WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE TECHNOLOGIES CORP (WAB)
SIC breadcrumb: Manufacturing > Transportation Equipment > SIC 3743 Railroad Equipment
SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=943452. Latest filing source: 0001628280-26-008067.
Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.
Selected Fundamentals
| Metric | Value | Unit | FY | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 11,167,000,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-13 |
| Net income | 1,170,000,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-13 |
| Assets | 22,069,000,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-13 |
Financials
Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-02-13. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0000943452.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.
| Metric | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 2,931,188,000 | 3,881,700,000 | 4,363,500,000 | 8,200,000,000 | 7,556,000,000 | 7,822,000,000 | 8,362,000,000 | 9,677,000,000 | 10,387,000,000 | 11,167,000,000 |
| Net income | 304,887,000 | 262,300,000 | 294,900,000 | 327,000,000 | 414,000,000 | 558,000,000 | 633,000,000 | 815,000,000 | 1,056,000,000 | 1,170,000,000 |
| Operating income | 456,607,000 | 421,100,000 | 473,400,000 | 663,000,000 | 745,000,000 | 876,000,000 | 1,011,000,000 | 1,266,000,000 | 1,609,000,000 | 1,793,000,000 |
| Gross profit | 924,239,000 | 1,065,300,000 | 1,233,900,000 | 2,278,000,000 | 2,137,000,000 | 2,369,000,000 | 2,540,000,000 | 2,944,000,000 | 3,366,000,000 | 3,806,000,000 |
| Diluted EPS | 3.34 | 2.72 | 3.05 | 1.84 | 2.17 | 2.96 | 3.46 | 4.53 | 6.04 | 6.83 |
| Operating cash flow | 450,530,000 | 188,800,000 | 314,700,000 | 1,016,000,000 | 784,000,000 | 1,073,000,000 | 1,038,000,000 | 1,201,000,000 | 1,834,000,000 | 1,759,000,000 |
| Capital expenditures | 50,216,000 | 89,500,000 | 93,300,000 | 186,000,000 | 136,000,000 | 130,000,000 | 149,000,000 | 186,000,000 | 207,000,000 | 260,000,000 |
| Dividends paid | 32,430,000 | 42,200,000 | 46,300,000 | 82,000,000 | 93,000,000 | 92,000,000 | 111,000,000 | 123,000,000 | 140,000,000 | 173,000,000 |
| Share buybacks | 212,176,000 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 207,000,000 | 300,000,000 | 473,000,000 | 409,000,000 | 1,097,000,000 | 223,000,000 |
| Assets | 6,581,018,000 | 6,580,000,000 | 8,649,200,000 | 18,944,200,000 | 18,454,000,000 | 18,454,000,000 | 18,516,000,000 | 18,988,000,000 | 18,702,000,000 | 22,069,000,000 |
| Liabilities | 3,604,193,000 | 3,751,448,000 | 5,780,100,000 | 8,950,600,000 | 8,301,000,000 | 8,215,000,000 | 8,369,000,000 | 8,464,000,000 | 8,569,000,000 | 10,879,000,000 |
| Stockholders' equity | 2,205,977,000 | 2,808,868,000 | 2,865,200,000 | 9,956,500,000 | 10,123,000,000 | 10,201,000,000 | 10,102,000,000 | 10,487,000,000 | 10,091,000,000 | 11,142,000,000 |
| Free cash flow | 400,314,000 | 99,300,000 | 221,400,000 | 830,000,000 | 648,000,000 | 943,000,000 | 889,000,000 | 1,015,000,000 | 1,627,000,000 | 1,499,000,000 |
Ratios
| Metric | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net margin | 10.40% | 6.76% | 6.76% | 3.99% | 5.48% | 7.13% | 7.57% | 8.42% | 10.17% | 10.48% |
| Operating margin | 15.58% | 10.85% | 10.85% | 8.09% | 9.86% | 11.20% | 12.09% | 13.08% | 15.49% | 16.06% |
| Return on equity | 13.82% | 9.34% | 10.29% | 3.28% | 4.09% | 5.47% | 6.27% | 7.77% | 10.46% | 10.50% |
| Return on assets | 4.63% | 3.99% | 3.41% | 1.73% | 2.24% | 3.02% | 3.42% | 4.29% | 5.65% | 5.30% |
| Liabilities / equity | 1.63 | 1.34 | 2.02 | 0.90 | 0.82 | 0.81 | 0.83 | 0.81 | 0.85 | 0.98 |
| Current ratio | 1.98 | 1.44 | 2.70 | 1.29 | 1.20 | 1.32 | 1.25 | 1.20 | 1.30 | 1.11 |
Financial Charts
Quarterly
Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-04-22. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0000943452.json.
| Quarter | End Date | Revenue | Net Income | Diluted EPS | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-Q2 | 2022-06-30 | 0.91 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2022-Q3 | 2022-09-30 | 0.88 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q1 | 2023-03-31 | 0.93 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-06-30 | 2,407,000,000 | 191,000,000 | 1.06 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-09-30 | 2,550,000,000 | 240,000,000 | 1.33 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2023-Q4 | 2023-12-31 | 2,526,000,000 | 215,000,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2024-Q1 | 2024-03-31 | 2,497,000,000 | 272,000,000 | 1.53 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-06-30 | 2,644,000,000 | 289,000,000 | 1.64 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-09-30 | 2,663,000,000 | 283,000,000 | 1.63 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q4 | 2024-12-31 | 2,583,000,000 | 212,000,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2025-Q1 | 2025-03-31 | 2,610,000,000 | 322,000,000 | 1.88 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-06-30 | 2,706,000,000 | 336,000,000 | 1.96 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-09-30 | 2,886,000,000 | 310,000,000 | 1.81 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q4 | 2025-12-31 | 2,965,000,000 | 202,000,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2026-Q1 | 2026-03-31 | 2,950,000,000 | 362,000,000 | 2.12 | reported discrete quarter |
Quarterly Charts
Macro Cross-References
- CPIAUCSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average
- UNRATE - Unemployment Rate
- FEDFUNDS - Federal Funds Effective Rate
- CES0500000003 - Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private
- DFEDTARU - Federal Funds Target Range - Upper Limit
- DFEDTARL - Federal Funds Target Range - Lower Limit
- DGS3MO - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 3-Month Constant Maturity
- DGS2 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 2-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS10 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 10-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS30 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 30-Year Constant Maturity
- T10Y2Y - 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity
- CPILFESL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Food and Energy
- CPIUFDSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food
- CPIENGSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Energy
- CUSR0000SAH1 - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Shelter
- PCEPI - Personal Consumption Expenditures: Chain-type Price Index
- PCEPILFE - Personal Consumption Expenditures Excluding Food and Energy: Chain-type Price Index
- PPIACO - Producer Price Index by Commodity: All Commodities
- T10YIE - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate
- U6RATE - Total Unemployed, Plus All Marginally Attached Workers Plus Total Employed Part Time for Economic Reasons
- PAYEMS - All Employees, Total Nonfarm
- CIVPART - Labor Force Participation Rate
- EMRATIO - Employment-Population Ratio
- UNEMPLOY - Unemployed
- CE16OV - Employment Level
- ICSA - Initial Claims
- JTSJOL - Job Openings: Total Nonfarm
- JTSQUR - Quits: Total Nonfarm
- GDPC1 - Real Gross Domestic Product
- A191RL1Q225SBEA - Real Gross Domestic Product: Percent Change from Preceding Period
- INDPRO - Industrial Production: Total Index
- TCU - Capacity Utilization: Total Index
- HOUST - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units
- PERMIT - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Total Units
- RSAFS - Advance Retail Sales: Retail Trade
- PCE - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- DSPIC96 - Real Disposable Personal Income
- PSAVERT - Personal Saving Rate
- M2SL - M2
- BOPGSTB - U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: Balance
- MSPUS - Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States
- HSN1F - New One Family Houses Sold: United States
- RHORUSQ156N - Homeownership Rate in the United States
- TTLCONS - Total Construction Spending: Total Construction in the United States
- RRVRUSQ156N - Rental Vacancy Rate in the United States
- TOTALSL - Total Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- REVOLSL - Revolving Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- DRCCLACBS - Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product
- GPDI - Gross Private Domestic Investment
- GCE - Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment
- PCEC - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- NETEXP - Net Exports of Goods and Services
- GFDEBTN - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt
- GFDEGDQ188S - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt as Percent of Gross Domestic Product
- FYFSD - Federal Surplus or Deficit
- FGRECPT - Federal Government Current Receipts
- FGEXPND - Federal Government: Current Expenditures
- MANEMP - All Employees, Manufacturing
- USCONS - All Employees, Construction
- USTRADE - All Employees, Retail Trade
- USFIRE - All Employees, Financial Activities
- USGOVT - All Employees, Government
- AWHAETP - Average Weekly Hours of All Employees, Total Private
- DGORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Durable Goods
- NEWORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft
- BUSINV - Total Business Inventories
- EXPGS - Exports of Goods and Services
- IMPGS - Imports of Goods and Services
- IR - Import Price Index (End Use): All Commodities
- PPIFIS - Producer Price Index by Commodity: Final Demand
Latest quarter (10-Q)
Latest 10-Q source: 0001628280-26-026422.
Item 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the information in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included herein and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation’s Financial Statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 13, 2026.
OVERVIEW
Wabtec is a global provider of value-added, technology-based locomotives, equipment, systems, and services for the freight rail and passenger transit industries, as well as the mining, marine and industrial markets and applications. Our highly engineered rail and transit products, which are intended to enhance safety, improve productivity and reduce maintenance costs for customers, can be found on most locomotives, freight cars, passenger transit cars and buses around the world. Our core products and services are essential in the safe and efficient operation of freight rail and passenger transit vehicles. Wabtec is a global company with operations in over 50 countries and our products can be found in more than 100 countries throughout the world. In the first three months of 2026, approximately half of the Company’s Net sales came from customers outside the United States.
Business Update
During the first quarter of 2025, Wabtec announced a definitive agreement to acquire Dellner Couplers, a global leader in highly engineered safety-critical train connection systems and services for passenger rail rolling stock. The acquisition subsequently closed on February 10, 2026 for approximately $1.053 billion.
Additionally, during the first quarter of 2026, Wabtec secured a multi-year, multi-billion dollar mining contract for drive systems and aftermarket parts, won a multi-year modernization order in the U.S. for $210 million, and signed a $54 million Transit brake and couplers order, which contributed to the overall increase in backlog of $3.4 billion from December 31, 2025 to $30.8 billion at March 31, 2026. We also began executing the first EVO modernization build to support the commercial rollout to the installed base.
Wabtec is focused on driving operational efficiency and improving profitability while reducing manufacturing complexity. As a result, there are restructuring initiatives, including Integration 3.0, Portfolio Optimization and Integration 2.0, aimed at achieving these focus areas. During the first three months of 2026 and 2025, Wabtec incurred $5 million and $9 million, respectively, of restructuring costs primarily for employee-related costs on programs under these initiatives. In addition, Transaction costs incurred during the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025 related to recent acquisitions were approximately $13 million and $10 million, respectively.
Future macroeconomic volatility, changes to tariffs and trade policies, impacts from regional conflicts and war, supply chain disruptions, and labor availability, amongst other things, could cause a negative impact on revenue and cost increases resulting in an adverse effect on the Company’s operating results. Additionally, broad-based inflation, metals, energy and other commodity costs, transportation and logistics costs, labor costs, and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations all continue to impact our results. The Company utilizes various mitigating actions intended to lessen the impact of macroeconomic volatility, including the impact of current tariffs. These actions include implementing price escalations and surcharges, driving operational efficiencies through various cost mitigation efforts and discretionary spend management, strategically sourcing materials, reviewing and modifying distribution logistics, and accelerating integration synergies through our strategic initiatives. The Company has experienced increased tariff costs which unfavorably impacted our operating results and cash from operations for the three months ended March 31, 2026. Although we do not expect a material impact to our results of operations in 2026 because of mitigation efforts, due to the volatility of trade policies, we are unable to reasonably predict the future impact.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Consolidated Results
FIRST QUARTER 2026 COMPARED TO FIRST QUARTER 2025
The following table shows our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the periods indicated.
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2026 | 2025 | ||||
| Net sales: | ||||||
| Sales of goods | $ | 2,531 | $ | 2,157 | ||
| Sales of services | 419 | 453 | ||||
| Total Net sales | 2,950 | 2,610 | ||||
| Cost of sales: | ||||||
| Cost of goods | (1,616) | (1,450) | ||||
| Cost of services | (273) | (260) | ||||
| Total Cost of sales | (1,889) | (1,710) | ||||
| Gross profit | 1,061 | 900 | ||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | (401) | (307) | ||||
| Engineering expenses | (56) | (46) | ||||
| Amortization expense | (87) | (73) | ||||
| Total Operating expenses | (544) | (426) | ||||
| Income from operations | 517 | 474 | ||||
| Other income and expenses: | ||||||
| Interest expense, net | (71) | (46) | ||||
| Other income (expense), net | 23 | (2) | ||||
| Income before income taxes | 469 | 426 | ||||
| Income tax expense | (106) | (99) | ||||
| Net income | 363 | 327 | ||||
| Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest | (1) | (5) | ||||
| Net income attributable to Wabtec shareholders | $ | 362 | $ | 322 |
The following table shows the major components of the change in Net sales in the three months ended March 31, 2026 from the three months ended March 31, 2025:
| In millions | Freight Segment | Transit Segment | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Quarter 2025 Net sales | $ | 1,901 | $ | 709 | $ | 2,610 | ||||
| Acquisitions | 184 | 41 | 225 | |||||||
| Portfolio Optimization (Divestitures/Exits) | (10) | (3) | (13) | |||||||
| Foreign Exchange | 20 | 48 | 68 | |||||||
| Organic | 20 | 40 | 60 | |||||||
| First Quarter 2026 Net sales | $ | 2,115 | $ | 835 | $ | 2,950 |
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Net sales
Net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2026 increased by $340 million, or 13.0%, to $2.95 billion compared to the same period in 2025. Organic sales increased $60 million which was attributable to both the Freight and Transit Segments. Freight sales increased primarily due to higher North American and international locomotive deliveries and higher mining sales, partially offset by lower deliveries of locomotive modernizations and engine overhauls and the exit of a low margin Digital project. Transit sales increased from higher demand for Aftermarket and Original Equipment Manufacturing products and services driven by increased investments in sustainable infrastructure, fleet expansion and renewals and increased passenger ridership levels. Sales from acquisitions contributed $225 million, and favorable changes in foreign exchange increased Net sales by $68 million.
Cost of sales
Cost of sales for the three months ended March 31, 2026 increased by $179 million, or 10.5%, to $1.89 billion compared to the same period in 2025. The increase is primarily due to the increase in Net sales. Cost of sales as a percentage of Net sales was 64.0% and 65.5% for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, respectively. The improvement in gross margin is attributable to productivity and cost management, savings from restructuring initiatives, and accretion from recent acquisitions, partially offset by unfavorable mix within the Freight Segment. Cost of sales for the three months ended March 31, 2026 included $23 million of costs related to purchase price accounting for the step-up of inventory related to acquisitions to fair value on the date of acquisition. Cost of sales for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025 both included $3 million of costs related to restructuring initiatives.
