BRKS Brooks Automation Inc

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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

(Mark One)

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Commission File Number: 0-25434

Brooks Automation, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

978-262-2400

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

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

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.   Yes  ☐        No  ☑

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

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

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

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

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

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.01 par value, held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of March 31, 2019, was approximately $1,545,043,570 based on the closing price per share of $29.33 on March 29, 2019 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. As of March 31, 2019, 72,131,313 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.01 par value, were outstanding. As of December 6, 2019, 73,617,759 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.01, par value, were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement involving the election of directors, which is expected to be filed within 120 days after the end of the registrant’s fiscal year, are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Report.

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BROOKS AUTOMATION, INC.

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Information Relating to Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this Form 10-K constitute forward-looking statements, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Certain, but not all, of the forward-looking statements in this report are specifically identified as forward-looking, by use of phrases and words such as “we believe,” “we estimate,” “we expect,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “intend,” “likely,” and other future-oriented terms. The identification of certain statements as “forward-looking” is not intended to mean that other statements not specifically identified are not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that relate to our future revenue, margin, costs, earnings, product development, demand, acceptance and market share, competitiveness, market opportunities and performance, levels of research and development, or R&D, the success of our marketing, sales and service efforts, outsourced activities and operating expenses, anticipated manufacturing, customer and technical requirements, the ongoing viability of the solutions that we offer and our customers’ success, tax expenses, our management’s plans and objectives for our current and future operations and business focus, the expected benefits and other statements relating to our divesture and acquisitions, the material weaknesses identified in our internal control over financial reporting, including the impact thereof and our remediation plan, the levels of customer spending, general economic conditions, the sufficiency of financial resources to support future operations, and capital expenditures. Such statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and changes in condition, significance, value and effect, including without limitation those discussed within Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report and other documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, such as our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and our current reports on Form 8-K. Such risks, uncertainties and changes in condition, significance, value and effect could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in this report and in ways we cannot readily foresee. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof and are based on information currently and reasonably known to us. We do not undertake any obligation to release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements, which may be made to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date of this report or to reflect the occurrence or effect of anticipated or unanticipated events. Precautionary statements made herein should be read as being applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever they appear in this report.

Unless the context indicates otherwise, references in this report to “we”, “us”, “our” and other similar references mean Brooks Automation, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

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carrier contamination control systems, and reticle storage solutions to the global semiconductor capital equipment industry. We sell our semiconductor products and services to both original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, and directly to global chip manufacturers.

In April 2018, we acquired Tec-Sem Group AG, or Tec-Sem, a Switzerland-based manufacturer of semiconductor fabrication automation equipment with a focus on reticle storage management systems that support the needs for advanced lithography. Prior to fiscal year 2016, we made several acquisitions that support our business in the semiconductor market. On July 1, 2019, we completed the sale of our semiconductor cryogenics business to Edwards Vacuum LLC (a member of the Atlas Copco Group) for approximately $675.0 million in cash subject to adjustments for working capital and other items.

We have also invested in research and development initiatives to advance the offerings acquired in these acquisitions, as well as in our vacuum automation and services offerings. Our business supporting the semiconductor capital equipment and adjacent markets provided approximately 57% of our revenue in fiscal year 2019.

We entered the life sciences market, specifically in the area of sample management storage systems, in 2011. We entered this market based on our ability to leverage our core technology competencies in automation and cryogenics into our sample management offerings. We applied these competencies to provide a range of automated ultra-cold freezer systems and then to expand into a portfolio of products and services to assist customers in efficiently managing the end-to-end “cold chain of custody” of their chemical compound and biological samples. Today, we are a leading provider of the life sciences sample management solutions for automated cold sample storage systems, off-site storage services, and consumables and instruments. We are also a provider of software offerings which enable or enhance our customers’ visibility into their sample inventories, and laboratory services at our storage service locations, both of which are expected to help our customers accelerate their research and development efforts. Taken together, we believe our sample management product and services offerings allow our customers to maintain a complete “cold chain of custody” and enhance efficiency of related workflow for their samples.

On November 15, 2018, we significantly expanded our life sciences offerings with the acquisition of GENEWIZ Group, or GENEWIZ, a leading provider of gene sequencing and gene synthesis services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic institutions around the world. GENEWIZ is headquartered in New Jersey and has a network of genomics laboratories spanning the United States, China, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom. We believe the GENEWIZ acquisition, combined with our core capabilities in sample management services, positions us to add more value to samples under our care.

In addition to the GENEWIZ acquisition, over the last four fiscal years we have completed six acquisitions to expand and enhance our life science sample management offerings and establish a comprehensive portfolio of sample management solutions. Three of these acquisitions were outsourced sample management services companies.

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Other recent acquisitions also added cryogenic temperature management products, software products and consumable products to our life sciences portfolio.

Through the acquisitions described above, we have expanded product and service offerings, accelerated product development cycles, broadened our installed base and added customer relationships to our life science business. As such, we use acquisitions and divestitures to strengthen our portfolio and achieve increased growth and profitability. For further information on our acquisitions and equity investments, please refer to Note 4, “Acquisitions,” and Note 8, “Equity Method and Other Investments,” to our Consolidated Financial Statements included under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Form 10-K. Our business supporting the life sciences market provided approximately 43% of our revenue in fiscal 2019.

We believe the life science market is generally more stable than the semiconductor capital equipment market and we expect that, over the long term, it will grow at a higher rate than our semiconductor business which historically has displayed cyclical trends related to demand for capital investments. Within the life sciences business, revenue comes from storage services and genomic services that are provided to thousands of customers and are generally more predictable than the sale of automated sample storage equipment, which has historically displayed uneven sales due to large purchases and fewer customers.

Segments

We have three operating segments aggregated into two reportable segments consisting of Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment and Brooks Life Sciences segment. For further information on our operating segments, please refer to Note 21, “Segment and Geographic Information” to our Consolidated Financial Statements included under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Form 10-K.

Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group Segment

Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group is a leader in wafer automation and contamination controls solutions and services that are designed to improve throughput, yield, and cost of ownership of complex processing equipment, or tools, in semiconductor fabrication plants, or fabs. Our product offerings include vacuum and atmospheric robots, turnkey vacuum and atmospheric wafer handling systems, as well as wafer carrier clean and reticle storage systems. We also capture the complete life cycle of value through a global service network of expert application and field engineers who are located close to our customers. Our services include rapid refurbishment of robots to stringent specifications, upgrades to improve equipment productivity, and proactive monitoring and diagnostics for predictive risk management and improved up-time of the installed base.

Markets and Customers

The demand for semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment is cyclical, resulting in periodic expansions and contractions of this market. While the services element of our semiconductor business is generally more stable, the cyclical nature of the capital equipment business causes sales from products to vary quarterly based on short-term market demands. It is not unusual for these variations in sales to be up or down 10% to 20% in sequential quarters.

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As a result, our quarterly and yearly sales have fluctuated in this market and we expect future sales in this market will continue to fluctuate between quarters and year-over-year.

The principal markets served by the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment include the following:

Each year, the global semiconductor industry makes significant capital investments in equipment to keep up with advancements in semiconductor technology, to add manufacturing capacity and to improve productivity within existing fabs. We are recognized as a market leader in three critical sub-segments: vacuum automation for wafer handling; contamination control; and wafer automation for advanced packaging. As discussed above, the global semiconductor capital equipment industry is cyclical, but we believe that it possesses a long-term growth profile driven by the demand for increasingly sophisticated consumer electronics, automotive and smart appliance products, growth in data centers, the expansion of the Internet-of-Things which increasingly connects various appliances and devices to servers, and mobile communications infrastructure such as 5G. The demand for higher performance, lower power consumption and reduced size for all of these products is enabled by advancements in the technology and processes used for the manufacturing of the devices. We believe this trend continues to provide market opportunities for the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group to be a valued partner in support of the industry’s needs.

We have been a long-term partner to device manufacturers and OEMs who are the providers of tools to fabs. We maintain collaborative relationships with our customers for the innovative design of solutions that enable our customers to have a valued wafer process advantage and improved cost of ownership in the fab. Our global network of technical specialists provides extensive support to our customers in all regions, including the key semiconductor markets in Korea, Taiwan, China, Japan, Europe and the United States.

The production of advanced semiconductor chips requires many complex and logistically challenging manufacturing activities. Silicon wafers must go through hundreds of process steps in order to create billions of microscopic transistors and connect them in both horizontal and vertical layers to produce a functioning integrated circuit, or IC. These initial fabrication steps, which are referred to in the industry as front-end processes, are repeated many times on a single wafer to create the desired pattern on the silicon wafer. Up to 50% of these processes are performed in tools that operate under vacuum conditions, such as removing, depositing, or measuring materials on wafer surfaces. As the complexity of semiconductors has increased, the number of process steps that occur in a vacuum environment have also increased, resulting in a greater need for vacuum automation technology solutions.

The increase in packing density of components in mobile devices has led the industry to devise advanced packaging techniques for chip interconnectivity using what is called wafer level packaging, or WLP. This advanced packaging technology is a process of combining multiple wafers together prior to cutting them into pieces and then forming them onto a packaging substrate where they are ultimately divided into the multitude of chips. The recent increased adoption of WLP has increased the need for a contaminant free and high purity manufacturing environment, resulting in higher demand for our semiconductor offerings tailored to handle full wafer forms.

We believe there is a growing demand for equipment to perform cleaning and conditioning of the wafer carriers which are used in all advanced semiconductor fabs. These cleaning tools remove microscopic particles, organic compounds and water that are attracted to the inside surface of the carrier. Automated cleaning and conditioning of the wafer carriers are also in demand as customers look to improve overall manufacturing yields. Similarly, as lithography also requires cleaner controlled environments, our reticles solutions provide contamination control for highly valued reticles or masks that are used in printing the technological features onto the wafer.

There are a few adjacent capital equipment markets that use manufacturing processes similar to the semiconductor manufacturing industry. These markets include microelectromechanical systems, or MEMs devices, light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, Organic Light Emitting Diodes, or OLEDs, and touch screen technology. These markets and the semiconductor capital equipment market share common customers and utilize similar technology applications. For

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example, LEDs are manufactured using vacuum systems and handling processes similar to those used in semiconductor manufacturing.

We believe the desire for efficient, higher throughput and extremely clean manufacturing for semiconductor wafer fabs, the chip packaging process and other industrial or high performance electronic-based products and processes have created a substantial market for us in the following offerings: (i) substrate handling automation, which is related to moving the wafers in a semiconductor fab, (ii) tool automation, which moves wafers from station-to-station, (iii) vacuum systems technology to create and sustain the clean environment necessary for fabricating various products, and (iv) automated contamination control systems to clean and condition substrate carriers.

Product and Service Offerings

The principal offerings of the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment consist of: (i) wafer handling robotics and systems and (ii) semiconductor contamination control solutions. The segment also provides support services, including repair, diagnostic and installation, as well as spare parts and productivity enhancement upgrades to enhance tool productivity.

Wafer handling robotics and systems offerings - include vacuum robots, atmospheric robotic modules, and tool automation systems that provide precision handling and clean wafer environments. In the semiconductor industry, wafer handling represents a critical technology in the highly complex production tools in the world’s most advanced wafer fabs. A typical customer tool is designed and built around a process chamber and uses automation technology to move wafers in and out of the chamber. We specialize in developing and building the automated handling systems and the vacuum technologies used in these tools. We provide individual components within an OEM customer system and complete integrated handling systems. We provide automation products that are used for both atmospheric pressure and vacuum-based tools and are designed to improve performance and productivity of the manufacturing process.

Contamination control solutions - include automated cleaning and inspection systems for wafer carriers, reticle pod cleaners, and stockers, which are automated systems that store wafers or reticles. Our products are used to remove critical airborne contamination within the workflow of the manufacturing process. Our solutions contribute to improving yields, productivity and process stability in the manufacturing process which requires an ultra-clean manufacturing environment.

Within the semiconductor industry, we sell our products and services to the world’s major semiconductor chip makers and OEMs, who provide process tools to the IC makers for the manufacture of chips. Our customers outside the semiconductor industry are broadly diversified. We have major customers in North America, Europe and Asia. Although we ship much of our equipment OEMs in the United States, a large percentage of these OEM tools are ultimately installed in semiconductor fabs that are outside of North America. We also provide support services to leading OEMs, fabs and foundries across the globe.

Brooks Life Sciences Segment

Our Brooks Life Sciences segment is a global leader of comprehensive sample management solutions and genomic services, providing pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic customers with complete end-to-end “cold-chain of custody” and gene sequencing and synthesis solutions to advance scientific research and support drug development. Our sample management solutions are focused on providing customers with the highest level of sample quality, security, availability, intelligence and integrity throughout the life cycle of samples. Our solutions include automated ultra-cold storage systems, off-site storage services, transport services, laboratory services, consumables and instruments. We also provide informatics solutions that manage samples throughout our customers’ research discovery and development work flows. Our key genomic services include gene sequencing on Sanger and Next-Generation platforms, and gene synthesis. Our workforce has deep scientific knowledge and utilizes our proprietary technologies and services, and is supported by a network of 13 global laboratories spanning the United States, China, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom. We believe this has positioned us to provide our customers with a valued combination of speed, convenience and scientific expertise in our service offerings.

