EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1599617
Filing Year: 2022
Filename: 1599617_10-K_2022_0000950170-22-001400.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1.	BUSINESS
Overview
NOW Inc. (“NOW” or the “Company”), headquartered in Houston, Texas, was incorporated in Delaware on November 22, 2013. On June 2, 2014, NOW stock began regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “DNOW”. We are a global distributor to the oil and gas and industrial markets with a legacy of over 150 years. We operate primarily under the DistributionNOW and DNOW brands. Through a network of approximately 180 locations and approximately 2,350 employees worldwide, we offer a complementary suite of digital procurement channels, in conjunction with our locations, that provides products to the energy and industrial markets around the world.
Additionally, through our growing DigitalNOW® platform, customers can leverage world-class technology across ecommerce, data management and supply chain optimization applications to solve a wide array of complex operational and product sourcing challenges to assist in maximizing their return on assets.
Our energy product offering is consumed throughout all sectors of the energy industry - from upstream drilling and completion, exploration and production (“E&P”), midstream infrastructure development to downstream petroleum refining and petrochemicals - as well as in other industries, such as chemical processing, mining, utilities and renewables. The industrial distribution end markets include engineering and construction firms that perform capital and maintenance projects for their end user clients. We also provide supply chain and materials management solutions to the same markets where we sell products.
Our global product offering includes consumable maintenance, repair and operating (“MRO”) supplies, pipe, valves, fittings, flanges, gaskets, fasteners, electrical, instrumentation, artificial lift, pumping solutions, valve actuation and modular process, measurement and control equipment. We also offer procurement, warehouse and inventory management solutions as part of our supply chain and materials management offering. We have developed expertise in providing application systems, work processes, parts integration, optimization solutions and after-sales support.
Our solutions include outsourcing portions or entire functions of our customers’ procurement, warehouse and inventory management, logistics, point of issue technology, project management, business process and performance metrics reporting. These solutions allow us to leverage the infrastructure of our SAP™ Enterprise Resource Planning (“ERP”) system and other technologies to streamline our customers’ purchasing process, from requisition to procurement to payment, by digitally managing workflow, improving approval routing and providing robust reporting functionality.
We support land and offshore operations for the major oil and gas producing regions around the world through our network of locations. Our key markets, beyond North America, include South America, the North Sea, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, the Former Soviet Union (“FSU”) and Africa. Products sold through our locations support greenfield expansion upstream capital projects, midstream infrastructure and transmission and MRO consumables used in day-to-day production. We provide downstream energy and industrial products for petroleum refining, chemical processing, liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) terminals, power generation utilities and customer on-site locations.
We stock or sell approximately 300,000 stock keeping units (“SKUs”) through our branch network. Our supplier network consists of thousands of vendors in approximately 40 countries. From our operations in over 20 countries, we sell to customers operating in approximately 80 countries. The supplies and equipment stocked by each of our branches are customized to meet varied and changing local customer demands. The breadth and scale of our offering enhances our value proposition to our customers, suppliers and shareholders.
We employ advanced information technologies, including a common ERP platform across most of our business, to provide complete procurement, warehouse and inventory management and logistics coordination to our customers around the globe. Having a common ERP platform allows immediate visibility into our inventory assets, operations and financials worldwide, enhancing decision making and efficiency.
Global Operations
Demand for our products is driven primarily by the level of oil and gas drilling, completions, servicing, production, transmission, refining and petrochemical activities. It is also influenced by the global supply and demand for energy, the economy in general and geopolitics. Several factors drive spending, such as investment in energy infrastructure, the North American conventional and shale plays, market expectations of future developments in the oil, natural gas, liquids, refined products, petrochemical, plant maintenance and other industrial, manufacturing and energy sectors.
We have expanded globally, through acquisitions and organic investments, in Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt, England, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) and the United States.
Summary of Reportable Segments
We operate through three reportable segments: United States (“U.S.”), Canada and International. The segment data included in our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) are presented on a basis consistent with our internal management reporting. Segment information appearing in Note 15 “Business Segments” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Part IV, Item 15 of this Form 10-K) is also presented on this basis.
United States
We have approximately 115 locations in the U.S., which are geographically positioned to best serve the upstream, midstream and downstream energy and industrial markets.
We offer higher value solutions in key product lines in the U.S. which broaden and deepen our customer relationships and related product line value. Examples of these include artificial lift, pumps, valves and valve actuation, process and production equipment, fluid transfer products, measurement and controls, spoolable and coated steel-pipe and composite pipe, along with many other products required by our customers, which enable them to focus on their core business while we manage varying degrees of their supply chain. We also provide additional value to our customers through the design, construction, assembly, fabrication and optimization of products and equipment essential to the safe and efficient production, transportation and processing of oil and gas.
Canada
We have a network of approximately 40 locations in the Canadian oilfield, predominately in the oil rich provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and other targeted locations across the country. Our Canada segment primarily serves energy exploration, production, mining and drilling business, offering customers many of the same products and value-added solutions that we perform in the U.S. In Canada, we also provide training for, and supervise the installation of, jointed and spoolable composite pipe. This product line is supported by inventory, as well as product and installation expertise to serve our customers.
International
We operate in approximately 20 countries and serve the needs of our international customers from approximately 25 locations outside the U.S. and Canada, which are strategically located in major oil and gas development areas. Our approach in these markets is similar to our approach in North America, as our customers turn to us to provide products and supply chain solutions support closer to their drilling and exploration activities. Our long legacy of operating in many international regions, combined with significant expansion into several key markets, provides a competitive advantage as few of our competitors have a presence in most of the global energy producing regions.
Distribution Industry Overview
The distribution industry is highly fragmented, comprised of large companies with global reach and numerous small, local and regional competitors. Distribution companies act both as supply stores and supply chain management providers for their customers. Distributors deliver value to their customers by serving as a supply chain partner by managing vendor networks and aggregating, carrying and distributing a wide range of product inventory from numerous vendors in locations close to the end user. As a distributor of energy and industrial markets, we offer a wide array of products and supply chain services.
We offer our products, services and supply chain solutions across the entire energy value chain, from onshore and offshore drilling of oil and gas, to the exploration and production of oil and gas, the separation, transfer, and disposal of produced water, to the midstream gathering, processing and transmission of oil, gas, water, natural gas liquids (“NGLs”), LNG, and refined petroleum products, to the downstream refining of oil, and the manufacturing of petrochemicals and specialty chemicals. In addition, we provide our products, services and supply chain solutions to other end markets including mining and minerals, municipal water and wastewater and industrial manufacturing.
We provide drilling products, MRO consumables, safety and original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”) equipment for land drilling rigs, workover rigs and initial offshore drilling rig load outs. Once rigs are contracted, commissioned and deployed, we seek to replace material and inventory consumed during drilling operations. We couple the sale of products with supply chain services in the form of inventory planning, inventory management and warehouse management. We provide a full suite of process and production equipment, pumps and compressor packages, artificial lift, steel, fiberglass and composite pipe, valves and fittings (“PVF”), instrumentation and measurement, and safety and personal protective equipment (“PPE”) in the exploration, production, separation, storage and gathering of oil and gas, as well as the separation, removal, storage and transfer of produced water.
To minimize air emissions, we provide vapor recovery systems to capture and transfer gas and volatile organic compounds during the separation and storage of oil, gas and water from operating reservoirs. For produced water, we provide fluid movement products that help our customers environmentally dispose of water. For oil streams, we provide products that measure the quality and quantity of oil and gas through the separation process and prior to distribution to the midstream sector. We offer a variety of fluid movement solutions ranging from standard to engineered pump packages and a wide variety of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (“ASME”) fabricated process and production equipment to remove water and contaminants prior to the midstream transfer of oil, NGLs and other refined products within the midstream sector. For gas processing and gas conditioning, we offer a full suite of PVF and ASME coded fabricated process equipment to efficiently and economically process and condition gas for transfer to end markets. Many of the terminals and tank farms used in the midstream space to facilitate the storage and distribution of oil, gas, NGLs, LNG, and other hydrocarbon-based fluids utilize our products. Across many of the process industries where we provide valves, we offer low emission stem packing options to help reduce emissions. We provide PVF, pumps, safety, PPE, supply chain and safety services to the refining, petrochemical, chemical and industrial industries. Our products are consumed from industrial customer’s daily MRO expenditures, customer capital projects in the form of existing plant expansions, new plant facilities, as well as planned and unplanned maintenance of processing units.
Our Distribution Channels
We offer a diverse range of products across the energy and industrial markets in the U.S., Canada and internationally. There are thousands of manufacturers of the products used in the markets in which we operate and customers demand a high level of service, responsiveness and availability across a broad set of products and vendors. These market dynamics make the distributor an essential element in the value chain for our customers. Our product offering is aligned to meet the needs of our customer base.
Energy
Energy branches are brick and mortar supply store operations that provide products to multiple upstream, midstream and downstream customers from a single location. These branches serve repeat account and walk-in retail customers. Products are inventoried in branch warehouses based on local market needs and are delivered or available for pick-up as needed. These branches serve a geographical radius and provide delivery of products and solutions. A number of locations that service these same customers provide a complementary and expanded set of supply chain services in conjunction with the sale of products.
The distribution channel includes sales and operations professionals trained in the products, applications and customer service required to support customers as they drill, explore, produce, transport and refine oil and gas and other products. The primary product offering includes line pipe, valves, fabrication, valve actuation, fittings and flanges, pumps, OEM equipment, electrical products, mill supplies, tools, safety supplies, PPE, applied products and applications, such as artificial lift systems, coatings and miscellaneous expendable items. We couple the sale of products with supply chain services in the form of inventory planning, inventory management and warehouse management. Supply chain services can be customized to a customer’s requirements and guided by a strategic framework to reduce direct material expenditures and supply chain costs, improve maintenance productivity, reduce inventory-related working capital, streamline time to revenue and manage the risk of material availability affecting business continuity.
Process Solutions
Process Solutions has a team of distribution experts, technical professionals and licensed engineers who provide expertise related to pumps, compressors and fluid movement packages, fabricated liquid and gas measurement systems and process and production equipment. Process Solutions distributes OEM equipment including pumps, generator sets, air and gas compressors, dryers, blowers, mixers and valves. Within our process and production equipment category, we produce customer lease automatic custody transfer (“LACT”) units, vapor recovery units, gas meter runs, ASME code vessels in the form of separators, heater treaters, gas conditioning systems, towers, reactors, condensate stabilizers, slug catchers and pressurized bullet tanks, pig launchers and receivers and water transfer and disposal units. After-market services include rental, machining and repair service from a team of field mechanics located throughout the central U.S.
Process Solutions serves the upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas markets as well as the municipal industrial, mining, power generation and general industries. Process Solutions also provides modular oil and gas tank battery solutions that positively impact our operator customers by enabling them to design a modular tank battery that enables flexibility and scalability for current and future production, while expediting revenue generation by reducing the time to complete a tank battery and getting oil and gas into the pipeline earlier. This solution saves our customers time and expense related to well hookup and tank battery commissioning and reduces field incident exposures due to a reduced labor requirement for battery construction.
Customers
Our primary customers are companies active in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the energy industry, including drilling contractors, well servicing companies, independent and national oil and gas companies, midstream operators, refineries, petrochemical, chemical, utilities and other downstream energy processors. We also serve a diverse range of industrial and manufacturing companies across a broad spectrum of industries and end markets. We partner with our customers to continually meet or exceed their expectations and add value as a supply chain partner in the locations where they operate. Our products are typically critical to our customers’ operations, yet represent only a small fraction of their total project or facility cost. As a result, our customers seek suppliers with established qualifications and an operational history to deliver high quality and reliable products that meet their requirements in a timely manner.
As customers increasingly aggregate purchases to improve efficiency and reduce costs, they partner with large distributors who can meet their needs for products in multiple locations around the world. Customers can procure products through our direct branch model or through our ecommerce site, http://shop.dnow.com. We believe we could benefit from consolidation among our customers, as the resulting companies seek global distributors as their source for products and related solutions.
No single customer represents more than 10% of our revenue.