Operating expenses
Total operating expenses increased $118 million, or 27.7%, for the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. Selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A") increased $94 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. The increase is primarily due to incremental expense from acquisitions, higher employee compensation and benefit costs, and transaction costs associated with acquisitions, partially offset by the impacts of restructuring initiatives. Transaction costs associated with acquisitions included in SG&A were $13 million and $10 million for three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, respectively. SG&A for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025 included $2 million and $5 million, respectively, of costs related to restructuring initiatives. Engineering expenses increased $10 million and Amortization expense increased $14 million both due to incremental expense from acquisitions.
Interest expense, net
Interest expense, net, increased $25 million to $71 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, due to higher average overall debt balances in the current period, primarily related to acquisitions.
Other income (expense), net
Other income (expense), net increased $25 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, primarily due to foreign exchange gains in the current period.
Income taxes
The effective income tax rate was 22.7% and 23.2% for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, respectively. The year over year decrease in the effective rate was primarily driven by higher discrete equity compensation tax deductions.
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Freight Segment
The following table shows our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for our Freight Segment for the periods indicated:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2026 | 2025 | Change | % Change | ||||||||||
| Net sales: | ||||||||||||||
| Sales of goods | $ | 1,697 | $ | 1,450 | $ | 247 | 17.0 | % | ||||||
| Sales of services | 418 | 451 | (33) | (7.3) | % | |||||||||
| Total Net sales | 2,115 | 1,901 | 214 | 11.3 | % | |||||||||
| Cost of sales: | ||||||||||||||
| Cost of goods | (1,054) | (957) | 97 | 10.1 | % | |||||||||
| Cost of services | (273) | (259) | 14 | 5.4 | % | |||||||||
| Total Cost of sales | (1,327) | (1,216) | 111 | 9.1 | % | |||||||||
| Cost of sales (% of Net sales) | 62.7 | % | 64.0 | % | (1.3) | |||||||||
| Gross profit | 788 | 685 | 103 | 15.0 | % | |||||||||
| Operating expenses | (338) | (265) | 73 | 27.5 | % | |||||||||
| Income from operations | $ | 450 | $ | 420 | $ | 30 | 7.1 | % | ||||||
| Income from operations (% of Net sales) | 21.3 | % | 22.1 | % | (0.8) |
The following table shows the major components of the change in Net sales for the Freight Segment in the first quarter of 2026 from the first quarter of 2025:
| In millions | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Quarter 2025 Net sales | $ | 1,901 |
| Acquisitions | 184 | |
| Portfolio Optimization (Divestitures/Exits) | (10) | |
| Foreign Exchange | 20 | |
| Organic changes in Net sales by Product Line: | ||
| Equipment | 247 | |
| Services | (154) | |
| Digital Intelligence | (50) | |
| Components | (23) | |
| First Quarter 2026 Net sales | $ | 2,115 |
Net sales
Freight Segment organic sales increased by $20 million driven primarily by Equipment sales from higher North American and international locomotive deliveries and higher mining sales. This was partially offset by decreased Services sales from lower deliveries of locomotive modernizations and engine overhauls, decreased Digital Intelli
[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]
Latest 10-K MD&A
Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
OVERVIEW
Wabtec is a global provider of value-added, technology-based locomotives, equipment, systems and services for the freight rail and passenger transit industries, as well as the mining, marine, and industrial markets and applications. Our highly engineered rail and transit products, which are intended to enhance safety, improve productivity and reduce maintenance costs for customers, can be found on most locomotives, freight cars, passenger transit cars, and buses around the world. Our core products and services are essential in the safe and efficient operation of freight rail and passenger transit vehicles. Wabtec is a global company with operations in over 50 countries, and our products can be found in more than 100 countries throughout the world. In 2025, approximately half of the Company’s Net sales came from customers outside the United States.
Wabtec’s long-term financial goals are to increase revenues through a focused growth strategy, including product innovation and new technologies, global and market expansion, aftermarket products and services, and strategic acquisitions, to increase margins through strict attention to cost controls, to drive improved efficiencies across the business, to drive strong cash flow conversion, and to maintain a strong credit profile while minimizing our overall cost of capital. In addition, Management evaluates the Company’s current operational performance through measures such as safety, quality and on-time delivery.
The Company primarily serves the worldwide freight and transit rail industries. Our operating results are largely dependent on the level of activity, financial condition and capital spending plans of railroads and passenger transit agencies around the world, and transportation equipment manufacturers who serve those markets. Many factors influence these industries, including general economic conditions; traffic volumes, as measured by freight carloads and passenger ridership; number of locomotives and railcars in operation; government spending on public transportation; and investment in new technologies. In general, trends such as urbanization and growth in developing markets, sustainability and environmental awareness, investment in technology solutions, an aging equipment fleet, and growth in global trade are expected to drive continued investment in freight rail and passenger transit.
The Company monitors a variety of factors and statistics to gauge market activity. Freight rail markets around the world are driven primarily by overall economic conditions and activity, while Transit markets are driven primarily by government funding and passenger ridership. Changes in these market drivers can cause fluctuations in demand for Wabtec's products and services.
Business Update
During the fourth quarter of 2025, Wabtec signed $2.2 billion in new locomotive orders in North America, which included $1.3 billion for locomotive modernizations and $0.9 billion for new locomotives. Also during the fourth quarter, Digital Intelligence secured $75 million of PTC and KinetiX orders in key international markets. In the third quarter of 2025, Wabtec announced an agreement with National Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy ("KTZ"), the national railway of Kazakhstan, to deliver Evolution Series locomotives and provide long-term service support. The multi-national order, valued by the Company at approximately $4.2 billion, marks the largest locomotive agreement in Wabtec's history. Wabtec also continued to drive recurring revenue in the global market by winning a new service contract in Kazakhstan worth $299 million earlier in 2025. Additionally in the Freight Segment, the first Simandou locomotives reached Guinea, marking the first exports from the Company's India locomotive facility. We also signed a $140 million new locomotive order with a North American Class I railroad, signed new locomotive, mining and service orders in the Asia-Pacific region totaling $127 million, and signed a $125 million ultra class mining order.
During 2025, the Transit Segment signed $140 million in new Transit brake orders, two multi-year transit platform door contracts valued at $85 million and a $47 million order to provide brakes and couplers for servicing a North American customer, among many other orders.
In March of 2025, Moody's upgraded the Senior Notes ratings to Baa2 from Baa3 and changed the outlook to stable from positive, and S&P Global Ratings reaffirmed Wabtec's credit rating at BBB with a stable outlook.
In February 2025, Wabtec announced Integration 3.0, a three-year strategic initiative to target incremental run rate synergies currently estimated to be between $115 million to $140 million by 2028. The scope of the review includes consolidating our footprint via value chain improvement and facility rationalization, reducing headcount, expanding operating capacity in low-cost countries, and streamlining administrative and commercial activities. Management will also consider additional capital investments to further simplify and streamline the business. The Company anticipates that it will incur charges of approximately $125 million to $155 million related to this initiative, of which approximately $80 million to $100 million are expected to be one-time restructuring charges. Estimates for this program could change based on the specific programs approved or changes to the scope of the review. In addition to Integration 3.0, there are other ongoing restructuring initiatives, including Portfolio Optimization and Integration 2.0, focused on driving operational efficiency and improving
26
profitability while reducing manufacturing complexity. For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, Wabtec incurred $75 million and $65 million, respectively, of restructuring costs primarily for employee-related costs and asset write downs on programs under these initiatives.
Future macroeconomic volatility, changes to tariffs and trade policies, supply chain disruptions, and labor availability, amongst other things, could cause a negative impact on revenue and cost increases resulting in an adverse effect on the Company’s operating results. Additionally, broad-based inflation, metals, energy and other commodity costs, transportation and logistics costs, labor costs, and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations all continue to impact our results. The Company utilizes various mitigating actions intended to lessen the impact of macroeconomic volatility, including the impact of current tariffs. These actions include implementing price escalations and surcharges, driving operational efficiencies through various cost mitigation efforts and discretionary spend management, strategically sourcing materials, reviewing and modifying distribution logistics, and accelerating integration synergies through our restructuring programs. The Company has experienced increased tariff costs which unfavorably impacted our cash from operations for the year ended December 31, 2025. Although we did not experience a material impact to our results of operations in 2025 because of mitigation efforts, due to the volatility of trade policies, we are unable to reasonably predict the future impact.
During the first quarter of 2025, Management determined that certain businesses within the Services product line would be better aligned with Management oversight in the Components product line. As such, Sales by product line for 2024 and 2023 have been recast to conform to the current period presentation. These changes were within the Freight Segment and had no impact on Total Freight Segment Sales, Gross profit, or Income from operations.
ACQUISITIONS
On July 1, 2025, the Company acquired Inspection Technologies for approximately $1.788 billion. Inspection Technologies was formerly part of the Scientific Solutions Division of Olympus Corporation, a global leader in nondestructive testing, remote visual inspection and analytical instruments solutions for mission critical assets. On December 1, 2025, the Company acquired Frauscher, a global market leader in train detection, wayside object control solutions and axle counting systems, for approximately $792 million. Also during 2025, the Freight Segment completed two additional acquisitions which were individually and collectively immaterial.
Also during the first quarter of 2025, Wabtec announced a definitive agreement to acquire Dellner Couplers, a global leader in highly engineered safety-critical train connection systems and services for passenger rail rolling stock, for approximately €890 million. The acquisition subsequently closed on February 10, 2026.
Transaction costs incurred for the year ended December 31, 2025 related to completed and announced acquisitions were approximately $49 million.
During 2024, the Company made four strategic acquisitions for a combined purchase price of approximately $168 million, net of cash acquired. Two of the acquisitions are reported in the Transit Segment, one is reported in the Digital Intelligence product line of the Freight Segment and one is reported in the Components product line of the Freight Segment. Each of the acquisitions in 2024 are individually and collectively immaterial.
During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company purchased the remaining ownership shares of Locomotiv Kurastyru Zuayty ("LKZ"), a locomotive manufacturing and assembly company located in Kazakhstan for $111 million, at which time it became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Prior to this purchase, Wabtec owned 50% of LKZ as a joint venture partner and accounted for its interest as an equity method investment. During the second quarter of 2023, the Company acquired L&M Radiator, Inc., a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty equipment radiators and heat exchangers for the mining sector, for a purchase price of approximately $245 million. For additional information related to these acquisitions refer to Note 3 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Consolidated Results
2025 COMPARED TO 2024
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years indicated.
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| Net sales: | |||||||
| Sales of goods | $ | 9,261 | $ | 8,434 | |||
| Sales of services | 1,906 | 1,953 | |||||
| Total Net sales | 11,167 | 10,387 | |||||
| Cost of sales: | |||||||
| Cost of goods | (6,244) | (5,918) | |||||
| Cost of services | (1,117) | (1,103) | |||||
| Total Cost of sales | (7,361) | (7,021) | |||||
| Gross profit | 3,806 | 3,366 | |||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | (1,490) | (1,248) | |||||
| Engineering expenses | (223) | (206) | |||||
| Amortization expense | (300) | (303) | |||||
| Total Operating expenses | (2,013) | (1,757) | |||||
| Income from operations | 1,793 | 1,609 | |||||
| Other income and expenses: | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | (225) | (201) | |||||
| Other income, net | 24 | 2 | |||||
| Income before income taxes | 1,592 | 1,410 | |||||
| Income tax expense | (409) | (343) | |||||
| Net income | 1,183 | 1,067 | |||||
| Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest | (13) | (11) | |||||
| Net income attributable to Wabtec shareholders | $ | 1,170 | $ | 1,056 |
The following table shows the major components of the change in Net sales in 2025 from 2024:
| In millions | Freight Segment | Transit Segment | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Net sales | $ | 7,468 | $ | 2,919 | $ | 10,387 | |||||
| Acquisitions | 328 | 27 | 355 | ||||||||
| Portfolio Optimization (Divestitures/Exits) | (36) | (36) | (72) | ||||||||
| Foreign Exchange | (31) | 64 | 33 | ||||||||
| Organic | 307 | 157 | 464 | ||||||||
| 2025 Net sales | $ | 8,036 | $ | 3,131 | $ | 11,167 |
The following discussion compares our results for the year ended December 31, 2025 to the year ended December 31, 2024. The discussion comparing our results for the year ended December 31, 2024 to the year ended December 31, 2023 is included within Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on February 12, 2025.
Net sales
Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $780 million, or 7.5%, to $11.17 billion compared to the same period in 2024. Organic sales increased $464 million which was attributable to both the Freight and Transit Segments. Freight sales increased primarily due to higher North American locomotive deliveries and higher parts sales. Transit sales increased from higher demand for Aftermarket and Original Equipment Manufacturing products and services driven by increased investments in sustainable infrastructure, fleet expansion and renewals and increased passenger ridership levels. Sales
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from acquisitions contributed $355 million, primarily from Inspection Technologies in the Freight Segment, and favorable changes in foreign exchange increased Net sales by $33 million.
Cost of sales
Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $340 million, or 4.8%, to $7.36 billion compared to the same period in 2024. The increase is primarily due to the increase in Net sales. Cost of sales as a percentage of Net sales was 65.9% and 67.6% for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The improvement in gross margin is attributable to strong productivity and cost management, savings from restructuring initiatives, and the exit of low margin business offerings through Portfolio Optimization. Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 included $53 million of costs related to purchase price accounting for the step-up of Inspection Technologies and Frauscher inventories to fair value on the respective dates of acquisition. Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 included $12 million and $37 million, respectively, of costs related to restructuring initiatives.
Operating expenses
Total Operating expenses increased $256 million, or 14.6%, for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A") increased $242 million for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The increase is primarily from costs incurred to support the higher sales volume, transaction costs associated with completed and announced acquisitions, incremental expense from acquisitions, and higher employee compensation and benefit costs, partially offset by the impacts of restructuring initiatives. Transaction costs associated with completed and announced acquisitions included in SG&A were $49 million for the year ended December 31, 2025. SG&A for the year ended December 31, 2025 included $60 million of costs related to restructuring initiatives, including a $38 million loss on disposition of a business associated with Portfolio Optimization. SG&A for the year ended December 31, 2024 included $18 million of costs related to restructuring initiatives. Engineering expenses increased $17 million primarily due to incremental expense from acquisitions and increased investments in new technology.
Interest expense, net
Interest expense, net, increased $24 million to $225 million for the year ended December 31, 2025 over the same period in 2024, primarily due to higher average overall debt balances in the current period, primarily related to the Inspection Technologies acquisition.
Other income, net
Other income, net, increased $22 million to $24 million for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, primarily due to a $19 million net gain on mark-to-market derivatives in the current period associated with the acquisition of Frauscher and anticipated acquisition of Dellner Couplers and lower foreign exchange losses, partially offset by lower equity income.
Income taxes
The effective income tax rate was 25.7% and 24.3% for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The year over year increase in the effective tax rate was primarily driven by changes in jurisdictional mix of earnings and the non-deductible loss generated from the divestiture of a business as part of the Portfolio Optimization initiative. See Note 11 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information.
