 extension phases-out the amount of the credit allowed over time based on the year when construction of the wind project is started. The phase-out schedule provides for: 100% extension of the credit for projects commenced in 2015 and 2016, 80% in 2017, 60% in 2018 and 40% in 2019. Although the clearer investment horizon provided by the long-term extension is expected to stabilize the market for our products, it may also attract new competition in our industry.

The market for wind towers is closely correlated to the demand for new wind turbines. However, demand for our towers is also reflective of the level of market competition, the strength of our customer relationships and the proximity of our plants to wind farm development sites, as well as other factors. In 2016, orders for our wind towers were strong, reflecting the PTC legislation, described above, our strong customer relationships and the proximity of our manufacturing sites to wind farms under development.

Outside of the market for new wind energy installations, we serve a number of other industrial markets, including O&G exploration and extraction, mining, compressed natural gas (“CNG”) distribution and steel production, as well as replacement gearing for the installed wind energy base. The market for O&G equipment and mining equipment was extremely weak in 2015 and 2016 due to the sustained decline in energy prices. We have reduced our workforce and other costs, and are selling excess gear cutting and grinding equipment in order to further scale back production capacity and costs in response to these depressed market conditions. Our products sold into these markets include gearboxes (both new and rebuilt), loose gearing and large industrial weldments, including CNG equipment. The following table details the percentage of our revenue generated in each sector for the past two years:

On February 1, 2017, we acquired Red Wolf Company, LLC, a North Carolina limited liability company (“Red Wolf”), as more fully described in Note 22, “Subsequent Events” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements.  The Red Wolf acquisition enables us to expand our market reach, competencies, capabilities and customer relationships.  The Red Wolf acquisition aligns with our new three year growth strategy approved by our Board in late 2016 to expand and diversify our business through organic growth and strategic bolt-on acquisitions.  Red Wolf’s operations will be reported in a new “Process Systems” segment. 

Business and Operating Strategy

We intend to capitalize on the markets for wind energy, O&G, mining, CNG distribution and other industrial verticals in North America by leveraging our core competencies in large precision gearing and drivetrains and industrial welding. Our strategic objectives include the following:

COMPANY HISTORY

We were incorporated in 1996 in Nevada as Blackfoot Enterprises, Inc., and through a series of subsequent transactions, became Broadwind Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation, in 2008. Through several acquisitions in 2007 and 2008, we focused on expanding upon our core platform as a wind tower component manufacturer, established our Gearing segment, and developed our industrial weldment capabilities.

SALES AND MARKETING

We market our towers, gearing and industrial weldments products through a direct sales force and independent sales agents. Our sales and marketing strategy is to develop and maintain long‑term relationships with our energy and infrastructure sector customers. Within the wind energy industry, our customer base consists primarily of wind turbine manufacturers who supply end‑users and wind farm operators with wind turbines and wind farm operators who use our replacement gears in their installed turbines. Within the O&G and mining industries, our customer base consists of manufacturers of hydraulic fracturing and mud pumps, mining equipment, CNG equipment and off‑highway vehicles. To support the efforts of our sales force, we utilize a number of marketing tactics to build our brand and position and promote our products. Our efforts include participation in industry conferences, media relations, use of social media and other channels and use of our website to connect with customers.

COMPETITION

Each of our businesses faces competition from both domestic and international companies. The December 2015 extension of the PTC has boosted the market but has also attracted additional investment and competition in the wind energy industry. The industrial gearing industry has experienced consolidation of producers and acquisitions by strategic buyers in response to strong international competition and reduced O&G and mining demand. 

For our Towers and Weldments segment, the largest North American based competitor is Trinity Industries. Other competitors include Vestas Wind Systems, which has periodically produced towers for third party customers in addition to meeting its own captive tower requirements, and Marmen Industries, a Canadian manufacturer that has recently expanded into the U.S. market. We also face competition from imported towers, primarily from Asian manufacturers although imports from China and Vietnam have substantially ceased following a determination by the U.S. International Trade Commission (“USITC”) in 2013 that wind towers from those countries were being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. As a result of the determination, the U.S. Department of Commerce (“USDOC”) issued antidumping and countervailing

duty orders on imports of wind towers from China and an antidumping duty order on imports of towers from Vietnam. We continue to monitor wind tower imports.