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As referenced above, we completed the acquisition of GENEWIZ in November 2018. GENEWIZ is a leading global provider of genomic analysis and gene synthesis services. We believe GENEWIZ’s solutions have significantly expanded our offerings to our existing sample management customers. GENEWIZ has been in business since 1999 and provides analysis of millions of samples collected by researchers in pharmaceutical, academic, government, and clinical areas as well as gene synthesis capabilities.

Life Science Market

Brooks Life Sciences serves a broad range of end markets within the life sciences industry to address a confluence of life science industry trends, such as technology, information management and new sophisticated tools and applications. With the advent of biologics and personalized medicine, biological samples have become critical assets to the success of drug and therapy pipelines, and the proper management and protection of these samples has gained increased importance to our customers. We believe this trend has created a sizable market opportunity for Brooks Life Sciences to provide comprehensive sample management and genomic solutions.

Since the mapping of the of the full human genome at the turn of this century, the market for genomic services has grown in support of the demands in biologic drug development, personalized medicine and cell/gene therapy. Top pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are able to use their own in-house laboratory resources to sequence the billions of genes needed as part of their research work-flow but many of the companies look to outsource their gene sequencing to independent laboratories that provide expedited results with expertise. Other companies and institutions have fewer or no in-house options and make use of outsourced capabilities as their primary solution. GENEWIZ participates in this market as a value-added laboratory offering precise genetic testing services with fast turnaround time.

The Brooks Life Sciences segment currently serves customers around the globe, including all of the top-20 global bio-pharmaceutical companies. Due to the comprehensive nature of our sample management and genomic services solutions, we are continuing to expand our customer base and geographic reach to increase our revenue streams with the goal of delivering consistent growth over the long-term. GENEWIZ has more than 4,000 customers globally, which includes many of our over 1,500 sample management customers.

Product and Service Offerings

The principal offerings of the Brooks Life Sciences segment include the following:

Automated cold storage systems – provides stand-alone systems that typically store one to two million samples each in temperature ranges from +4°C to -196°C. Our systems provide high throughput capability and optimized storage of multi-format tubes and plates, and increased storage capacity while maintaining consistent temperature profiles across stored samples. We also provide support services for our installed base of storage systems.

Sample management services - includes a complete range of services consisting of on-site and off-site sample storage, cold chain logistics, sample transport and collection relocation, bio-processing solutions (inclusive of sample preparation, and genomic and cell culture analysis), disaster recovery and business continuity, as well as project management and consulting.

Genomic Services - provides gene sequencing and gene synthesis services, a service which enables the fast-expanding research of gene-based healthcare discoveries and therapies through our acquisition of GENEWIZ. These service offerings include Sanger sequencing, gene synthesis, molecular biology, high throughput and Next Generation sequencing, or NGS, bioinformatics, and good laboratory practices, or GLP, regulatory services.

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Consumables and Instruments - includes a complete range of unique consumables, including multiple formats of racks, tubes, caps, plates and foils, which support storage of samples prior to placing them in ultra-cold storage environment. A comprehensive range of instruments used for labeling, bar coding, capping, de-capping, auditing, sealing, peeling, and piercing tubes and plates complement our consumables. Our offerings acquired with 4titude include a range of products aimed at the genomic sample preparation and services market for polymerase chain reactions, or PCR, & sequencing, imaging, plate sealing, liquid handling, forensic and NGS, sample processing.

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Informatics - provides sample intelligence software solutions and integration of customer technology. Our informatics suite supports laboratory work flow scheduling for life science tools and instrument work cells, sample inventory and logistics, environmental and temperature monitoring, clinical trial and consent management, as well as planning, data management, virtualization, and visualization of sample collections.

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Sales, Marketing and Customer Support

We market and sell the majority of our semiconductor products and services in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America through our direct sales organization. The sales process for our products is often multilevel, involving a team comprised of individuals from sales, marketing, engineering, operations and senior management. In many cases we assign a team to a customer and that team engages the customer at different levels of its organization to facilitate planning, provide product customization when required, and ensure open communication and support.

The majority of our life sciences sales are completed through our direct Brooks Life Sciences sales force, particularly our store systems, storage services, and genomic services. We supplement the sale of genomic services, consumables and instruments with distributors that reach a broad range of customers. In regions with emerging life science industries such as China, India and the Middle East, we leverage local distributors to assist with the sales process for store systems. The sales process for our larger sample management systems may take 6 to 18 months to complete and it involves a team typically comprised of individuals from sales, marketing, engineering and senior management.

We typically provide product warranties for a period of one to two years depending on the product type.

Our marketing activities include participation in trade shows, delivery of seminars, participation in industry forums, distribution of sales literature and white papers, publication of press releases and articles in business and industry publications. We maintain sales and service centers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America to enhance support and communication with our customers.

Competition

Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment operates in a variety of market segments of varying breadth with differing competitors and competitive dynamics. The semiconductor and adjacent technology markets, as well as process equipment manufacturing industries, are highly competitive and characterized by continual changes and technology improvements. A significant portion of equipment automation is still done by the OEMs themselves. Our competitors among merchant vacuum robot automation suppliers include primarily Japanese companies, such as Daihen Corporation, Daikin Industries, Ltd., and Rorze Corporation. Atmospheric tool automation is typically less demanding technologically, has fewer barriers to entry and has a larger field of competitors. We compete directly with other equipment automation suppliers of atmospheric modules and systems, such as Hirata Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Genmark Automation, Inc., Rorze Corporation, Sankyo Seisakusho Co., Ltd., TDK Corporation and Sinfonia Technology Co., Ltd.

We believe our customers will purchase our equipment, automation products and vacuum subsystems as long as our products continue to provide the necessary throughput, reliability, contamination control and accuracy at an acceptable price. We believe our semiconductor offerings are competitive with respect to all of these factors. We cannot guarantee, however, that we will be successful in selling our products to OEMs who currently satisfy a portion of their automation needs in-house or from other independent suppliers, regardless of the performance or price of our products.

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Given the breadth of the sample management solutions and genomic services offered by the Brooks Life Sciences segment, there are no direct competitors for the comprehensive set of product and service solutions we provide to our customers. Each of the business lines within the Brooks Life Sciences segment, however, has unique competitors in their area of offerings. This includes Hamilton Company and Liconic AG for automation systems, Thermo-Fisher for consumables and services, LabCorp and Covance for storage services, as well as BGI, Integrated DNA Technologies, Eurofins and GenScript for genomic services.

Research and Development

Our research and development efforts are focused on developing new products and enhancing the functionality, degree of integration, reliability and performance of our existing products. Our engineering, marketing, operations and management personnel leverage their close collaborative relationships with their counterparts in customer organizations in an effort to proactively identify market demands that helps us refocus our research and development investment to match our customers’ demands. With the rapid pace of change that characterizes the markets we serve, it is essential for us to provide high-performance, reliable products in order to maintain our leadership position in both our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group and Brooks Life Sciences businesses.

Our research and development expense was $56.4 million, $46.9 million and $39.9 million during fiscal years 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

We invest in research and development initiatives within our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment to maintain continued leadership positions in the markets we serve. We launched our newest Vacuum Automation platform, MagnaTran LEAP™, for the advanced technologies related to manufacturing 10 nanometer design rule semiconductor chips. MagnaTran LEAP is well positioned to deliver clean, accurate and fast wafer transport for the fast-growing Deposition and Etch market.

We have developed and continue to develop automated biological sample storage solutions for operating in ultra-low temperature environments within the Brooks Life Sciences segment. We have developed the Twin-bank platform, including an expansion of the product range for a smaller, more space-efficient automated storage system marketed under the brands of SampleStore™ SE and BioStore™ SE and introduced the BioStore™ III Cryo automated cryogenic sample management system which offers sample automation, cold chain management and improved security and accessibility while maintaining sample protection within the storage environment. With the acquisition of GENEWIZ, we acquired and continue to invest in research and development activities related to our processes and technologies to support complex gene reading and writing services.

Manufacturing and Service

Our manufacturing operations include product assembly, integration and testing. We implement quality assurance procedures that include standard design practices, reliability testing and analysis, supplier and component selection procedures, vendor controls, manufacturing process controls, and service processes that ensure high-quality performance of our products. Our major manufacturing facilities are located in Chelmsford, Massachusetts; Yongin-City, South Korea; and Manchester, United Kingdom. Our manufacturing operations are designed to provide high quality, optimal cost, differentiated products to our customers in short lead times through responsive and flexible processes and sourcing strategies. We utilize lean manufacturing techniques for a large portion of our manufacturing, including manufacture of assemblies that we have outsourced to competitive regions, including Asia. We also believe the continued sourcing of portions of our manufacturing processes in these regions allows us to better serve our customers who have operations in these regions.

We have service and support locations for our products near to our customers to provide rapid response to their service needs. Our principal product service and support locations include Chelmsford, Massachusetts; Fremont, California; Chu Bei City, Taiwan; Yongin-City, South Korea; Yokohama, Japan; Shanghai, China; Singapore; Manchester, United Kingdom; and Kiryat-Gat, Israel.

Our Brooks Life Sciences segment provides sample management storage and transportation services in Indianapolis, Indiana; Fresno, California; El Segundo, California; Torrance, California; Bronx, New York; Germany, China, and

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Singapore. We have a network of 13 laboratories that provide genomic services, including seven in the United States, three in China, as well as laboratories in Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Patents and Proprietary Rights

We rely on patents, trade secret laws, confidentiality procedures, copyrights, trademarks and licensing agreements to protect our technology. Due to the rapid technological change that characterizes the life sciences, semiconductor, adjacent technology markets and related process equipment industries, we believe that the improvement of existing technology, reliance upon trade secrets, unpatented proprietary know-how and the development of new products may be as important as patent protection in establishing and maintaining a competitive advantage. Our policy is to require all employees to enter into proprietary information and nondisclosure agreements to protect trade secrets and know-how. We cannot guarantee that these efforts will meaningfully protect our trade secrets.

As of September 30, 2019, we owned 385 issued U.S. patents, with various corresponding patents issued in foreign jurisdictions. We also had 95 pending U.S. patent applications, with foreign counterparts of certain of these applications having been filed or which may be filed at the appropriate time. Our patents will expire at various dates through 2037.

Backlog

Backlog for the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment offerings totaled approximately $127 million as of September 30, 2019 as compared to approximately $124 million at September 30, 2018. Backlog for the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment includes all purchase orders for which our customers have scheduled delivery, regardless of the expected delivery date, and consists principally of orders for products and service agreements. Substantially all of this backlog consists of orders scheduled to be delivered within the next 12 months.

Backlog for the Brooks Life Sciences segment offerings totaled $303 million as of September 30, 2019 as compared to approximately $273 million at September 30, 2018. Backlog for the Brooks Life Sciences segment includes all purchase orders for which customers have scheduled delivery, regardless of the expected delivery date, and consists of orders for products and service agreements. In addition, it includes estimated revenue for future services related to our BioStorage business for which contracts have been secured. Final revenue realized will vary based on volumes, prices, duration, and other factors. Storage contracts vary in length of time, with some being short term and some indefinite. We include the estimated value for time periods in the contract up to a maximum of 5 years.

Environmental Matters

We are subject to federal, state, local environmental laws and regulations, and the environmental laws and regulations of the foreign national and local jurisdictions in which we have manufacturing facilities. We believe we are materially in compliance with all such laws and regulations.

Compliance with foreign, federal, state, and local laws and regulations has not had, and is not expected to have, an adverse effect on our capital expenditures, competitive position, financial condition or results of operations.

Employees

At September 30, 2019, we had 2,984 full time employees. In addition, we employ part time workers and contractors. We consider our relationships with our employees to be good.

Available Information

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. We also maintain a website at www.brooks.com, through which you can access our SEC filings.

The information found on our website is not part of this or any other report we file with or furnish to the SEC.

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As a result of these risks, we believe that reference to past performance for comparisons of our revenue and operating results may not be meaningful, and that these comparisons may not be an accurate indicator of our future performance.

If we do not continue to introduce new products and services that reflect advances in technology in a timely and effective manner, our products and services may become obsolete and our operating results will suffer.

Our success is dependent on our ability to respond to the technological changes present in the markets we serve. The success of our product development and introduction of products and services to market depends on our ability to:

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If we cannot succeed in responding in a timely manner to technological and/or market changes or if the new products and services that we introduce do not achieve market acceptance, our competitive position would diminish which could materially harm our business and our prospects.

The global nature of our business exposes us to multiple risks.

During fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, 2018 and 2017, approximately 58%, 63% and 67% of our revenue was derived from sales outside of North America. We expect that international sales, including increased sales in Asia, will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenue for the foreseeable future, and that in particular, the proportion of our sales to customers in China will continue to increase, due in large part to our acquisition of GENEWIZ, which maintains a significant presence in China. Additionally, we intend to invest additional resources in facilities in China, which will increase our global footprint of sales, service and repair operations. As a result of our international operations, we are exposed to many risks and uncertainties, including:

Negative developments in any of these areas in one or more countries could result in a reduction in demand for our products, the cancellation or delay of orders already placed, threats to our intellectual property, difficulty in collecting receivables, and a higher cost of doing business, any of which could materially harm our business and profitability.

The acquisition of GENEWIZ involves numerous risks, including the inability to effectively integrate GENEWIZ’s business and operations or realize the expected benefits from the acquisition, which could materially harm our operating results.

Our November 2018 acquisition of GENEWIZ has increased our service offerings within the Brooks Life Sciences segment, the number of end markets in which we operate, and the number of employees and facilities we need to efficiently manage. GENEWIZ’s genomic services are significantly different from our historical offerings and experience. Combining our businesses may make it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers. The continued integration of GENEWIZ’s business and operations will require significant management attention, efforts and expenditures, and we may not be able to achieve the integration in an effective, complete timely or cost-efficient manner.

Potential risks related to our acquisition of GENEWIZ include our continued ability to:

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Our inability to continue these tasks and successfully integrate the GENEWIZ business will have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

Our business could be materially harmed if we fail to adequately integrate the operations of the businesses that we have acquired or may acquire.

We have made in the past, and may make in the future, acquisitions or significant investments in businesses with complementary products, services and/or technologies. In addition to the risks discussed above regarding our acquisition of GENEWIZ, our acquisitions, including the acquisition of GENEWIZ, present numerous risks, including:

If we acquire a new business, we may expend significant funds, incur additional debt or issue additional securities, which may negatively affect our operations and be dilutive to our stockholders. In periods following an acquisition, we will be required to evaluate goodwill and acquisition-related intangible assets for impairment. If such assets are found to be impaired, they will be written down to estimated fair value, with a charge against earnings. The failure to adequately address these risks or the impairment of any assets could materially harm our business and financial results.

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Expanding within current markets introduces new competitors and commercial risks.

A key part of our growth strategy is to continue expanding within the life sciences sample management and genomic services markets. As part of this strategy, we expect to diversify our product sales and service revenue by leveraging our core technologies, which requires investments and resources which may not be available on favorable terms or at all when needed. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in leveraging our capabilities into the life sciences sample management and genomic services markets to meet all the needs of new customers and to compete favorably. Because a significant portion of our growth potential may be dependent on our ability to increase sales within the Brooks Life Sciences segment, our inability to successfully expand within the markets serviced by this segment may adversely impact future financial results.

Changes in key personnel could impair our ability to execute our business strategy.

The continuing service of our executive officers and essential engineering, technical and management personnel, together with our ability to attract and retain such personnel, is an important factor in our continuing ability to execute our strategy. There is substantial competition to attract such employees and the loss of any such key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results. The same could be true if we were to experience a high turnover rate among engineering and technical personnel and we were unable to replace them.

Our failure to protect our intellectual property could adversely affect our future operations.

Our ability to compete is significantly affected by our ability to protect our intellectual property. We rely upon patents, trade secret laws, confidentiality procedures, copyrights, trademarks and licensing agreements to protect our technology. Existing trade secret, trademark and copyright laws offer only limited protection. Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain and enforce patent protection for our products both in the United States and in other countries. We own numerous U.S. and foreign patents, and we intend to file additional applications, as appropriate, for patents covering our products and technology. Any issued patents owned by or licensed to us may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, and the rights under these patents may not provide us with competitive advantages. In addition, the laws of some countries in which our products are or may be developed, manufactured or sold may not fully protect our products. Due to the rapid technological change that characterizes the semiconductor and adjacent technology markets, we believe that the improvement of existing technology, reliance upon trade secrets and unpatented proprietary know-how and the development of new products may be as important as patent protection in establishing and maintaining competitive advantage. To protect trade secrets and know-how, it is our policy to require all technical and management personnel to enter into nondisclosure agreements.

We cannot guarantee that the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be adequate to prevent the misappropriation of our technology. Other companies could independently develop similar or superior technology without violating our intellectual property rights. In the future, it may be necessary to engage in litigation or like activities to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights of others, including our customers. This could require us to incur significant expenses and to divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel from our business operations.

The expiration of our patents over time could lead to an increase of competition and a decline in our revenue.

One of our main competitive strengths is our technology, and we are dependent on our patent rights and other intellectual property rights to maintain our competitive position. Our current patents will expire from time to time through 2037 which could result in increased competition and declines in product and service revenue.

We may be subject to claims of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, or demands that we license third-party technology, which could result in significant expense and prevent us from using our technology.

There has been substantial litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights in the industries in which we do business. We have in the past been, and may in the future be, notified that we may be infringing intellectual property rights possessed by third parties. We cannot guarantee that infringement claims by third parties or other claims for indemnification by customers or end-users of our products and services resulting from infringement claims will not

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be asserted in the future or that such assertions, whether or not proven to be true, will not materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We cannot predict the extent to which we might be required to seek licenses or alter our products or services so that they no longer infringe the rights of others. We also cannot guarantee that licenses will be available or the terms of any licenses we may be required to obtain will be reasonable. Similarly, changing our products, services or processes to avoid infringing the rights of others may be costly or impractical and could detract from the value of our products and services. If a judgment of infringement were obtained against us, we could be required to pay substantial damages and a court could issue an order preventing us from selling one or more of our products or offering certain of our services. Further, the cost and diversion of management attention brought about by such litigation could be substantial, even if we were to prevail. Any of these events could result in significant expense to us and may materially harm our business and our prospects.

Unexpected events could disrupt our sample storage operations and adversely affect our reputation and results of operations.

Unexpected events, including fires or explosions at our facilities, natural disasters, such as tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes, war or terrorist activities, unplanned power outages, supply disruptions and failure of equipment or systems, could adversely affect our reputation and results of operations. Our Brooks Life Sciences’ service customers rely on us to securely store and timely retrieve and transport their critical samples, and these events could result in service disruptions, physical damage to one or more key storage facilities and the customer samples stored in those facilities, the temporary closure of one or more key operating facilities or the temporary disruption of service, each of which could negatively impact our reputation and results of operations. Our primary storage facility is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, an area of the United States that can be prone to tornado and other severe weather events.

If our manufacturing sites were to experience a significant disruption in operations, our business could be materially harmed, while the failure to estimate customer demand accurately could result in excess or obsolete inventory.

We have a limited number of manufacturing facilities for our products and we have moved portions of our manufacturing to third parties, including some in lesser developed countries. If the operations at any one of these facilities were disrupted as a result of a natural disaster, fire, power or other utility outage, work stoppage or other similar event, our business could be seriously harmed because we may be unable to manufacture and ship products and parts to our customers in a timely fashion. The impact of any disruption at one of our facilities may be exacerbated if the disruption occurs at a time when we need to rapidly increase our manufacturing capabilities to meet increased demand or expedited shipment schedules.

Moreover, if actual demand for our products is different than expected, we may purchase more/fewer component parts than necessary or incur costs for canceling, postponing or expediting delivery of such parts. If we purchase inventory in anticipation of customer demand that does not materialize, or if our customers reduce or delay orders, we may incur excess inventory charges. Any or all of these factors could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business could be materially harmed if one or more key suppliers fail to continuously deliver key components of acceptable cost and quality.

We currently obtain many of our key components on an as-needed, purchase order basis from numerous suppliers. In some cases we have only a single source of supply for key components and materials used in the manufacturing of our products. Further, we are increasing our sourcing of products in Asia, and particularly in China, and we do not have a previous history of dealing with many of these suppliers. Our inability to obtain components or materials in required quantities or of acceptable cost and quality and with the necessary continuity of supply could result in delays or reductions in product shipments to our customers. In addition, if a supplier or sub-supplier suffers a production stoppage or delay for any reason, including natural disasters such as the tsunamis that affected Japan in 2011 and Thailand in 2004, this could result in a delay or reduction in our product shipments to our customers. Any of these contingencies could cause us to lose customers, result in delayed or lost revenue and otherwise materially harm our business.

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Our business could be adversely affected by a decline in the availability of raw materials.

We are dependent on the availability of certain key raw materials and natural resources used in our products and various manufacturing processes, and we rely on third parties to supply us with these materials in a cost-effective and timely manner. Our access to raw materials may be adversely affected if our suppliers’ operations were disrupted as a result of limited or delayed access to key raw materials and natural resources which may result in increased cost of these items. While most of the raw materials used in our products and various manufacturing processes are commercially available, we rely in some cases on materials that have a limited supply and are considered rare Earth elements, such as helium. If the supply of these elements is drastically reduced, it may lead to price increases which could result in higher costs of our products and corresponding revenue declines and have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our outsource providers may fail to perform as we expect.

Outsource providers have played and will continue to play a key role in our manufacturing operations and in many of our transactional and administrative functions, such as information technology and facilities management. Although we attempt to select reputable providers and secure their performance on terms documented in written contracts, it is possible that one or more of these providers could fail to perform as we expect and such failure could have an adverse impact on our business.

Our business relies on certain critical information systems and a failure or breach of such a system could harm our business and results of operations and, in the event of unauthorized access to a customer’s data or our data, incur significant legal and financial exposure and liabilities.

We maintain and rely upon certain critical information systems for the effective operation of our business. These information systems include telecommunications, the internet, our corporate intranet, various computer hardware and software applications, network communications and e-mail. These information systems may be owned and maintained by us, our outsource providers or third parties such as vendors and contractors. These information systems are subject to attacks, failures, and access denials from a number of potential sources including viruses, destructive or inadequate code, power failures, and physical damage to computers, hard drives, communication lines and networking equipment. To the extent that these information systems are under our control, we have implemented security procedures, such as virus protection software and emergency recovery processes, to mitigate the outlined risks. However, security procedures for information systems cannot be guaranteed to be failsafe and our inability to use or access these information systems at critical points in time, or unauthorized releases of confidential information, could unfavorably impact the timely and efficient operation of our business.

Confidential information stored on these information systems could also be compromised. If a third party gains unauthorized access to our data, including any information regarding our customers, such security breach could expose us to a risk of loss of this information, loss of business, litigation and possible liability. These security measures may be breached as a result of third-party action, including intentional misconduct by computer hackers, employee error, malfeasance or otherwise. Additionally, third parties may fraudulently attempt to induce employees or customers into disclosing sensitive information such as user names, passwords or other information in order to gain access to our customers’ data or our data, including our intellectual property and other confidential business information, or our information technology systems. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, or to sabotage systems, change frequently and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Any security breach could result in a loss of confidence by our customers, damage our reputation, disrupt our business, lead to legal liability and negatively impact our future sales.

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We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting at an individual business unit within our Brooks Life Sciences segment and an individual business unit within our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment and such weaknesses have led to a conclusion that our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of September 30, 2019. Our ability to remediate the material weaknesses, our discovery of additional weaknesses, and our inability to achieve and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, could adversely affect our results of operations, our stock price and investor confidence in our company.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that companies evaluate and report on the effectiveness of their internal control over financial reporting. In addition, we engaged our independent registered public accounting firm to report on its evaluation of those controls. As disclosed in more detail under Item 9A, “Controls and Procedures” below, we have identified two material weaknesses as of September 30, 2019 in our internal control over financial reporting resulting from (i) deficiencies in our controls at a business unit within our Brooks Life Sciences segment as we did not maintain effective controls to verify the accuracy of the price and quantity data for customer transactions entered into the business unit’s billing system, and to verify that the invoices generated from the billing system were based on the appropriate amounts, and (ii) a deficiency in our controls at a business unit within our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment as we did not design and maintain effective controls to verify that revenue from product shipments from contract manufacturers in this business unit were evaluated for proper revenue recognition at the point of transfer of control. Due to the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we have also concluded our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of September 30, 2019.

Failure to have effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures could impair our ability to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis and could lead to a restatement of our financial statements. For example, the identified material weaknesses resulted in immaterial adjustments to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2019 and caused a difference between the financial results we reported in the press release we issued on November 6, 2019 and furnished to the SEC with our Current Report on Form 8-K on the same date and reported in this annual report. Management, however, has concluded that the material weaknesses did not result in any misstatements that are material to our consolidated financial statements for any of the periods presented. If, as a result of the ineffectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, we cannot provide reliable financial statements, our business decision processes may be adversely affected, our business and results of operations could be harmed, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information and our ability to obtain additional financing, or additional financing on favorable terms, could be adversely affected. In addition, failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in investigations or sanctions by regulatory authorities.

Our management has taken immediate action to begin remediating the material weaknesses, however, certain remedial actions have not started or have only recently been undertaken, and while we expect to continue to implement our remediation plans throughout the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020, we cannot be certain as to when remediation will be fully completed. Additional details regarding the initial remediation efforts are disclosed in more detail under Item 9A, “Controls and Procedures” below. In addition, we may in the future identify additional internal control deficiencies that could rise to the level of a material weakness or uncover other errors in financial reporting. During the course of our evaluation, we may identify areas requiring improvement and may be required to design additional enhanced processes and controls to address issues identified through this review. In addition, there can be no assurance that such remediation efforts will be successful, that our internal control over financial reporting will be effective as a result of these efforts or that any such future deficiencies identified may not be material weaknesses that would be required to be reported in future periods. In addition, we cannot assure you that our independent registered public accounting firm will be able to attest that such internal controls are effective when they are required to do so.