Competition
The distribution companies serving the energy and industrial end markets are both numerous and competitive. This industry is highly fragmented, comprised of large distributors, each with many locations and with online ecommerce sites, who aggregate and distribute several product lines, and includes numerous smaller regional and local companies, many of which operate from a single location and either aggregate and distribute several product lines or focus on a single product line. While some large distributors compete in both markets, most companies focus on either the energy or industrial end market. In the energy market, some of the larger companies against whom we compete include Ferguson Enterprises, Inc., MRC Global, Inc., Russel Metals, Inc., DXP Enterprises, Inc. and FloWorks International LLC. In the industrial market, some of the larger companies against whom we compete include Ferguson Enterprises, Inc., W.W. Grainger Inc., HD Supply, Inc., Wesco International Inc., MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc., Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc., DXP Enterprises, Inc. and Fastenal Company.
Seasonal Nature of the Company’s Business
A portion of our business has experienced seasonal trends, to some degree, which have varied by geographic region. In the U.S., activity has historically been higher during the summer and fall months. In Canada, certain E&P activities have declined in the spring due to seasonal thaws and regulatory restrictions limiting the ability of drilling rigs and transportation to operate effectively and safely during these periods.
Human Capital Resources
At December 31, 2021, we had approximately 2,350 employees, of which approximately 100 were temporary employees. We offer market-competitive benefits for employees and opportunities for growth and advancement. We place a strong emphasis on employee growth and development and provide opportunities for valued contribution and innovation.
Training and Development Programs
The skills, knowledge and capabilities of our people are central to our success. We have developed training courses and programs, including a growing online learning platform, providing our employees an opportunity for professional development.
We recognize that the advancement and empowerment of our workforce drives a better quality of work and life for our employees, ultimately resulting in the delivery of exceptional service to our customers. As such, we have designed a range of professional and leadership development programs focused on helping our employees reach their career goals.
Recognizing Employees
Recognition of individual achievements and contributions is an important part of our culture. Our Customer Priority One program encourages customers, peers and leaders to recognize our employees, customers or vendors who exemplify the Company’s commitment to customer service. We also award Milestone Service Awards to employees for their years of service and dedication of time to our Company, which recognize employees at each five-year service anniversary.
Workforce Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to advancing an inclusive environment where diversity is appreciated and encouraged, and all employees have a sense of belonging throughout our organization. We recognize the opportunity to drive diversity in our workforce through talent acquisition and retention because we know that one of our greatest strengths is the diverse and different perspectives of our team members. We recognize that having a team with a broad range of experience, cultural characteristics and varying perspectives fortifies our brand. We believe in advocating for diversity within our workforce by employing women and men of varying cultures, nationalities and backgrounds to work together to achieve a common goal.
To find the best employees, we must have a diverse pipeline of talent. We have expanded recruiting efforts with diverse organizations so we can reach a broader pool of candidates. We create a culture where all employees can strive to be their best, to achieve company goals and to deliver superior service to our customers. As of December 31, 2021, our U.S. workforce was comprised of approximately 25% female and 31% racial minorities.
We recognize that we are an integral part of the communities in which we operate. By directly engaging people in the communities we serve, we create a transparent dialogue to try to listen and learn from alternative views in how we conduct our business. The strengthening of minority- and women-owned businesses contributes to the overall economic growth and the expansion of our markets.
Workforce Health and Safety
Safety is at the center of our actions. Simply put, we act with high priority on health and safety in our workplace and in the communities where we operate. Our safety culture is driven by our recently expanded health, safety and environment (“HSE”) training catalog and through our HSE management system beginning with our HSE Policy Statement, which sets the tone for our company’s commitment to safety. A one-page, top-level document, expressly approved by our senior management team, the HSE Policy Statement outlines our expectations for all employees, vendors, customers, contractors, subcontractors and third parties. This HSE Policy Statement, combined with our HSE guiding principles, corporate policies and procedures and our business level HSE policies and procedures, makes up our management system, which is overseen both with corporate supervision and field level management to ensure emphasis is consistent on proper and safe behaviors.
Sustainability
We can assist in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in our operations by creating a more efficient supply chain. An efficient supply chain can help reduce the carbon footprint of deliveries to our distribution centers and branches and, ultimately to our customers. Use of our large centralized and regional distribution centers allow us to aggregate product across multiple suppliers and customers, which, in turn, prevents each customer from separately creating duplicative supply chains that require fuel for deliveries and resources to manage.
As a distributor, we perform minimal manufacturing operations. We do not utilize large amounts of water. Our energy inputs are primarily electricity for lighting, heating and office and warehouse equipment, natural gas for heating and gasoline for company sales and delivery vehicles. We strive to make our operations more efficient, and in turn try to work to reduce use of these resources and resulting emissions. We have recycling programs to try and reduce waste from used cardboard, office paper and other recyclables. However, recycling programs are sometimes limited by the unavailability of users, haulers or purchasers for recyclable materials at reasonable costs.
We are a distributor of products that contain and control the movement of gases and fluids in an efficient and sustainable manner. The products we sell are designed by the manufacturers of those products to prevent and minimize accidental leaks of hydrocarbons. Additionally, we offer product lines that further aid in the mitigation of environmental impact. Examples of such products include: domestically produced goods; low emission rated valves; steel piping products produced from recycled scrap; glass reinforced epoxy piping systems; vapor recovery units that capture volatile organic compounds in an effort to limit and reduce emissions to the atmosphere; produced water transfer and water injection packages that dispose of produced water in an environmentally safe manner; and pipe produced using wind power, recycled water, and wood pellet inputs.
Environmental Matters
We are subject to a variety of federal, state, local, foreign and provincial environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and permitting requirements, including those governing the discharge of pollutants or hazardous substances into the air, soil or water, the generation, handling, use, management, storage and disposal of, or exposure to, hazardous substances and wastes, the responsibility to investigate, remediate, monitor and clean up contamination and occupational health and safety. Fines and penalties may be imposed for non-compliance with applicable environmental, health and safety requirements and the failure to have or to comply with the terms and conditions of required permits. Historically, the costs to comply with environmental and health and safety requirements have not been material to our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. We are not aware of any pending environmental compliance or remediation matters that, in the opinion of management, are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our business, financial position or results of operations or cash flows.
Available Information
Our website address is www.dnow.com. The information found on our website is not part of this or any other report we file with, or furnish to, the SEC and is expressly not incorporated by reference into this document. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and any amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available on our website, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Alternatively, you may access these reports at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A.	RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider each of the following risks in addition to all other information contained or incorporated herein. These risks relate principally to our business and the industry in which we operate or to the securities markets generally and ownership of our common stock. Our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks, and, as a result, the trading price of our common stock could decline. This information should be read in conjunction with Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Item 7A, Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk and the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in this Form 10-K.
Risks Relating to Our Business
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected our business, and the ultimate effect on our operations and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the global economy, disrupted global supply chains and created significant volatility in the financial markets. In addition, the pandemic has resulted in travel restrictions, business closures and the institution of quarantining and other restrictions on movement in many communities. As a result, it has impacted demand for and prices of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (“NGLs”). If the pandemic continues to adversely affect demand for and crude oil, natural gas and NGLs for a prolonged period, our operations, financial condition and cash flows may be materially and adversely affected. Our operations also may be adversely affected if significant portions of our workforce are unable to work effectively, including because of illness, quarantines, government actions, or other restrictions in connection with the pandemic. We have already implemented workplace restrictions, including guidance for our employees to work remotely if able, in our offices and work sites for health and safety reasons and are continuing to monitor national, state and local government directives where we have operations or offices. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business, results of operations, and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including the scope and duration of the pandemic and actions taken by governmental authorities and other third parties in response to the pandemic, the resurgence of cases and other similar restrictions.
Decreased capital and other expenditures in the energy industry, which can result from decreased oil and natural gas prices, among other things, can adversely impact our customers’ demand for our products and our revenue.
A large portion of our revenue depends upon the level of capital and operating expenditures in the oil and natural gas industry, including capital and other expenditures in connection with exploration, drilling, production, gathering, transportation, refining and processing operations. Demand for the products we distribute is particularly sensitive to the level of exploration, development and production activity of, and the corresponding capital and other expenditures by, oil and natural gas companies. In addition, after a well is drilled, there can be a lag between when the well is drilled and when it is completed, which causes a delay in the demand for some of our products. Oil and natural gas prices have been extremely volatile since 2014. Continued volatility and weakness in oil or natural gas prices could depress levels of exploration, development and production activity and, therefore, could lead to a decrease in our customers’ capital and other expenditures.
The willingness of oil and gas operators to make capital and operating expenditures to explore for and produce oil and natural gas and the willingness of oilfield service companies to invest in capital and operating equipment will continue to be influenced by numerous factors over which we have no control, including:
•the ability of the members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) and certain non-OPEC countries, such as Russia, to maintain price stability through voluntary production limits, the level of production by other non-OPEC countries, such as the United States, and worldwide demand for oil and gas;
•the impact of public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on worldwide demand for oil and gas;
•the level of production from known reserves;
•the cost of exploring for and producing oil and gas;
•limits on access to capital and investor demands for capital discipline;
•the level of drilling activity and drilling rig day rates;
•worldwide economic activity;
•national government political requirements;
•changes in governmental regulations;
•the development of alternate energy sources; and
•environmental regulations.
If there is a significant reduction in demand for drilling services, in cash flows of drilling contractors, well servicing companies or production companies, or in drilling or well servicing rig utilization rates, then demand for our products will decline.
Volatile oil and gas prices affect demand for our products.
Demand for our products is largely determined by current and anticipated oil and natural gas prices, and the related spending and level of activity by our customers, including spending on production and the level of drilling activities. Volatility or weakness in oil or natural gas prices (or the perception that oil or natural gas prices will decrease) affects the spending pattern of our customers, and may result in the drilling of fewer new wells or lower production spending on existing wells. This, in turn, could result in lower demand for our products. Any sustained decrease in capital expenditures in the oil and natural gas industry could have a material adverse effect on us.
Prices for oil and natural gas are subject to large fluctuations in response to relatively minor changes in the supply of and demand for oil and natural gas, market uncertainty and a variety of other factors that are beyond our control. Any such reduction in operating budgets, reduction in activity and/or pricing pressures, would adversely affect our revenue and operating performance.
Many factors affect the supply of and demand for energy and, therefore, influence oil and natural gas prices, including:
•the level of domestic and worldwide oil and natural gas production and inventories;
•the level of drilling activity and the availability of attractive oil and natural gas field prospects, which governmental actions may affect, such as regulatory actions or legislation, or other restrictions on drilling, including those related to environmental concerns (e.g., a temporary moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico following a rig accident or oil spill);
•the discovery rate of new oil and natural gas reserves and the expected cost of developing new reserves;
•the actual cost of finding and producing oil and natural gas;
•depletion rates;
•domestic and worldwide refinery over capacity or under capacity and utilization rates;
•the availability of transportation infrastructure and refining capacity;
•increases in the cost of products that the oil and gas industry uses, such as those that we provide, which may result from increases in the cost of raw materials such as steel;
•shifts in end-customer preferences toward fuel efficiency and the use of natural gas;
•the economic or political attractiveness of alternative fuels, such as coal, hydrocarbon, battery power, wind, solar energy and biomass-based fuels;
•increases in oil and natural gas prices or historically high oil and natural gas prices, which could lower demand for oil and natural gas products;
•worldwide economic activity including growth in non-Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, including China and India;
•interest rates and the cost of capital;
•national government policies, including government policies that could nationalize or expropriate oil and natural gas, E&P, refining or transportation assets;
•the ability of OPEC and non-OPEC countries, such as Russia, to set and maintain production levels and prices for oil;
•the level of production by non-OPEC countries;
•the impact of armed hostilities, or the threat or perception of armed hostilities;
•public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020;
•environmental regulation;
•import duties and tariffs;
•technological advances;
•global weather conditions and natural disasters;
•currency fluctuations; and
•tax policies.