In our Gearing segment, which is focused on the O&G, wind energy, mining and steel markets, our key competitors in a fragmented market include Overton Chicago Gear, Cincinnati Gearing Systems, Merit Gear, Milwaukee Gear and Horsburgh & Scott. In addition, we compete with the internal gear manufacturing capacity of relevant equipment manufacturers and face growing competition from foreign competitors.

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION AND COMPLIANCE

Our operations are subject to numerous federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. Although it is our objective to maintain compliance with these laws and regulations, it may not be possible to quantify with certainty the potential impact of actions regarding environmental matters, particularly remediation and other compliance efforts that we may undertake in the future. Several of our facilities have a history of industrial operations, and contaminants have been detected at some of our facilities.

BACKLOG

We sell our towers under either supply agreements or individual purchase orders (“POs”), depending on the size and duration of the purchase commitment. Under the supply agreements, we typically receive a purchase commitment for towers to be delivered in future fiscal quarters, then receive POs on a periodic basis depending upon the customer’s forecast of production volume requirements within the contract terms. For our Gearing segment, sales are generally based on individual POs. As of December 31, 2016, the dollar amount of our backlog believed to be firm under our supply agreements and POs awarded was approximately $189 million. This represents a 101% increase from the backlog at December 31, 2015, which was due to a surge in tower orders following the late 2015 PTC extension.

SEASONALITY

The majority of our business is not affected by seasonality.

EMPLOYEES

We had 600 employees at December 31, 2016, of which 543 were in manufacturing related functions and 57 were in administrative functions. As of December 31, 2016, approximately 11% of our employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements with local unions in our Cicero, Illinois and Neville Island, Pennsylvania locations. The current collective bargaining agreement with the Cicero union is expected to remain in effect through February 2018. The current collective bargaining agreement with the Neville Island union is expected to remain in effect through October 2017. We believe that our relationship with our employees is generally positive.

RAW MATERIALS

The primary raw material used in the construction of wind towers and gearing products is steel in the form of plate, bar stock, forgings or castings. The market for tower steel has become increasingly globalized. Although we are generally responsible for procurement of the raw materials, our global tower customers often negotiate the prices and terms for steel purchases, and we purchase under these agreements. We then pass the steel cost through to our end customer plus a conversion margin.

Outside of these “directed buys”, we operate a multiple supplier sourcing strategy and source our raw materials through various suppliers located throughout the U.S. and abroad. We generally do not have long‑term supply agreements with our raw materials suppliers and closely match terms with those of our customers to limit our exposure to commodity price fluctuations. We believe that we will be able to obtain an adequate supply of steel and other raw materials to meet our manufacturing requirements, although from time to time we have faced shortages of specific grades of steel. Additionally, due to the globalization of the supply chain for tower steel prompted by the increasing use of “directed buys”, we faced supply disruptions during 2015 associated with the West Coast port labor slowdowns. Such shortages have periodically limited our ability to meet customer demand and caused manufacturing inefficiencies. We have made modifications to our supply chain management practices to deal more effectively with potential disruptions arising from the practice of “directed buys”.