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Freight Segment
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for our Freight Segment for the periods indicated:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2025 | 2024 | Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| Net sales: | |||||||||||||||
| Sales of goods | $ | 6,137 | $ | 5,524 | $ | 613 | 11.1 | % | |||||||
| Sales of services | 1,899 | 1,944 | (45) | (2.3) | % | ||||||||||
| Total Net sales | 8,036 | 7,468 | 568 | 7.6 | % | ||||||||||
| Cost of sales: | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of goods | (4,089) | (3,848) | 241 | 6.3 | % | ||||||||||
| Cost of services | (1,112) | (1,097) | 15 | 1.4 | % | ||||||||||
| Total Cost of sales | (5,201) | (4,945) | 256 | 5.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Cost of sales (% of Net sales) | 64.7 | % | 66.2 | % | (1.5) | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | 2,835 | 2,523 | 312 | 12.4 | % | ||||||||||
| Operating expenses | (1,268) | (1,101) | 167 | 15.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Income from operations ($) | $ | 1,567 | $ | 1,422 | $ | 145 | 10.2 | % | |||||||
| Income from operations (% of Net sales) | 19.5 | % | 19.0 | % | 0.5 |
The following table shows the major components of the change in Net sales for the Freight Segment in 2025 from 2024:
| In millions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Net sales | $ | 7,468 | |
| Acquisitions | 328 | ||
| Portfolio Optimization (Divestitures/Exits) | (36) | ||
| Foreign Exchange | (31) | ||
| Changes in Net sales by Product Line: | |||
| Equipment | 279 | ||
| Services | 51 | ||
| Components | (1) | ||
| Digital Intelligence | (22) | ||
| 2025 Net sales | $ | 8,036 |
Net sales
Freight Segment organic sales increased by $307 million driven primarily by Equipment sales from higher North American locomotive deliveries and Services sales from higher parts sales. Components sales were flat as higher sales of industrial products were offset by decreased rail car build in North America. This was partially offset by decreased Digital Intelligence sales, attributable to softness in the North American market. Sales from acquisitions contributed $328 million, primarily from Inspection Technologies, and unfavorable changes in foreign exchange decreased sales by $31 million.
Cost of sales
Freight Segment Cost of sales increased $256 million from higher sales volume, and Cost of sales as a percentage of Net sales decreased 1.5 percentage points. The improvement in gross margin is attributable to strong productivity and cost management, savings from restructuring initiatives and the exit of low margin business offerings through Portfolio Optimization. Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 included $53 million of costs related to purchase price accounting for the step-up of Inspection Technologies and Frauscher inventories to fair value on the respective dates of acquisition. Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 included $6 million and $18 million, respectively, of costs related to restructuring initiatives.
Operating expenses
Freight Segment Operating expenses increased by $167 million, and operating expenses as a percentage of sales increased 1.1 percentage points, of which $134 million was related to incremental expense from acquisitions. Freight SG&A
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expenses for the year ended December 31, 2025 included $47 million of costs related to restructuring initiatives, including a $38 million loss on disposition of a business associated with Portfolio Optimization. Freight SG&A expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 included $3 million of costs related to restructuring initiatives. SG&A expenses also increased due to higher costs to support increased sales volume and higher employee compensation and benefit costs.
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Transit Segment
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for our Transit Segment for the periods indicated:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2025 | 2024 | Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 3,131 | $ | 2,919 | $ | 212 | 7.3 | % | |||||||
| Cost of sales | (2,160) | (2,076) | 84 | 4.0 | % | ||||||||||
| Cost of sales (% of Net sales) | 69.0 | % | 71.1 | % | (2.1) | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | 971 | 843 | 128 | 15.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Operating expenses | (549) | (505) | 44 | 8.7 | % | ||||||||||
| Income from operations ($) | $ | 422 | $ | 338 | $ | 84 | 24.9 | % | |||||||
| Income from operations (% of Net sales) | 13.5 | % | 11.6 | % | 1.9 |
The following table shows the major components of the change in Net sales for the Transit Segment in 2025 from 2024:
| In millions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Net sales | $ | 2,919 | |
| Acquisitions | 27 | ||
| Portfolio Optimization (Divestitures/Exits) | (36) | ||
| Foreign Exchange | 64 | ||
| Changes in Net sales by Product Line: | |||
| Original Equipment Manufacturing | 74 | ||
| Aftermarket | 83 | ||
| 2025 Net sales | $ | 3,131 |
Net sales
Transit Segment organic sales increased $157 million driven by strong Aftermarket and Original Equipment Manufacturing sales primarily as a result of increased demand for products and services due to fleet expansion and renewals, increased passenger ridership levels and increased investments in sustainable infrastructure. Sales from acquisitions contributed $27 million, and favorable changes in foreign exchange rates increased sales by $64 million.
Cost of sales
Transit Segment Cost of sales increased by $84 million primarily from higher sales volume, and Cost of sales as a percentage of Net sales decreased by 2.1 percentage points. The increase in gross margin is primarily attributable to favorable mix within the Transit Segment, increased productivity and the benefits from Integration 2.0 and 3.0 and Portfolio Optimization. Transit Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 included $6 million and $19 million, respectively, of costs related to restructuring initiatives.
Operating expenses
Transit Segment Operating expenses increased by $44 million and as a percentage of sales increased 0.2 percentage points. The increase in SG&A expenses was primarily to support higher sales volume and higher employee compensation and benefit costs, partially offset by benefits from Integration 2.0 and 3.0. Transit SG&A expenses for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 included $11 million and $13 million, respectively, of costs related to restructuring initiatives. Transit Segment Engineering expenses increased by $11 million due to increased investments in new technology.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity is provided by operating cash flows, borrowings under our credit facilities, and proceeds from the Company's Senior Notes. Additionally, the Company utilizes the Revolving Receivables Program and supply chain financing program described below, as well as other short-term financing agreements with certain banks, for added flexibility as part of our liquidity management strategy. The following is a summary of selected cash flow information and other relevant data:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| Cash provided by (used for): | |||||||
| Operating activities | $ | 1,759 | $ | 1,834 | |||
| Investing activities | $ | (2,747) | $ | (343) | |||
| Financing activities | $ | 1,031 | $ | (1,371) |
Operating activities In 2025, cash provided by operating activities was $1,759 million compared to $1,834 million in 2024. Significant changes to the sources and (uses) of cash for the twelve month periods include the following:
•$116 million from increased Net income;
•$(65) million from changes in inventory due to increased raw material costs, tariffs and in support of higher sales;
•$(62) million from changes in employee related benefit payments; and,
•$(36) million from changes in accounts payable due to the timing of payments.
Investing activities In 2025 and 2024, cash used for investing activities was $(2,747) million and $(343) million, respectively. During 2025, Wabtec acquired Inspection Technologies for net cash of approximately $(1,729) million and Frauscher for net cash of approximately $(765) million. During 2025, Wabtec also used $(260) million for additions to property, plant and equipment for investments in our facilities and manufacturing processes, made two additional strategic acquisitions for net cash of $(26) million and received $20 million upon settlement of foreign currency contracts associated with the Frauscher acquisition. During 2024, Wabtec made four strategic acquisitions for net cash of $(168) million. During 2024, Wabtec also used $(207) million for additions to property, plant and equipment, received $19 million of net proceeds from dispositions of businesses, and received $13 million of proceeds from disposals of property, plant and equipment.
Financing activities In 2025, cash provided by financing activities was $1,031 million, which included $1,484 million from net changes in debt, $(223) million of stock repurchases, $(173) million of dividend payments, $(40) million of payments for income tax withholding on share-based compensation, and $(6) million of distributions to noncontrolling interest. In 2024, cash used for financing activities was $(1,371) million, which included $(64) million from net changes in debt, $(1,097) million of stock repurchases, $(140) million of dividend payments, $(42) million of contingent consideration payments related to the GE Transportation acquisition, $(25) million of payments for income tax withholding on share-based compensation, and $(6) million of distributions to noncontrolling interest.
During the fourth quarter of 2025, the Company entered into the 2025 Term Credit Agreement for a term loan of $500 million, which was utilized for general corporate purposes, including as part of funding for the Frauscher acquisition.
During the second quarter of 2025, the Company entered into the 2025 Credit Agreement, which amended and restated the 2022 Credit Agreement and refinanced the 2024 Credit Agreement. The 2025 Credit Agreement increased the amount available under the Revolving Credit Facility to $2.0 billion and provided a Term Loan Facility of $725 million. The Term Loan Facility was utilized to refinance (i) $250 million of the outstanding Delayed Draw Term Loan under the 2022 Credit Agreement and (ii) $225 million of the outstanding term loan under the 2024 Credit Agreement. During the third quarter of 2025, the remaining $250 million under the Term Loan Facility was drawn and utilized as part of funding for the Inspection Technologies acquisition.
Also during the second quarter of 2025, the Company issued $500 million of Senior Notes due in 2030 (the "2030 Notes") and $750 million of Senior Notes due in 2035 (the "2035 Notes"). Proceeds from the 2030 Notes and cash on hand were utilized to repay the outstanding amount of 3.20% Senior Notes due 2025 at maturity. Proceeds from the 2035 Notes were utilized as part of funding for the Inspection Technologies acquisition.
During the first quarter of 2024, the Company entered into the 2024 Credit Agreement for a term loan of $225 million and issued $500 million of Senior Notes due in 2034 (the "2034 Notes"). Proceeds from the 2034 Notes, combined with the
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proceeds from the term loan under the 2024 Credit Agreement and cash on hand, were utilized to repay the outstanding amount of 2024 Notes at maturity.
The Company borrows and repays against the Revolving Credit Facility for added flexibility in liquidity to manage cash during the operating cycle. The proceeds from borrowing and the repayments are shown within the "Proceeds from debt, net of issuance costs" and "Payments of debt" lines, respectively, presented in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Additional information with respect to credit facilities and long-term debt is included in Note 9 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
As of December 31, 2025, the Company held approximately $789 million of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, of which approximately $198 million was held within the United States and approximately $591 million was held outside of the United States, primarily in Europe, South Africa, India and China. While repatriation of some cash held outside the United States may be restricted by local laws, most of the Company’s foreign cash could be repatriated to the United States net of any tax impacts. As of December 31, 2025, approximately $25 million of the Company's $789 million cash balance was classified as restricted cash.
The Company's goal is to maintain an investment-grade credit profile. Rating agencies that are engaged by the Company periodically update our credit ratings as events occur. As of December 31, 2025, the long-term credit ratings assigned to the Company were BBB with a stable outlook by Fitch Ratings, Baa2 with a stable outlook by Moody's Investors Service, and BBB with a stable outlook by S&P Global Ratings.
We or our affiliates may, from time to time, seek to retire or purchase outstanding debt through negotiated or open-market cash purchases, exchanges, or otherwise, and such transactions, if any, will be upon such terms and at such prices as we may determine, and will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors.
Revolving Receivables Program
Effective January 1, 2025, the Company utilizes its Revolving Receivables Program to request borrowings from a financial institution against certain collateralized receivables. During the third quarter of 2025, the Company amended the Revolving Receivables Program to increase its availability from $350 million to up to $450 million. The Company collateralizes certain receivables through our bankruptcy-remote subsidiary on a recurring basis. As customers pay their balances, we transfer additional receivables into the program. Borrowings and repayments under the Revolving Receivables Program are included within Proceeds from debt, net of issuance costs and Payments of debt within the Financing activities section of the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
Prior to January 1, 2025, the Company utilized its Revolving Receivables Program to sell certain receivables for up to $350 million on a recurring basis. Net cash proceeds received from the sale of receivables in exchange for cash equal to the gross receivables sold are included in cash from operations within the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company borrowed and repaid $1,202 million against the collateralized receivables. There were no receivables sold during the year ended December 31, 2025. Net cash payments included in cash from operations from the Revolving Receivables Program was $(20) million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Additional information with respect to the Revolving Receivables Program is included in Note 2 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
Supply Chain Financing Program
The Company has entered into supply chain financing arrangements with third-party financial institutions to provide our vendors with enhanced payment options while providing the Company with added working capital flexibility. The Company does not provide any guarantees under these arrangements, does not have an economic interest in our supplier's voluntary participation, does not receive an economic benefit from the financial institutions, and no assets are pledged under the arrangements. The arrangements do not change the payable terms negotiated by the Company and our vendors and does not result in a change in the classification of amounts due as accounts payable in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Additional information with respect to the Supply Chain Financing Program is included in Note 2 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
Intra-Quarter Uncommitted Money Market Line Credit Agreement
During the third quarter of 2024, the Company entered into an uncommitted bilateral money market line credit agreement which provides an aggregate borrowing capacity of $150 million for general business purposes and working capital needs within a quarter.
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Total Available Liquidity
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 764 | $ | 706 | |||
| Revolving Credit Facility | 2,000 | 1,500 | |||||
| Revolving Receivables Program | 443 | 350 | |||||
| Total Available Liquidity | $ | 3,207 | $ | 2,556 |
On March 18, 2025, Wabtec announced a definitive agreement to acquire Dellner Couplers, with a purchase price of approximately €890 million. The transaction subsequently closed on February 10, 2026, and was funded with a combination of cash on hand and borrowings under other sources of available liquidity.
In connection with the completed acquisition of Frauscher and the announced definitive agreement to acquire Dellner Couplers, the Company entered into foreign exchange contracts for a notional amount of €1,290 million to mitigate foreign currency exposure associated with the acquisitions. As part of the acquisition of Frauscher, the Company utilized foreign exchange forward contracts with a notional value of €690 million.
Guarantor Summarized Financial Information
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation (the “Parent Company”) has issued 3.20% Senior Notes due 2025 (retired in May 2025), 3.45% Senior Notes due 2026, 4.70% Senior Notes due 2028, 4.90% Senior Notes due 2030, 5.611% Senior Notes due 2034, and 5.50% Senior Notes due 2035 (collectively, the “US Notes”).
The obligations under the US Notes issued by the Parent Company have been fully and unconditionally guaranteed by certain of the Parent Company's U.S. subsidiaries ("Guarantor Subsidiaries"), currently comprising GE Transportation, a Wabtec Company, RFPC Holding Corp., Transportation IP Holdings, LLC, Transportation Systems Services Operations Inc., Wabtec Components LLC, Wabtec Holding LLC, Wabtec Railway Electronics Holdings, LLC, Wabtec Transportation Systems, LLC and Wabtec US Rail, Inc.. Each guarantor is 100% owned by the Parent Company, with the exception of GE Transportation, a Wabtec Company, which has 15,000 shares outstanding of Class A Non-Voting Preferred Stock held by General Electric Company. The Euro Notes are issued by Wabtec Transportation Netherlands B.V. ("Wabtec Netherlands") and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Parent Company.
The following tables present summarized financial information of the Parent Company and the Guarantor Subsidiaries on a combined basis. The combined summarized financial information eliminates (i) intercompany balances and transactions among the Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries and (ii) equity in earnings from and investments in any subsidiaries that is not a Guarantor Subsidiary.
The summarized financial information is provided in accordance with the reporting requirements of Rule 13-01 under SEC Regulation S-X for the Parent Company, as the issuer of the US Notes, and Guarantor Subsidiaries.