If we fail to remediate these material weaknesses and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to rely on the integrity of our financial results, which could result in inaccurate or late reporting of our financial results, as well as delays or the inability to meet our reporting obligations or to comply with SEC rules and regulations. Any of these could result in delisting actions by the Nasdaq Stock Market, investigation and sanctions by regulatory authorities, stockholder investigations and lawsuits, and could adversely affect our business and the trading price of our common stock.

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Our goodwill and intangible assets may become impaired.

As of September 30, 2019, we had $488.6 million of goodwill and $251.2 million in net intangible assets as a result of our acquisitions. We periodically review our goodwill and the estimated useful lives of our identifiable intangible assets, taking into consideration any events or circumstances that might result in either a diminished fair value, or for intangible assets, a revised useful life. These events and circumstances include significant changes in the business climate, legal factors, operating performance indicators, advances in technology and competition. Any impairment or revised useful life could have a material and adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations and could harm the trading price of our common stock.

Changes in tax rates or tax regulation could affect results of operations.

As a global company, we are subject to taxation in the United States and various other countries. Significant judgment is required to determine and estimate worldwide tax liabilities. Our future annual and quarterly effective tax rates could be affected by numerous factors, including changes in the following: applicable tax laws; composition of pre-tax income in countries with differing tax rates; and/or establishment of a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets based on the assessment of their realizability prior to expiration. In addition, we are subject to regular examination by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and state, local and foreign tax authorities. We regularly assess the likelihood of favorable or unfavorable outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any final determination will not be materially different from the treatment reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

The implementation of tariffs and export controls on our products may have a material impact on our business.

Our global business operations and supply chain may be disrupted by the additional tariffs imposed on our products.

As of July 6, 2018, the United States imposed a 25% tariff on a list of products that included certain parts and components made in China and imported into the United States for incorporation with our products.  We are implementing operational changes that should mitigate the impact of the 25% tariff on our imports into the United States from China.  As a result of these operational changes, we do not expect that the increase in these tariffs will have a significant impact on our business, supply chain, operations or financial results.  However, if the United States increases the amount of these tariffs or adds additional items to the list of products subject to tariff, tariffs could materially adversely affect our business, financial results and operations.

In addition to the increased tariffs imposed by the United States, China has implemented additional retaliatory tariffs on products made in the United States.  While these tariffs currently do not materially impact us, if China increases its tariffs or places additional tariffs or other nations impose tariffs on our products, it could materially adversely affect our business, financial results and operations.

We are subject to numerous governmental regulations.

We are subject to federal, state, local and foreign regulations, including environmental regulations, regulations relating to the design and operation of our products and control systems and regulations relating to certain of our service offerings in the Brooks Life Sciences segment. We might incur significant costs as we seek to ensure that our products meet safety and emissions standards, many of which vary across the states and countries in which our products are used. In the past, we have invested significant resources to redesign our products to comply with these directives. Compliance with future regulations, directives, and standards could require us to modify or redesign some products, change our service offerings, make capital expenditures, or incur substantial costs. If we do not comply with current or future regulations, directives, and standards:

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Any of these events could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Regulations and customer demands related to conflict minerals may adversely affect us.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act imposes disclosure requirements regarding the use in components of our products of “conflict minerals” mined from the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries, whether the components of our products are manufactured by us or third parties. This requirement could affect the pricing, sourcing and availability of minerals used in the manufacture of components we use in our products. In addition, there are additional costs associated with complying with the disclosure requirements and customer requests, such as costs related to our due diligence to determine the source of any conflict minerals used in our products. We may face difficulties in satisfying customers who may require that all of the components of our products are certified as conflict mineral free and/or free of numerous other hazardous materials.

Unfavorable currency exchange rate fluctuations may lead to lower operating margins, or may cause us to raise prices, which could result in reduced sales.

Currency exchange rate fluctuations could have an adverse effect on our sales and results of operations, and we could experience losses with respect to forward exchange contracts into which we may enter. Unfavorable currency fluctuations could require us to increase prices to foreign customers, which could result in lower net sales by us to such customers. Alternatively, if we do not adjust the prices for our products in response to unfavorable currency fluctuations, our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, most sales made by our foreign subsidiaries are denominated in the currency of the country in which these products are sold and the currency they receive in payment for such sales could be less valuable as compared to the U.S. dollar at the time of receipt as a result of exchange rate fluctuations. From time to time, we enter into forward exchange contracts to reduce currency exposure. However, we cannot be certain that our efforts will be adequate to protect us against significant currency fluctuations or that such efforts will not expose us to additional exchange rate risks, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Risk related to the referendum of the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union

In June 2016, a majority of voters in the United Kingdom voted “for” the Referendum of the United Kingdom’s Membership in the European Union, referred to as Brexit, approving the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, which triggered volatility in exchange rate fluctuations of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies in which we conduct our business. We may experience volatility in exchange rates as the United Kingdom continues to negotiate its exit from the European Union or as a result of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union with or without an agreement governing the exit. As described in Item 7A, "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk", of this Form 10-K, most of our foreign currency denominated transactions are conducted in Euros, British Pounds and a variety of Asian currencies. Sales in currencies other than the U.S. dollar were approximately 35% and 34%, respectively, of our total sales during fiscal years 2019 and 2018. If a dollar strengthens, our revenue denominated in foreign currencies may be adversely affected when translated into U.S. dollars.

Actions to implement Brexit, the potential terms of Brexit and the uncertainty of when Brexit will occur (the deadline for which has been extended a number of times), if at all, have also created global economic uncertainty, which may cause our customers to closely monitor their costs and reduce their spending on our products and services. The effects of Brexit, if it occurs, depend on any agreements, if any, the United Kingdom makes to retain access to European Union and other markets either during a transitional period or more permanently. The measures could potentially disrupt the markets we serve and may cause us to lose customers and employees. In addition, Brexit could lead to legal uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations with respect to business and trade with and in the United Kingdom. Any of these effects of Brexit, among others, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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Our indebtedness may adversely affect our ability to operate our business, generate cash flows and make payments on such indebtedness

On October 4, 2017, we entered into a $200.0 million Senior Secured Term Loan Facility, or term loan, with Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC pursuant to the terms of a credit agreement with the lenders. The term loan matures and becomes fully payable on October 4, 2024. We are required to redeem the term loan at the principal amount then outstanding upon occurrence of certain events, as described in the credit agreement. For further information on this transaction, please refer to Note 11, "Debt" to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this Form 10-K.

Our ability to pay interest and repay the principal for our indebtedness, including the term loan, is dependent upon our ability to manage our business operations and maintain sufficient liquidity to service such debt. The loan borrowings are subject to variable interest rates which create exposure to interest rate risk. Interest rate increases may result in higher cost of servicing our loans and reduce our profitability and cash flows. The terms of our debt covenants in the credit agreement for the term loan could limit our ability to raise additional funds and the manner in which we conduct our business. We have the ability to refinance the term loan and obtain additional indebtedness as long as we maintain a certain level of liquidity and earnings, as specified in the credit agreement for the term loan. If our liquidity and earnings are reduced below a certain level, we will have limited ability to service the term loan and obtain additional debt financing. Our failure to comply with the restrictive covenants under the term loan and our other indebtedness could also result in an event of default under the term loan which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all or a portion of our indebtedness, including under the term loan. Accordingly, a default under the term loan would have a material adverse effect on our business and our lender would have the right to exercise its rights and remedies to collect, which would include the right to foreclose on our assets.

Risks Relating to Our Customers

Because we rely on a limited number of customers for a large portion of our revenue, the loss of one or more of these customers could materially harm our business.

We receive a significant portion of our revenue in each fiscal period from a relatively limited number of customers, and that trend is likely to continue. Sales to our ten largest customers accounted for approximately 28%, 34% and 35%, respectively, of our total revenue in the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, 2018 and 2017. The loss of one or more of these major customers, a significant decrease in orders from one of these customers, or the inability of one or more customers to make payments to us when they are due could materially affect our revenue, business and reputation. In addition, there has been and may continue to be significant consolidation among some of our largest OEM customers, which could lead to increased pressure to reduce the price of our semiconductor products and/or decreased market share of our semiconductor products with the combined companies.

Because of the lengthy sales cycles of many of our products, we may incur significant expenses before we generate any revenue related to those products.

Our customers may need several months to test and evaluate our products. This increases the possibility that a customer may decide to cancel an order or change its plans, which could reduce or eliminate our sales to that customer. The impact of this risk can be magnified during the periods in which we introduce a number of new products, as has been the case in recent years. As a result of this lengthy sales cycle, we may incur significant research and development expenses, and selling, general and administrative expenses before we generate the related revenue for these products, and we may never generate the anticipated revenue if our customer cancels an order or changes its plans.

In addition, many of our semiconductor products will not be sold directly to the end-user but will be components of other products manufactured by OEMs. As a result, we rely on OEMs to select our semiconductor products from among alternative offerings to be incorporated into their equipment at the design stage; so-called design-ins. The OEMs’ decisions often precede the generation of volume sales, if any, by a year or more. Moreover, if we are unable to achieve these design-ins from an OEM, we would have difficulty selling our semiconductor products to that OEM because changing suppliers after design-ins involves significant cost, time, effort and risk on the part of that OEM.

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Customers generally do not make long term commitments to purchase our products and our customers may cease purchasing our products at any time.

Sales of our products are often made pursuant to individual purchase orders and not under long-term commitments and contracts. Our customers frequently do not provide any assurance of minimum or future sales and are not prohibited from purchasing products from our competitors at any time. Accordingly, we are exposed to competitive pricing pressures on each order. Our customers also engage in the practice of purchasing products from more than one manufacturer to avoid dependence on sole-source suppliers for certain of their needs. The existence of these practices makes it more difficult for us to increase price, gain new customers and win repeat business from existing customers.

We may face claims for liability related to damages of customer materials attributed to the failure of our products or services, exposing us to significant financial or reputational harm.

Our automation products for the semiconductor manufacturing market are used in the handling and movement of silicon wafers at various points in the production process, and our automated cold storage systems for the life sciences sample management market are used in the handling, movement and storage of biological and chemical samples. We also provide sample storage services to customers where we store their biological and chemical samples at our facilities and other genomic services at our facilities. In any case, inaccurate or faulty testing services or damage to our customers’ materials attributed to a failure of our products or services could lead to claims for damages made by our customers and could also harm our relationship with our customers and damage our reputation in each of these industries, resulting in material harm to our business.

Risks Relating to Owning Our Securities

Our stock price is volatile.

The market price of our common stock has fluctuated widely. From the beginning of fiscal year 2018 through the end of fiscal year 2019, our stock price fluctuated between a high of $41.75 per share and a low of $22.54 per share. Consequently, the current market price of our common stock may not be indicative of future market prices, and we may be unable to sustain or increase the value of an investment in our common stock. Factors affecting our stock price may include:

In addition, the stock market has in the past experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. These fluctuations have particularly affected the market prices of the securities of high technology companies like ours. These market fluctuations could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

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We may not pay dividends on our common stock.

Holders of our common stock are only entitled to receive dividends when and if they are declared by our Board of Directors. Although we have declared cash dividends on our common stock for the past several years, we are not required to do so and may reduce or eliminate our cash dividends in the future. This could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law may delay or prevent an acquisition of us, which could decrease the value of your shares.

Our restated certificate of incorporation and by-laws and Delaware law contain provisions that could make it harder for a third party to acquire us without the consent of our Board of Directors. These provisions include limitations on actions by our stockholders by written consent, the inability of stockholders to call special meetings and the potential for super majority votes of our stockholders in certain circumstances. In addition, as discussed below, our Board of Directors has the right to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer.

Our restated certificate of incorporation makes us subject to the anti-takeover provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits publicly held Delaware corporations to which it applies from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. This provision could discourage others from bidding for our shares of common stock and could, as a result, reduce the likelihood of an increase in the price of our common stock that would otherwise occur if a bidder sought to buy our common stock.

Although we believe these provisions provide for an opportunity to receive a higher bid by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our Board of Directors, these provisions apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by stockholders. If a change of control or change in management is delayed or prevented, the market price of our common stock could decline.

Our restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of shares of blank check preferred stock.

Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that our Board of Directors is authorized to issue from time to time, without further stockholder approval, up to 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix and designate the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of the preferred stock, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, redemption rights and terms of redemption and liquidation preferences. Such shares of preferred stock could have preferences over our common stock with respect to dividends and liquidation rights. Our issuance of preferred stock may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control. Our issuance of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to the holders of common stock or could adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of the holders of common stock. The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of decreasing the market price of our common stock.