QUALITY CONTROL

We have a long‑standing focus on processes for ensuring the manufacture of high‑quality products. To achieve high standards of production and operational quality, we implement strict and extensive quality control and inspections throughout our production processes. We maintain internal quality controls over all core manufacturing processes and carry out quality assurance inspections at the completion of each major manufacturing step to ensure the quality of our products. The manufacturing process at our Gearing operation, for example, involves transforming forged steel into precision gears through cutting, heat treating, testing and finishing. We inspect and test raw materials before they enter the assembly process, re‑test the raw materials after rough machining, test the functioning of gear teeth and cores after thermal treatment and accuracy test final outputs for compliance with product specifications. We believe our investment in industry‑leading heat treatment, high precision machining, specialized grinding technologies and cutting‑edge welding has contributed to our high product reliability and the consistent performance of our products under varying operating conditions. Our Gearing segment is ISO 9001:2008 certified. Our tower manufacturing plants in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and Abilene, Texas are ISO 9001:2010 certified. The Abilene Tower Facility experienced operating inefficiencies, high labor costs and inventory adjustments in 2015 related to difficulties experienced in meeting the quality specifications associated with one significant tower order. We have made changes to our operating practices and our capital base to minimize future production disruptions and experienced no significant production disruptions in 2016. See “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for further discussion of the effects of the deficiencies.

CUSTOMERS

We manufacture products for a variety of customers in the wind energy, O&G, mining and other infrastructure industries. The majority of our wind energy industry customer base consists of wind turbine manufacturers who supply wind farm operators and wind farm developers with completed wind turbines. In the other industrial sectors, we sell our products through our trained sales force or through manufacturers’ representatives to a wide variety of customers. The wind turbine market is very concentrated. According to American Wind Energy Association 2016 industry data, the top three wind turbine manufacturers constituted approximately 95% of the U.S. market. As a result, although we have historically produced towers for most of these global wind turbine manufacturers, in any given year a limited number of customers have accounted for the majority of our revenues. Sales to each of Siemens, Gamesa, and General Electric represented greater than 10% of our consolidated revenues for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015. The loss of one of these customers could have a material adverse effect on our business. As a result, we are seeking to diversify our customer base.

WORKING CAPITAL

Our primary customers are wind turbine manufacturers and various other industrial customers. For wind towers, our primary business, the industry has historically used customized contracts with varying terms and conditions between suppliers and customers, depending on the specific objectives of each party. As such, we produce to order rather than to stock. Our practices mirror this historical industry practice of negotiating agreements on a case‑by‑case basis. As a result, working capital needs, including levels of accounts receivable (“A/R”), customer deposits and inventory, can vary significantly from quarter to quarter based on the contractual terms associated with each quarter’s sales, such as whether and when we are required to purchase and supply steel pursuant to such contractual terms.

In analyzing our liquidity, we focus on operating working capital (“OWC”) in relationship to revenue. OWC is comprised of A/R and inventories, net of accounts payable (“A/P”) and customer deposits. Our OWC at December 31, 2016 was ($839). This is a change of $11,080 from December 31, 2015, when OWC was $10,241, or 7% of trailing three months of sales annualized. The decrease in OWC was driven by increased customer deposits and decreased inventory levels due to the timing of PO receipts and due to production improvements in our Towers and Weldment segment.

CORPORATE INFORMATION

Our principal executive office is located at 3240 South Central Avenue, Cicero, IL 60804. Our phone number is (708) 780‑4800 and our website address is www.bwen.com.

OTHER INFORMATION

On our website at www.bwen.com , we make available under the “Investors” menu selection, free of charge, our Annual Reports on Form 10‑K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10‑Q, Current Reports on Form 8‑K, and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports or amendments are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the

“SEC”). Materials that we file or furnish to the SEC may also be read and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20549. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1‑800‑SEC‑0330. Also, the SEC maintains an Internet site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information that we file electronically with the SEC.

Our financial and operating performance is subject to certain factors out of our control, including the state of the wind energy market in North America.

As a supplier of products to wind turbine manufacturers and owners and operators of wind energy generation facilities, our results of operations (like those of our customers) are subject to general economic conditions, and specifically to the state of the wind energy market. In addition to the state and federal government policies supporting renewable energy described above, the growth and development of the larger wind energy market in North America is subject to a number of factors, including, among other things:

In addition, while some of the factors listed above may only affect individual wind energy project developments or portions of the market, in the aggregate they may have a significant effect on the successful development of the wind energy market as a whole, and thus affect our operating and financial results.

We are substantially dependent on a few significant customers.