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Summarized Statement of Income
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2025 | ||
| Net sales | $ | 6,237 | |
| Gross profit | $ | 1,048 | |
| Net loss attributable to Wabtec shareholders | $ | (42) |
Summarized Balance Sheet
| Unaudited | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||||||
| In millions | December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |||||
| Current assets | $ | 1,434 | $ | 1,624 | |||
| Noncurrent assets | $ | 3,311 | $ | 3,500 | |||
| Current liabilities | $ | 3,236 | $ | 2,278 | |||
| Long-term debt | $ | 3,701 | $ | 2,962 | |||
| Other non-current liabilities | $ | 605 | $ | 738 |
The following is a description of the transactions between the combined Parent Company and guarantor subsidiaries with non-guarantor subsidiaries.
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2025 | ||
| Net sales to non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 939 | |
| Purchases from non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 1,224 | |
| Unaudited | |||
| Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | December 31, 2025 | ||
| Amount due to non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 7,578 |
Summarized Financial Information—Euro Notes
The obligations under Wabtec Netherlands’ Euro Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Parent Company. Wabtec Netherlands is a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of the Parent Company. Wabtec Netherlands is a holding company and does not have any independent operations. Its assets consist of its investments in subsidiaries, which are separate and distinct legal entities that are not guarantors of the Euro Notes and have no obligations to pay amounts due under Wabtec Netherlands’ obligations.
The following tables present summarized financial information of Wabtec Netherlands, as the Issuer of the Euro Notes, and the Parent Company, as the parent Guarantor, on a combined basis. The combined summarized financial information eliminates all intercompany balances and transactions among Wabtec Netherlands and the Parent Company as well as all equity in earnings from and investments in any subsidiary of the Parent Company, other than Wabtec Netherlands, which we refer to below as the Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries.
The summarized financial information is provided in accordance with the reporting requirements of Rule 13-01 under SEC Regulation S-X for Wabtec Netherlands, as the issuer of the Euro Notes, and Parent Company guarantor.
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Summarized Statement of Income
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Parent Company (Guarantor) | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2025 | ||
| Net sales | $ | 603 | |
| Gross profit | $ | 141 | |
| Net loss attributable to Wabtec shareholders | $ | (266) |
Summarized Balance Sheet
| Unaudited | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Parent Company (Guarantor) | |||||||
| In millions | December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |||||
| Current assets | $ | 508 | $ | 546 | |||
| Noncurrent assets | $ | 656 | $ | 646 | |||
| Current liabilities | $ | 1,822 | $ | 1,014 | |||
| Long-term debt | $ | 4,286 | $ | 3,479 | |||
| Other non-current liabilities | $ | 42 | $ | 49 |
The following is a description of the transactions between the combined Wabtec Netherlands, as the Issuer of the Euro Notes, and the Parent Company, as the parent Guarantor, with the subsidiaries of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp., other than Wabtec Netherlands, none of which are guarantors of the Euro Notes.
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Parent Company (Guarantor) | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2025 | ||
| Net sales to non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 35 | |
| Purchases from non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 122 | |
| Unaudited | |||
| Issuer and Parent Company (Guarantor) | |||
| In millions | December 31, 2025 | ||
| Amount due to non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 9,097 |
Contractual Obligations and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
The Company is obligated to make future payments under various contracts such as purchase, debt and lease agreements and has certain contingent commitments. The Company has grouped these contractual obligations and off-balance sheet arrangements into operating activities, financing activities, and investing activities in the same manner as they are classified in the Statement of Consolidated Cash Flows to provide a better understanding of the nature of the obligations and arrangements and to provide a basis for comparison to historical information. The table below provides a summary of contractual obligations and off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2025:
| In millions | Total | 2026 | 2027-28 | 2029-30 | 2031+ | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating activities: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations (1) | $ | 158 | $ | 150 | $ | 8 | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||
| Operating leases (2) | 449 | 77 | 123 | 93 | 156 | ||||||||||||||
| Pension and postretirement benefit payments (3) | 227 | 21 | 44 | 47 | 115 | ||||||||||||||
| Interest payments (4) | 1,156 | 248 | 393 | 231 | 284 | ||||||||||||||
| Financing activities: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Long-term debt | 5,567 | 1,250 | 1,840 | 1,227 | 1,250 | ||||||||||||||
| Dividends to shareholders (5) | 212 | 212 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 7,769 | $ | 1,958 | $ | 2,408 | $ | 1,598 | $ | 1,805 |
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(1)Purchase obligations represent non-cancelable contractual obligations at December 31, 2025.
(2)Operating leases represent multi-year obligations for rental of facilities and equipment.
(3)Pension and postretirement benefit payments includes expected payments to participants out of plan assets and corporate assets. The benefit payments are based on actuarial estimates using current assumptions for discount rates, expected return on long-term assets and rate of compensation increases. The Company does not expect material contributions to pension plan investments in 2026.
(4)Interest payments on the Senior Notes and the amounts borrowed under the 2025 Term Credit Agreement and 2025 Credit Agreement as of December 31, 2025 are based on interest rates in effect as of December 31, 2025 and are calculated on debt with maturities that extend to 2035.
(5)Shareholder dividends are subject to approval by the Company’s Board of Directors, currently at an annual rate of approximately $212 million beginning in 2026.
The above table does not reflect uncertain tax positions of $29 million, the timing of which are uncertain. Refer to Note 11 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information on uncertain tax positions. Additionally, the Company arranges for certain types of bank guarantees and letters of credit, such as performance bonds, bid bonds and financial guarantees, that are issued by certain banks and insurance companies to support customer contracts. At December 31, 2025, the total value of these bank guarantees and letters of credit were $1,141 million and expire on various dates through 2035. Amounts include interest payments based on contractual terms and the Company’s current interest rate.
Forward Looking Statements
We believe that all statements other than statements of historical facts included in this report, including certain statements under “Business” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” may constitute forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Although we believe that our assumptions made in connection with the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure that our assumptions and expectations are correct.
These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, including, among other things:
Economic and industry conditions
•changes in general economic and/or industry specific conditions, including the impacts of tax and tariff programs, inflation, supply chain disruptions, foreign currency exchange, and industry consolidation;
•the impacts of significant recent shifts in trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs, retaliatory tariff measures, and subsequent modifications or suspensions thereof, and market reactions to such policies and resulting trade disputes;
•prolonged unfavorable economic and industry conditions in the markets served by us, including North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa;
•decline in demand for freight cars, locomotives, passenger transit cars, buses and related products and services;
•reliance on major original equipment manufacturer customers;
•original equipment manufacturers’ program delays;
•decreased demand for services in the freight and passenger rail industry;
•decreased demand for our products and services;
•orders either being delayed, canceled, not returning to historical levels or being reduced, and/or economic conditions affecting the ability of our customers to pay timely for goods and services delivered;
•consolidations in the rail industry;
•continued outsourcing by our customers;
•industry demand for faster and more efficient braking equipment;
•fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates;
•availability of credit or difficulty in obtaining debt or equity financing;
•changes in market consensus as to what attributes are required for projects to be considered "green" or "sustainable" or negative perceptions regarding determinations in such regard with respect to our Green Finance Framework or sustainability strategy; or
•changes in the sustainability topics that have the highest relative priority for Wabtec's external stakeholders;
Operating factors
•supply disruptions;
•technical difficulties;
•changes in operating conditions and costs;
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•increases in raw material costs;
•challenges associated with the successful introduction of new products;
•product safety, quality and reliability;
•performance under material long-term contracts;
•labor availability constraints and labor relations challenges;
•the outcome of our existing or any future legal proceedings, including litigation involving our principal customers and any litigation with respect to environmental matters, asbestos-related matters, pension liabilities, warranties, product liabilities, competition and anti-trust matters or intellectual property claims;
•our ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions;
•risks associated with the development and use of new technology; or
•cybersecurity and data protection risks;
Competitive factors
•the actions of competitors; or
•adverse outcomes of negotiations with partners, suppliers, customers or others;
Political/governmental factors
•political instability in relevant areas of the world, including the impacts of war, conflicts, global military action, and acts of terrorism;
•future regulation/deregulation of our customers and/or the rail industry;
•decreases in levels of governmental funding on transit projects, including for some of our customers;
•political developments and laws and regulations, including those related to Positive Train Control;
•consequences of federal and state income tax legislation;
•sanctions imposed on countries and persons; or
•the outcome of negotiations with governments;
Natural hazards / health crises
•impacts of climate change, including evolving climate change policy;
•disruptive natural hazards, including earthquakes, fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes or other weather conditions;
•epidemics, pandemics, or similar public health crises;
•deterioration of general economic conditions as a result of natural hazards or health crises;
•shutdown of one or more of our operating facilities as a result of natural hazards and health crises; or
•supply chain and sourcing disruptions as a result of natural hazards, health crises or other external factors;
Statements in this Form 10-K apply only as of the date on which such statements are made, and except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions regarding uncertainties that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses. Critical areas of uncertainty that require judgments, estimates and assumptions include the accounting for inventories, business combinations, goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, warranty reserves, income taxes, and revenue recognition. Management uses historical experience and all available information to make these judgments and estimates, and actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions that are used to prepare the Company’s financial statements at any given time. Despite these inherent limitations, management believes that Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("MD&A") and the financial statements and related footnotes provide a meaningful and fair perspective of the Company.
A summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies is included in Note 2 in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report. Management believes that the application of these policies on a consistent basis enables the Company to provide the users of the financial statements with useful and reliable information about the Company’s operating results and financial condition.
Inventories:
Description Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and are reviewed to ensure that an adequate provision is recognized for excess, slow moving and obsolete inventories, and net realizable value reserves.
Judgments and Uncertainties Cost is determined primarily using the first-in, first-out ("FIFO") method. Inventory costs include material, labor and overhead. The Company compares inventory components to prior year sales history, current backlog and anticipated future requirements. To the extent that inventory parts exceed estimated usage and demand, a reserve is recognized
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to reduce the carrying value of inventory. Also, specific reserves are established for known inventory obsolescence, a decline in market value, or loss of a customer with specific inventory.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If the market value or demand for our products were to decrease due to changing market conditions, the Company could be at risk of incurring write-downs to adjust inventory value to a net realizable value lower than stated cost. If our estimates regarding sales and backlog requirements are inaccurate, we may be exposed to the expense of increasing our reserves for slow moving and obsolete inventory.
Business Combinations:
Description The Company accounts for business acquisitions in accordance with Accounting Standard Codification ("ASC") 805, Business Combinations, which requires the purchase price of the acquired business to be allocated to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on the respective fair values. The amount of purchase price which is in excess of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recognized as goodwill.
Judgments and Uncertainties Discounted cash flow models are used to estimate the fair values of acquired intangible assets such as contract backlog, customer relationships, intellectual property, and trade names. The significant assumptions used to estimate the value of the intangible assets include revenue growth rates, projected profit margins, discount rates, royalty rates, customer attrition rates, revenue obsolescence rates and market participant profit margins. These significant assumptions are forward-looking and could be affected by future economic and market conditions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Different assumptions may result in materially different values for assets acquired and liabilities assumed, which may impact the Company's financial position and future results of operations, including potential future impairment charges.
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets:
Description Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair value of the net assets acquired in a business combination. Indefinite-lived intangible assets primarily represent certain trade names acquired in a business combination that were determined to have indefinite useful lives. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles are required to be tested for impairment at least annually. The Company performs its annual impairment tests during the fourth quarter and more frequently when indicators of impairment are present. The Company reviews goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level. The Company has identified three reporting units for purposes of testing goodwill for impairment. Two reporting units exist within the Freight segment and the Transit segment is also a reporting unit. The evaluation of impairment involves comparing the current fair value of the business to the recorded value including goodwill.
Judgments and Uncertainties A number of significant assumptions and estimates are involved in the application of the impairment test, including the identification of macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, and overall financial performance. We also consider Wabtec-specific events and share price trends and making the assessment on whether each relevant factor will impact the impairment test positively or negatively and the magnitude of any such amount.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Management considers historical experience and all available information at the time the fair values of its reporting units are estimated. However, actual amounts realized may differ from those used to evaluate the impairment of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets. If actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and judgments used in estimating future cash flows and asset fair values, we may be exposed to impairment losses that could be material to our results of operations.
Warranty Reserves:
Description The Company provides warranty reserves to cover expected costs from repairing or replacing products with durability, quality or workmanship issues occurring during established warranty periods.
Judgments and Uncertainties In general, reserves are provided for as a percentage of sales, based on historical experience. In addition, specific reserves are established for known warranty issues and their estimable losses.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If actual results are not consistent with the assumptions and judgments used to calculate our warranty liability, the Company may be exposed to the expense of increasing our reserves for warranty expense.
Income Taxes:
Description Wabtec records an estimated liability for income and other taxes based on what it determines will likely be paid in various tax jurisdictions in which it operates in accordance with ASC 740-10 Accounting for Income Taxes and Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.
Judgments and Uncertainties The estimate of our tax obligations are uncertain because management must use judgment to estimate the exposures associated with our various filing positions, as well as realization of our deferred tax assets. ASC 740-10
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establishes a recognition and measurement threshold to determine the amount of tax benefit that should be recognized related to uncertain tax positions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Management uses its best judgment in the determination of these amounts. However, the liabilities ultimately realized and paid are dependent on various matters including the resolution of the tax audits in the various affected tax jurisdictions and may differ from the amounts recorded. An adjustment to the estimated liability would be recorded through income in the period in which new information changes the expected outcome of an uncertain tax position. A deferred tax valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Revenue Recognition:
Description Revenue is recognized in accordance with ASC 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company recognizes a portion of its revenues on long-term customer agreements involving the design and production of highly engineered products that require revenue to be recognized over time because these products have no alternative use without significant economic loss and the agreements contain an enforceable right to payment including a reasonable profit margin from the customer in the event of contract termination. Generally, the Company uses an input method for determining the amount of revenue, cost and gross margin to recognize over time for these customer agreements. The input method used for these agreements recognizes revenue based on our efforts to satisfy the performance obligation and includes costs of material and labor, both of which give an accurate representation of the progress made toward complete satisfaction of a particular performance obligation. The Company may also use the output method which recognizes revenue based on direct measurements of the value transferred to the customer.
Judgments and Uncertainties Accounting for long-term customer agreements involves a judgmental process of estimating the total sales and costs for each contract, which results in the development of estimated profit margin percentages. Contract estimates related to long-term projects are based on various assumptions to project the outcome of future events that could span several years. These assumptions include cost of materials, labor availability and productivity, complexity of the work to be performed, and the performance of suppliers, customers and subcontractors that may be associated with the contract. Factors that influence these estimates include inflationary trends, foreign exchange rates, technical and schedule risk, internal and subcontractor performance trends, business volume assumptions, asset utilization, and anticipated labor agreements. Generally, pricing is defined in our contracts but may include an estimate of variable consideration when required by the terms of the individual customer contract. Types of variable consideration that the Company typically has include volume discounts, prompt payment discounts, price escalation clauses, liquidating damages, and performance bonuses.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Should market conditions and customer demands dictate changes to our standard shipping terms, the Company may be impacted by longer than typical revenue recognition cycles. The development of expected contract costs and contract profit margin percentages involves procedures and personnel in all areas that provide financial or production information on the status of contracts. Due to the significance of judgments in the estimation process, it is likely that materially different revenue and cost amounts could be recorded if we used different assumptions or if the underlying circumstances were to change. Changes in underlying assumptions/estimates, inflation or deflation, foreign currency exchange rates, supplier performance, or other circumstances may adversely or positively affect financial performance in future periods. Some of our contracts are expected to be completed in a loss position. Provisions are made currently for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts and are updated as necessary.