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We maintained the following principal facilities as of September 30, 2019:

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Our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment utilizes the facilities in Chelmsford, Massachusetts; Fremont, California; South Korea, Germany and Taiwan. Our Brooks Life Sciences segment utilizes the facilities in Manchester, United Kingdom; Indianapolis, Indiana; South Plainfield, New Jersey; Suzhou, China; Chelmsford, Massachusetts; Bronx, New York; and Fremont, California.

We maintain additional sales, support and training offices in Texas, Europe (France and Germany), Asia (China, Japan and Singapore) and the Middle East (Israel). We also maintain sample storage facilities in China, Germany and Singapore.

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On November 1, 2019, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $0.10 per share payable on December 20, 2019 to common stockholders of record on December 6, 2019.

Comparative Stock Performance

The following graph compares the cumulative total shareholder return (assuming reinvestment of dividends) from investing $100 on September 30, 2014, and plotted at the last trading day of each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, in each of (i) our Common Stock; (ii) the Nasdaq/NYSE American/NYSE Index of companies; and (iii) a peer group for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 (“Peer Group”).

The Peer Group for the year ended September 30, 2019 is comprised of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc., Axcelis Technologies Inc., Bio Rad Laboratories Inc., Bruker Corp., Cabot Microelectronics Corp., Coherent Inc., Entegris, Inc., Formfactor Inc., Haemonetics Corp., MKS Instruments, Inc., MTS Instruments, Inc., Novanta Inc., Rudolph Technologies Inc. (now known as Onto Innovation Inc.), Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc., Varex Imaging Corp. and Veeco Instruments Inc.

The stock price performance on the graph below is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.

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The information included under the heading “Comparative Stock Performance” in Item 5 of "this report" shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or subject to Regulation 14A, shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

Issuer’s Purchases of Equity Securities

On September 29, 2015, our Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program for up to $50.0 million worth of our common stock. The timing and amount of any shares to be repurchased under this program will be based on market and business conditions, legal requirements and other factors and may be commenced or suspended at any time at our discretion. There were no shares repurchased under this program during fiscal year ended September 30, 2019.

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management and improved up-time of the installed base. Although the demand for semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment is cyclical resulting in periodic expansions and contractions, we expect the semiconductor equipment market to remain one of our principal markets as we continue making investments to maintain and grow our semiconductor product and service offerings. A majority of our research and development spending advances our current product lines and drives innovations for new product offerings. We invest in research and development initiatives within the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment to maintain continued leadership position in the markets we serve. We launched our newest Vacuum Automation platform, MagnaTran LEAP™, for the rapidly emerging advanced technologies related to manufacturing 10 nanometer design rule semiconductor chips. MagnaTran LEAP is well positioned to deliver clean, accurate and fast wafer transport available for the fast-growing Deposition and Etch markets. In addition, we expect to continue to support and expand our technology and product offerings for the semiconductor market through acquisitions. In 2018, we acquired Tec-Sem, a Switzerland-based provider of semiconductor fabrication automation equipment with a focus on reticle management. The acquisition is expected to enhance our contamination controls solutions offerings.

In the life sciences sample management market, we utilize our core technology competencies and capabilities in automation and cryogenics to provide comprehensive bio-sample management solutions to a broad range of end markets within the life sciences industry. Our offerings include automated ultra-cold storage freezers, consumable sample storage containers, instruments which assist in the workflow of sample management, and both on-site and off-site full sample management services. We expect the life sciences sample management market to remain one of our principal markets for our product and service offerings and provide favorable opportunities for the growth of our overall business. Over the past several years, we have acquired and developed essential capabilities required to strategically address the sample management needs across multiple end markets within the life sciences industry.

In November of 2015, we acquired BioStorage Technologies, a full-service outsourcing sample management business, for a total purchase price of $125.2 million, net of cash acquired. The acquisition provided us with the capability to support customers with an integrated, comprehensive set of sample management products, services and solutions. In July 2017, we acquired substantially all of the assets and liabilities of Pacific Bio-Material Management, Inc., or PBMMI, and Novare, LLC, or Novare, for a total purchase price of $34.1 million, net of cash acquired. PBMMI and Novare provide storage, transportation, management, and cold chain logistics of biological materials. The acquisition expanded our capabilities with respect to sample management and integrated cold chain storage and transportation solutions. We acquired Cool Lab, LLC, a subsidiary of BioCision, LLC, which provides a range of cryogenic product solutions that assist in managing the temperature stability of therapeutics, biological samples and related biomaterials in ultra-cold environments, in November 2016. We held an equity interest in BioCision prior to the acquisition of Cool Lab and collaborated in the development of advanced solutions in temperature-controlled environments. The aggregate purchase price of $15.2 million consisted of a cash payment of $4.8 million, a liability to the seller of $0.1 million and a non-cash consideration of $10.3 million measured at fair value on the acquisition date. We have made several investments in developing new consumable and instrument offerings since the acquisitions of FluidX and Cool Lab.

In August 2017, we acquired certain assets and liabilities related to FreezerPro^® web-based software platform from RURO, Inc. for a total purchase price of $5.5 million. RURO, Inc. provides sample management software across multiple end markets, including academic research, government, pharmaceutical, biotech, and healthcare. Our informatics solutions address needs within laboratories, biobanks, and enterprises that manage biological samples. In October 2017, we acquired all of the outstanding capital stock of 4titude Limited, or 4titude, a U.K.-based manufacturer of scientific consumables for biological sample materials used in a variety of genomic and DNA analytical applications, for a total purchase price of $65.1 million, net of cash acquired. The acquisition has expanded our existing offerings of consumables and instruments within the Brooks Life Sciences segment. In April 2018, we acquired BioSpeciMan Corporation, or BioSpeciMan, a Canadian provider of storage services for biological sample materials. We made a total cash payment of $5.2 million, net of cash acquired and subject to working capital adjustments. The acquisition expanded customer relationships and geographic reach within our sample management storage services business.

In fiscal year 2019, we acquired GENEWIZ Group, or GENEWIZ, a leading global genomics service provider headquartered in South Plainfield, New Jersey. GENEWIZ is a global leader in genomics services that enable research scientists to advance their discoveries within the pharmaceutical, academic, biotechnology, agriculture and other markets. GENEWIZ provides gene sequencing and synthesis services for more than 4,000 institutional customers

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worldwide supported by their global network of laboratories spanning the United States, China, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom. This transaction has added a new and innovative services platform which we expect to leverage, along with our core capabilities, to add even more value to samples under our care.

Since entering the life sciences industry, we have also strengthened and broadened our product portfolio and market reach by investing in internal product development. For the fiscal years ended 2019, 2018 and 2017, more than 23% of our cumulative research and development spending was focused on innovating and advancing solutions in the life sciences sample management market. We expect to continue investing in research and development and making strategic acquisitions with the objective of expanding our offerings in the life sciences sample management market. Within the Brooks Life Sciences segment, we have developed and continue to develop automated biological sample storage solutions for operating in ultra-low temperature environments. We have developed the Twin-bank platform which provides -20°C and -80°C ultracold storage and the BioStore™ III Cryo for -190°C cryogenic storage. With the acquisition of GENEWIZ, we acquired and continue to invest in research and development activities related to our protocols, processes and technologies to support complex gene reading and writing services.

Recent Developments

In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2018, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell our semiconductor cryogenics business to Edwards Vacuum LLC (a member of the Atlas Copco Group) for approximately $675.0 million in cash, subject to customary adjustments. We originally acquired the cryogenics business in 2005 as part of the acquisition of Helix Technology Corporation. The semiconductor cryogenics business has been classified as discontinued operations and, unless otherwise noted, the description of our business in this report relates solely to our continuing operations and does not include the operations of our semiconductor cryogenics business.

On July 1, 2019, we completed the sale of the semiconductor cryogenics business for $661.5 million which excludes $6.3 million retained by the buyer at closing based on an estimate of net working capital adjustments, which are currently pending finalization. Net proceeds from the sale were $553.1 million, net of estimated taxes payable and closing costs. As part of this sale, we transferred our intellectual property, or IP, for our cryogenics pump products, but not our IP related to our semiconductor automation or life sciences businesses.

On July 1, 2019, in connection with the completion of the sale of our semiconductor cryogenics business, we used $495.3 million of the cash proceeds to extinguish debt. As a result of the debt extinguishment we recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of $5.2 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2019. Refer to “Liquidity and Capital Resources” for further discussion of the debt extinguishment.

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Segments

We have three operating segments aggregated into two reportable segments consisting of Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group and Brooks Life Sciences. For additional information on our operating segments and the related restructuring actions, as well as segment revenues and their operating results, please refer to Note 17, "Restructuring and Other Charges" and Note 21, "Segment and Geographic Information" to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this Form 10-K.

The Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment provides a variety of products, services and solutions that enable improved throughput and yield in controlled operating environments, as well as an extensive range of support services. The solutions include atmospheric and vacuum robots, robotic modules, tool automation systems, and contamination control of wafer carrier front opening unified pods. The support services include repair services, diagnostic support services, and installation services in support of the products, which enable our customers to maximize process tool uptime and productivity. This segment also provides end-user customers with spare parts and productivity enhancement upgrades to maximize tool productivity.

The Brooks Life Sciences segment provides comprehensive life cycle sample management solutions to life science and bioscience customers including complete end-to-end “cold chain of custody” solutions and sample-based lab services such as genomic sequencing and gene synthesis to advance scientific research and support drug development. The segment’s product offerings include automated cold sample management systems for compound and biological sample storage, equipment for sample preparation and handling, consumables, and informatics that help customers

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manage samples throughout their research discovery and development work flows. The segment’s service offerings include sample storage, genomic sequencing, gene synthesis, lab processing services, lab analysis, and other support services provided to a wide range of life science customers, including pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, biorepositories and research institutes. We combine two reporting operating segments, Sample Management and GENEWIZ, into one reportable segment, Brooks Life Sciences, based on long term economic similarities of the two segments.

Business and Financial Performance

Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018

Review of Revenue Recognition Timing - We have completed our review of the timing of revenue recognition with respect to a product shipment from one of our contract manufacturers within the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment and similar transactions announced in our Notification of Late Filing on Form 12b-25 filed with the SEC on December 2, 2019 and determined that approximately $1.0 million of revenue from this product should be recognized in the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2019 as opposed to the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2019.  As a result, the revenue and related profits from this product previously recorded in the fiscal fourth quarter and of the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 as reported in the press release we issued on November 6, 2019 and furnished to the SEC with our Current Report on Form 8-K on the same date was adjusted downward and the revenue and related profits from this product will subsequently be recorded in the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2019. Our financial results included in this Form 10-K and the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K reflect these adjustments. Following our review of this issue, we conducted an assessment of our controls relating to the timing of revenue recognition for products shipped from our contract manufacturers and determined we had a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, as described further in this annual report in Item 9A, Controls and Procedures.

Results of Operations - We reported revenue of $780.8 million for fiscal year 2019 compared to $631.6 million for fiscal year 2018, an increase of $149.3 million, or 24%. Gross margin was 40.5% for fiscal year 2019 compared to 39.0% for fiscal year 2018, an increase in gross profit of $70.2 million. Operating expenses were $270.2 million for fiscal year 2019 compared to $214.7 million for fiscal year 2018, an increase of $55.6 million. Operating income was $46.0 million for fiscal year 2019 compared to $31.4 million for fiscal year 2018, an increase of $14.6 million, which was primarily attributable to the revenue growth and gross margin improvement, partially offset by higher operating expenses. We generated income from continuing operations of $9.6 million during fiscal year 2019 as compared to $67.7 million in fiscal year 2018. This decrease was primarily attributable to an increase in income taxes of $47.1 million driven by the release of the tax valuation allowance of $77.2 million in fiscal year 2018. Additional factors contributing to the decrease in income from continuing operations compared to the prior fiscal year include a loss on extinguishment of debt of $14.3 million and higher interest expense of $12.7 million in fiscal year 2019, partially offset by an increase in operating income of $14.6 million. Please refer to the “Results of Operations” section below for a detailed discussion of our financial results for the fiscal year 2019 compared to fiscal year 2018.

Cash Flows and Liquidity - Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and marketable securities were $342.1 million at September 30, 2019 as compared to $251.2 million at September 30, 2018. The increase in cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $90.9 million was primarily attributable to cash inflows of $661.6 million related to proceeds from the sale of our semiconductor cryogenics business and cash inflows of $90.9 million generated from our operating activities, partially offset by net cash outflows of $442.7 million to acquire GENEWIZ, net cash outflows of $163.8 million related to principal payments made on and proceeds received from our term loans, cash dividends paid of $28.9 million and capital expenditures of $23.9 million. Please refer to the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section below for a detailed discussion of our liquidity and changes in cash flows for fiscal year 2019 compared to fiscal year 2018.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to revenue, intangible assets,

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goodwill, inventories, income taxes, and stock-based compensation. We base our estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. We evaluate current and anticipated worldwide economic conditions, both in general and specifically in relation to the semiconductor and life science industries, that serve as a basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily determinable based on information from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions that could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

We believe that the assumptions and estimates associated with the following critical accounting policies involve significant judgment and thus have the most significant potential impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Revenue Recognition

We generate revenue from the sale of products and services. A description of our revenue recognition policies is included in the Note 2, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this Form 10-K.