Oil and natural gas prices have been and are expected to remain volatile. U.S. rig count increased from 360 rigs on January 8, 2021 to 586 rigs on December 31, 2021. U.S. rig count averaged 475 rigs in 2021. U.S. rig count at January 21, 2022 was 604 rigs. The price for West Texas Intermediate crude was $75.99 per barrel at January 3, 2022, $47.47 per barrel on January 4, 2021 and $61.17 per barrel on January 2, 2020. This type of volatility has historically caused oil and natural gas companies to change their strategies and expenditure levels from year to year. We have experienced in the past, and we will likely experience in the future, significant fluctuations in operating results based on these changes.
General economic conditions may adversely affect our business.
U.S. and global general economic conditions affect many aspects of our business, including demand for the products we distribute and the pricing and availability of supplies. General economic conditions and predictions regarding future economic conditions also affect our forecasts. A decrease in demand for the products we distribute or other adverse effects resulting from an economic downturn may cause us to fail to achieve our anticipated financial results. General economic factors beyond our control that affect our business and customers include public health crises, interest rates, recession, inflation, deflation, customer credit availability, consumer credit availability, consumer debt levels, performance of housing markets, energy costs, tariffs, tax rates and policy, unemployment rates, commencement or escalation of war or hostilities, the threat or possibility of war, terrorism or other global or national unrest, political or financial instability, and other matters that influence our customers’ spending. Increasing volatility in financial markets may cause these factors to change with a greater degree of frequency or increase in magnitude. In addition, worldwide economic conditions could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, operating results, financial condition and cash flows.
We may be unable to compete successfully with other companies in our industry.
We sell products in very competitive markets. In some cases, we compete with large companies with substantial resources. In other cases, we compete with smaller regional companies that may increasingly be willing to provide similar products at lower prices. Certain of these competitors may have greater financial, technical and marketing resources than us, and may be in a better competitive position. The following competitive actions can each adversely affect our revenues and earnings:
•price changes;
•vendors with better terms;
•consolidation in the industry;
•investments in technology and fulfillment; and
•improvements in availability and delivery.
We could experience a material adverse effect to the extent that our competitors are successful in reducing our customers’ purchases of products from us. Competition could also cause us to lower our prices, which could reduce our margins and profitability. Furthermore, consolidation in our industry could heighten the impacts of the competition on our business and results of operations discussed above, particularly if consolidation results in competitors with stronger financial and strategic resources, and could also result in increases to the prices we are required to pay for acquisitions we may make in the future. In addition, certain foreign jurisdictions and government-owned petroleum companies located in some of the countries in which we operate have adopted policies or regulations which may give local nationals in these countries competitive advantages. Competition in our industry could lead to lower revenues and earnings.
Demand for the products we distribute could decrease if the manufacturers of those products were to sell a substantial amount of goods directly to end users in the sectors we serve.
Historically, users of pipes, valves and fittings and related products have purchased certain amounts of these products through distributors and not directly from manufacturers. If customers were to purchase the products that we sell directly from manufacturers, or if manufacturers sought to increase their efforts to sell directly to end users, we could experience a significant decrease in profitability. These or other developments that remove us from, or limit our role in, the distribution chain, may harm our competitive position in the marketplace and reduce our sales and earnings and adversely affect our business.
We may need additional capital in the future, and it may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all.
We may require more capital in the future to:
•fund our operations (including, but not limited to, working capital requirements such as inventory);
•finance investments in equipment and infrastructure needed to maintain and expand our distribution capabilities;
•enhance and expand the range of products we offer; and
•respond to potential strategic opportunities, such as investments, acquisitions and international expansion.
We can give no assurance that additional financing will be available on terms favorable to us, or at all. The terms of available financing may place limits on our financial and operating flexibility. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be forced to reduce our operations or delay, limit or abandon expansion opportunities. Moreover, even if we are able to continue our operations, the failure to obtain additional financing could reduce our competitiveness.
We do not have long-term contracts or agreements with many of our customers. The contracts and agreements that we do have generally do not commit our customers to any minimum purchase volume. The loss of a significant customer may have a material adverse effect on us.
Given the nature of our business, and consistent with industry practice, we do not have long-term contracts with many of our customers. In addition, our contracts generally do not commit our customers to any minimum purchase volume. Therefore, a significant number of our customers may terminate their relationships with us or reduce their purchasing volume at any time. Furthermore, the long-term customer contracts that we do have are generally terminable without cause on short notice. The products that we may sell to any particular customer depend in large part on the size of that customer’s capital expenditure budget in a particular year and on the results of competitive bids for major projects. Consequently, a customer that accounts for a significant portion of our sales in one fiscal year may represent an immaterial portion of our sales in subsequent fiscal years. The loss of a significant customer, or a substantial decrease in a significant customer’s orders, may have an adverse effect on our sales and revenue.
In addition, we are subject to customer audit clauses in many of our multi-year contracts. If we are not able to provide the proper documentation or support for invoices per the contract terms, we may be subject to negotiated settlements with our major customers.
Changes in our customer and product mix could cause our product margin to fluctuate.
From time to time, we may experience changes in our customer mix or in our product mix. Changes in our customer mix may result from geographic expansion, daily selling activities within current geographic markets and targeted selling activities to new customer segments. Changes in our product mix may result from marketing activities to existing customers and needs communicated to us from existing and prospective customers. If customers begin to require more lower-margin products from us, our business, results of operations and financial condition may suffer.
Customer credit risks could result in losses.
The concentration of our customers in the energy industry may impact our overall exposure to credit risk as customers may be similarly affected by prolonged changes in economic and industry conditions. Further, laws in some jurisdictions in which we operate could make collection difficult or time consuming. We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers and do not generally require collateral in support of our trade receivables. While we maintain reserves for expected credit losses, we cannot assure these reserves will be sufficient to meet write-offs of uncollectible receivables or that our losses from such receivables will be consistent with our expectations.
We may be unable to successfully execute or effectively integrate acquisitions.
One of our key operating strategies is to selectively pursue acquisitions, including large scale acquisitions, to continue to grow and increase profitability. However, acquisitions, particularly of a significant scale, involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including intense competition for suitable acquisition targets, the potential unavailability of financial resources necessary to consummate acquisitions in the future, increased leverage due to additional debt financing that may be required to complete an acquisition, dilution of our stockholders’ net current book value per share if we issue additional equity securities to finance an acquisition, difficulties in identifying suitable acquisition targets or in completing any transactions identified on sufficiently favorable terms, assumption of undisclosed or unknown liabilities and the need to obtain regulatory or other governmental approvals that may be necessary to complete acquisitions. In addition, any future acquisitions may entail significant transaction costs and risks associated with entry into new markets.
Even when acquisitions are completed, integration of acquired entities can involve significant difficulties, such as:
•failure to achieve cost savings or other financial or operating objectives with respect to an acquisition;
•complications and issues resulting from the integration/conversion of ERP systems;
•strain on the operational and managerial controls and procedures of our business, and the need to modify systems or to add management resources;
•difficulties in the integration and retention of customers or personnel and the integration and effective deployment of operations or technologies;
•amortization of acquired assets, which would reduce future reported earnings;
•possible adverse short-term effects on our cash flows or operating results;
•diversion of management’s attention from the ongoing operations of our business;
•integrating personnel with different organizational cultures;
•coordinating sales and marketing functions;
•failure to obtain and retain key personnel of an acquired business; and
•assumption of known or unknown material liabilities or regulatory non-compliance issues.
Failure to manage these acquisition risks could have an adverse effect on us.
We are a holding company and depend upon our subsidiaries for our cash flow.
We are a holding company. Our subsidiaries conduct all of our operations and own substantially all of our assets. Consequently, our cash flow and our ability to meet our obligations or to make other distributions in the future will depend upon the cash flow of our subsidiaries and our subsidiaries’ payment of funds to us in the form of dividends, tax sharing payments or otherwise.
The ability of our subsidiaries to make any payments to us will depend on their earnings, the terms of their current and future indebtedness, tax considerations and legal and contractual restrictions on the ability to make distributions.
Our subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities. Any right that we have to receive any assets of or distributions from any of our subsidiaries upon the bankruptcy, dissolution, liquidation or reorganization, or to realize proceeds from the sale of their assets, will be junior to the claims of that subsidiary’s creditors, including trade creditors and holders of debt that the subsidiary issued.
If we lose any of our key personnel, we may be unable to effectively manage our business or continue our growth.
Our future performance depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of our management team and our ability to attract, hire, train and retain qualified managerial, sales and marketing personnel. In particular, we rely on our sales and marketing teams to create innovative ways to generate demand for the products we distribute. The loss or unavailability to us of any member of our management team or a key sales or marketing employee could have a material adverse effect on us to the extent we are unable to timely find adequate replacements. We face competition for these professionals from our competitors, our customers and other companies operating in our industry. We may be unsuccessful in attracting, hiring, training and retaining qualified personnel.
Interruptions in the proper functioning of our information systems could disrupt operations and cause increases in costs or decreases in revenues.
The proper functioning of our information systems is critical to the successful operation of our business. We depend on our information management systems to process orders, track credit risk, manage inventory and monitor accounts receivable collections. Our information systems also allow us to efficiently purchase products from our vendors and ship products to our customers on a timely basis, maintain cost-effective operations and provide superior service to our customers. However, our information systems could be vulnerable to natural disasters, power losses, telecommunication failures, security breaches and other problems. If critical information systems fail or are otherwise unavailable, our ability to procure products to sell, process and ship customer orders, identify business opportunities, maintain proper levels of inventories, collect accounts receivable and pay accounts payable and expenses could be adversely affected. Our ability to integrate our systems with our customers’ systems would also be significantly affected. If our information systems are damaged or fail to function properly, we may incur substantial costs to repair or replace them, and may experience loss of critical data and interruptions or delays in our ability to manage inventories or process transactions, which could result in lost sales, inability to process purchase orders and/or a potential loss of customer loyalty, which could adversely affect our results of operations. We maintain information systems controls designed to protect against, among other things, unauthorized
program changes and unauthorized access to data on our information systems. If our information systems controls do not function properly, we face increased risks of unexpected errors and unreliable financial data or theft of proprietary Company information.
The loss of third-party transportation providers upon whom we depend, or conditions negatively affecting the transportation industry, could increase our costs or cause a disruption in our operations.
We depend upon third-party transportation providers for delivery of products to our customers. Strikes, slowdowns, transportation disruptions or other conditions in the transportation industry, including, but not limited to, shortages of truck drivers, disruptions in rail service, increases in fuel prices and adverse weather conditions, could increase our costs and disrupt our operations and our ability to service our customers on a timely basis. We cannot predict to what extent increases or anticipated increases in fuel prices may impact our costs or cause a disruption in our operations going forward.
Adverse weather events or natural disasters could negatively affect local economies and disrupt operations.
Certain areas in which we operate are susceptible to adverse weather conditions or natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes. These events can disrupt our operations, result in damage to our properties and negatively affect the local economies in which we operate. Additionally, we may experience communication disruptions with our customers, vendors and employees. These events can cause physical damage to our locations and require us to close locations. Additionally, our sales orders and shipments can experience a temporary decline immediately following these events.
We cannot predict whether or to what extent damage caused by these events will affect our operations or the economies in regions where we operate. These adverse events could result in disruption of our purchasing or distribution capabilities, interruption of our business that exceeds our insurance coverage, our inability to collect from customers and increased operating costs. Our business or results of operations may be adversely affected by these and other negative effects of these events.
The occurrence of cyber incidents, or a deficiency in our cybersecurity, could negatively impact our business by causing a disruption to our operations, a compromise or corruption of our confidential information or damage to our Company’s image, all of which could negatively impact our financial results.
A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity or availability of our information resources. More specifically, a cyber incident is an intentional attack or an unintentional event that can include gaining unauthorized access to systems to disrupt operations, corrupt data or steal confidential information. As our reliance on technology has increased, so have the risks posed to our systems, both internal and those we have outsourced. Our four primary risks that could directly result from the occurrence of a cyber incident include operational interruption, damage to our Company’s image, financial loss and private data exposure.