Historically, the majority of our revenues are highly concentrated with a limited number of customers. In 2016, three customers—Siemens, Gamesa, and General Electric —each accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated revenues, and our five largest customers accounted for 91% of our consolidated revenues. Certain of our customers periodically have expressed their intent to scale back, delay or restructure existing customer agreements, which has led to reduced revenues from these customers. It is possible that this may occur again in the future. As a result, our operating profits and gross margins have historically been negatively affected by significant variability in production levels, which has created production volume inefficiencies in our operations and cost structures.

Additionally, if our relationships with significant customers should change materially, it could be difficult for us to immediately and profitably replace lost sales in a market with such concentration, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating and financial results. We could be adversely impacted by decreased customer demand for our products due to (i) the impact of current or future economic conditions on our customers, (ii) our customers’ loss of market share to their competitors that do not use our products, and (iii) our loss of market share with our customers. We could lose market share with our customers to our competitors or to our customers themselves, should they decide to become more vertically integrated and produce the products that we currently provide.

In addition, even if our customers continue to do business with us, we could be adversely affected by a number of other potential developments with our customers. For example:

Consolidation among wind turbine manufacturers could increase our customer concentration and/or disrupt our supply chain relationships.

Wind turbine manufacturers are among our primary customers. There has been consolidation among these manufacturers, and more consolidation may occur in the future. Customer consolidation may result in pricing pressures, to which we are subject, leading to downward pressure on our margins and profits, and may also disrupt our supply chain relationships.

Prior to 2016, we had generated net losses since our inception.

Although our business was profitable in 2016, we have experienced operating losses for all of the other years leading up to 2016. We have incurred significant costs in connection with the development of our businesses, and because we have operated at low capacity utilization in certain facilities, there is no assurance that we will generate sufficient revenues to offset anticipated operating costs. Although we anticipate deriving revenues from the sale of our products, no assurance can be given that these products can be sold on a profitable basis. We cannot give any assurance that we will be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis in the future.

Disruptions in the supply of parts and raw materials, or changes in supplier relations, may negatively impact our operating results.

We are dependent upon the supply of certain raw materials used in our production process, and these raw materials are exposed to price fluctuations on the open market. Raw material costs for materials such as steel, our primary raw material, have fluctuated significantly and may continue to fluctuate. To reduce price risk caused by market fluctuations, we have generally matched raw material purchases to our sales contracts or incorporated price adjustment clauses in our contracts. However, limitations on availability of raw materials or increases in the cost of raw materials (including steel), energy, transportation and other necessary services may impact our operating results if our manufacturing businesses are not able to fully pass on the costs associated with such increases to their respective customers. Alternatively, we will not realize material improvements from declines in steel prices as the terms of our contracts generally require that we pass these cost savings through to our customers. In addition, we may encounter supplier constraints, be unable to maintain favorable supplier arrangements and relations or be affected by disruptions in the supply chain caused by events such as natural disasters, shipping delays, power outages and labor strikes. Additionally, our supply chain has become more global in nature and, thus, more complex from a shipping and logistics perspective. In the event of significant increases or decreases in the price of raw materials, particularly steel, our margins and profitability could be negatively impacted.

Our diversification outside of the wind energy market exposes us to business risks associated with the CNG, O&G and mining industries, among others, which may slow our growth or penetration in these markets.

Although we have some experience in the CNG, O&G and mining markets through our gearing and specialty weldments businesses, these markets have not been our primary focus. In further diversifying our business to serve these markets, we will face competitors who may have more resources, longer operating histories and more well‑established relationships than we do, and we may not be able to successfully or profitably generate additional business opportunities in these industries. Moreover, if we are able to successfully diversify into these markets, our businesses may be exposed to risks associated with these industries, which could adversely affect our future earnings and growth. These risks include, among other things:

Our customers may be significantly affected by disruptions and volatility in the economy and in the wind energy market.