Although most of our sales agreements contain standard terms and conditions, certain agreements contain multiple performance obligations or non-standard terms and conditions. For customer contracts that contain more than one performance obligation, we allocate the total transaction consideration to each performance obligation based on the relative stand-alone selling price of each performance obligation within the contract. We rely on either observable standalone sales or an expected cost plus margin approach to determine the standalone selling price of offerings, depending on the nature of the performance obligation. Performance obligations whose standalone selling price is estimated using an expected cost plus margin approach relate to the sale of customized automated cold sample management systems and service-type warranties within the Brooks Life Sciences segment.

Revenue from the sales of certain products that involve significant customization, which include primarily automated cold sample management systems is recognized over time as the asset created by our performance does not have alternative use to us and an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date is present. We recognize revenue as work progresses based on a percentage of actual labor hours incurred on the project to-date and total estimated labor hours expected to be incurred on the project. The selection of the method to measure progress towards completion requires judgment. We have concluded that using the percentage of labor hours incurred to estimated labor hours needed to complete the project most appropriately depicts our efforts towards satisfaction of the performance obligation. We develop profit estimates for long-term contracts based on total revenue expected to be generated from the project and total costs anticipated to be incurred in the project. These estimates are based on a number of factors, including the degree of required product customization and the work required to be able to install the product in the customer’s existing environment, as well as our historical experience, project plans and an assessment of the risks and uncertainties inherent in the contract related to implementation delays or performance issues that may or may not be within our control. We estimate a loss on a contract by comparing total estimated contract revenue to the total estimated contract costs and recognize a loss during the period in which it becomes probable and can be reasonably estimated. We review profit estimates for long-term contracts during each reporting period and revise the estimate based on changes in circumstances.

If our judgment regarding revenue recognition proves incorrect, our revenue in particular periods may be adversely affected and could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Business Combinations

We account for business acquisitions using the purchase method of accounting, in accordance with which assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recorded at their respective fair values at the acquisition date. The fair value of the consideration paid, including contingent consideration, is assigned to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their respective fair values. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed.

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Significant judgment is used in determining fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, as well as intangibles and their estimated useful lives. Fair value and useful life determinations are based on, among other factors, estimates of future expected cash flows, royalty cost savings and appropriate discount rates used in computing present values. Particularly for GENEWIZ, management applied significant judgement in estimating the fair value of the acquired intangible assets, which involved significant estimates and assumptions with respect to forecast revenue growth rates, gross margin percentage, selling, general, and administrative expenses and the discount rate. These judgments may materially impact the estimates used in allocating acquisition date fair values to assets acquired and liabilities assumed, as well as our current and future operating results. Actual results may vary from these estimates that may result in adjustments to goodwill and acquisition date fair values of assets and liabilities during a measurement period or upon a final determination of asset and liability fair values, whichever occurs first. Adjustments to fair values of assets and liabilities made after the end of the measurement period are recorded within our operating results.

Changes in the fair value of contingent consideration resulting from a change in the underlying inputs are recognized in results of operations until the arrangement is settled.

Intangible Assets, Goodwill and Other Long-Lived Assets

We have identified intangible assets and generated significant goodwill as a result of our acquisitions. Intangible assets other than goodwill are valued based on estimated future cash flows and amortized over their estimated useful lives. Goodwill is tested for impairment annually or more often if impairment indicators are present, at the reporting unit level. Intangible assets other than goodwill and long-lived assets are subject to impairment testing if events and circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or a group of assets may not be recoverable.

The goodwill impairment test is performed at the reporting unit level. A reporting unit is either an operating segment or one level below it, which is referred to as a “component.” The level at which the impairment test is performed requires an assessment of whether the operations below an operating segment constitute a self-sustaining business, in which case testing is generally performed at this level.

We have three operating and two reportable segments consisting of Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group and Brooks Life Sciences. We have five reporting units, including three reporting units within the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group operating segment and two reporting units which is the Brooks Life Sciences operating segment.

We perform our annual goodwill impairment assessment on April 1^st of each fiscal year. We evaluate a reporting unit’s goodwill for impairment between annual tests if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of such reporting unit below its carrying value In accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles- Goodwill and Other, we initially assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances indicates that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If we determine, based on this assessment, that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we perform a quantitative goodwill impairment test by comparing the reporting unit’s fair value with its carrying value. An impairment loss is recognized for the amount by which the reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, up to the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. No impairment loss is recognized if the fair value of the reporting exceeds its carrying value.

We determine fair values of our reporting units based on an income approach in accordance with the discounted cash flow method, or DCF Method. The DCF Method is based on projected future cash flows and terminal value estimates discounted to their present values. Terminal value represents a present value an investor would pay on the valuation date for the rights to the cash flows of the business for the years subsequent to the discrete cash flow projection period. We consider the DCF Method to be the most appropriate valuation technique since it is based on management’s long-term financial projections. Due to the cyclical nature of the semiconductor equipment market, management’s projections as of the valuation date are considered more subjective since market metrics of peer companies fluctuate during the cycle. In addition, we also compare aggregate values of our net corporate assets and reporting unit fair values to our overall market capitalization and use certain market-based valuation techniques to test the reasonableness of the reporting unit fair values determined in accordance with the DCF Method. The observable inputs used in the DCF Method include discount rates that are at or above our weighted-average cost of capital. We derive discount rates that are

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commensurate with the risks and uncertainties inherent in the respective businesses and our internally developed projections of future cash flows.

We completed our annual goodwill impairment test as of April 1, 2019 for our five reporting units: Automation Solutions, Contamination Control Solutions and Global Semiconductor Services within the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment, as well as Sample Management and GENEWIZ within the Brooks Life Sciences segment. Based on the test results, we determined that no adjustment to goodwill was necessary. We conducted a qualitative assessment for the three reporting units within the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment and determined that it was more likely than not that their fair values were more than their carrying values. As a result of the analysis, we did not perform the quantitative assessment for these reporting units and did not recognize any impairment losses. We performed the quantitative goodwill impairment test for the two reporting units within the Brooks Life Sciences segment. We determined that no adjustment to goodwill was necessary for these two reporting units. The Sample Management reporting unit’s fair value significantly exceeded book value. The GENEWIZ reporting unit, which was recently acquired, had a fair value slightly above its book value.

Application of the goodwill impairment test requires judgment based on market and operational conditions at the time of the evaluation, including management’s best estimates of the reporting unit’s future business activity and the related estimates and assumptions of future cash flows from the assets that include the associated goodwill. Different assumptions of forecasted sales volumes, product costs, future cash flows, risk-adjusted weighted average cost of capital discount rate, as well as long-term growth rate projections used in the DCF model could results in different estimates of the reporting unit’s fair value as of each testing date.

We are required to test long-lived assets, other than goodwill, for impairment when impairment indicators are present. For purposes of this test, long-lived assets are grouped with other assets and liabilities at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. If we determine that indicators of potential impairment are present, we assess the recoverability of the long-lived asset group by comparing its undiscounted future cash flows to its carrying value. If the carrying value of the long-lived asset group exceeds its future cash flows, we determine fair values of the individual net assets within the long-lived asset group to assess potential impairment. If the aggregate fair values of the individual net assets of the group are less than their carrying values, an impairment loss is recognized for an amount in excess of the group’s aggregate carrying value over its fair value. The loss is allocated to the assets within the group based on their relative carrying values, with no asset reduced below its fair value. We did not test our long-lived assets for impairment during fiscal years 2019 and 2018 since no events indicating impairment occurred during the periods then ended.

Inventory

We state our inventory at the lower of cost or market amount and make adjustments to reduce the inventory cost to its net realizable value by providing estimated reserves for obsolete or unmarketable inventory. The reserves are established for the difference between the cost of inventory and its estimated market value based on assumptions related to future demand and market conditions. We fully reserve for inventories and non-cancelable purchase orders for inventory deemed obsolete. We perform periodic reviews of our inventory to identify excess inventories on hand. We compare on-hand inventory balances to anticipated inventory usage based on our recent historical activity and anticipated or forecasted demand for our products developed through our planning systems and sales and marketing inputs.

We adjust the reserves for obsolete or unmarketable inventory and record additional inventory write downs based on unfavorable changes in estimated customer demand or actual market conditions that may differ from management projections.

Deferred Income Taxes

We record a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. We consider recent historical income, estimated future taxable income, carry-forward periods of tax attributes, the volatility of the semiconductor industry and ongoing tax planning strategies in assessing the need for the valuation allowance. Throughout fiscal year 2017 we maintained a full valuation allowance against our U.S. net deferred tax assets

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along with those of certain foreign tax-paying components. We evaluate the realizability of our deferred tax assets by tax-paying component and assess the need for a valuation allowance on an annual and quarterly basis. We evaluate the profitability of each tax-paying component on a historic cumulative basis and on a forward-looking basis while performing this analysis.  After evaluating all the relevant positive and negative evidence as of March 31, 2018, we concluded that it was more likely than not that a substantial portion of the U.S. deferred tax assets would be realized. In the second quarter of fiscal year 2018 we reached a significant level of cumulative profitability in the U.S., coupled with an improved outlook of U.S. earnings. During the full fiscal year 2018, we reduced our U.S. valuation against our U.S. net deferred tax assets resulting in a tax benefit of $77.2 million. The remaining portion of our U.S. valuation allowance is related to the realizability of certain state tax credits and net operating loss carry-forwards. We also continue to maintain valuation allowances against net deferred tax assets in certain foreign tax-paying components as of the end of fiscal year 2019.

Stock-Based Compensation

We measure compensation cost for all employee stock awards at fair value on the date of grant and recognize compensation expense over the service period for awards expected to vest. The fair value of restricted stock units is determined based on the number of shares granted and the closing price of our common stock quoted on Nasdaq on the date of grant, and the fair value of stock options is determined using the Black-Scholes valuation model. Such fair values are recognized as expense over the service period, net of estimated forfeitures. The estimation of stock awards that will ultimately vest requires significant judgment. We consider many factors when estimating expected forfeitures, including types of awards, employee class, and historical experience. In addition, for stock-based awards where vesting is dependent upon achieving certain operating performance goals, we estimate the likelihood of achieving the performance goals. Actual results, and future changes in estimates, may differ from our current estimates.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

For a summary of recently issued accounting pronouncements applicable to our Consolidated Financial Statements which is incorporated here by reference, please refer to Note 2, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Form 10-K.

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The difference in reported revenue due to the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard was a net decrease of $2.8 million for fiscal year 2019.

We anticipate continued growth in revenue from our Brooks Life Sciences segment through our internally-developed products and services and through our acquired businesses. We will continue to seek opportunities to expand our market share in the semiconductor and adjacent technology markets served by our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment. Our sales into the semiconductor and adjacent technology markets are substantially capital investments for our customers and these markets are cyclical, often fluctuating significantly from quarter to quarter. Demand for our Brooks Semiconductor Solution Group products is affected by these cycles.

Revenue generated outside the United States amounted to $455.6 million, or 58% of total revenue, for fiscal year 2019 compared to $398.9 million, or 63% of total revenue, for fiscal year 2018.

Operating Income

We reported operating income of $46.0 million for fiscal year 2019 compared to $31.4 million for fiscal year 2018. The increase of 47% is driven by higher revenue and gross profit, partially offset by an increase in both research and development expenses and selling, general and administrative expenses compared to the prior fiscal year. Drivers of the increases to research and development and selling, general and administrative expenses are described below.

Operating income for our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Segment was $66.2 million for fiscal year 2019 compared to $58.4 million for fiscal year 2018. Operating income includes charges for amortization related to completed technology of $3.6 million and $3.4 million for fiscal years 2019 and 2018, respectively and includes inventory step-up charges of $0.2 million and $0.7 million for fiscal years 2019 and 2018, respectively. Adjusted operating income for our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment, which excludes the charges mentioned above, was $70.0 million for fiscal year 2019 compared to $62.5 million in fiscal year 2018. Please refer to Note 21, “Segment Information”.

Operating income for our Brooks Life Sciences segment was $13.5 million for fiscal year 2019 compared to $1.2 million for fiscal year 2018. Operating income for our Brooks Life Sciences segment includes charges for amortization related to completed technology of $6.8 million and $1.5 million for fiscal years 2019 and 2018, respectively. Fiscal year 2018 includes $1.2 million inventory step-up charges. There were no inventory step-up charges for fiscal year 2019. Fiscal year 2019 includes restructuring related charges of $0.3 million. There were no restructuring related charges for fiscal year 2018. Adjusted operating income for our Brooks Life Sciences segment, which excludes the charges mentioned above, was $20.6 million for fiscal year 2019 compared to $3.8 million in fiscal year 2018. Please refer to Note 21, “Segment Information”.