MD&A history
Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.
FY 2024 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001628280-25-005100.
Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
OVERVIEW
Wabtec is a global provider of value-added, technology-based locomotives, equipment, systems and services for the freight rail and passenger transit industries, as well as the mining, marine, and industrial markets. Our highly engineered products, which are intended to enhance safety, improve productivity and reduce maintenance costs for customers, can be found on most locomotives, freight cars, passenger transit cars, and buses around the world. Our core products and services are essential in the safe and efficient operation of freight rail and passenger transit vehicles. Wabtec is a global company with operations in over 50 countries, and our products can be found in more than 100 countries throughout the world. In 2024, approximately 53% of the Company’s Net sales came from customers outside the U.S.
Wabtec’s long-term financial goals are to increase revenues through a focused growth strategy, including product innovation and new technologies, global and market expansion, aftermarket products and services, and strategic acquisitions, increase margins through strict attention to cost controls, drive improved efficiencies across the business, drive strong cash flow conversion, and maintain a strong credit profile while minimizing our overall cost of capital. In addition, Management evaluates the Company’s current operational performance through measures such as safety, quality and on-time delivery.
The Company primarily serves the worldwide freight and transit rail industries. Our operating results are largely dependent on the level of activity, financial condition and capital spending plans of railroads and passenger transit agencies around the world, and transportation equipment manufacturers who serve those markets. Many factors influence these industries, including general economic conditions; traffic volumes, as measured by freight carloads and passenger ridership; number of locomotives and railcars in operation; government spending on public transportation; and investment in new technologies. In general, trends such as urbanization and growth in developing markets, sustainability and environmental awareness, investment in technology solutions, an aging equipment fleet, and growth in global trade are expected to drive continued investment in freight rail and passenger transit.
The Company monitors a variety of factors and statistics to gauge market activity. Freight rail markets around the world are driven primarily by overall economic conditions and activity, while Transit markets are driven primarily by government funding and passenger ridership. Changes in these market drivers can cause fluctuations in demand for Wabtec's products and services.
Business Update
During 2024, Wabtec continued to execute on our value creation framework by signing several key agreements including: a multi-year Tier 4 locomotive order in North America for over $600 million, a multi-year locomotive order in Kazakhstan for over $400 million, international orders for new locomotives for $401 million across six customers, and multi-year orders for new locomotives in Africa for approximately $525 million. Additionally, Wabtec won a long-term parts agreement with a Class I railroad for over $300 million, signed its first multi-year service contract with a customer in Brazil worth over $240 million, won signaling contracts with Transit customers in North America, and secured a long-term parts agreement with a customer in Asia. Operationally, Wabtec began commercial operations for its Green Friction braking solution in Paris and launched the next generation of railcar movers with its Shuttlewagon Commander NXT. Additionally, as a result of Wabtec's strong revenue and profitable growth over the past few years, rating agencies have made the following changes to our credit ratings: both Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings upgraded Wabtec's credit rating from BBB- to BBB with a Stable outlook, and Moody's updated Wabtec's outlook to positive from stable.
During the first quarter of 2022, Wabtec announced Integration 2.0, a multi-year strategic initiative to target incremental run rate synergies now estimated to be approximately $100 million by the end of 2026. The scope of the review included consolidating our operating footprint, reducing headcount, streamlining the end-to-end manufacturing process, restructuring the North America distribution channels, expanding operations in low-cost countries and simplifying the business through systems enablement. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company incurred one-time restructuring charges for programs included in the initiative of approximately $28 million and $49 million, respectively, primarily for employee-related costs and asset write downs associated with site consolidations in Europe. The Company now expects to incur approximately $170 million of one-time restructuring charges related to Integration 2.0, of which approximately $146 million has been incurred through December 31, 2024. Approved programs resulted in approximately 15 facility closures and impacted approximately 1,000 employees.
In addition to Integration 2.0, Wabtec is focused on exiting various low margin product offerings through Portfolio Optimization to improve profitability while reducing manufacturing complexity. Wabtec now expects to incur approximately $70 million in net exit charges related to Portfolio Optimization, which will be predominately non-cash asset write downs. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, Wabtec recorded charges of approximately $28 million primarily for asset write
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downs related to Portfolio Optimization. Total one-time restructuring charges related to Portfolio Optimization to date are approximately $56 million.
In February 2025, Wabtec announced Integration 3.0, a three-year strategic initiative to target incremental run rate synergies estimated to be between $100 million to $125 million by 2028. The scope of the review includes consolidating our footprint via value chain improvement and facility rationalization, reducing headcount, expanding operating capacity in low-cost countries, and streamlining administrative and commercial activities. Management will also consider additional capital investments to further simplify and streamline the business. The Company anticipates that it will incur charges of approximately $125 million to $155 million related to this initiative, of which approximately $80 million to $100 million are expected to be one-time restructuring charges. Concurrently, Wabtec announced an additional Portfolio Optimization initiative for 2025 targeting approximately $100 million of low margin revenues. The 2025 Portfolio Optimization actions are expected to result in approximately $40 million of net exit charges, primarily for non-cash asset write downs. Estimates for these programs could change based on the specific programs approved or changes to the scope of the review.
Future macroeconomic volatility, supply chain disruptions and labor availability could cause component and raw material shortages resulting in an adverse effect on the timing of the Company’s revenue and cash flows. Additionally, broad-based inflation, metals, energy and other commodity costs, transportation and logistics costs, labor costs, and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations all continue to impact our results. The Company utilizes various mitigating actions intended to lessen the impact of macroeconomic volatility. These actions include implementing price escalations and surcharges, driving operational efficiencies through various cost mitigation efforts and discretionary spend management, strategically sourcing materials, reviewing and modifying distribution logistics, and accelerating integration synergies through our restructuring programs.
A portion of our workers are represented by labor unions. The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), Locals 506 and 618 collective bargaining agreement, covering approximately 1,400 locomotive manufacturing workers in Erie, Pennsylvania, expired on June 9, 2023. Negotiations with UE officially began on April 27, 2023 and an agreement between the Company and the UE was not reached before the contract expired. On June 22, 2023, the UE voted against ratification of the Company's proposed agreement and authorized a strike. The Company and the UE subsequently reached an agreement that was ratified by the UE on August 31, 2023, ending the labor strike. The Company continuously monitors its labor activity.
During the first quarter of 2024, Company Management determined that certain parts of the business would be better aligned with Management oversight in different product lines. These changes were immaterial to the individual product lines and segments affected, and historical amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.
Cyber Incident
As previously announced, on June 26, 2022, we detected a cyber security incident which impacted the Company’s network. The Company promptly activated incident response protocols, which included shutting down certain systems, and commenced an investigation of the incident. The Company also notified law enforcement and engaged legal counsel and other third-party incident response and cybersecurity professionals.
Based on the Company's assessment, the incident did not have a significant financial impact and the Company does not believe the incident will have a material impact on its business, operations or financial results. The Company maintains cyber insurance, subject to certain deductibles and policy limitations typical for its size and industry.
ACQUISITIONS
During 2024, the Company made four strategic acquisitions for a combined purchase price of approximately $168 million, net of cash acquired. Two of the acquisitions are reported in the Transit Segment, one is reported in the Digital Intelligence product line of the Freight Segment and one is reported in the Components product line of the Freight Segment. Each of the acquisitions in 2024 are individually and collectively immaterial.
During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company purchased the remaining ownership shares of LKZ, a locomotive manufacturing and assembly company located in Kazakhstan for $111 million, at which time it became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Prior to this purchase, Wabtec owned 50% of LKZ as a joint venture partner and accounted for its interest as an equity method investment. During the second quarter of 2023, the Company acquired L&M Radiator, Inc., a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty equipment radiators and heat exchangers for the mining sector, for a purchase price of approximately $245 million.
During 2022, the Company made three strategic acquisitions in the Freight Segment for a combined purchase price of $89 million, net of cash acquired. Two of the acquisitions are reported in the Digital Intelligence product line and one is reported in the Services product line. Each of the acquisitions in 2022 are individually and collectively immaterial. For
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additional information related to these acquisitions refer to Note 3 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
On January 14, 2025, Wabtec announced a definitive agreement to acquire Evident’s Inspection Technologies division (Inspection Technologies), formerly part of the Scientific Solutions Division of Olympus Corporation, a global leader in Non-Destructive Testing, Remote Visual Inspection and Analytical Instruments solutions for mission critical assets, for $1.78 billion. Inspection Technologies’ leading industry presence and innovative product portfolio is expected to significantly expand Wabtec's capabilities, adding advanced automated inspection capabilities, driving technology in a space where data acquisition, analytics and automation are critical. Upon acquisition, Inspection Technologies will be reported within the Digital Intelligence product line of the Freight Segment. The Company anticipates financing the acquisition with a combination of cash on hand, utilization of the Revolving Credit Facility and an additional term loan. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, with the Company expecting to finalize the acquisition of Inspection Technologies by the end of the first half of 2025.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Consolidated Results
2024 COMPARED TO 2023
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years indicated.
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Net sales: | |||||||
| Sales of goods | $ | 8,434 | $ | 7,647 | |||
| Sales of services | 1,953 | 2,030 | |||||
| Total Net sales | 10,387 | 9,677 | |||||
| Cost of sales: | |||||||
| Cost of goods | (5,918) | (5,581) | |||||
| Cost of services | (1,103) | (1,152) | |||||
| Total Cost of sales | (7,021) | (6,733) | |||||
| Gross profit | 3,366 | 2,944 | |||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | (1,248) | (1,139) | |||||
| Engineering expenses | (206) | (218) | |||||
| Amortization expense | (303) | (321) | |||||
| Total Operating expenses | (1,757) | (1,678) | |||||
| Income from operations | 1,609 | 1,266 | |||||
| Other income and expenses: | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | (201) | (218) | |||||
| Other income, net | 2 | 44 | |||||
| Income before income taxes | 1,410 | 1,092 | |||||
| Income tax expense | (343) | (267) | |||||
| Net income | 1,067 | 825 | |||||
| Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest | (11) | (10) | |||||
| Net income attributable to Wabtec shareholders | $ | 1,056 | $ | 815 |
The following table shows the major components of the change in Net sales in 2024 from 2023:
| In millions | Freight Segment | Transit Segment | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Net sales | $ | 6,923 | $ | 2,754 | $ | 9,677 | |||||
| Acquisitions | 78 | 3 | 81 | ||||||||
| Foreign Exchange | (32) | (1) | (33) | ||||||||
| Organic | 499 | 163 | 662 | ||||||||
| 2024 Net sales | $ | 7,468 | $ | 2,919 | $ | 10,387 |
The following discussion compares our results for the year ended December 31, 2024 to the year ended December 31, 2023. The discussion comparing our results for the year ended December 31, 2023 to the year ended December 31, 2022 is included within Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 14, 2024.
Net sales
Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased by $710 million, or 7.3%, to $10.39 billion compared to the same period in 2023. Organic sales increased $662 million which was attributable to both the Freight and Transit Segments. Freight Equipment sales increased from higher North American and international locomotive sales and increased mining sales. Freight Services sales increased from higher deliveries of locomotive modernizations and engine overhauls and higher parts sales. Transit sales increased primarily as a result of higher demand for Aftermarket and Original Equipment Manufacturing products and services driven by increased investments in sustainable infrastructure, fleet expansion and renewals and increased
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passenger ridership levels. Sales from acquisitions contributed $81 million, primarily in the Freight Segment, and unfavorable changes in foreign exchange decreased Net sales by $33 million.
Cost of sales
Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased by $288 million, or 4.3%, to $7.02 billion compared to the same period in 2023. The increase is primarily due to the increase in Net sales. Cost of sales as a percentage of Net sales was 67.6% and 69.6% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The improvement in gross margin is attributable to contract escalation clauses, favorable mix between the Freight and Transit segments, improved productivity, Integration 2.0 savings, and favorable fixed cost absorption. Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 included $37 million and $38 million, respectively, of restructuring costs, primarily for headcount actions and footprint rationalization related to Integration 2.0 and Portfolio Optimization.
Operating expenses
Total operating expenses increased $79 million, or 4.7%, for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to the increase in Net sales. Operating expenses as a percentage of Net sales was 16.9% and 17.3% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A") increased $109 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. The increase is primarily from costs incurred to support the higher sales volume, higher employee compensation and benefit costs and higher professional fees related to acquisitions, partially offset by the impacts of Integration 2.0. Restructuring costs included in SG&A were $18 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, primarily for headcount actions and footprint rationalization programs related to Integration 2.0 in both years and Portfolio Optimization in 2024. Engineering expenses decreased $12 million primarily due to the timing of investments in new technology, and Amortization expense decreased $18 million, primarily related to changes in accelerated amortization for business dispositions associated with Portfolio Optimization and lower amortization for the GE Transportation trade name.
Interest expense, net
Interest expense, net, decreased $17 million to $201 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 over the same period in 2023 primarily due to lower weighted average debt balances throughout the current year, partially offset by higher effective interest rates.
Other income, net
Other income, net, decreased $42 million to $2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to lower equity income during 2024 and a gain on equity interest in the prior year. As a result of the change in ownership interest and obtaining control of LKZ in late 2023, Wabtec's previously held equity interest balance in LKZ was remeasured to fair value, resulting in a gain of approximately $35 million recorded to Other income, net in the prior year.
Income taxes
The effective income tax rate was 24.3% and 24.5% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The year over year decrease was primarily due to changes in valuation allowances and audit closures, partially offset by a change in the jurisdictional mix of earnings and the non-recurrence of the non-taxable gain generated on the acquisition of LKZ in 2023. See Note 11 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information.