We have implemented solutions, processes, and procedures to help mitigate this risk, but these measures, as well as our organization’s increased awareness of our risk of a cyber incident, do not guarantee that our financial results will not be negatively impacted by such an incident. Our security measures may be undermined due to the actions of outside parties, employee error, internal or external malfeasance, or otherwise, and, as a result, an unauthorized party may obtain access to our data systems and misappropriate business and personal information. Our systems are subject to repeated attempts by third parties to access information or to disrupt our systems. Such disruptions or misappropriations and the resulting repercussions, including reputational damage and legal claims or proceedings, may adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, and the trading price of our common stock.
Privacy concerns relating to our personal and business information being potentially breached could damage our reputation and deter current and potential users or customers from using our products and services.
We have security measures and controls to protect personal and business information and continue to make investments to secure access to our information technology network. These measures may be undermined, however, due to the actions of outside parties, employee error, internal or external malfeasance, or otherwise, and, as a result an unauthorized party may obtain access to our data systems and misappropriate business and personal information. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and may not immediately produce signs of intrusion, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques, timely discover or counter them, or implement adequate preventative measures. Any such breach or unauthorized access could result in significant legal and financial exposure, damage to our reputation, and potentially have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We have goodwill recorded on our balance sheet. If our goodwill becomes impaired, we may be required to recognize charges that would reduce our income.
As of December 31, 2021, we had $67 million of goodwill recorded on our balance sheet. Under generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S., goodwill is not amortized, but must be reviewed for possible impairment annually, or more often in certain circumstances where events indicate that the asset values are not recoverable. These reviews could result in an earnings charge for impairment, which would reduce our net income even though there would be no impact on our underlying cash flow.
Risks Relating to Our Supply Chain and International Trade Policies
We may experience unexpected supply shortages.
We distribute products from a wide variety of manufacturers and suppliers. Nevertheless, in the future we may have difficulty obtaining the products we need from suppliers and manufacturers as a result of unexpected demand or production difficulties that might extend lead times. Also, products may not be available to us in quantities sufficient to meet our customer demand. Our inability to obtain products from suppliers and manufacturers in sufficient quantities, or at all, could adversely affect our product offerings and our business.
We may experience cost increases from suppliers, which we may be unable to pass on to our customers.
In the future, we may face supply cost increases due to, among other things, unexpected increases in demand for supplies, decreases in production of supplies or increases in the cost of raw materials or transportation, or trade wars. Any inability to pass supply price increases on to our customers could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, if supply costs increase, our customers may elect to purchase smaller amounts of products or may purchase products from other distributors. While we may be able to work with our customers to reduce the effects of unforeseen price increases because of our relationships with them, we may not be able to reduce the effects of the cost increases. In addition, to the extent that competition leads to reduced purchases of products from us or a reduction of our prices, and these reductions occur concurrently with increases in the prices for selected commodities which we use in our operations, the adverse effects described above would likely be exacerbated and could result in a prolonged downturn in profitability.
We do not have contracts with most of our suppliers. The loss of a significant supplier would require us to rely more heavily on our other existing suppliers or to develop relationships with new suppliers. Such a loss may have an adverse effect on our product offerings and our business.
Given the nature of our business, and consistent with industry practice, we do not have contracts with most of our suppliers. We generally make our purchases through purchase orders. Therefore, most of our suppliers have the ability to terminate their relationships with us at any time. Although we believe there are numerous manufacturers with the capacity to supply the products we distribute, the loss of one or more of our major suppliers could have an adverse effect on our product offerings and our business. Such a loss would require us to rely more heavily on our other existing suppliers or develop relationships with new suppliers, which may cause us to pay higher prices for products due to, among other things, a loss of volume discount benefits currently obtained from our major suppliers.
Changes in our credit profile may affect our relationship with our suppliers, which could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity.
Changes in our credit profile may affect the way our suppliers view our ability to make payments and may induce them to shorten the payment terms of their invoices. Given the large dollar amounts and volume of our purchases from suppliers, a change in payment terms may have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and our ability to make payments to our suppliers and, consequently, may have a material adverse effect on us.
Price reductions by suppliers of products that we sell could cause the value of our inventory to decline. Also, these price reductions could cause our customers to demand lower sales prices for these products, possibly decreasing our margins and profitability on sales to the extent that we purchased our inventory of these products at the higher prices prior to supplier price reductions.
The value of our inventory could decline as a result of manufacturer price reductions with respect to products that we sell. There is no assurance that a substantial decline in product prices would not result in a write-down of our inventory value. Such a write-down could have an adverse effect on our financial condition. Also, decreases in the market prices of products that we sell could cause customers to demand lower sales prices from us. These price reductions could reduce our margins and profitability on sales with respect to the lower-priced products. Reductions in our margins and profitability on sales could have a material adverse effect on us.
A substantial decrease in the price of steel could significantly lower our product margin or cash flow.
We distribute many products manufactured from steel. As a result, the price and supply of steel can affect our business and, in particular, our pipe product category. When steel prices are lower, the prices that we charge customers for products may decline, which affects our product margin and cash flow. At times pricing and availability of steel can be volatile due to numerous factors beyond our control, including general domestic and international economic conditions, labor costs, sales levels, competition, consolidation of steel producers, fluctuations in and the costs of raw materials necessary to produce steel, steel manufacturers’ plant utilization levels and capacities, import duties and tariffs and currency exchange rates. Increases in manufacturing capacity for steel-related products could put pressure on the prices we receive for such products. When steel prices decline, customer demands for lower prices and our competitors’ responses to those demands could result in lower sales prices and, consequently, lower product margin and cash flow.
If steel prices rise, we may be unable to pass along the cost increases to our customers.
We maintain inventories of steel products to accommodate the lead time requirements of our customers. Accordingly, we purchase steel products in an effort to maintain our inventory at levels that we believe to be appropriate to satisfy the anticipated needs of our customers based upon historic buying practices, contracts with customers and market conditions. Our commitments to purchase steel products are generally at prevailing market prices in effect at the time we place our orders. If steel prices increase between the time we order steel products and the time of delivery of the products to us, our suppliers may impose surcharges that require us to pay for increases in steel prices during the period. Demand for the products we distribute, the actions of our competitors and other factors will influence whether we will be able to pass on steel cost increases and surcharges to our customers, and we may be unsuccessful in doing so.
If tariffs and/or duties on imports into the U.S. of line pipe or certain of the other products that we sell are lifted, we could have too many of these products in inventory competing against less expensive imports.
U.S. law currently imposes tariffs and duties on imports from certain foreign countries of pipe and on other imports of certain steel products that we sell. If these tariffs and duties are lifted or reduced, and our U.S. customers accept these imported products, we could be materially and adversely affected to the extent that we would then have higher-cost products in our inventory or there would be increased supplies of these products which would drive down prices and affect our margins on our domestic or other alternate products that compete with the new imports that have tariffs or duties removed. If prices of these products were to decrease significantly, we might not be able to profitably sell these products we have in our inventory and the value would decline. In addition, significant price decreases could result in a significantly longer holding period for some of our inventory.
Changes in trade policies, including the imposition of additional tariffs, could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
On March 8, 2018, the President of the United States signed an order to impose a tariff of 25% and/or quota on steel imported from certain countries under the Section 232 rule. These trade actions resulted in an increase in our cost of sales, and if removed could trigger a decrease in our cost of sales and inventory value. The U.S. has also imposed tariffs on China under Section 301 that have affected the cost of certain products. These tariffs are subject to change as trade negotiations continue. If these tariffs were removed, it could drive down the costs of certain products and affect our inventory value which could affect our margin negatively.
In addition, there could be additional trade actions imposed by the United States and these could also result in additional retaliatory actions by the United States’ trade partners. Given that we procure significant materials that we resell directly or indirectly from outside of the United States, the imposition of tariffs and other potential changes in U.S. trade policy could increase the cost or limit the availability of such raw materials, which could hurt our competitive position and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we sell a significant proportion of our products to customers outside of the United States. Retaliatory actions by other countries could result in increases in the price of our products, which could limit demand for such products, hurt our global competitive position and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Relating to Legal and Regulatory Matters
We are subject to strict environmental, health and safety laws and regulations that may lead to significant liabilities and negatively impact the demand for our products.
We are subject to a variety of federal, state, local, foreign and provincial environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and permitting requirements, including those governing the discharge of pollutants or hazardous substances into the air, soil or water, the generation, handling, use, management, storage and disposal of, or exposure to, hazardous substances and wastes, the responsibility to investigate and clean up contamination and occupational health and safety. Regulations and courts may impose fines and penalties for non-compliance with applicable environmental, health and safety requirements and the failure to have or to comply with the terms and conditions of required permits. Our failure to comply with applicable environmental, health and safety requirements could result in fines, penalties, enforcement actions, third-party claims for property damage and personal injury, requirements to clean up property or to pay for the costs of cleanup or regulatory or judicial orders requiring corrective measures, including the installation of pollution control equipment or remedial actions. Certain laws and regulations, such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (also known as “CERCLA” or the “U.S. federal Superfund law”) or its state and foreign equivalents, may impose the obligation to investigate and remediate contamination at a facility on current and former owners or operators or on persons who may have sent waste to that facility for disposal. These laws and regulations may impose liability without regard to fault or to the legality of the activities giving rise to the contamination.
Moreover, we may incur liabilities in connection with environmental conditions currently unknown to us relating to our existing, prior or future owned or leased sites or operations or those of predecessor companies whose liabilities we may have assumed or acquired. We believe that indemnities contained in certain of our acquisition agreements may cover certain environmental conditions existing at the time of the acquisition, subject to certain terms, limitations and conditions. However, if these indemnification provisions terminate or if the indemnifying parties do not fulfill their indemnification obligations, we may be subject to liability with respect to the environmental matters that those indemnification provisions address. In addition, environmental, health and safety laws and regulations applicable to our business and the business of our customers, including laws regulating the energy industry, and the interpretation or enforcement of these laws and regulations, are constantly evolving. It is impossible to predict accurately the effect that changes in these laws and regulations, or their interpretation or enforcement, may have on us.
In December 2015, over 190 countries, including the United States, reached an agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions (the “Paris Agreement”). The Paris Agreement entered into force in November 2016 after more than 70 nations, including the United States, ratified or otherwise indicated their intent to be bound by the agreement. In November 2019, the United States formally initiated the process for withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and the withdrawal was effective November 4, 2020. Effective February 2021, the United States has rejoined the Paris Agreement. To the extent that the United States implements this agreement or imposes other climate change regulations on the oil and natural gas industry, or that investors insist on compliance regardless of legal requirements, it could have an adverse effect on our business.
The energy business has benefited from the Trump administration’s de-regulatory push. The Biden administration is expected to aggressively seek to regulate the energy industry and seek to eliminate in time the use of fossil fuels. This regulatory push will be magnified as the Democrats also control both houses of Congress. Should environmental laws and regulations, or their interpretation or enforcement, become more stringent, our costs, or the costs of our customers, could increase, which may have a material adverse effect on us.
We may not have adequate insurance for potential liabilities, including liabilities arising from litigation.
In the ordinary course of business, we have, and in the future may, become the subject of various claims, lawsuits and administrative proceedings seeking damages or other remedies concerning our commercial operations, the products we distribute, employees and other matters, including potential claims by individuals alleging exposure to hazardous materials as a result of the products we distribute or our operations. Some of these claims may relate to the activities of businesses that we have acquired, even though these activities may have occurred prior to our acquisition of the businesses. The products we distribute are sold primarily for use in the energy industry, which is subject to inherent risks that could result in death, personal injury, property damage, pollution, release of hazardous substances or loss of production. In addition, defects in the products we distribute could result in death, personal injury, property damage, pollution, release of hazardous substances or damage to equipment and facilities. Actual or claimed defects in the products we distribute may give rise to claims against us for losses and expose us to claims for damages.
We maintain insurance to cover certain of our potential losses, and we are subject to various self-retentions, deductibles and caps under our insurance. We face the following risks with respect to our insurance coverage:
•we may not be able to continue to obtain insurance on commercially reasonable terms;
•we may incur losses from interruption of our business that exceed our insurance coverage;
•we may be faced with types of liabilities that will not be covered by our insurance;
•our insurance carriers may not be able to meet their obligations under the policies; or
•the dollar amount of any liabilities may exceed our policy limits.