Market disruptions and regular market volatility, including decreases in oil and commodity prices, may adversely impact our customers’ ability to pay amounts due to us and could cause related increases in our working capital or borrowing needs. In addition, our customers have in the past attempted and may attempt in the future to renegotiate the terms of contracts or reduce the size of orders with us as a result of disruptions and volatility in the markets. We cannot predict with certainty the amount of our backlog that we will ultimately ship to our customers.

Market disruptions and regular market volatility may also result in an increased likelihood of our customers asserting warranty or remediation claims in connection with our products that they would not ordinarily assert in a more stable economic environment. In the event of such a claim, we may incur costs if we decide to compensate the affected customer or to engage in litigation with the affected customer regarding the claim. We maintain product liability insurance, but there can be no guarantee that such insurance will be available or adequate to protect against such claims. A successful claim against us could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We may have difficulty obtaining additional financing when needed or on acceptable terms, and there can be no assurance that our operations will generate cash flows in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay our indebtedness.

We rely on banks and capital markets as a source of liquidity for capital requirements not satisfied by cash flows from operations or asset sales. Although our business was profitable in 2016, we have experienced operating losses for each of the years during which we have operated, and our committed sources of liquidity may be inadequate to satisfy our operational needs. If we are not able to access capital at competitive rates, the ability to implement our business plans may be adversely affected. In the absence of access to capital resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations at times when the prices for such assets or operations are depressed. In such event, we may not be able to consummate those dispositions. Furthermore, the proceeds of any such dispositions may not be adequate to meet our debt service obligations when due.

Our plans for growth and diversification may not be successful, and could result in poor financial performance.

We have made a strategic decision to diversify our business further into CNG, O&G, mining and other industries, particularly within our gearing and specialty weldments businesses. While we have historically participated in these lines of business, there is no assurance that we will be able to grow our presence in these markets at a rate sufficient to compensate for a potentially weaker wind energy market. Moreover, our participation in these markets may require additional investments in personnel, equipment and operational infrastructure. If we are unable to further penetrate these markets, our plans to diversify our operations may not be successful and our anticipated future growth may be adversely affected.

We may also grow our business through increased production levels at existing facilities and through acquisitions. Such growth will require coordinated efforts across the Company and continued enhancements to our current operating infrastructure, including management and operations personnel, systems, equipment and property. Moreover, if our efforts do not adequately predict the demand of our customers and our potential customers, our future earnings may be adversely affected.

Our growth strategies could be ineffective due to the risks of acquisitions and risks relating to integration.

Our growth strategy has included acquiring complementary businesses, such as Red Wolf, as more fully described in Note 22, “Subsequent Events” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements. In regards to Red Wolf, or any other future acquisitions, we could fail to identify, finance or complete suitable acquisitions on acceptable terms and prices. Acquisitions and the related integration process could increase a number of risks, including diversion of operations personnel, financial personnel and management’s attention, difficulties in integrating systems and operations, potential loss

of key employees and customers of the acquired companies and exposure to unanticipated liabilities. The price we pay for a business may exceed the value realized and we cannot provide any assurance that we will realize the expected synergies and benefits of any acquisition, including Red Wolf. Our discovery of, or failure to discover, material issues during due diligence investigations of acquisition targets, either before closing with regard to potential risks of the acquired operations, or after closing with regard to the timely discovery of breaches of representations or warranties, could materially harm our business. Our failure to meet the challenges involved in integrating a new business to realize the anticipated benefits of an acquisition could cause an interruption or loss of momentum in our existing activities and could adversely affect our profitability. Acquisitions also may result in the recording of goodwill and other intangible assets which are subject to potential impairments in the future that could harm our financial position and operating results.

We face competition from industry participants who may have greater resources than we do.

Our businesses are subject to risks associated with competition from new or existing industry participants who may have more resources and better access to capital. Certain of our competitors and potential competitors may have substantially greater financial, customer support, technical and marketing resources, larger customer bases, longer operating histories, greater name recognition and more established relationships in the industry than we do. Among other things, these industry participants compete with us based upon price, quality, location and available capacity. We cannot be sure that we will have the resources or expertise to compete successfully in the future. We cannot be sure that we will be able to match cost reductions by our competitors or that we will be able to succeed in the face of current or future competition.