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Freight Segment
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for our Freight Segment for the periods indicated:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2024 | 2023 | Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| Net sales: | |||||||||||||||
| Sales of goods | $ | 5,524 | $ | 4,906 | $ | 618 | 12.6 | % | |||||||
| Sales of services | 1,944 | 2,017 | (73) | (3.6) | % | ||||||||||
| Total Net sales | 7,468 | 6,923 | 545 | 7.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Cost of sales: | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of goods | (3,848) | (3,600) | 248 | 6.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Cost of services | (1,097) | (1,142) | (45) | (3.9) | % | ||||||||||
| Total Cost of sales | (4,945) | (4,742) | 203 | 4.3 | % | ||||||||||
| Cost of sales (% of Net sales) | 66.2 | % | 68.5 | % | (2.3) | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | 2,523 | 2,181 | 342 | 15.7 | % | ||||||||||
| Operating expenses | (1,101) | (1,116) | (15) | (1.3) | % | ||||||||||
| Income from operations ($) | $ | 1,422 | $ | 1,065 | $ | 357 | 33.5 | % | |||||||
| Income from operations (% of Net sales) | 19.0 | % | 15.4 | % | 3.6 |
The following table shows the major components of the change in Net sales for the Freight Segment in 2024 from 2023:
| In millions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Net sales | $ | 6,923 | |
| Acquisitions | 78 | ||
| Foreign Exchange | (32) | ||
| Changes in Net sales by Product Line: | |||
| Services | 132 | ||
| Equipment | 328 | ||
| Components | 23 | ||
| Digital Intelligence | 16 | ||
| 2024 Net sales | $ | 7,468 |
Net sales
Freight Segment organic sales increased by $499 million driven primarily by Equipment sales from higher North American and international locomotive sales and increased mining sales, and Services sales from higher deliveries of locomotive modernizations and engine overhauls and higher parts sales. Additionally, Freight Segment sales also benefited from our strategic acquisitions, primarily from L&M Radiator Inc. acquired in the second quarter of 2023, by $78 million.
Cost of sales
Freight Segment Cost of sales increased $203 million from higher sales volume, and Cost of sales as a percentage of Net sales decreased 2.3 percentage points. The improvement in gross margin is attributable to contract escalation clauses, favorable mix within the Freight Segment product lines, improved productivity and Integration 2.0 savings. Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2023 was also impacted by manufacturing inefficiencies related to labor negotiations at our Erie facility and costs related to next generation product development in Digital Intelligence. Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 included $18 million and $13 million, respectively, of restructuring costs, primarily related to Integration 2.0 and Portfolio Optimization.
Operating expenses
Freight Segment Operating expenses as a percentage of Net sales were 14.7% and 16.1% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Freight Segment Operating expenses decreased by $15 million primarily driven by lower amortization expense of $26 million due to changes in accelerated amortization for business dispositions associated with Portfolio Optimization and lower amortization for the GE Transportation trade name, and lower Engineering expenses of $16 million due to the timing of investments in new technology. This was partially offset by higher SG&A expenses of
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$27 million resulting from higher costs to support increased sales volume, higher employee compensation and benefit costs and incremental expense from acquisitions. Freight SG&A expenses for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 included $3 million and $5 million, respectively, of restructuring costs related to Integration 2.0 in 2023 and Portfolio Optimization in 2024.
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Transit Segment
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for our Transit Segment for the periods indicated:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2024 | 2023 | Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 2,919 | $ | 2,754 | $ | 165 | 6.0 | % | |||||||
| Cost of sales | (2,076) | (1,991) | 85 | 4.3 | % | ||||||||||
| Cost of sales (% of Net sales) | 71.1 | % | 72.3 | % | (1.2) | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | 843 | 763 | 80 | 10.5 | % | ||||||||||
| Operating expenses | (505) | (468) | 37 | 7.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Income from operations ($) | $ | 338 | $ | 295 | $ | 43 | 14.6 | % | |||||||
| Income from operations (% of Net sales) | 11.6 | % | 10.7 | % | 0.9 |
The following table shows the major components of the change in Net sales for the Transit Segment in 2024 from 2023:
| In millions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Net sales | $ | 2,754 | |
| Acquisitions | 3 | ||
| Foreign Exchange | (1) | ||
| Changes in Net sales by Product Line: | |||
| Original Equipment Manufacturing | 42 | ||
| Aftermarket | 121 | ||
| 2024 Net sales | $ | 2,919 |
Net sales
Transit Segment organic sales increased $163 million driven by strong Aftermarket and Original Equipment Manufacturing sales. Increased passenger ridership levels resulted in increased demand for services and products. Additionally, increased investments in railway infrastructure, fleet expansion and renewals and sustainable transport initiatives also contributed to organic growth.
Cost of sales
Transit Segment Cost of sales increased by $85 million primarily from higher sales volume, and Cost of sales as a percentage of Net sales decreased by 1.2 percentage points. The increase in gross margin is primarily attributable to favorable mix within the Transit Segment and the benefits from structured cost actions taken through prior years' restructuring and integration projects, primarily Integration 2.0. Transit Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 included $19 million and $25 million of restructuring costs, respectively, primarily for footprint rationalization and headcount actions in Europe related to Integration 2.0.
Operating expenses
Operating expenses as a percentage of Net sales for the Transit Segment were 17.3% and 17.0% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Transit Segment Operating expenses increased by $37 million primarily driven by higher SG&A expenses of $25 million to support higher sales volume and higher employee compensation and benefit costs, higher Engineering expenses of $4 million due to increased investments in new technology, and higher Amortization expense of $8 million primarily due to accelerated amortization for business dispositions associated with Portfolio Optimization. This was partially offset by benefits from structured cost actions taken through prior years' restructuring and integration projects, primarily Integration 2.0. Transit SG&A expenses for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 included $13 million of restructuring costs primarily for footprint rationalization and headcount actions in Europe related to Integration 2.0.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity is provided by operating cash flows, borrowings under the 2022 Credit Agreement and the 2024 Credit Agreement, each with a consortium of commercial banks, and proceeds from the Company's Senior Notes. Additionally, the Company utilizes the revolving receivables program and supply chain financing program described below, as well as other short-term financing agreements with certain banks, for added flexibility as part of our liquidity management strategy. The following is a summary of selected cash flow information and other relevant data:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Cash provided by (used for): | |||||||
| Operating activities | $ | 1,834 | $ | 1,201 | |||
| Investing activities | $ | (343) | $ | (492) | |||
| Financing activities | $ | (1,371) | $ | (633) |
Operating activities In 2024, cash provided by operating activities was $1,834 million compared to $1,201 million in 2023. Significant changes to the sources and (uses) of cash for the twelve month periods include the following:
•$242 million from increased Net income;
•$161 million from favorable changes in Accounts receivables driven by $121 million of higher collections on receivables and $40 million of lower remittance for the Revolving Receivables Program;
•$128 million from changes in Accounts payable due to timing of payments;
•$(59) million from changes in Inventory to support higher sales;
•$38 million from changes in employee related benefit payments; and,
•approximately $150 million from changes in income tax accounts, including a tax refund in the current year.
Investing activities In 2024 and 2023, cash used for investing activities was $(343) million and $(492) million, respectively. During 2024, Wabtec made four strategic acquisitions for net cash of $(168) million. During 2024, Wabtec also used $(207) million for additions to property, plant and equipment for investments in our facilities and manufacturing processes, received $19 million of net proceeds from dispositions of businesses, and received $13 million of proceeds from disposals of property, plant, and equipment. During 2023, Wabtec acquired L&M Radiator, Inc., a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty equipment radiators and heat exchangers, for net cash of approximately $(229) million and the remaining ownership shares of LKZ for net cash of approximately $(81) million. During 2023, Wabtec also used $(186) million for additions to property, plant and equipment.
Financing activities In 2024, cash used for financing activities was $(1,371) million, which included $(64) million from net changes in debt, $(1,097) million of stock repurchases, $(140) million of dividend payments, $(42) million of contingent consideration payments related to the GE Transportation acquisition, $(25) million of payments for income tax withholding on share-based compensation, and $(6) million of distributions to noncontrolling interest. In 2023, cash used for financing activities was $(633) million which included $42 million from net changes in debt, $(409) million of stock repurchases, $(123) million of dividend payments, $(112) million of contingent consideration payments related to the GE Transportation acquisition, $(17) million of distributions to noncontrolling interest, and $(16) million of payments for income tax withholding on share-based compensation .
During the first quarter of 2024, the Company entered into the 2024 Credit Agreement for a term loan of $225 million. Also during the first quarter of 2024, the Company issued $500 million of Senior Notes due in 2034 (the "2034 Notes"). Proceeds from the 2034 Notes, combined with the proceeds from the term loan under the 2024 Credit Agreement and cash on hand, were utilized to repay the outstanding amount of 2024 Notes at maturity.
During the third quarter of 2023, the Company borrowed the full $250 million of availability under the Delayed Draw Term Loan and subsequently utilized the proceeds to redeem the outstanding 2023 Notes. Beginning September 15, 2023, the effective interest rates for the 2024 Notes and the 2028 Notes were each reduced by 0.25% due to a favorable change in Wabtec's corporate credit rating and the rating of the aforementioned notes.
The Company borrows and repays against the Revolving Credit Facility for added flexibility in liquidity to manage cash during the operating cycle. The proceeds from borrowing and the repayments are shown within the "Proceeds from debt, net of issuance costs" and "Payments of debt" lines, respectively, presented in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Additional
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information with respect to credit facilities and long-term debt is included in Note 9 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company held approximately $715 million of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, of which approximately $417 million was held within the United States and approximately $298 million was held outside of the United States, primarily in India, Europe, China and Brazil. While repatriation of some cash held outside the United States may be restricted by local laws, most of the Company’s foreign cash could be repatriated to the United States net of any tax impacts. As of December 31, 2024, approximately $9 million of the Company's $715 million cash balance was classified as restricted cash.
We or our affiliates may, from time to time, seek to retire or purchase outstanding debt through negotiated or open-market cash purchases, exchanges, or otherwise, and such transactions, if any, will be upon such terms and at such prices as we may determine, and will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors.
Revolving Receivables Program
The Company utilizes a revolving receivables facility to sell up to $350 million of certain receivables through our bankruptcy-remote subsidiary to a financial institution on a recurring basis in exchange for cash equal to the gross receivables sold. As customers pay their balances, we transfer additional receivables into the program, which could result in our gross receivables sold being higher or lower than customer collections remitted to the financial institution for any applicable period. Net cash remitted from the revolving receivables program was $(20) million and $(60) million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. During the fourth quarter of 2024, the revolving receivables program agreement was amended to allow us to request loans from the financial institution secured by the receivables held in the program, up to the $350 million limit. As a result, effective January 1, 2025 proceeds and repayments of loans under the program will be classified as Financing activities on our statement of cash flows and outstanding balances will be classified as debt on our balance sheet. Additional information with respect to the Revolving Receivables Program is included in Note 2 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
Supply Chain Financing Program
The Company has entered into supply chain financing arrangements with third-party financial institutions to provide our vendors with enhanced payment options while providing the Company with added working capital flexibility. The Company does not provide any guarantees under these arrangements, does not have an economic interest in our supplier's voluntary participation, does not receive an economic benefit from the financial institutions, and no assets are pledged under the arrangements. The arrangements do not change the payable terms negotiated by the Company and our vendors and does not result in a change in the classification of amounts due as accounts payable in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Additional information with respect to the Supply Chain Financing Program is included in Note 2 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
Intra-Quarter Uncommitted Money Market Line Credit Agreement
During the third quarter of 2024, the Company entered into an uncommitted bilateral money market line credit agreement which provides an aggregate borrowing capacity of $150 million, for general business purposes and working capital needs within a quarter.
Guarantor Summarized Financial Information
The obligations under the US Notes issued by Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation (the "Parent Company") have been fully and unconditionally guaranteed by certain of the Parent Company's U.S. subsidiaries ("Guarantor Subsidiaries"). Each guarantor is 100% owned by the Parent Company, with the exception of GE Transportation, a Wabtec Company, which has 15,000 shares outstanding of Class A Non-Voting Preferred Stock held by General Electric Company. The Euro Notes are issued by Wabtec Transportation Netherlands B.V. ("Wabtec Netherlands") and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Parent Company.
The following tables present summarized financial information of the Parent Company and the guarantor subsidiaries on a combined basis. The combined summarized financial information eliminates intercompany balances and transactions among the Parent Company and guarantor subsidiaries and equity in earnings and investments in any guarantor subsidiaries or non-guarantor subsidiaries. The summarized financial information is provided in accordance with the reporting requirements of Rule 13-01 under SEC Regulation S-X for the issuer and guarantor subsidiaries.
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Summarized Statement of Income
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2024 | ||
| Net sales | $ | 5,948 | |
| Gross profit | $ | 2,399 | |
| Net income attributable to Wabtec shareholders | $ | 788 |
Summarized Balance Sheet
| Unaudited | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||||||
| In millions | December 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | |||||
| Current assets | $ | 1,604 | $ | 1,513 | |||
| Noncurrent assets | $ | 2,049 | $ | 2,196 | |||
| Current liabilities | $ | 2,242 | $ | 2,443 | |||
| Long-term debt | $ | 2,962 | $ | 2,739 | |||
| Other non-current liabilities | $ | 697 | $ | 662 |
The following is a description of the transactions between the combined Parent Company and guarantor subsidiaries with non-guarantor subsidiaries.
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2024 | ||
| Net sales to non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 875 | |
| Purchases from non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 1,170 | |
| Unaudited | |||
| Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | December 31, 2024 | ||
| Amount due to non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 13,697 |
Summarized Financial Information—Euro Notes
The obligations under Wabtec Netherlands’ Euro Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Parent Company. Wabtec Netherlands is a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of the Parent Company. Wabtec Netherlands is a holding company and does not have any independent operations. Its assets consist of its investments in subsidiaries, which are separate and distinct legal entities that are not guarantors of the Euro Notes and have no obligations to pay amounts due under Wabtec Netherlands’ obligations.
The following tables present summarized financial information of Wabtec Netherlands, as the Issuer of the Euro Notes, and the Parent Company, as the parent Guarantor, on a combined basis. The combined summarized financial information eliminates all intercompany balances and transactions among Wabtec Netherlands and the Parent Company as well as all equity in earnings from and investments in any subsidiary of the Parent Company, other than Wabtec Netherlands, which we refer to below as the Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries. The summarized financial information is provided in accordance with the reporting requirements of Rule 13-01 under SEC Regulation S-X for the issuer and Parent Company guarantor.
Summarized Statement of Income
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2024 | ||
| Net sales | $ | 577 | |
| Gross profit | $ | 90 | |
| Net loss attributable to Wabtec shareholders | $ | (209) |
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Summarized Balance Sheet
| Unaudited | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||||||
| In millions | December 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | |||||
| Current assets | $ | 546 | $ | 493 | |||
| Noncurrent assets | $ | 646 | $ | 651 | |||
| Current liabilities | $ | 1,014 | $ | 1,272 | |||
| Long-term debt | $ | 3,479 | $ | 3,287 | |||
| Other non-current liabilities | $ | 49 | $ | 84 |
The following is a description of the transactions between the combined Wabtec Netherlands, as the Issuer of the Euro Notes, and the Parent Company, as the parent Guarantor, with the subsidiaries of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp., other than Wabtec Netherlands, none of which are guarantors of the Euro Notes.