Even a partially uninsured claim, if successful and of significant size, could have a material adverse effect on us. Finally, even in cases where we maintain insurance coverage, our insurers may raise various objections and exceptions to coverage that could make uncertain the timing and amount of any possible insurance recovery.
Due to our position as a distributor, we are subject to personal injury, product liability and environmental claims involving allegedly defective products.
Our customers use certain products we distribute in potentially hazardous applications that can result in personal injury, product liability and environmental claims. A catastrophic occurrence at a location where end users use the products we distribute may result in us being named as a defendant in lawsuits asserting potentially large claims, even though we did not manufacture the products. Applicable law may render us liable for damages without regard to negligence or fault. In particular, certain environmental laws provide for joint and several and strict liability for remediation of spills and releases of hazardous substances. Certain of these risks are reduced by the fact that we are a distributor of products that third-party manufacturers produce, and, thus, in certain circumstances, we may have third-party warranty or other claims against the manufacturer of products alleged to have been defective. However, there is no assurance that these claims could fully protect us or that the manufacturer would be able financially to provide protection. There is no assurance that our insurance coverage will be adequate to cover the underlying claims. Our insurance does not provide coverage for all liabilities (including liability for certain events involving pollution or other environmental claims).
We face risks associated with conducting business in markets outside of the U.S. and Canada.
We currently conduct business in countries outside of the U.S. and Canada. We could be materially and adversely affected by economic, legal, political and regulatory developments in the countries in which we do business in the future or in which we expand our business, particularly those countries which have historically experienced a high degree of political or economic instability. Examples of risks inherent in conducting business in markets outside of the U.S. and Canada include:
•changes in the political and economic conditions in the countries in which we operate, including civil uprisings and terrorist acts;
•unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
•changes in tariffs;
•the adoption of foreign or domestic laws limiting exports to or imports from certain foreign countries;
•fluctuations in currency exchange rates and the value of the U.S. dollar;
•restrictions on repatriation of earnings;
•expropriation of property without fair compensation;
•governmental actions that result in the deprivation of contract or proprietary rights; and
•the acceptance of business practices which are not consistent with or are antithetical to prevailing business practices we are accustomed to in North America including export compliance and anti-bribery practices and governmental sanctions.
If we begin doing business in a foreign country in which we do not presently operate, we may also face difficulties in operations and diversion of management time in connection with establishing our business there.
We are subject to U.S. and other anti-corruption laws, trade controls, economic sanctions, and similar laws and regulations, including those in the jurisdictions where we operate. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject us to civil, criminal and administrative penalties and harm our reputation.
Doing business on a worldwide basis requires us to comply with the laws and regulations of the U.S. government and various foreign jurisdictions. These laws and regulations place restrictions on our operations, trade practices, partners and investment decisions. In particular, our operations are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption and trade control laws and regulations, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), export controls and economic sanctions programs, including those administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). As a result of doing business in foreign countries and with foreign partners, we are exposed to a heightened risk of violating anti-corruption and trade control laws and sanctions regulations.
The FCPA prohibits us from providing anything of value to foreign officials for the purposes of obtaining or retaining business or securing any improper business advantage. It also requires us to keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect the Company’s transactions. As part of our business, we may deal with state-owned business enterprises, the employees of which are considered foreign officials for purposes of the FCPA. In addition, the United Kingdom Bribery Act (the “Bribery Act”) has been enacted and came into effect on July 1, 2011. The provisions of the Bribery Act extend beyond bribery of foreign public officials and also apply to transactions with individuals that a government does not employ. The provisions of the Bribery Act are also more onerous than the FCPA in a number of other respects, including jurisdiction, non-exemption of facilitation payments and penalties. Some of the international locations in which we operate lack a developed legal system and have higher than normal levels of corruption. Our continued expansion outside the U.S., including in developing countries, and our development of new partnerships and joint venture relationships worldwide, could increase the risk of FCPA, OFAC or Bribery Act violations in the future.
Economic sanctions programs restrict our business dealings with certain sanctioned countries, persons and entities. In addition, because we act as a distributor, we face the risk that our customers might further distribute our products to a sanctioned person or entity, or an ultimate end-user in a sanctioned country, which might subject us to an investigation concerning compliance with the OFAC or other sanctions regulations.
Violations of anti-corruption and trade control laws and sanctions regulations are punishable by civil penalties, including fines, denial of export privileges, injunctions, asset seizures, debarment from government contracts and revocations or restrictions of licenses, as well as criminal fines and imprisonment. We have established policies and procedures designed to assist our compliance with applicable U.S. and international anti-corruption and trade control laws and regulations, including the FCPA, the Bribery Act and trade controls and sanctions programs administered by the OFAC, and have trained our employees to comply with these laws and regulations. However, there can be no assurance that all of our employees, consultants, agents or other associated persons will not take actions in violation of our policies and these laws and regulations, and that our policies and procedures will effectively prevent us from violating these regulations in every transaction in which we may engage or provide a defense to any alleged violation. In particular, we may be held liable for the actions that our local, strategic or joint venture partners take inside or outside of the United States, even though our partners may not be subject to these laws. Such a violation, even if our policies prohibit it, could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, various state and municipal governments, universities and other investors maintain prohibitions or restrictions on investments in companies that do business with sanctioned countries, persons and entities, which could adversely affect the market for our common stock and other securities.
Compliance with and changes in laws and regulations in the countries in which we operate could have a significant financial impact and effect how and where we conduct our operations.
We have operations in the U.S. and in other countries that can be impacted by expected and unexpected changes in the business and legal environments in the countries in which we operate. Compliance with and changes in laws, regulations, and other legal and business issues could impact our ability to manage our costs and to meet our earnings goals. Compliance related matters could also limit our ability to do business in certain countries. Changes that could have a significant cost to us include new legislation, new regulations, or a differing interpretation of existing laws and regulations, changes in tax law or tax rates, the unfavorable resolution of tax assessments or audits by various taxing authorities, the expansion of currency exchange controls, export controls or additional restrictions on doing business in countries subject to sanctions in which we operate or intend to operate.
Risks Relating to Our Common Stock
The market price of our shares may fluctuate widely.
The market price of our common stock may fluctuate widely, depending upon many factors, some of which may be beyond our control, including:
•our competitors’ significant acquisitions or dispositions;
•the failure of our operating results to meet the estimates of securities analysts or the expectations of our stockholders;
•changes in earnings estimates by securities analysts or our ability to meet our earnings guidance;
•the operating and stock price performance of other comparable companies;
•overall market fluctuations and general economic conditions; and
•the other factors described in these “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-K.
Stock markets in general have also experienced volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of a particular company. These broad market fluctuations could negatively affect the trading price of our common stock.
Your percentage ownership in us may be diluted in the future.
As with any publicly traded company, your percentage ownership in us may be diluted in the future because of equity issuances for acquisitions, capital market transactions or otherwise, including, without limitation, equity awards that we expect will be granted to our directors, officers and employees.
We cannot assure you that we will pay dividends on our common stock.
We do not currently pay dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain our future earnings to support the growth and development of our business. The payment of future cash dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon, among other things, our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and development expenditures, future business prospects and any restrictions imposed by future debt instruments.
Certain provisions in our corporate documents and Delaware law may prevent or delay an acquisition of our company, even if that change may be considered beneficial by some of our stockholders.
The existence of some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of us that a stockholder may consider favorable. These include provisions:
•providing our Board of Directors with the right to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval;
•prohibiting stockholders from taking action by written consent;
•restricting the ability of our stockholders to call a special meeting;
•providing that the number of directors will be filled by the Board of Directors and vacancies on the Board of Directors, including those resulting from an enlargement of the Board of Directors, will be filled by the Board of Directors;
•requiring cause and an affirmative vote of at least 80 percent of the voting power of the then-outstanding voting stock to remove directors;
•requiring the affirmative vote of at least 80 percent of the voting power of the then-outstanding voting stock to amend certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws; and
•establishing advance notice requirements for nominations of candidates for election to our Board of Directors or for stockholder proposals.
In addition, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) which may have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by our Board of Directors, including discouraging takeover attempts that could have resulted in a premium over the market price for shares of our common stock.
We believe these provisions protect our stockholders from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our Board of Directors and by providing our Board of Directors with more time to assess any acquisition proposal. These provisions are not intended to make our company immune from takeovers. However, these provisions apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders and could delay or prevent an acquisition that our Board of Directors determines is not in the best interests of our company and our stockholders.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B.	UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2.	PROPERTIES
As of December 31, 2021, our three reporting segments, the United States, Canada and International, had approximately 115 locations, 40 locations and 25 locations, respectively. International countries include: Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, England, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore and UAE. Our properties are comprised of offices, distribution centers and branches, approximately 85% of which are leased. One owned facility is pledged as collateral under our senior secured revolving credit facility discussed in Note 10 “Debt” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Part IV, Item 15 of this Form 10-K); all other owned facilities are not subject to any mortgages.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3.	LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We have various claims, lawsuits and administrative proceedings that are pending or threatened, all arising in the ordinary course of business, with respect to commercial, product liability and employee matters. Although no assurance can be given with respect to the outcome of these or any other pending legal and administrative proceedings and the effect such outcomes may have, we believe any ultimate liability resulting from the outcome of such claims, lawsuits or administrative proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. See Note 12 “Commitments and Contingencies” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Part IV, Item 15 of this Form 10-K) for additional information.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4.	MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not Applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5.	MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Quarterly Common Stock Prices and Cash Dividends Per Share
NOW Inc. common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the ticker symbol “DNOW”.
Our board of directors has not declared any dividends during 2019, 2020 or 2021 and currently has no intention to declare dividends.
As of January 31, 2022, there were 1,830 holders of record of our common stock. Many stockholders choose to own shares through brokerage accounts and other intermediaries rather than as holders of record (excluding individual participants in securities positions listing) so the actual number of stockholders is unknown but likely significantly higher.
The information relating to our equity compensation plans required by Item 5. “Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities” is incorporated by reference to such information as set forth in Item 12. “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” contained herein.
Performance Graph
The graph below compares the cumulative five year total return provided shareholders on NOW Inc.'s common stock relative to the cumulative total returns of the S&P Midcap 400 index and the PHLX Oil Service Sector index. An investment of $100 (with reinvestment of all dividends) is assumed to have been made in our common stock and in each index on December 31, 2016 and its relative performance is tracked through December 31, 2021.
*$100 invested on 12/31/16 in stock or index, including reinvestment of dividends.
Fiscal year ending December 31.
Copyright© 2022 Standard & Poor's, a division of S&P Global. All rights reserved.
12/16
12/17
12/18
12/19
12/20
12/21
NOW Inc.
$
$
$
$
$
$
S&P Midcap 400
$
$
$
$
$
$
PHLX Oil Service Sector
$
$
$
$
$
$
The stock price performance included in this graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.
This information shall not be deemed to be ‘‘soliciting material’’ or to be ‘‘filed’’ with the Commission or subject to Regulation 14A (17 CFR 240.14a-1-240.14a-104), other than as provided in Item 201(e) of Regulation S-K, or to the liabilities of section 18 of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78r).

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6.	RESERVED
Not applicable.

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7.	MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial information include the accounts of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated.
General Overview
We are a global distributor to the oil and gas and industrial markets with a legacy of over 150 years. We operate primarily under the DistributionNOW and DNOW brands. Through our network of approximately 180 locations and approximately 2,350 employees worldwide, we stock and sell a comprehensive offering of energy products as well as a selection of products for industrial applications. Our energy product offering is consumed throughout all sectors of the oil and gas industry - from upstream drilling and completion, E&P, midstream infrastructure development to downstream petrochemical and petroleum refining - as well as in other industries, such as chemical processing, mining, utilities and renewables. The industrial distribution end markets include refineries and engineering and construction firms. We also provide supply chain and materials management solutions to the same markets where we sell products.
Our global product offering includes consumable MRO supplies, pipe, valves, fittings, flanges, gaskets, fasteners, electrical, instrumentation, artificial lift, pumping solutions, valve actuation and modular process, measurement and control equipment. We also offer procurement, warehouse and inventory management solutions as part of our supply chain and materials management offering. We have developed expertise in providing application systems, work processes, parts integration, optimization solutions and after-sales support.