Gross Margin

We reported gross margins of 40.5% for fiscal year 2019 compared to 39.0% for fiscal year 2018. Gross margin increased 3.6 points in the Brooks Life Sciences segment and increased 0.7 points in the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions segment. Cost of revenue for fiscal year 2019 included $10.4 million of charges for amortization related to completed technology as compared to $4.9 million incurred during fiscal year 2018. The increase compared to the prior year period was due to the amortization of intangible assets acquired with GENEWIZ. Additionally, cost of revenue for fiscal year 2019 also included $0.3 million of restructuring related charges and $0.2 million of inventory step-up charges from acquisitions, compared to the prior year period which included $1.9 million of inventory step-up charges. The difference in reported gross margin due to the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard was a net increase in gross profit of $1.0 million for fiscal year 2019.

Our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment reported gross margins of 40.7% for fiscal year 2019 compared to 40.0% for fiscal year 2018. Margins improved on the impact of product mix, and lower production material variances. Cost of revenue during fiscal year 2019 included $3.6 million of amortization related to completed technology compared to $3.4 million during fiscal year 2018. During fiscal years 2019 and 2018, cost of revenue included $0.2 million and $0.7 million, respectively, of inventory step-up charges, which were attributable to the

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acquisition of Tec-Sem. The difference in reported gross margin due to the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard was a net increase in gross profit of $1.9 million for fiscal year 2019.

Our Brooks Life Sciences segment reported gross margins of 40.3% for fiscal year 2019 compared to 36.7% for fiscal year 2018. Margins benefitted from the impact of GENEWIZ, acquired in November of 2018, which carries higher than average gross margins, and improved in gross margins in Sample Management driven by consumables and instruments and BioStorage services.  These benefits were offset by lower margins in our manufactured automated stores business, which experienced cost overruns in the areas of production and project management.  Cost of revenue during fiscal year 2019 included $6.8 million of amortization related to completed technology as compared to $1.5 million incurred during fiscal year 2018. During fiscal year 2019, cost of revenue included $0.3 million of restructuring related charges and during fiscal year 2018, cost of revenue included $1.2 million of inventory step-up charges. The difference in reported gross margin due to the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard was a net decrease in gross profit of $0.9 million for fiscal year 2019.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses were $56.4 million in fiscal year 2019 compared to $46.9 million in fiscal year 2018. The increase of $9.4 million was due to increased expense of $5.3 million within the Brooks Life Sciences segment and $4.1 million within the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment.

Research and development expenses in our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment were $39.1 million in fiscal year 2019 compared to $34.9 million in fiscal year 2018. Higher research and development expenses were primarily attributable to employee related costs of $2.2 million and outside services of $1.1 million. The additional months of Tec-Sem under ownership acquired in April of 2018, drove $1.3 million of the increase.

Research and development expenses in our Brooks Life Sciences Segment were $17.3 million in fiscal 2019 compared to $12.0 million in fiscal year 2018. The acquisition of GENEWIZ in November of 2018 added $5.0 million of expense in fiscal year 2019.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses were $212.0 million in fiscal year 2019 compared to $167.0 million in fiscal year 2018. The increase of $44.9 million was due to increased expense of $44.8 million within the Brooks Life Sciences Segment. Corporate expenses, not allocated to segments, were $31.8 million in in fiscal year 2019, compared to $27.4 million in fiscal year 2018. Corporate unallocated expenses included amortization expense related primarily to customer relationships of $24.7 million and $19.3 million, during fiscal years 2019 and 2018 respectively, and merger and acquisition related expenses of $6.7 million and $6.9 million, during fiscal years 2019 and 2018 respectively. These increases were partially offset by a $4.2 million decrease within the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Segment.

Selling, general, and administrative expenses in our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment were $76.4 million in fiscal year 2019 compared to $80.6 million in fiscal year 2018. The decrease of $4.2 million is primarily related to a reduction in corporate allocated expenses, due to the addition of GENEWIZ, and lower variable compensation expense. The additional months of Tec-Sem under ownership acquired in April of 2018, drove $0.4 million of the increase.

Selling, general, and administrative expenses in our Brooks Life Sciences segment were $103.8 million in fiscal year 2019 compared to $59.0 million in fiscal year 2018. The increase of $44.8 million is primarily related to GENEWIZ, which added, $39.8 million of expense.

Restructuring Charges

We recorded restructuring charges of $1.9 million during fiscal year 2019 as compared to $0.7 million during fiscal year 2018.

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Restructuring Charges Incurred During Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019

Restructuring charges of $1.9 million incurred during fiscal year 2019 were related to severance costs and consisted primarily of actions initiated during the second half of fiscal year 2019. Of these charges, $1.3 million related to the continued action to eliminate redundancies in both our Brooks Life Sciences segment and our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment primarily due to acquisitions. Cost savings realized during fiscal year 2019 related to these actions were $0.4 million in the Brooks Life Sciences segment and $0.6 million in the Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment. During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2019, the Company initiated the first phase of an action to eliminate costs within our Brooks Life Sciences segment’s sample management business. During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2019, the Brooks Life Sciences segment incurred severance costs related to this action of $0.6 million. Cost savings realized during fiscal year 2019 related to this action were nominal as it was initiated in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2019.

Restructuring Charges Incurred During Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018

Restructuring charges of $0.7 million incurred during fiscal year 2018 were related to severance costs and consisted primarily of actions initiated during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2018. Of these charges, $0.3 million related to the integration of Tec-Sem which was acquired during fiscal year 2018 as part of our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group segment and $0.3 million related to the announced closure of our Denmark facility which will eliminate redundancies in our Brooks Life Sciences segment. Cost savings realized during fiscal year 2019 related to these actions in our Brooks Semiconductor Solutions Group and our Brooks Life Sciences segment Group were $0.4 million and $0.5 million, respectively. Cost savings realized during fiscal year 2018 related to these actions were nominal as these actions were initiated during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2018.

Non-Operating Income (Expenses)

Interest income – During fiscal years 2019 and 2018, we recorded interest income of $1.5 million and $1.9 million respectively, which represented interest earned on our marketable securities.

Interest expense – During fiscal years 2019 and 2018, we recorded interest expense of $22.2 million and $9.5 million, respectively. The increase in interest expense during fiscal year 2019 primarily related to the incremental term loan originated in November 2018. Please refer to the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section below for further information on the term loan.

Loss on extinguishment of debt - During fiscal year 2019, we recorded losses on extinguishment of debt of $14.3 million of which $9.1 million was in connection with the syndication of the incremental term loan secured during the first quarter of fiscal 2019. The syndication to a new group of lenders during the second quarter of fiscal 2019 met the criteria of a debt extinguishment and therefore the amortization of the deferred financing costs associated with the origination of the incremental term loan was accelerated and recorded as a loss on extinguishment of debt in our statement of operations. In addition, as a result of the $495.3 million extinguishment of debt during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2019, we recorded an additional $5.2 million loss on extinguishment of debt.

Other expenses, net – During fiscal years 2019 and 2018 we recorded other expenses, net of $1.5 million and $3.3 million, respectively. The $1.8 million decrease in expense was primarily attributable to higher foreign currency exchange losses of $1.5 million recognized during fiscal year 2018 as compared to the current fiscal year period. Please refer to Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk – Currency Rate Exposure” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information about these currency exchange losses.

Income Tax Provision

We recorded an income tax benefit on continuing operations of $0.1 million in fiscal year 2019 compared to an income tax benefit of $47.3 million in fiscal year 2018. The income tax benefit during fiscal year 2019 was driven primarily by benefits in the U.S. jurisdiction related to continuing operations losses, research tax credits, and stock compensation deductions in excess of book expenses. We also recorded a $1.4 million benefit due to a state tax change that resulted from the acquisition of GENEWIZ. We also recorded a tax provision of $3.0 million during the year related to changes in the toll charge recorded during 2018. The provision was the result of a change in tax legislation

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and the completion of all accounting of the charge under Staff Accounting Bulletin No.118. The overall benefit for fiscal year 2019 was partially offset by the tax provisions on earnings in our foreign jurisdictions during the year. The income tax benefit during fiscal year 2018 was driven primarily by the reversal of the valuation allowance against a substantial portion of the U.S. net deferred tax assets, offset by the estimated toll charge of $8.0 million on our taxable foreign earnings, net of foreign tax credits, associated with the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act during fiscal year 2018. The tax benefit for fiscal year 2018 also included a $0.7 million tax benefit related to the re-measurement of net U.S. deferred tax liabilities to account for the reduced 21 percent statutory federal income tax rate. The overall benefit for fiscal year 2018 was partially offset by the tax provisions on earnings in our foreign jurisdictions during the year.

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Discontinued Operations

On July 1, 2019, we completed the sale of the semiconductor cryogenics business which we include as a discontinued operation. We incurred revenue from discontinued operations of $109.5 million for fiscal year 2019 and $427.9 million of net income for fiscal year 2019, which includes the net gain on sale of the business of $408.6 million. We incurred revenue and net income related to the semiconductor cryogenics business of $196.1 million and $48.7 million, respectively for fiscal year 2018. The net income is also inclusive of income from the UCI joint venture in 2019 and 2018. The income from discontinued operations only includes direct operating expenses incurred that (1) are clearly identifiable as costs being disposed of upon completion of the sale and (2) will not be continued by the Company on an ongoing basis. Indirect expenses which supported the Cryogenics business, and which will remain as part of the continuing operations, are not reflected in income from discontinued operations.

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future would not result in U.S. federal income tax. Our intent is to permanently reinvest these funds outside of the U.S. and our current operating plans do not demonstrate a need to repatriate these funds for our U.S. operations. We had marketable securities of $37.0 million and $53.5 million as of September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Our marketable securities are generally readily convertible to cash without an adverse impact.

Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018

Overview

Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and marketable securities were $342.1 million at September 30, 2019 as compared to $251.2 million at September 30, 2018. The increase in cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and marketable securities of $90.9 million was primarily attributable to cash inflows of $661.6 million related to proceeds from the sale of our semiconductor cryogenics business and cash inflows of $90.9 million generated from our operating activities, partially offset by net cash outflows of $442.7 million to acquire GENEWIZ, net cash outflows of $163.8 million related to proceeds received and principal payments made on our term loans, cash dividends paid of $28.9 million, and capital expenditures of $23.9 million.

Divestiture and Extinguishment of Debt

In 2019, we completed the sale of the semiconductor cryogenics business for $661.5 million which excludes $6.3 million retained by the buyer at closing to preliminarily settle net working capital adjustments. Net proceeds from the sale were $553.1 million, net of estimated taxes payable and closing costs. In connection with the completion of the sale of our semiconductor cryogenics business, we used $348.3 million of the cash proceeds from the sale to extinguish the total remaining outstanding balance of the incremental term loan and $147.0 million of the cash proceeds from the sale to extinguish a portion of the outstanding balance of the term loan. The total amount of debt extinguished was $495.3 million.

Operating Activities

Cash flows from operating activities can fluctuate significantly from period to period as earnings, working capital needs and the timing of payments for income taxes, restructuring activities and other charges impact reported cash flows.

Cash flows provided by operating activities were $90.9 million during fiscal year 2019 and comprised primarily of earnings of $84.6 million and sources of cash provided by changes in operating assets and liabilities of $6.3 million. Earnings of $84.6 million consists of net income of $437.4 million offset by the impact of non-cash related charges of $352.8 million which includes the net gain on the sale of our semiconductor cryogenics business of $408.6 million and $13.4 million of contingent transaction fees paid related to the closing of the sale of the cryogenics business. The changes in operating assets and liabilities which results in sources of cash consisted primarily of an increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities which includes accrued taxes of approximately $95 million related to the sale of our semiconductor cryogenics business, as well as decreases in accounts receivable, prepaids and other current assets and an increase of deferred revenue. These sources of cash were partially offset by decreased accrued compensation and tax withholdings. Cash flows provided by operating activities were $74.0 million during fiscal year 2018 comprised primarily of earnings of $120.6 million, including net income of $116.5 million and the impact of non-cash related charges of $4.1 million. Partially offsetting these items were the uses of cash of $46.6 million related to the changes in our operating assets and liabilities. The changes in operating assets and liabilities that resulted in a use of cash consisted primarily of an increase in accounts receivable as a result of higher revenue and an increase in inventory levels to support the growth of our business. These uses of cash were partially offset by sources of cash related primarily to increases in accounts payable as well as increased accrued compensation and tax withholdings.

Net income from discontinued operations contributed $427.9 million and $48.7 million for fiscal years ended 2019 and 2018, respectively, in the net income referenced for the respective periods above. Net income for fiscal year 2019 includes the net gain on sale of the semiconductor cryogenics business of $408.6 million. The sale of the semiconductor

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cryogenics business was completed on July 1, 2019 and may negatively impacted in future periods by the completion of sale of our cryogenic business.