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2024 | ||
| Net sales to non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 46 | |
| Purchases from non-guarantor subsidiaries | 141 | ||
| Unaudited | |||
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||
| In millions | December 31, 2024 | ||
| Amount due to non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 8,449 |
Contractual Obligations and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
The Company is obligated to make future payments under various contracts such as purchase, debt and lease agreements and has certain contingent commitments. The Company has grouped these contractual obligations and off-balance sheet arrangements into operating activities, financing activities, and investing activities in the same manner as they are classified in the Statement of Consolidated Cash Flows to provide a better understanding of the nature of the obligations and arrangements and to provide a basis for comparison to historical information. The table below provides a summary of contractual obligations and off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2024:
| In millions | Total | 2025 | 2026-27 | 2028-29 | 2030+ | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating activities: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations (1) | $ | 119 | $ | 117 | $ | 2 | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||
| Operating leases (2) | 345 | 63 | 101 | 67 | 114 | ||||||||||||||
| Pension and postretirement benefit payments (3) | 214 | 20 | 41 | 44 | 109 | ||||||||||||||
| Interest payments (4) | 684 | 156 | 268 | 134 | 126 | ||||||||||||||
| Financing activities: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Long-term debt | 3,995 | 500 | 1,520 | 1,475 | 500 | ||||||||||||||
| Dividends to shareholders (5) | 171 | 171 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 5,528 | $ | 1,027 | $ | 1,932 | $ | 1,720 | $ | 849 |
(1)Purchase obligations represent non-cancelable contractual obligations at December 31, 2024.
(2)Operating leases represent multi-year obligations for rental of facilities and equipment.
(3)Pension and postretirement benefit payments includes expected payments to participants out of plan assets and corporate assets. The benefit payments are based on actuarial estimates using current assumptions for discount rates, expected return on long-term assets and rate of compensation increases. The Company does not expect material contributions to pension plan investments in 2025.
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(4)Interest payments on the Senior Notes and the amounts borrowed under the 2024 and 2022 Credit Agreements as of December 31, 2024 are based on interest rates in effect as of December 31, 2024 and are calculated on debt with maturities that extend to 2034.
(5)Shareholder dividends are subject to approval by the Company’s Board of Directors, currently at an annual rate of approximately $171 million beginning in 2025.
The above table does not reflect uncertain tax positions of $19 million, the timing of which are uncertain. Refer to Note 11 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information on uncertain tax positions. Additionally, the Company arranges for certain types of bank guarantees and letters of credit, such as performance bonds, bid bonds and financial guarantees, that are issued by certain banks and insurance companies to support customer contracts. At December 31, 2024, the total value of these bank guarantees and letters of credit were $931 million and expire on various dates through 2034. Amounts include interest payments based on contractual terms and the Company’s current interest rate.
Forward Looking Statements
We believe that all statements other than statements of historical facts included in this report, including certain statements under “Business” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” may constitute forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Although we believe that our assumptions made in connection with the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure that our assumptions and expectations are correct.
These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, including, among other things:
Economic and industry conditions
•changes in general economic and/or industry specific conditions, including the impacts of tax and tariff programs, inflation, supply chain disruptions, foreign currency exchange, and industry consolidation;
•prolonged unfavorable economic and industry conditions in the markets served by us, including North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa;
•decline in demand for freight cars, locomotives, passenger transit cars, buses and related products and services;
•reliance on major original equipment manufacturer customers;
•original equipment manufacturers’ program delays;
•decreased demand for services in the freight and passenger rail industry;
•decreased demand for our products and services;
•orders either being delayed, canceled, not returning to historical levels, or being reduced, and/or economic conditions affecting the ability of our customers to pay timely for goods and services delivered;
•consolidations in the rail industry;
•continued outsourcing by our customers;
•industry demand for faster and more efficient braking equipment;
•fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates;
•availability of credit or difficulty in obtaining debt or equity financing;
•changes in market consensus as to what attributes are required for projects to be considered "green" or "sustainable" or negative perceptions regarding determinations in such regard with respect to our Green Finance Framework or ESG strategy; or
•changes in the ESG topics that have the highest relative priority for Wabtec's external stakeholders;
Operating factors
•supply disruptions;
•technical difficulties;
•changes in operating conditions and costs;
•increases in raw material costs;
•challenges associated with the successful introduction of new products;
•product safety, quality and reliability;
•performance under material long-term contracts;
•labor availability constraints and labor relations challenges;
•the outcome of our existing or any future legal proceedings, including litigation involving our principal customers and any litigation with respect to environmental matters, asbestos-related matters, pension liabilities, warranties, product liabilities, competition and anti-trust matters or intellectual property claims;
•our ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions;
•risks associated with the development and use of new technology; or
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•cybersecurity and data protection risks;
Competitive factors
•the actions of competitors; or
•adverse outcomes of negotiations with partners, suppliers, customers or others;
Political/governmental factors
•political instability in relevant areas of the world, including the impacts of war, conflicts, global military action, and acts of terrorism;
•future regulation/deregulation of our customers and/or the rail industry;
•decreases in levels of governmental funding on transit projects, including for some of our customers;
•political developments and laws and regulations, including those related to Positive Train Control;
•consequences of federal and state income tax legislation;
•sanctions imposed on countries and persons; or
•the outcome of negotiations with governments;
Natural hazards / health crises
•impacts of climate change, including evolving climate change policy;
•disruptive natural hazards, including earthquakes, fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes or weather conditions;
•epidemics, pandemics, or similar public health crises;
•deterioration of general economic conditions as a result of natural hazards or health crises;
•shutdown of one or more of our operating facilities as a result of natural hazards and health crises; or
•supply chain and sourcing disruptions as a result of natural hazards and health crises;
Statements in this Form 10-K apply only as of the date on which such statements are made, and except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions regarding uncertainties that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses. Critical areas of uncertainty that require judgments, estimates and assumptions include the accounting for allowance for doubtful accounts, inventories, business combinations, goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, warranty reserves, income taxes, and revenue recognition. Management uses historical experience and all available information to make these judgments and estimates, and actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions that are used to prepare the Company’s financial statements at any given time. Despite these inherent limitations, management believes that Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) and the financial statements and related footnotes provide a meaningful and fair perspective of the Company.
A summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies is included in Note 2 in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report. Management believes that the application of these policies on a consistent basis enables the Company to provide the users of the financial statements with useful and reliable information about the Company’s operating results and financial condition.
Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts:
Description The Company provides an allowance for doubtful accounts to cover anticipated losses on uncollectible accounts receivable.
Judgments and Uncertainties The allowance for doubtful accounts receivable reflects our best estimate of expected losses inherent in our receivable portfolio determined on the basis of historical experience, relevant credit forecast information, changes to customer's solvency and other currently available evidence.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If our estimates regarding the collectability of troubled accounts, and/or our actual losses within our receivable portfolio exceed our estimated losses, we may be exposed to the expense of increasing our allowance for doubtful accounts and loss of cash flows.
Inventories:
Description Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and are reviewed to ensure that an adequate provision is recognized for excess, slow moving and obsolete inventories, and net realizable value reserves.
Judgments and Uncertainties Cost is determined primarily using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. Inventory costs include material, labor and overhead. The Company compares inventory components to prior year sales history, current backlog and
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anticipated future requirements. To the extent that inventory parts exceed estimated usage and demand, a reserve is recognized to reduce the carrying value of inventory. Also, specific reserves are established for known inventory obsolescence, a decline in market value, or loss of a customer with specific inventory.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If the market value or demand for our products were to decrease due to changing market conditions, the Company could be at risk of incurring write-downs to adjust inventory value to a net realizable value lower than stated cost. If our estimates regarding sales and backlog requirements are inaccurate, we may be exposed to the expense of increasing our reserves for slow moving and obsolete inventory.
Business Combinations:
Description The Company accounts for business acquisitions in accordance with Accounting Standard Codification ("ASC") 805, Business Combinations, which requires the purchase price of the acquired business to be allocated to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on the respective fair values. The amount of purchase price which is in excess of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recognized as goodwill.
Judgments and Uncertainties Discounted cash flow models are used to estimate the fair values of acquired intangible assets such as contract backlog, customer relationships, intellectual property, and trade names. The significant assumptions used to estimate the value of the intangible assets include revenue growth rates, projected profit margins, discount rates, royalty rates, customer attrition rates, revenue obsolescence rates and market participant profit margins. These significant assumptions are forward-looking and could be affected by future economic and market conditions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Different assumptions may result in materially different values for assets acquired and liabilities assumed, which may impact the Company's financial position and future results of operations, including potential future impairment charges.
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets:
Description Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair value of the net assets acquired in a business combination. Indefinite-lived intangible assets primarily represent certain trade names acquired in a business combination that were determined to have indefinite useful lives. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles are required to be tested for impairment at least annually. The Company performs its annual impairment tests during the fourth quarter and more frequently when indicators of impairment are present. The Company reviews goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level. The Company has identified three reporting units for purposes of testing goodwill for impairment. Two reporting units exist within the Freight segment and the Transit segment is also a reporting unit. The evaluation of impairment involves comparing the current fair value of the business to the recorded value including goodwill.
Judgments and Uncertainties A number of significant assumptions and estimates are involved in the application of the impairment test, including the identification of macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, and overall financial performance. We also consider Wabtec-specific events and share price trends and making the assessment on whether each relevant factor will impact the impairment test positively or negatively and the magnitude of any such amount.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Management considers historical experience and all available information at the time the fair values of its reporting units are estimated. However, actual amounts realized may differ from those used to evaluate the impairment of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets. If actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and judgments used in estimating future cash flows and asset fair values, we may be exposed to impairment losses that could be material to our results of operations.
Warranty Reserves:
Description The Company provides warranty reserves to cover expected costs from repairing or replacing products with durability, quality or workmanship issues occurring during established warranty periods.
Judgments and Uncertainties In general, reserves are provided for as a percentage of sales, based on historical experience. In addition, specific reserves are established for known warranty issues and their estimable losses.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If actual results are not consistent with the assumptions and judgments used to calculate our warranty liability, the Company may be exposed to the expense of increasing our reserves for warranty expense.
Income Taxes:
Description Wabtec records an estimated liability for income and other taxes based on what it determines will likely be paid in various tax jurisdictions in which it operates in accordance with ASC 740-10 Accounting for Income Taxes and Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.
Judgments and Uncertainties The estimate of our tax obligations are uncertain because management must use judgment to estimate the exposures associated with our various filing positions, as well as realization of our deferred tax assets. ASC 740-10
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establishes a recognition and measurement threshold to determine the amount of tax benefit that should be recognized related to uncertain tax positions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Management uses its best judgment in the determination of these amounts. However, the liabilities ultimately realized and paid are dependent on various matters including the resolution of the tax audits in the various affected tax jurisdictions and may differ from the amounts recorded. An adjustment to the estimated liability would be recorded through income in the period in which new information changes the expected outcome of an uncertain tax position. A deferred tax valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Revenue Recognition:
Description Revenue is recognized in accordance with ASC 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company recognizes a portion of its revenues on long-term customer agreements involving the design and production of highly engineered products that require revenue to be recognized over time because these products have no alternative use without significant economic loss and the agreements contain an enforceable right to payment including a reasonable profit margin from the customer in the event of contract termination. Generally, the Company uses an input method for determining the amount of revenue, cost and gross margin to recognize over time for these customer agreements. The input method used for these agreements recognizes revenue based on our efforts to satisfy the performance obligation and includes costs of material and labor, both of which give an accurate representation of the progress made toward complete satisfaction of a particular performance obligation. The Company may also use the output method which recognizes revenue based on direct measurements of the value transferred to the customer.
Judgments and Uncertainties Accounting for long-term customer agreements involves a judgmental process of estimating the total sales and costs for each contract, which results in the development of estimated profit margin percentages. Contract estimates related to long-term projects are based on various assumptions to project the outcome of future events that could span several years. These assumptions include cost of materials, labor availability and productivity, complexity of the work to be performed, and the performance of suppliers, customers and subcontractors that may be associated with the contract. Factors that influence these estimates include inflationary trends, foreign exchange rates, technical and schedule risk, internal and subcontractor performance trends, business volume assumptions, asset utilization, and anticipated labor agreements. Generally, pricing is defined in our contracts but may include an estimate of variable consideration when required by the terms of the individual customer contract. Types of variable consideration that the Company typically has include volume discounts, prompt payment discounts, price escalation clauses, liquidating damages, and performance bonuses.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Should market conditions and customer demands dictate changes to our standard shipping terms, the Company may be impacted by longer than typical revenue recognition cycles. The development of expected contract costs and contract profit margin percentages involves procedures and personnel in all areas that provide financial or production information on the status of contracts. Due to the significance of judgments in the estimation process, it is likely that materially different revenue and cost amounts could be recorded if we used different assumptions or if the underlying circumstances were to change. Changes in underlying assumptions/estimates, inflation or deflation, foreign currency exchange rates, supplier performance, or other circumstances may adversely or positively affect financial performance in future periods. Some of our contracts are expected to be completed in a loss position. Provisions are made currently for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts and are updated as necessary.
FY 2023 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001628280-24-004774.
Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
OVERVIEW
Wabtec is a global provider of value-added, technology-based locomotives, equipment, systems and services for the freight rail and passenger transit industries, as well as the mining, marine, and industrial markets. Our highly engineered products, which are intended to enhance safety, improve productivity and reduce maintenance costs for customers, can be found on most locomotives, freight cars, passenger transit cars, and buses around the world. Our core products and services are essential in the safe and efficient operation of freight rail and passenger transit vehicles. Wabtec is a global company with operations in over 50 countries and our products can be found in more than 100 countries throughout the world. In 2023, approximately 55% of the Company’s Net sales came from customers outside the U.S.
Wabtec’s long-term financial goals are to drive strong cash flow conversion, maintain a strong credit profile while minimizing our overall cost of capital, increase margins through strict attention to cost controls, drive improved efficiencies across the business, and increase revenues through a focused growth strategy, including product innovation and new technologies, global and market expansion, aftermarket products and services, and strategic acquisitions. In addition, Management evaluates the Company’s current operational performance through measures such as safety, quality and on-time delivery.
The Company primarily serves the worldwide freight and transit rail industries. Our operating results are largely dependent on the level of activity, financial condition and capital spending plans of railroads and passenger transit agencies around the world, and transportation equipment manufacturers who serve those markets. Many factors influence these industries, including general economic conditions; traffic volumes, as measured by freight carloads and passenger ridership; number of locomotives and railcars in operation; government spending on public transportation; and investment in new technologies. In general, trends such as urbanization and growth in developing markets, sustainability and environmental awareness, investment in technology solutions, an aging equipment fleet, and growth in global trade are expected to drive continued investment in freight rail and passenger transit.
The Company monitors a variety of factors and statistics to gauge market activity. Freight rail markets around the world are driven primarily by overall economic conditions and activity, while Transit markets are driven primarily by government funding and passenger ridership. Changes in these market drivers can cause fluctuations in demand for Wabtec's products and services.
Business Update
During 2023, Wabtec continued to execute on our value creation framework by signing strategic orders for locomotive modernizations in North America that will span multiple years, new locomotives with a North American railroad, new locomotives in Brazil, long-term supply and maintenance agreement for brakes in India, and mining drive systems in high altitude applications. We announced our largest certified pre-owned order for 69 locomotives for a North American customer and won a contract to supply pantograph and Passenger Information Systems for up to 504 transit cars. Wabtec completed the strategic acquisition of L&M Radiator, Inc., a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty equipment radiators and heat exchangers for the mining sector, and acquired the remaining 50% ownership interest in Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty (LKZ), a locomotive manufacturing and assembly plant in Kazakhstan. We delivered our 500th locomotive in Kazakhstan for the CIS region and our 500th locomotive to Indian Railways, which was a significant milestone in our 10-year contract. Our senior unsecured debt was upgraded by Moody's, which reflects resiliency of the business, our balance sheet strength and strong cash generation. Additionally, Wabtec rebranded our Digital Electronics product line to Digital Intelligence, a change that more accurately reflects the complete digital products and services portfolio offered to our customers. The Digital Intelligence portfolio was also expanded with entry into the railcar telematics market.