Our solutions include outsourcing portions or entire functions of our customers’ procurement, warehouse and inventory management, logistics, point of issue technology, project management, business process and performance metrics reporting. These solutions allow us to leverage the infrastructure of our SAP™ ERP system and other technologies to streamline our customers’ purchasing process, from requisition to procurement to payment, by digitally managing workflow, improving approval routing and providing robust reporting functionality.
We support land and offshore operations for all the major oil and gas producing regions around the world through our network of locations. Our key markets, beyond North America, include South America, the North Sea, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, the FSU and Africa. Products sold through our locations support greenfield expansion upstream capital projects, midstream infrastructure and transmission and MRO consumables used in day-to-day production. We provide downstream energy and industrial products for petroleum refining, chemical processing, LNG terminals, power generation utilities and customer on-site locations.
We stock or sell approximately 300,000 SKUs through our branch network. Our supplier network consists of thousands of vendors in approximately 40 countries. From our operations in over 20 countries, we sell to customers operating in approximately 80 countries. The supplies and equipment stocked by each of our branches are customized to meet varied and changing local customer demands. The breadth and scale of our offering enhances our value proposition to our customers, suppliers and shareholders.
We employ advanced information technologies, including a common ERP platform across most of our business, to provide complete procurement, warehouse and inventory management and logistics coordination to our customers around the globe. Having a common ERP platform allows immediate visibility into our inventory assets, operations and financials worldwide, enhancing decision making and efficiency.
Our revenue and operating results are related to the level of worldwide oil and gas drilling and production activities and the profitability and cash flow of oil and gas companies and drilling contractors, which in turn are affected by current and anticipated prices of oil and gas. Oil and gas prices have been and are likely to continue to be volatile. See Item 1A. “Risk Factors.” We conduct our operations through three business segments: U.S., Canada and International. See Item 1. “Business-Summary of Reportable Segments” for a discussion of each of these business segments.
Unless indicated otherwise, results of operations data are presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). In an effort to provide investors with additional information regarding our results as determined by GAAP, we may disclose non-GAAP financial measures. The primary non-GAAP financial measure we focus on is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, excluding other costs (“EBITDA excluding other costs”). This financial measure excludes the impact of certain amounts and is not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Reconciliations” in Results of Operations for an explanation of our use of non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliations to the corresponding measures calculated in accordance with GAAP.
Operating Environment Overview
Our results are dependent on, among other things, the level of worldwide oil and gas drilling and completions, well remediation activity, crude and natural gas prices, capital spending by oilfield service companies and drilling contractors, and the worldwide oil and gas inventory levels. Key industry indicators for the past three years include the following:
%
%
2021 v
2021 v
2021*
2020*
2019*
Active Drilling Rigs:
U.S.
8.9
%
(49.7
%)
Canada
45.6
%
(3.0
%)
International
(8.6
%)
1,098
(31.2
%)
Worldwide
1,361
1,352
0.7
%
2,177
(37.5
%)
West Texas Intermediate Crude Prices (per barrel)
$
67.99
$
39.23
73.3
%
$
56.98
19.3
%
Natural Gas Prices ($/MMBtu)
$
3.91
$
2.04
91.7
%
$
2.57
52.1
%
Hot-Rolled Coil Prices (steel) ($/short ton)
$
1,561.23
$
574.67
171.7
%
$
620.53
151.6
%
* Averages for the years indicated. See sources on following page.
The following table details the U.S., Canadian, and international rig activity and West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”) oil prices for the past nine quarters ended December 31, 2021:
Sources: Rig count: Baker Hughes, Inc. (www.bakerhughes.com); West Texas Intermediate Crude and Natural Gas Prices: Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (www.eia.doe.gov); Hot-Rolled Coil Prices: SteelBenchmarker™ Hot Roll Coil USA (www.steelbenchmarker.com).
The worldwide average rig count increased 0.7% (from 1,352 rigs to 1,361 rigs) and the U.S. increased 8.9% (from 436 rigs to 475 rigs) in 2021 compared to 2020. The average price of WTI crude increased 73.3% (from $39.23 per barrel to $67.99 per barrel), and natural gas prices increased 91.7% (from $2.04 per MMBtu to $3.91 per MMBtu) in 2021 compared to 2020. The average price of Hot-Rolled Coil increased 171.7% (from $574.67 per short ton to $1,561.23 per short ton) in 2021 compared to 2020.
U.S. rig count at January 21, 2022 was 604 rigs, up 129 rigs from the 2021 average. The price for WTI crude was $85.16 per barrel at January 21, 2022, up 25.3% from the 2021 average. The price for natural gas was $4.11 per MMBtu at January 21, 2022, up 5.1% from the 2021 average. The price for Hot-Rolled Coil was $1,500.00 per short ton at January 24, 2022, down 3.9% from the 2021 average.
Executive Summary
For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company generated net income of $5 million, or $0.05 per fully diluted share on $1,632 million in revenue. Net income increased for the year ended December 31, 2021, by $432 million when compared to the corresponding period of 2020. Revenue increased for the year ended December 31, 2021, by $13 million, or 0.8%, when compared to the corresponding period of 2020. For the year ended December 31, 2021, operating profit was $9 million compared to operating loss of $420 million for the corresponding period of 2020.
For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021, the Company generated net income of $12 million, or $0.11 per fully diluted share on $432 million in revenue. Net income increased for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021, by $56 million when compared to the corresponding period of 2020. Revenue increased for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021, by $113 million, or 35.4%, when compared to the corresponding period of 2020. For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021, operating profit was $7 million, compared to operating loss of $37 million for the corresponding period of 2020.
Outlook
Our outlook for the Company remains tied to crude oil and natural gas commodity prices, global oil and gas drilling and completions activity, oil and gas spending, and global demand for oil, its refined petroleum products, crude oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas production and decline rates. Crude oil prices and natural gas as well as crude oil and natural gas storage levels are primary catalysts for determining customer activity.
Continuing to the date of this filing, uncertainty still exists concerning the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the economy and global oil and gas demand. Amid these dynamics, we will continue to optimize our operations, advance our strategic goals and manage the Company based on market conditions. To navigate this challenging environment, we have undergone a significant cost transformation by taking decisive actions to cut costs, accelerate structural changes and deploy various technologies to optimize processes, increase productivity and continue to support our customers and grow revenue. We will continue to optimize our operations and adapt to market activity as appropriate to position the Company for the market ahead. As market conditions evolve, our response may result in various charges in future periods.
We see the rise in energy transition investments as an opportunity for us to supply many of the current products and services we provide, as well as an opportunity to partner and source from new suppliers to expand our offering, to meet our customers’ needs for their energy transition investments. A number of our larger customers are leading the investments in energy transition projects where we expect to continue to supply them while expanding our offerings to meet their changing requirements. We are also targeting new customers that are not traditional oil and gas customers, those that will play a part in the future of energy transition.
Results of Operations
Consolidated Results
Years Ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020
A summary of the Company’s revenue and operating profit (loss) by segment in 2021 and 2020 follows (in millions):
Year Ended December 31,
Variance
$
Revenue:
United States
$
1,163
$
1,153
$
Canada
International
(37
)
Total revenue
$
1,632
$
1,619
$
Operating profit (loss):
United States
$
(8
)
$
(281
)
$
Canada
(60
)
International
-
(79
)
Total operating profit (loss)
$
$
(420
)
$
United States
Revenue was $1,163 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $10 million or 0.9% compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The slight improvement in the period was primarily driven by the fluctuations in U.S. drilling and completions activity.
Operating loss was $8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an improvement of $273 million compared to operating loss of $281 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Operating loss improved in 2021 primarily due to a $183 million reduction in impairment, coupled with lower inventory charges and employee-related expenses.
Canada
Revenue was $249 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $40 million or 19.1% compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily driven by the improvement in Canadian rig count and favorable foreign exchange rate impact.
Our Canadian revenue was approximately 15% of total revenue in 2021, similar to 2020. We are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar. Our Canadian revenue is favorably impacted as the U.S. dollar weakens relative to the Canadian dollar, and unfavorably impacted as the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to the Canadian dollar. Our Canadian segment revenue was favorably impacted by approximately $15 million due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates over the prior year.
Operating profit was $17 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $77 million compared to operating loss of $60 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Operating profit increased primarily due to a $59 million reduction in impairment and increase in revenue discussed above.
International
Revenue was $220 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, a decline of $37 million or 14.4% compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The decline was driven by softer project activity, partially offset by favorable foreign exchange rate impacts.
Our international revenue was approximately 14% of total revenue in 2021, similar to 2020. We are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar. Our international revenue is favorably impacted as the U.S. dollar weakens relative to other foreign currencies, and unfavorably impacted as the U.S dollar strengthens relative to other foreign currencies. Our international segment revenue was favorably impacted by approximately $9 million due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates over the prior year.
Operating profit was nil for the year ended December 31, 2021, an improvement of $79 million compared to operating loss of $79 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Operating profit increased primarily due to a $72 million reduction in impairment and lower operating expenses.
Cost of products
Cost of products was $1,275 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $1,327 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, a decrease of $52 million. The decrease was primarily due to lower inventory charges in the period. Cost of products includes the cost of inventory sold and related items, such as vendor consideration, inventory allowances, amortization of intangibles and inbound and outbound freight.
Warehousing, selling and administrative expenses
Warehousing, selling and administrative expenses were $341 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $391 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, a decrease of $50 million. The decrease was primarily due to improved operating efficiencies, mainly workforce reductions. Warehousing, selling and administrative expenses include branch location, distribution center and regional expenses (including costs such as compensation, benefits and rent) as well as corporate general selling and administrative expenses.
Impairment and other charges
Impairment and other charges were $7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $321 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company recognized approximately $2 million of impairment related to intangible assets and $8 million of impairment related primarily to operating right-of-use assets. These charges were partially offset by a net gain of $3 million related to the sales of held-for-sale facilities.
Other income (expense)
Other income was $3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to other expense of $10 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. For the year ended December 31, 2021, other income mainly attributable to a benefit of $10 million related to the decrease in the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities, partially offset by unfavorable foreign exchange rate impacts. For the year ended December 31, 2020, other expense primarily included approximately $6 million related to our pension plans.
Provision for income taxes
The effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2021, and December 31, 2020 was 54.8% and 0.6%, respectively. In general, the effective tax rate differs from the U.S. statutory rate due to recurring items, such as differing tax rates on income earned in foreign jurisdictions, nondeductible expenses, state income taxes and the change in valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the effective tax rate was primarily driven by the low level of consolidated pre-tax income and the recognition of tax expense from earnings in Canada, which was not able to be offset by benefits recognized on losses in other jurisdictions. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the effective tax rate was impacted by nondeductible goodwill impairment.
Consolidated Results
Years Ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019
For discussion related to the results of operations and changes in financial condition for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019 refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our 2020 Form 10-K, which was filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on February 17, 2021.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Reconciliations
In an effort to provide investors with additional information regarding our results of operations as determined by GAAP, we disclose non-GAAP financial measures. The primary non-GAAP financial measure we disclose is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, excluding other costs (“EBITDA excluding other costs”). This financial measure excludes the impact of certain amounts and is not calculated in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure, to its most comparable GAAP financial measure, is included below.
We use EBITDA excluding other costs internally to evaluate and manage the Company’s operations because we believe it provides useful supplemental information regarding the Company’s ongoing economic performance. We have chosen to provide this information to investors to enable them to perform more meaningful comparisons of operating results. In an effort to better align with management’s evaluation of the Company’s performance and to facilitate comparison of our results to those of peer companies, beginning for the year ended December 31, 2021, EBITDA excluding other costs excludes non-cash stock-based compensation expense. Prior periods presented have been adjusted to conform with the current period presentation.