The existence of government subsidies available to our competitors in certain countries may affect our ability to compete on a price basis.  

In 2013, the USITC determined that wind towers from China and Vietnam were being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. As a result of that determination, the USDOC issued antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imports of wind towers from China and an antidumping duty order on imports of towers from Vietnam. Since that time, imports of wind towers from those countries have substantially ceased. Those orders expire in 2018, however, and there can be no assurance that they will be renewed or extended. Additionally, producers in other countries not subject to those orders may benefit from government subsidies (particularly with respect to the price of steel, the primary raw material used in the production of wind towers) which could lead to increased competition from those producers in the U.S. market, causing us to lose market share and/or reducing our margins.                    

If our projections regarding the future market demand for our products are inaccurate, our operating results and our overall business may be adversely affected.

We have previously made significant capital investments in anticipation of rapid growth in the U.S. wind energy market. However, the growth in the U.S. wind energy market has not kept pace with our expectations when some of these capital investments were made, and there can be no assurance that the U.S. wind energy market will grow and develop in a manner consistent with our expectations, or that we will be able to fill our capacity through the further diversification of our operations. Our internal manufacturing capabilities have required significant upfront fixed costs. If market demand for our products does not increase at the pace we have anticipated and align with our manufacturing capacity, we may be unable to offset these costs and achieve economies of scale, and our operating results may continue to be adversely affected as a result of high fixed costs, reduced margins and underutilization of capacity. In light of these considerations, we may be forced to temporarily idle existing capacity or sell to third parties manufacturing capacity that we cannot utilize in the near term, in addition to the steps that we have already taken to adjust our capacity more closely to demand. Alternatively, if we experience rapid demand for our products in excess of our estimates, or we reduce our manufacturing capacity, our installed capital equipment and existing workforce may be insufficient to support higher production volumes, which could adversely affect our customer relationships and overall reputation. In addition, we may not be able to expand our workforce and operations in a timely manner, procure adequate resources or locate suitable third‑party suppliers to respond effectively to changes in demand for our existing products or to the demand for new products requested by our customers, and our business could be adversely affected. Our ability to meet such excess customer demand could also depend on our ability to raise additional capital and effectively scale our manufacturing operations.

We rely on unionized labor, the loss of which could adversely affect our future success.

We depend on the services of unionized labor and have collective bargaining agreements with certain of our operations workforce at our Cicero, Illinois and Neville Island, Pennsylvania Gearing facilities. The loss of the services of these and other personnel, whether through terminations, attrition, labor strike or otherwise, or a material change in our collective bargaining agreements, could have a material adverse impact on us and our future profitability. Collective

bargaining agreements in place at our Cicero and Neville Island facilities are scheduled to expire in February 2018 and October 2017, respectively. As of December 31, 2016, these collective bargaining units represented approximately 11% of our workforce.

We may need to hire additional qualified personnel, including management personnel, and the loss of our key personnel could adversely affect our business.

Our future success will depend largely on the skills, efforts and motivation of our executive officers and other key personnel. Our success also depends, in large part, upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified management and other key personnel throughout our organization. We face competition in the attraction and retention of personnel who possess the skill sets we seek. In addition, key personnel may leave us and subsequently compete against us. The loss of the services of any of our key personnel, or our failure to attract and retain other qualified and experienced personnel on acceptable terms, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

Our ability to comply with regulatory requirements is critical to our future success, and there can be no guarantee that our businesses are in full compliance with all such requirements.

As a manufacturer and distributor of wind and other energy industry products we are subject to the requirements of federal, state, local and foreign regulatory authorities. In addition, we are subject to a number of industry standard‑setting authorities, such as the American Gear Manufacturers Association and the American Welding Society. Changes in the standards and requirements imposed by such authorities could have a material adverse effect on us. In the event we are unable to meet any such standards when adopted, our businesses could be adversely affected. We may not be able to obtain all regulatory approvals, licenses and permits that may be required in the future, or any necessary modifications to existing regulatory approvals, licenses and permits, or maintain all required regulatory approvals, licenses and permits. There can be no guarantee that our businesses are fully compliant with such standards and requirements.