Investing Activities

Cash flows from investing activities consist primarily of cash used for acquisitions, proceeds from divestitures, capital expenditures and purchases of marketable securities as well as cash proceeds generated from sales and maturities of marketable securities. Cash provided by investing activities was $211.3 million during fiscal year 2019 and consisted of $661.6 million related to the proceeds from the sale of our semiconductor cryogenics business, partially offset by net cash outflows of $442.7 million to acquire GENEWIZ, $23.9 million of capital expenditures, and net purchases, sales and maturities of marketable securities of $16.2 million. Cash used in investing activities of $148.5 million during fiscal year 2018 included cash payments of $85.8 million for acquisitions, $69.7 million for purchases of marketable securities and $12.8 million of capital expenditures, partially offset by cash inflows from sales and maturities of marketable securities of $19.1 million and $0.7 million in proceeds from other investments and sales of property, plant and equipment.

Capital expenditures are made primarily for increasing capacity, replacing equipment, supporting new product development and improving information technology infrastructure. Capital expenditures were $23.9 million during fiscal year 2019 as compared to $12.8 million during the fiscal year 2018.

Financing Activities

Cash used for financing activities was $191.2 million during fiscal year 2019 and included net cash outflows of $163.8 million primarily related to the extinguishment of debt and principal payments on our term loans totaling $850.2 million offset by proceeds of $686.4 million. Proceeds from the incremental term loan in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019 were $340.5 million. In the second quarter of fiscal year 2019, we syndicated the incremental term loan which resulted in an extinguishment of the incremental term loan of $349.1 million and proceeds from syndication of $345.2 million. Cash outflows also included cash dividends paid of $28.9 million. Cash provided by financing activities was $170.3 million during fiscal year 2018 as compared to $25.9 million used in financing activities during fiscal year 2017. Cash provided by financing activities during fiscal year 2018 included cash inflows of $197.6 million related to proceeds from the term loan originated in October 2017, partially offset by cash dividend payments to our shareholders of $28.3 million and principal payments on the term loan of $1.5 million.

China Facility

In April 2019, we committed to construct a facility in Suzhou China, to consolidate the Suzhou operations of the GENEWIZ business and provide an infrastructure to support future growth.  The facility will be constructed in two phases.  We expect to incur $50.0 to $55.0 million of capital expenditures related to this facility over the next five years, of which $0.7 million was incurred during fiscal year 2019.

Capital Resources

Term Loans

On October 4, 2017, we entered into a $200.0 million term loan with Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC pursuant to the terms of a credit agreement with the lenders. The term loan was issued at $197.6 million, or 98.8% of its par value, resulting in a discount of $2.4 million, or 1.2%, which represented loan origination fees paid at the closing. The loan principal amount may be increased by an aggregate amount equal to $75.0 million plus any voluntary repayments of the term loan plus any additional amount such that our secured leverage ratio is less than 3.00 to 1.00.

The term loan matures and becomes fully payable on October 4, 2024. Installment principal payments equal to 0.25% of the initial principal amount of the term loan are payable on the last day of each quarter, with any remaining principal amount becoming due and payable on the maturity date. Subject to certain conditions stated in the credit agreement, we may redeem the term loan at any time at our option without a significant premium or penalty, except for a

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repricing transaction, as defined in the credit agreement. We are required to redeem the term loan at the principal amount then outstanding upon the occurrence of certain events, as set forth in the credit agreement.

On November 15, 2018, we entered into an incremental amendment to the credit agreement under which we obtained an incremental term loan in an aggregate principal amount of $350.0 million, issued at $340.5 million. The proceeds of the incremental term loan were used to pay a portion of the purchase price for our acquisition of GENEWIZ. On February 15, 2019, we entered into the second amendment to the credit agreement and syndicated the incremental term loan to a group of new lenders. The syndicated incremental term loan was issued at $345.2 million. Except as provided for in the amendments, the incremental term loan was subject to the same terms and conditions of the initial term loan.

On July 1, 2019, in connection with the completion of the sale of our semiconductor cryogenics business, we used $348.3 million of the cash proceeds from the transaction to extinguish the outstanding balance at July 1, 2019 of the incremental term loan and $147.0 million of the cash proceeds from the transaction to extinguish a portion of the outstanding balance at July 1, 2019 of the term loan. The total amount of debt extinguished on July 1, 2019 was $495.3 million. At September 30, 2019, the outstanding term loan principal balance was $51.1 million, excluding unamortized deferred financing costs of $0.5 million.

The credit agreement, as amended, for contains certain customary representations and warranties, covenants and events of default. As of September 30, 2019, we were in compliance with all covenants and conditions under the credit agreement, as amended.

In connection with our acquisition of GENEWIZ in November 2018, we assumed three five-year term loans and two one-year term loans. At September 30, 2019, we had an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $1.7 million under the three five-year term loans. The two one-year short term loans matured and were repaid in full as of September 30, 2019.

At September 30, 2019, the aggregate outstanding principal balance of all of the outstanding term loans was $51.1 million, excluding unamortized deferred financing costs of $0.5 million. Borrowings under the term loans bear variable interest rates. As a result, we may experience exposure to interest rate risk due to the potential volatility associated with the variable interest rates on the term loans. If rates increase, we may be subject to higher costs of servicing the loans which could reduce our profitability and cash flows. During the year ended September 30, 2019, the weighted average stated interest rate on the term loans was 5.3%. During the year ended September 30, 2019, we incurred aggregate interest expense of $21.9 million on the term loans, including $1.1 million of deferred financing costs amortization. Our debt service requirements are expected to be funded through our existing sources of liquidity and operating cash flows.

Line of Credit Facility

We maintain a revolving line of credit with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A that provides for revolving credit financing of up to $75.0 million, subject to borrowing base availability, as defined in the credit agreement. The line of credit matures on October 4, 2022. The proceeds from the line of credit are available for permitted acquisitions and general corporate purposes.

As of September 30, 2019, we had approximately $40.4 million available for borrowing under the line of credit. There were no amounts outstanding pursuant to the line of credit as of September 30, 2019. The amount of funds available for borrowing under the line of credit arrangement may fluctuate each period based on our borrowing base availability. The line of credit contains certain customary representations and warranties, a financial covenant, affirmative and negative covenants, as well as events of default. We were in compliance with the line of credit covenants as of September 30, 2019. Although we believe we will be able to generate sufficient cash in the United States and foreign jurisdictions to fund future operating costs, we secured the revolving line of credit as an additional assurance for maintaining liquidity in the United States during potentially severe downturns of the cyclical semiconductor market, as well as for strategic investments and acquisitions.

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Shelf Registration Statement

On August 8, 2019, we filed a registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC to sell securities, including common stock, preferred stock, warrants, debt securities, depository shares, purchase contracts and purchase units in amounts to be determined at the time of an offering. Any such offering, if it does occur, may happen in one or more transactions. The specific terms of any securities to be sold will be described in supplemental filings with the SEC. This registration statement will expire on August 7, 2022.

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On November 1, 2019, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $0.10 per share of our common stock. The total dividend of approximately $7.4 million will be paid on December 20, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 6, 2019. Dividends are declared at the discretion of our Board of Directors and depend on actual cash flow from operations, our financial condition, capital requirements and any other factors our Board of Directors may consider relevant. We intend to pay quarterly cash dividends in the future; however, the amount and timing of these dividends may be impacted by the cyclical nature of certain markets we serve. We may reduce, delay or cancel a quarterly cash dividend based on the severity of a cyclical downturn.

Share Repurchase Program

On September 29, 2015, our Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program for up to $50.0 million worth of our common stock. The timing and amount of any shares repurchased are based on market and business conditions, legal requirements and other factors and may be commenced or suspended at any time at our discretion. There were no shares repurchased under this program during fiscal year 2019.

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The letters of credit of approximately $1.3 million are related primarily to customer advances and other performance obligations at September 30, 2019. These arrangements guarantee the refund of advance payments received from our customers in the event that the product is not delivered or warranty obligations are not fulfilled in accordance with the contract terms. These obligations could be called by the beneficiaries at any time before the expiration date of the particular letter of credit if we fail to meet certain contractual requirements. None of these obligations were called during fiscal year 2019, and we currently do not anticipate any of these obligations to be called in the near future.

As of September 30, 2019, the total amount of net unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions and the accrual for the related interest was $18.3 million, all of which represents a potential future cash outlay. In comparison to September 30, 2018 where the balance was $3.5 million. The increase results from a $13.4 million of unrecognized tax benefits recorded with the acquisition of GENEWIZ. We are unable to make a reasonably reliable estimate of the timing of the cash settlement for this liability since the timing of future tax examinations by various tax jurisdictions and the related resolution is uncertain, however, we have an indemnification agreement in place for any liabilities associated with the unrecognized tax benefits recorded with the acquisition of GENEWIZ.

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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of September 30, 2019, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of SEC Regulation S-K.

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Our cash and cash equivalents consist principally of money market securities which are short-term in nature. At September 30, 2019 and 2018, our aggregate short-term and long-term investments were $37.0 million and $53.5 million, respectively, and consisted mostly of highly rated corporate debt securities and municipal securities. At September 30, 2019 and 2018, the unrealized loss position on marketable securities was insignificant, which is included in “Accumulated other comprehensive income” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. A hypothetical 100 basis point change in interest rates would result in an annual change of approximately $0.3 million and less than $1.0 million, respectively, in interest income earned in fiscal years 2019 and 2018.

Currency Rate Exposure

We have transactions and balances denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Most of these transactions or balances are denominated in Euros, British Pounds and a variety of Asian currencies. Sales in currencies other than the U.S. dollar were 35% and 34%, respectively, of our total sales for fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and 2018. These sales were made primarily by our foreign subsidiaries, which have cost structures that substantially align with the currency of sale.

In the normal course of our business, we have liquid assets denominated in non-functional currencies which include cash, short-term advances between our legal entities and accounts receivable which are subject to foreign currency exposure. Such balances were approximately $117.7 million and $84.7 million, respectively, at September 30, 2019 and 2018, and related to the Euro, British Pound and a variety of Asian currencies. We mitigate the impact of potential currency translation losses on these short-term intercompany advances by the timely settlement of each transaction, generally within 30 days. We also utilize forward contracts to mitigate our exposures to currency movement. We incurred foreign currency losses of $1.8 million and $3.3 million, respectively, in fiscal years 2019 and 2018, which related to the currency fluctuation on these balances between the time the transaction occurred and the ultimate settlement of the transaction. A hypothetical 10% change in foreign exchange rates would result in a change of $0.2 million and $4.9 million, respectively, in our net income during fiscal year 2019 and 2018.

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The supplementary quarterly financial information required by this Item 8 is included in Part II, Item 6, “Selected Financial Data”, and is incorporated herein by reference.

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and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

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As described in Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting, management has excluded GENEWIZ Group from its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2019 because it was acquired by the Company in a purchase business combination during fiscal year 2019. We have also excluded GENEWIZ Group from our audit of internal control over financial reporting. GENEWIZ Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary whose total assets and total revenues excluded from management’s assessment and our audit of internal control over financial reporting represent 9% and 16%, respectively, of the related consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended September 30, 2019.

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Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

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A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

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Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

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Critical Audit Matters

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The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (i) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (ii) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

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Acquisition of GENEWIZ Group – Valuation of Acquired Intangible Assets

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As described in Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements, on November 15, 2018, the Company acquired all of the outstanding capital stock of GENEWIZ Group for a total cash purchase price of $442.7 million, net of cash acquired and a working capital settlement of $0.4 million. As of September 30, 2019, the Company recorded $189.1 million of intangible assets and $235.2 million of goodwill. Management applied variations of the income approach to estimate the fair values of the intangible assets acquired. The identifiable intangible assets include customer relationships (excess earnings method) of $125.5 million, completed technology (relief from royalty method) of $44.5 million, and trademarks (relief from royalty method) of $19.1 million. Management applied significant judgment in estimating the fair value of the acquired intangible assets, which involved significant estimates and assumptions with respect to forecast revenue growth rates, gross margin percentage, selling, general, and administrative expenses, and the discount rate.

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The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the valuation of the acquired intangible assets is a critical audit matter are there was significant judgment by management when developing the fair value measurement of the acquired intangible assets. This in turn led to a high degree of auditor judgment, subjectivity, and effort in performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence relating to management’s estimates of forecast revenue growth rates, gross margin percentage, selling, general, and administrative expenses, and the discount rate. In addition, the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge to assist in performing procedures over the discount rate and evaluating the audit evidence obtained.

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Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to the acquisition accounting, including controls over management’s valuation of the acquired intangible assets and assumptions related to forecast revenue growth rates, gross margin percentage, selling, general, and administrative expenses and the discount rate. These procedures also included, among others, testing management’s process for determining the fair value measurements. This included evaluating the appropriateness of the valuation methods and reasonableness of significant assumptions used by management, including forecast revenue growth rates, gross margin percentage, selling, general, and administrative expenses, and the discount rate. Evaluating the assumptions related to the forecast revenue growth rates, gross margin percentage, and selling, general, and administrative expenses involved whether the assumptions used were reasonable considering the past performance of the acquired entity and industry data. Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in evaluating the reasonableness of the discount rate.

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/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

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Boston, Massachusetts

December 17, 2019

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We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2016.

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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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