The following table sets forth the reconciliations of EBITDA excluding other costs to the most comparable GAAP financial measures (in millions):
Year Ended December 31,
GAAP net income (loss) (1)
$
$
(427
)
$
(97
)
Interest, net
-
-
Income tax provision (benefit)
(3
)
Depreciation and amortization
Other costs:
Stock-based compensation (2)
Other (3)
EBITDA excluding other costs
$
$
(47
)
$
EBITDA % excluding other costs (4)
2.8
%
(2.9
%)
3.4
%
(1)We believe that net income (loss) is the financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP that is most directly comparable to EBITDA excluding other costs. EBITDA excluding other costs measures the Company’s operating performance without regard to certain expenses. EBITDA excluding other costs is not a presentation made in accordance with GAAP and the Company’s computation of EBITDA excluding other costs may vary from others in the industry. EBITDA excluding other costs has important limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of the Company’s results as reported under GAAP.
(2)Stock-based compensation excludes net credits of $4 million and $1 million for 2020 and 2019, respectively, as such separation amounts were reported in Other.
(3)Other includes certain income and expenses not included in stock-based compensation. Other for 2021 primarily included $7 million of impairment and other charges and $5 million in separation and transaction-related expenses, which were included in operating profit (loss), partially offset by a benefit of $10 million related to the decrease in the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities, which was included in other income (expense). Other for 2020 included $321 million of impairment and other charges and $18 million in net separation and transaction-related expenses, which were included in operating profit (loss). Other for 2020 also included $6 million in pension expense related to the de-risking of our defined benefit plans which was included in other income (expense). Other for 2019 included $128 million of impairment and other charges and $7 million in net separation and transaction-related expenses, approximately half of which are related to the CEO departure, which were included in operating profit (loss).
(4)EBITDA % excluding other costs is defined as EBITDA excluding other costs divided by Revenue.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We assess liquidity in terms of our ability to generate cash to fund operating, investing and financing activities. We expect resources to be available to reinvest in existing businesses, strategic acquisitions and capital expenditures to meet short and long-term objectives. We believe cash on hand, cash generated from expected results of operations and amounts available under our revolving credit facility will be sufficient to fund operations, anticipated working capital needs and other cash requirements, including capital expenditures.
At December 31, 2021 and 2020, we had cash and cash equivalents of $313 million and $387 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, $112 million of our cash and cash equivalents was maintained in our various foreign subsidiaries. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we repatriated $13 million from our Canadian operations. The Company makes a determination each period concerning its intent and ability to indefinitely reinvest the cash held by its foreign subsidiaries. The Company has not recorded deferred income taxes on undistributed foreign earnings that it considers to be indefinitely reinvested. The Company makes a determination each period whether to indefinitely reinvest these earnings. If, as a result of these reassessments, the Company distributes these earnings in the future, additional tax liabilities offset by any available foreign tax credits may result.
We maintain a $500 million five-year senior secured revolving credit facility that will mature on December 14, 2026. Availability under the revolving credit facility is determined by a borrowing base comprised of eligible receivables, eligible inventory and certain pledged deposits in the U.S. and Canada. As of December 31, 2021, we had no borrowings against our revolving credit facility and had $359 million in availability (as defined in the Credit Agreement) resulting in the excess availability (as defined in the Credit Agreement) of 99%, subject to certain restrictions. Availability excluding certain cash deposits was approximately $248 million. Borrowings that result in the excess availability dropping below the greater of 10% of the borrowing base or $40 million are conditioned upon compliance with or waiver of a minimum fixed charge ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement). The credit facility contains usual and customary affirmative and negative covenants for credit facilities of this type including financial covenants. As of December 31, 2021, we were in compliance with all covenants. We continuously monitor compliance with debt covenants. A default, if not waived or amended, may prevent us from taking certain actions, such as incurring additional debt.
As of December 31, 2021, we had $13 million of contingent consideration liabilities based on our current forecast, which was recorded in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets, and the undiscounted range of outcomes was $0 to $45 million. Changes in business conditions or other events could result in material changes to the fair value of the contingent consideration. See Note 19 “Transactions” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Part IV, Item 15 of this Form 10-K) for additional information.
See Note 11 “Leases” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Part IV, Item 15 of this Form 10-K) for additional information on our obligations and timing of expected future lease payments.
We are often party to certain transactions that require off-balance sheet arrangements such as standby letters of credit and performance
bonds and guarantees that are not reflected in our consolidated balance sheets. These arrangements are made in our normal course of
business and they are not reasonably likely to have a current or future material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of
operations, liquidity or cash flows.
The following table summarizes our net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, net cash provided by (used in) investing activities and net cash provided by (used in) financing activities for the periods presented (in millions):
Year Ended December 31,
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
$
$
$
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
(96
)
(22
)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
(6
)
(8
)
(138
)
Fiscal Year 2021 Compared to Fiscal Year 2020
Net cash provided by operating activities was $30 million in 2021 compared to $189 million in 2020. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities in 2021 compared to 2020 was primarily driven by a net increase in working capital, partially offset by improved operating results in 2021 compared to 2020, as a result of growing market activities. The increase in working capital used cash of $33 million in 2021 compared to the decrease in working capital provided $170 million cash in 2020.
Net cash used in investing activities was $96 million in 2021 compared to net cash provided by investing activities of $22 million in 2020. In 2021, net cash used in investing activities was primarily related to business acquisitions for $96 million (net of cash acquired). In 2020, net cash provided by investing activities was primarily related to net proceeds of $26 million related to business divestitures.
Net cash used in financing activities was $6 million in 2021 compared to $8 million in 2020. In both 2021 and 2020, net cash used in financing activities was primarily related to payments associated with finance leases.
Effect of the Change in Exchange Rates
The effect of the change in exchange rates on cash flows was a decrease of $2 million and an increase of $1 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Capital Spending
We intend to pursue additional acquisition candidates, but the timing, size or success of any acquisition effort and the related potential capital commitments cannot be predicted. We continue to expect to fund future cash acquisitions primarily with cash flow from operations and the usage of the available portion of the revolving credit facility. We expect capital expenditures for fiscal year 2022 to be approximately $15 million, primarily related to purchases of property, plant and equipment.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
In preparing the financial statements, the Company makes assumptions, estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported. The Company periodically evaluates its estimates and judgments that are most critical in nature, which are related to allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory reserves, goodwill, intangible assets, contingent consideration, purchase price allocation of acquisitions, vendor consideration and income taxes. Its estimates are based on historical experience and on its future expectations that the Company believes are reasonable. The combination of these factors forms the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results are likely to differ from our current estimates and those differences may be material.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
The Company grants credit to its customers, which operate primarily in the energy, industrial and manufacturing markets. Concentrations of credit risk are limited because the Company has a large number of geographically diverse customers, thus spreading trade credit risk. The Company controls credit risk through credit evaluations, credit limits and monitoring procedures. The Company performs periodic credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and generally does not require collateral, but may require letters of credit or prepayments for certain sales. Allowances for doubtful accounts are established based on an evaluation of accounts receivable aging, and, where applicable, specific reserves on a customer-by-customer basis. With the adoption of Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 326 "Financial Instruments - Credit Losses", the estimated allowance for doubtful accounts (“AFDA”) reflects the Company’s immediate recognition of current expected credit losses by incorporating the historical loss experience, as well as current and future market conditions that are reasonably available. Judgments in the estimate of AFDA include global economic and business conditions, oil and gas industry and market conditions, customer’s financial conditions and accounts receivable past due. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, allowance for doubtful accounts totaled $25 million and $28 million, or 7.6% and 12.4% of gross accounts receivable, respectively.
Inventory Reserves
Inventories consist primarily of oilfield and industrial finished goods. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and using average cost methods. Allowances for excess and obsolete inventories are determined based on the Company’s historical usage of inventory on hand as well as its future expectations. The Company’s estimated carrying value of inventory therefore depends upon demand driven by oil and gas spending activity, which depends in turn upon oil, gas and steel prices, the general outlook for economic growth worldwide, available financing for the Company’s customers, political stability in major oil and gas producing areas and the potential obsolescence of various inventory items the Company stocks, among other factors. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, inventory reserves totaled $32 million and $39 million, or 11.3% and 13.0% of gross inventory, respectively. Changes in our estimates can be material under different market conditions.
Goodwill and Long-lived Assets
The Company conducts goodwill impairment testing at the reporting unit level annually in the fourth quarter of each fiscal year, and more frequently on an interim basis when an event occurs or changes in circumstances indicate that the fair value of a reporting unit may have declined below its carrying value.
The fair values of reporting units are determined based on valuation techniques using the best available information, primarily discounted cash flow projections and multiple-based market approach for comparable companies, where applicable. The two main assumptions that could impact the impairment analysis include the cash flow based on management’s short-term and long-term forecast of operating performance for each reporting unit and the discount rate. The starting point for the reporting unit’s projected
cash flow from operations is the detailed annual plan or updated forecast, which takes into consideration a multitude of factors including worldwide rig activity, inflationary forces, pricing strategies, customer analysis, operational issues, competitor analysis, capital spending requirements, working capital requirements and customer needs among other items which impact the individual reporting unit projections. Cash flows beyond the specific operating plans are estimated using a terminal value calculation, which incorporates historical and forecasted financial cyclical trends for each reporting unit and also considers long-term earnings growth rates. The financial and credit market volatility impacts the fair value measurement by adjusting the discount rate.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company has $67 million goodwill in its U.S. Process Solutions reporting unit and no goodwill in other reporting units. During the fourth quarter of 2021, we performed our annual goodwill impairment test resulting in no impairment. The excess of the reporting unit's estimated fair value over carrying value (expressed as a percentage of carrying value) was approximately 25%. Adverse changes in the future could reduce the underlying cash flows used to estimate fair values and could trigger future impairment charges.
Our long-lived assets include property, plant and equipment, operating right-of-use assets and intangible assets. The Company evaluates impairment of long-lived assets whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amounts to the future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate. If such review indicates that the carrying amount of long-lived assets is not recoverable, the carrying amount of such assets is reduced to fair value. The fair values of long-lived assets are primarily determined using discounted cash flow projections, and market approach, where applicable, based on market observable data and quotes for certain assets.
For the year ended December 31, 2021 we recognized approximately $10 million of impairments for long-lived assets primarily relating to exiting certain property and right-of-use operating leases.
Purchase Price Allocation of Acquisitions
The Company allocates the fair value of the purchase price consideration of an acquired business to its identifiable assets and liabilities based on estimated fair values. The excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the acquired assets and liabilities, if any, is recorded as goodwill. The Company uses all available information to estimate fair values including quoted market prices, the carrying value of acquired assets, and widely accepted valuation techniques such as discounted cash flows. The Company engages third-party valuation advisors to assist in fair value determination of inventories, identifiable intangible assets and any other significant assets or liabilities when appropriate. The judgments made in determining the estimated fair value assigned to each class of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, as well as asset lives, could materially impact the Company’s results of operations.
Contingent Consideration
The fair value of acquisition-related contingent consideration is determined using the Monte Carlo simulation based on estimated future cash flow projections, the probability of achievement and the estimated discount rates, all of which are classified as level 3 inputs under the fair value hierarchy. The fair value of the contingent consideration is highly subjective if different estimates and assumptions are used. Changes in business conditions or other events could result in material changes to the fair value of the contingent consideration.
As of December 31, 2021, we had $13 million of contingent consideration liabilities based on our current forecast, which was recorded in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets and the undiscounted estimated range of outcomes was $0 to $45 million. A hypothetical 5% change in the forecasted EBITDA (as defined in the acquisition agreement) would change the estimated fair value by approximately 30%.
Vendor Consideration
The Company receives funds from vendors in the normal course of business, principally as a result of purchase volumes. Generally, these vendor funds do not represent the reimbursement of specific, incremental and identifiable costs incurred by the Company to sell the vendor’s product. Therefore, the Company treats these funds as a reduction of inventory when purchased and once these goods are sold to third parties the associated amount is credited to cost of sales. The Company develops accrual rates for vendor consideration based on the provisions of the arrangements in place, historical trends, purchases and future expectations. Due to the complexity and diversity of the individual vendor agreements, the Company performs analyses and reviews historical trends throughout the year and confirms actual amounts with select vendors to ensure the amounts earned are appropriately recorded. Amounts accrued throughout the year could be impacted if actual purchase volumes differ from projected annual purchase volumes, especially in the case of programs that provide for increased funding when graduated purchase volumes are met.