Current or future litigation and regulatory actions could have a material adverse impact on us.

From time to time, we are subject to litigation and other legal and regulatory proceedings relating to our business. No assurance can be given that the results of these matters will be favorable to us. An adverse resolution of lawsuits, investigations or arbitrations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Defending ourselves in these matters may be time‑consuming, expensive and disruptive to normal business operations and may result in significant expense and a diversion of management’s time and attention from the operation of our business, which could impede our ability to achieve our business objectives. Additionally, any amount that we may be required to pay to satisfy a judgment or settlement may not be covered by insurance. Under our charter and the indemnification agreements that we have entered into with our officers, directors and certain third parties, we are required to indemnify and advance expenses to them in connection with their participation in certain proceedings. There can be no assurance that any of these payments will not be material.

We could incur substantial costs to comply with environmental, health and safety (“EHS”) laws and regulations and to address violations of or liabilities under these requirements.

Our operations are subject to a variety of EHS laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate and sell products governing, among other things, health, safety, pollution and protection of the environment and natural resources, including the use, handling, transportation and disposal of non‑hazardous and hazardous materials and wastes, as well as emissions and discharges into the environment, including discharges to air, surface water, groundwater and soil, product content, performance and packaging. We cannot guarantee that we have been, or will at all times be in compliance with such laws and regulations. Changes in existing EHS laws and regulations, or their application, could cause us to incur additional or unexpected costs to achieve or maintain compliance. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations, obtain the necessary permits to operate our business, or comply with the terms and conditions of such permits may subject us to a variety of administrative, civil and criminal enforcement measures, including the imposition of civil and criminal sanctions, monetary fines and penalties, remedial obligations, and the issuance of compliance requirements limiting or preventing some or all of our operations. The assertion of claims relating to regulatory compliance, on or off‑site contamination, natural resource damage, the discovery of previously unknown environmental liabilities, the imposition of criminal or civil fines or penalties and/or other sanctions, or the obligation to undertake investigation, remediation or monitoring activities could result in potentially significant costs and expenditures to address contamination or resolve claims or liabilities. Such costs and expenditures could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Under certain circumstances, violation of such EHS laws and regulations could result in us being disqualified from

eligibility to receive federal government contracts or subcontracts under the federal government’s debarment and suspension system.

We also are subject to laws and regulations that impose liability and cleanup responsibility for releases of hazardous substances into the environment. Under certain of these laws and regulations, such liabilities can be imposed for cleanup of currently and formerly owned, leased or operated properties, or properties to which hazardous substances or wastes were sent by current or former operators at our current or former facilities, regardless of whether we directly caused the contamination or violated any law at the time of discharge or disposal. Several of our facilities have a history of industrial operations, and contaminants have been detected at some of our facilities. The presence of contamination from hazardous substances or wastes could interfere with ongoing operations or adversely affect our ability to sell, lease or use our properties as collateral for financing. We also could be held liable under third‑party claims for property damage, natural resource damage or personal injury and for penalties and other damages under such environmental laws and regulations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Limitations on our ability to utilize our net operating losses (“NOLs”) may negatively affect our financial results.

We may not be able to utilize all of our NOLs. For financial statement presentation, all benefits associated with the NOL carryforwards have been reserved; therefore, this potential asset is not reflected on our balance sheet. To the extent available, we will use any NOL carryforwards to reduce the U.S. corporate income tax liability associated with our operations. However, if we do not achieve profitability prior to their expiration, we will not be able to fully utilize our NOLs to offset income. Section 382 of the IRC (“Section 382”) generally imposes an annual limitation on the amount of NOL carryforwards that may be used to offset taxable income when a corporation has undergone certain changes in stock ownership. Our ability to utilize NOL carryforwards and built‑in losses may be limited, under Section 382 or otherwise, by our issuance of common stock or by other changes in ownership of our stock. After analyzing Section 382 in 2010 we determined that aggregate changes in our stock ownership had triggered an annual limitation of NOL carryforwards and built‑in losses available for utilization to $14,284 per annum. Although this event limited the amount of pre‑ownership change date NOLs and built‑in losses we can utilize annually, it does not preclude us from fully utilizing our current NOL carryforwards prior to their expiration. However, subsequent changes in our stock ownership could further limit our ability to use our NOL carryforwards and our income could be subject to taxation earlier than it would if we were able to use NOL carryforwards and built‑in losses without an annual limitation, which could result in lower profits. To address these concerns, in February 2013 we adopted a Section 382 Stockholder Rights Plan, which was subsequently approved by our stockholders and extended in 2016 for an additional 3-year period (the “Rights Plan”), designed to preserve our substantial tax assets associated with NOL carryforwards under Section 382. The Rights Plan is intended to deter any person or group from being or becoming the beneficial owner of 4.9% or more of our common stock and thereby triggering a further limitation of our available NOL carryforwards. See Note 14, “Income Taxes” of our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our Rights Plan. There can be no assurance that the Rights Plan will be effective in protecting our NOL carryforwards.  

If our estimates for warranty expenses differ materially from actual claims made, or if we are unable to reasonably estimate future warranty expense for our products, our business and financial results could be adversely affected.

We provide warranty terms generally ranging between one and five years to our customers depending upon the specific product and terms of the customer agreement. We reserve for warranty claims based on prior experience and estimates made by management based upon a percentage of our sales revenues related to such products. From time to time, customers have submitted warranty claims to us. However, we have a limited history on which to base our warranty estimates for certain of our manufactured products. Our assumptions could materially differ from the actual performance of our products in the future and could exceed the levels against which we have reserved. In some instances our customers have interpreted the scope and coverage of certain of our warranty provisions differently from our interpretation of such provisions. The expenses associated with remediation activities in the wind energy industry can be substantial, and if we are required to pay such costs in connection with a customer’s warranty claim, we could be subject to additional unplanned cash expenditures. If our estimates prove materially incorrect, or if we are required to cover remediation expenses in addition to our regular warranty coverage, we could be required to incur additional expenses and could face a material unplanned cash expenditure, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be unable to keep pace with rapidly changing technology in wind turbine and other industrial component manufacturing.

The global market for wind turbines, as well as for our other manufactured industrial components, is rapidly evolving technologically. Our component manufacturing equipment and technology may not be suited for future generations of products being developed by wind turbine companies. For example, some wind turbine manufacturers are using wind turbine towers made partially or fully from concrete instead of steel. Other wind turbine designs have reduced the use of gearing or eliminated the gearbox entirely through the use of direct or compact drive technologies. To maintain a successful business in our field, we must keep pace with technological developments and the changing standards of our customers and potential customers and meet their constantly evolving demands. If we fail to adequately respond to the technological changes in our industry, or are not suited to provide components for new types of wind turbines, our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.

If we are unable to produce, maintain and disseminate relevant and/or reliable data and information pertaining to our business in an efficient, cost-effective, secure and well-controlled fashion and avoid security breaches affecting our information technology systems, such inability may have significant negative impacts on our confidentiality obligations, and proprietary needs and therefore on our future operations, profitability and competitive position.  

Management relies on information technology infrastructure and architecture, including hardware, network, software, people and processes, to provide useful and confidential information to conduct our business in the ordinary course, including correspondence and commercial data and information interchange with customers, suppliers, consultants, advisors and governmental agencies, and to support assessments and conclusions about future plans and initiatives pertaining to market demands, operating performance and competitive positioning. In addition, any material failure, interruption of service, compromised data security or cybersecurity threat could adversely affect our relations with suppliers and customers, place us in violation of confidentiality and data protection laws, rules and regulations, and result in negative impacts to our market share, operations and profitability. Security breaches in our information technology could result in theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation or release of confidential data or intellectual property which could adversely impact our future results.