Income Taxes
The Company is a U.S. registered company and is subject to income taxes in the U.S. The Company operates through various subsidiaries in a number of countries throughout the world. Income taxes are based upon the tax laws and rates of the countries in which the Company operates and earns income.
The Company’s annual tax provision is based on taxable income, statutory rates, and the interpretation of the tax laws in the various jurisdictions in which the Company operates. It requires significant judgment and the use of estimates and assumptions regarding significant future events such as the amount, timing and character of income, deductions and tax credits. Changes in tax laws, regulations and treaties, foreign currency exchange restrictions or the Company’s level of operations or profitability in each jurisdiction could impact the tax liability in any given year. The Company also operates in many jurisdictions where the tax laws relating to the pricing of transactions between related parties are open to interpretation, which could potentially result in aggressive tax authorities asserting additional tax liabilities with no offsetting tax recovery in other countries.
The Company determined the provision for income taxes under the asset and liability approach, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined on the basis of the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
Deferred income taxes arise from temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements, which will result in taxable or deductible amounts in the future. The Company recognizes deferred tax assets to the extent that the Company believes these assets are more-likely-than-not to be realized. If the Company determines that it would be able to realize its deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, the Company would make an adjustment to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes. In evaluating the Company’s ability to recover deferred tax assets within the jurisdiction from which they arise, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including scheduled reversals of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies and results of operations. In projecting future taxable income, the Company begins with historical results adjusted for the results of discontinued operations and incorporates assumptions about the amount of future state, federal and foreign pretax operating income adjusted for items that do not have tax consequences. The assumptions about future taxable income require significant judgment and are consistent with the plans and estimates the Company is using to manage the underlying businesses.
The Company remains in a three-year cumulative loss position at the end of 2021. As a result, management believes that it is not more-likely-than-not that the Company would be able to realize the benefits of its deferred tax assets in the U.S., Canada and other foreign jurisdictions and accordingly recognized a valuation allowance for the year ended December 31, 2021. The change during the year in the valuation allowance was nil in the U.S. and $2 million in other foreign jurisdictions.
The Company records unrecognized tax benefits as liabilities in accordance with ASC 740 and adjusts these liabilities when judgment changes as a result of the evaluation of new information not previously available in jurisdictions of operation. The Company records uncertain tax positions in accordance with ASC 740 on the basis of a two-step process whereby (1) the Company determines whether it is more-likely-than-not that the tax positions will be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the Company recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority. The annual tax provision includes the impact of income tax provisions and benefits for changes to liabilities that the Company considers appropriate, as well as related interest.
The Company is subject to audits by federal, state and foreign jurisdictions which may result in proposed assessments. Because of the complexity of some of these uncertainties, the ultimate resolution may result in a payment that is materially different from the current estimate of the unrecognized tax benefit liabilities. The Company reviews these liabilities quarterly and to the extent audits or other events result in an adjustment to the liability accrued for a prior year, the effect will be recognized in the period of the event.
As of December 31, 2021, the amount of undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries was approximately $1 million. The Company has not recorded deferred income taxes on undistributed foreign earnings that it considers to be indefinitely reinvested. The Company makes a determination each period whether to indefinitely reinvest these earnings. If, as a result of these reassessments, the Company distributes these earnings in the future, additional tax liabilities may result, offset by any available foreign tax credits.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848), which provides optional expedients and exceptions to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued because of reference rate reform. Entities that elect the relief are required to disclose the nature of the optional expedients and exceptions that are adopted and the reasons for the adoptions. The guidance is effective upon issuance and the expedients and exceptions may be applied prospectively through December 31, 2022. The Company is currently assessing the impact of ASU 2020-04 on its consolidated financial statements but does not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A.	QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We are exposed to certain market risks that are inherent in our financial instruments and arise from changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. We may enter into derivative financial instrument transactions to manage or reduce market risk but do not enter into derivative financial instrument transactions for speculative purposes. We do not currently have any material outstanding derivative instruments. See Note 13 “Derivative Financial Instruments” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Part IV, Item 15 of this Form 10-K) for additional information.
A discussion of our primary market risk exposure in financial instruments is presented below.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk
We have operations in foreign countries and transact business globally in multiple currencies. Our net assets as well as our revenues and costs and expenses denominated in foreign currencies, expose us to the risk of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar. Because we operate globally and approximately 30% of our 2021 net sales were outside the United States, foreign currency exchange rates can impact our financial position, results of operations and competitive position. We are a net receiver of foreign currencies and therefore benefit from a weakening of the U.S. dollar and are adversely affected by a strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to the foreign currency. As of December 31, 2021, our most significant foreign currency exposure was to the Canadian dollar, followed by the British pound, with less significant foreign currency exposure to the Australian dollar.
The financial statements of foreign subsidiaries are translated into their U.S. dollar equivalents at end-of-period exchange rates for assets and liabilities, while revenue, costs and expenses are translated at average monthly exchange rates. Translation gains and losses are components of other comprehensive income (loss) as reported in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). During 2021, we experienced a net foreign currency translation loss totaling $2 million, which was included in other comprehensive income (loss).
Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations generally do not materially affect our earnings since the functional currency is typically the local currency; however, our operations also have net assets not denominated in their functional currency, which exposes us to changes in foreign currency exchange rates that impact our net income as foreign currency transaction gains and losses. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses, arising from fluctuations in currency exchange rates on transactions denominated in currencies other than the functional currency, are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations as a component of other income (expense). For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, we reported a net foreign currency transaction loss of $1 million, gain of $2 million and loss of $1 million, respectively. Gains and losses are primarily due to exchange rate fluctuations related to monetary asset balances denominated in currencies other than the functional currency and fair value adjustments to economically hedged positions as a result of changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
Some of our revenues for our foreign operations are denominated in U.S. dollars, and therefore, changes in foreign currency exchange rates impact earnings to the extent that costs associated with those U.S. dollar revenues are denominated in the local currency. Similarly, some of our revenues for our foreign operations are denominated in foreign currencies, but have associated U.S. dollar costs, which also give rise to foreign currency exchange rate exposure. In order to mitigate those risks, we may utilize foreign currency forward contracts to better match the currency of the revenues and the associated costs. Although we may utilize foreign currency forward contracts to economically hedge certain foreign currency denominated balances or transactions, we do not currently hedge the net investments in our foreign operations. The counterparties to our forward contracts are major financial institutions. The credit ratings and concentration of risk of these financial institutions are monitored by us on a continuing basis. In the event that the counterparties fail to meet the terms of a foreign currency contract, our exposure is limited to the foreign currency rate differential.
The average foreign exchange rate for 2021 compared to the average for 2020 increased by approximately 6% compared to the U.S. dollar based on the aggregated weighted average revenue of our foreign currency denominated foreign operations. The Canadian dollar, British pound and Australian dollar increased in relation to the U.S. dollar by approximately 7%, 7% and 9%, respectively.
We utilized a sensitivity analysis to measure the potential impact on earnings based on a hypothetical 10% change in foreign currency rates. A 10% change from the levels experienced during 2021 of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies that affected the Company would have resulted in $2 million change in net income for 2021.
Commodity Steel Pricing
Our business is sensitive to steel prices, which can impact our product pricing, with steel tubular prices generally having the highest degree of sensitivity. While we cannot predict steel prices, we manage this risk by managing our inventory levels, including maintaining sufficient quantity on hand to meet demand, while reducing the risk of overstocking.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8.	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Attached hereto and a part of this report are financial statements and supplementary data listed in Item 15. “Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.”

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9.	CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A.	CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act of 1934), is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. As of December 31, 2021, with the participation of management, our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer carried out an evaluation, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) of the Exchange Act of 1934, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act of 1934). Based upon that evaluation, our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were operating effectively as of December 31, 2021.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act, management is required to provide the following report on our internal control over financial reporting:
•Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting.
•Management has evaluated the system of internal control using the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission 2013 framework (“COSO 2013 framework”). Management has selected the COSO 2013 framework for its evaluation as it is a control framework recognized by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board that is free from bias, permits reasonably consistent qualitative and quantitative measurement of our internal controls, is sufficiently complete so that relevant controls are not omitted and is relevant to an evaluation of internal controls over financial reporting.
•Based on management’s evaluation under this framework, management has concluded that our internal controls over financial reporting were effective as of December 31, 2021. There are no material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that have been identified by management.
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Act, in the quarterly period ended December 31, 2021, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Pursuant to section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have provided certain certifications to the Securities and Exchange Commission. These certifications are included herein as Exhibits 31.1 and 31.2.
The report from Ernst & Young LLP on its audit of the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 is included in this annual report and is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B.	OTHER INFORMATION
None.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10.	DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Incorporated by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11.	EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Incorporated by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12.	SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Incorporated by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans.
The following table sets forth information as of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, with respect to compensation plans under which our common stock may be issued:
Plan Category
Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (1)
Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (2)
Equity compensation plans
approved by security holders
4,327,668
$
15.02
6,299,929
Equity compensation plans
not approved by security holders
-
$
-
-
Total
4,327,668
$
15.02
6,299,929
(1)Includes 669,195 shares of issuable performance-based awards if specific targets are met, and 62,461 shares of Restricted Stock Units and Phantom Shares (collectively, “RSUs”) which have no exercise price. Therefore, these shares are excluded for purposes of determining the weighted-average exercise prices of outstanding options, warrants and rights.
(2)Includes 6,299,929 shares issuable pursuant to the 2014 Plan in the form of stock options, restricted awards, RSUs, performance stock awards, or any combination of the foregoing.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13.	CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Incorporated by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14.	PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Incorporated by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15.	EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(1) Financial Statements and Exhibits
The following financial statements are presented in response to Part II, Item 8:
Page
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Auditor Name: Ernst & Young LLP
Auditor Location: Houston, Texas
Auditor ID: 42
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Consolidated Statements of Operations
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(2) Financial Statement Schedule
All schedules are omitted because they are not applicable, not required or the information is included in the financial statements or notes thereto.
(3) Exhibits
3.1
NOW Inc. Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (6)
3.2
NOW Inc. Amended and Restated Bylaws (6)
4.1
Description of the Registrant’s Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934
10.1
Form of Employment Agreement for Executive Officers (1)
10.2
NOW Inc. 2014 Incentive Compensation Plan (2)
10.3
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Agreement (4)
10.4
Form of Restricted Stock Award Agreement (3 year cliff vest) (3)
10.5
Form of Performance Award Agreement (3)
10.6
Form of Amendment to Employment Agreement for Executive Officers (4)
10.7
Credit Agreement dated as of April 30, 2018, among the Borrowers, the lenders that are parties thereto and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as administrative agent, an issuing lender and swing lender (5)
10.8
Employment Agreement between NOW Inc. and Chief Executive Officer David Cherechinsky (7)
10.9
Employment Agreement between NOW Inc. and Chief Financial Officer Mark Johnson (7)
10.10
First Amendment to Credit Agreement, and First Amendment to US Guaranty and Security Agreement, dated as of December 14, 2021, among the Borrowers, the lenders party thereto and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as administrative agent, an issuing lender and swing lender.(8)
21.1
Subsidiaries of the Registrant
23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
24.1
Power of Attorney (included on signature page hereto)
31.1
Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14a and Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities and Exchange Act, as amended
31.2
Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14a and Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities and Exchange Act, as amended
32.1
Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.2
Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
101.INS
Inline XBRL Instance Document - The instance document does not appear in the interactive data file because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document
101.SCH
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
_________________________________________
(1)Filed as an Exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 30, 2014
(2)Filed as an Exhibit to our Amendment No. 1 to Form 10, as amended, Registration Statement filed on April 8, 2014
(3)Filed as an Exhibit to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 7, 2015
(4)Filed as an Exhibit to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 2, 2016
(5)Filed as an Exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 1, 2018
(6)Filed as an Exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 21, 2020
(7)Filed as an Exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 2, 2020
(8)Filed as an Exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed on February 4, 2022