During the first quarter of 2022, Wabtec announced Integration 2.0, a three-year strategic initiative to target incremental run rate synergies estimated to be between $75 million and $90 million in 2025. The scope of the review includes consolidating our operating footprint, reducing headcount, streamlining the end-to-end manufacturing process, restructuring the North America distribution channels, expanding operations in low-cost countries and simplifying the business through systems enablement, including the source-to-pay process. Management will also consider additional capital investments to further simplify and streamline the business. The Company anticipates that it will incur one-time restructuring charges of approximately $135 million to $165 million related to this initiative, of which approximately $118 million has been incurred through December 31, 2023. Total estimated initiative charges could change based on the specific programs approved or changes to the scope of the review. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, the Company incurred one-time restructuring charges for programs included in the initiative of approximately $49 million which were primarily for employee-related costs and asset write downs associated with site consolidations in Europe. Programs approved to date are expected to result in approximately 15 facility closures and impact approximately 1,100 employees. Charges related to Integration 2.0 of
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$46 million were recorded during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, primarily for employee-related costs associated with site consolidations in Europe and costs related to the restructuring of North America distribution channels.
In addition to Integration 2.0, Wabtec is focused on exiting various low margin product offerings through Portfolio Optimization to improve profitability while reducing manufacturing complexity. Wabtec expects to incur approximately $85 million in net exit charges related to Portfolio Optimization, which will be predominately non-cash asset write downs. Wabtec recorded charges of approximately $28 million in the fourth quarter of 2023 for asset write downs related to Portfolio Optimization.
Future macroeconomic volatility, supply chain disruptions and labor availability could cause component and raw material shortages resulting in an adverse effect on the timing of the Company’s revenue and cash flows. Additionally, broad-based inflation, metals, energy and other commodity costs, transportation and logistics costs, labor costs, and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations all continue to impact our results. The Company utilizes various mitigating actions intended to lessen the impact of macroeconomic volatility. These actions include implementing price escalations and surcharges, driving operational efficiencies through various cost mitigation efforts and discretionary spend management, strategically sourcing materials, reviewing and modifying distribution logistics, and accelerating integration synergies through Integration 2.0.
A portion of our workers are represented by labor unions. The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), Locals 506 and 618 collective bargaining agreement, covering approximately 1,400 locomotive manufacturing workers in Erie, Pennsylvania, expired on June 9, 2023. Negotiations with UE officially began on April 27, 2023 and an agreement between the Company and the UE was not reached before the contract expired. On June 22, 2023, the UE voted against ratification of the Company's proposed agreement and authorized a strike. The Company and the UE subsequently reached an agreement that was ratified by the UE on August 31, 2023, ending the labor strike. The Company continuously monitors its labor activity.
Cyber Incident
As previously announced, on June 26, 2022, we detected a cyber security incident which impacted the Company’s network. The Company promptly activated incident response protocols, which included shutting down certain systems, and commenced an investigation of the incident. The Company also notified law enforcement and engaged legal counsel and other third-party incident response and cybersecurity professionals.
Based on the Company's assessment, the incident has not had a significant financial impact and the Company does not believe the incident will have a material impact on its business, operations or financial results. The Company maintains cyber insurance, subject to certain deductibles and policy limitations typical for its size and industry.
ACQUISITIONS
During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company purchased the remaining ownership shares of LKZ, a locomotive manufacturing and assembly company located in Kazakhstan for $111 million, at which time it became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Prior to this purchase, Wabtec owned 50% of LKZ as a joint venture partner and accounted for its interest as an equity method investment. During the second quarter of 2023, the Company acquired L&M Radiator, Inc., a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty equipment radiators and heat exchangers for the mining sector, for a purchase price of approximately $245 million.
During 2022, the Company made three strategic acquisitions in the Freight Segment for a combined purchase price of $89 million. Two of the acquisitions are reported in the Digital Intelligence product line and one is reported in the Services product line. Each of the acquisitions in 2022 are individually and collectively immaterial. On March 31, 2021, the Company acquired Nordco, a leading North American supplier of new, rebuilt and used maintenance of way equipment. The Company also made acquisitions during 2021 not listed above which are individually and collectively immaterial. For additional information related to these acquisitions refer to Note 3 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Consolidated Results
2023 COMPARED TO 2022
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years indicated.
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| Net sales: | |||||||
| Sales of goods | $ | 7,647 | $ | 6,459 | |||
| Sales of services | 2,030 | 1,903 | |||||
| Total net sales | 9,677 | 8,362 | |||||
| Cost of sales: | |||||||
| Cost of goods | (5,581) | (4,791) | |||||
| Cost of services | (1,152) | (1,031) | |||||
| Total cost of sales | (6,733) | (5,822) | |||||
| Gross profit | 2,944 | 2,540 | |||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | (1,139) | (1,029) | |||||
| Engineering expenses | (218) | (209) | |||||
| Amortization expense | (321) | (291) | |||||
| Total operating expenses | (1,678) | (1,529) | |||||
| Income from operations | 1,266 | 1,011 | |||||
| Other income and expenses: | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | (218) | (186) | |||||
| Other income, net | 44 | 29 | |||||
| Income before income taxes | 1,092 | 854 | |||||
| Income tax expense | (267) | (213) | |||||
| Net income | 825 | 641 | |||||
| Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest | (10) | (8) | |||||
| Net income attributable to Wabtec shareholders | $ | 815 | $ | 633 |
The following table shows the major components of the change in net sales in 2023 from 2022:
| In millions | Freight Segment | Transit Segment | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Net Sales | $ | 6,012 | $ | 2,350 | $ | 8,362 | |||||
| Acquisitions | 109 | — | 109 | ||||||||
| Foreign Exchange | (23) | 25 | 2 | ||||||||
| Organic | 864 | 340 | 1,204 | ||||||||
| 2023 Net Sales | $ | 6,962 | $ | 2,715 | $ | 9,677 |
The following discussion compares our results for the year ended December 31, 2023 to the year ended December 31, 2022. The discussion comparing our results for the year ended December 31, 2022 to the year ended December 31, 2021 is included within Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 15, 2023.
Net sales
Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased by $1.32 billion, or 15.7%, to $9.68 billion compared to the same period in 2022. Organic sales increased $1.20 billion which was attributable to both the Freight and Transit Segments. Freight Segment organic sales increased by $864 million primarily driven by Services sales from higher parts sales and higher deliveries of locomotive modernizations and overhauls, Equipment sales from higher North American and international locomotive sales and increased mining sales, and Components sales due to a higher railcar build and growth in industrial end-markets. Sales from acquisitions contributed $109 million in the Freight Segment. Transit Segment organic sales increased by
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$340 million primarily as a result of increased demand for Aftermarket and Original Equipment Manufacturing products driven by increased infrastructure investment.
Cost of sales
Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased by $911 million, or 15.6%, to $6.73 billion compared to the same period in 2022. The increase is primarily due to the increase in Net sales. Cost of sales as a percentage of sales was 69.6% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 included $38 million and $43 million, respectively, of restructuring costs primarily for footprint rationalization and headcount actions, primarily related to Integration 2.0.
Operating expenses
Total operating expenses increased $149 million, or 9.7%, for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. Operating expenses as a percentage of sales was 17.3% and 18.3% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A") increased $110 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. The increase is primarily from costs incurred to support the higher sales volume, higher employee compensation and benefit costs, and higher professional services spend. Restructuring costs included in SG&A were $18 million and $9 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, primarily for headcount actions and footprint rationalization programs, primarily related to Integration 2.0. Engineering expense increased $9 million primarily due to investments in new technology and Amortization expense increased $30 million, due to Portfolio Optimization costs and increased expense from acquisitions.
Interest expense, net
Interest expense, net, increased $32 million to $218 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 over the same period in 2022 primarily attributable to higher effective interest rates and higher average overall debt balances in the current year.
Other income, net
Other income, net, increased $15 million to $44 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. As a result of the change in ownership interest and obtaining control of LKZ, Wabtec's previously held equity interest balance was remeasured to fair value, resulting in a gain of approximately $35 million recorded to Other income, net. The gain was partially offset by lower foreign exchange gains and lower equity income in the current year compared to the prior year.
Income taxes
The effective income tax rate was 24.5% and 25.0% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate in 2023 is primarily the result of earnings mix. See Note 11 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information.
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Freight Segment
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for our Freight Segment for the periods indicated:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2023 | 2022 | Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| Net sales: | |||||||||||||||
| Sales of goods | $ | 4,945 | $ | 4,125 | $ | 820 | 19.9 | % | |||||||
| Sales of services | 2,017 | 1,887 | 130 | 6.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Total net sales | 6,962 | 6,012 | 950 | 15.8 | % | ||||||||||
| Cost of sales: | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of goods | (3,630) | (3,098) | 532 | 17.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Cost of services | (1,142) | (1,018) | 124 | 12.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Total cost of sales | (4,772) | (4,116) | 656 | 15.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Cost of Sales (% of Net sales) | 68.5 | % | 68.5 | % | — | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | 2,190 | 1,896 | 294 | 15.5 | % | ||||||||||
| Operating expenses | (1,119) | (1,032) | 87 | 8.4 | % | ||||||||||
| Income from operations ($) | $ | 1,071 | $ | 864 | $ | 207 | 24.0 | % | |||||||
| Income from operations (% of Net sales) | 15.4 | % | 14.4 | % | 1.0 |
The following table shows the major components of the change in net sales for the Freight Segment in 2023 from 2022:
| In millions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Net Sales | $ | 6,012 | |
| Acquisitions | 109 | ||
| Foreign Exchange | (23) | ||
| Changes in Sales by Product Line: | |||
| Services | 444 | ||
| Equipment | 250 | ||
| Components | 150 | ||
| Digital Intelligence | 20 | ||
| 2023 Net Sales | $ | 6,962 |
Net sales
Freight Segment organic sales increased by $864 million driven primarily by:
•Services sales from higher deliveries of locomotive modernizations and overhauls and higher parts sales
•Equipment sales from higher North America and international locomotive sales and increased mining sales
•Components sales from higher original equipment railcar build and increased market share for certain products due to product availability and increased demand for industrial products
Additionally, Freight Segment sales also benefited from our strategic acquisitions, primarily from L&M Radiator Inc., by $109 million.
Cost of sales
Freight Segment Cost of sales increased $656 million and Cost of sales as a percentage of sales remained consistent at 68.5%. The increase in Cost of sales was primarily driven by:
•Higher sales volume
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•Manufacturing inefficiencies primarily related to the strike at our Erie facility
•Higher next generation product development costs in Digital Intelligence and Equipment
Partially offset by:
•Favorable mix within the Freight Segment product lines
•Benefits from structured cost actions
Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 included $13 million and $15 million, respectively, of restructuring costs, primarily related to Integration 2.0 and Portfolio Optimization costs.
Operating expenses
Operating expenses as a percentage of sales for the Freight Segment were 16.1% and 17.2% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Freight Segment operating expenses increased by $87 million primarily driven by:
•Higher SG&A expenses of $56 million resulting from higher costs to support increased sales volume, higher employee compensation and benefit costs and incremental expense from acquisitions
•Higher amortization expense of $28 million, due to Portfolio Optimization costs and increased expense from acquisitions
Freight Operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023 includes $28 million of restructuring costs related to Integration 2.0 and Portfolio Optimization.
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Transit Segment
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for our Transit Segment for the periods indicated:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2023 | 2022 | Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 2,715 | $ | 2,350 | $ | 365 | 15.5 | % | |||||||
| Cost of sales | (1,961) | (1,706) | 255 | 14.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Cost of sales (% of Net sales) | 72.2 | % | 72.6 | % | (0.4) | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | 754 | 644 | 110 | 17.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Operating expenses | (465) | (413) | 52 | 12.6 | % | ||||||||||
| Income from operations ($) | $ | 289 | $ | 231 | $ | 58 | 25.1 | % | |||||||
| Income from operations (% of net sales) | 10.7 | % | 9.8 | % | 0.9 |
The following table shows the major components of the change in net sales for the Transit Segment in 2023 from 2022:
| In millions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Net Sales | $ | 2,350 | |
| Foreign Exchange | 25 | ||
| Changes in Sales by Product Line: | |||
| Original Equipment Manufacturing | 132 | ||
| Aftermarket | 208 | ||
| 2023 Net Sales | $ | 2,715 |
Net sales
Transit segment organic sales increased $340 million driven by strong Aftermarket and Original Equipment Manufacturing sales primarily as a result of increased demand for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and brake systems, increased infrastructure investment, and the easing of supply chain disruptions. Additionally, Transit sales in 2022 were unfavorably impacted by the previously disclosed cyber incident. Favorable changes in foreign exchange rates also increased sales by $25 million.
Cost of sales
Transit Segment Cost of sales increased by $255 million and Cost of sales as a percentage of sales decreased by 0.4 percentage points primarily due to higher sales volume partially offset by benefits from structured cost actions taken through prior years' restructuring and integration projects, including Integration 2.0.
Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 included $25 million and $28 million, respectively, of restructuring costs, primarily related to Integration 2.0 for headcount actions and footprint rationalization in Europe.
Operating expenses
Operating expenses as a percentage of sales for the Transit Segment were 17.1% and 17.6% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Transit Segment operating expenses increased by $52 million primarily driven by:
•Higher SG&A expenses of $44 million to support higher sales volume and higher employee compensation and benefit costs, partially offset by benefits from structured cost actions taken through prior years' restructuring and integration projects, including Integration 2.0
•An increase in engineering expense of $6 million due to investments in new technology
Transit Operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, includes $15 million and $9 million, respectively, of restructuring costs primarily related to Integration 2.0 for footprint rationalization and headcount actions in Europe.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity is provided by operating cash flows and borrowings under the Company’s Senior Notes and unsecured credit facility with a consortium of commercial banks. Additionally, the Company utilizes the revolving receivables program and supply chain financing program described below, as well as other short-term financing agreements with certain banks, for added flexibility as part of our liquidity management strategy. The following is a summary of selected cash flow information and other relevant data:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| Cash provided by (used for): | |||||||
| Operating activities | $ | 1,201 | $ | 1,038 | |||
| Investing activities | $ | (492) | $ | (235) | |||
| Financing activities | $ | (633) | $ | (708) |
Operating activities In 2023, cash provided by operating activities was $1,201 million, primarily from $1,298 million attributable to Net income and other changes in the related statements of income amounts. This was partially offset by $(97) million of net cash used from increases in receivables due to higher sales, increases in inventory and accounts payable to support higher sales and timing of payments for expenses and receipts from customer deposits.
In 2022, cash provided by operating activities was $1,038 million, primarily from $1,147 million attributable to Net income and other changes in the related statements of income amounts, partially offset by $(109) million of net cash used from changes in working capital accounts to support increased demand.
Investing activities In 2023 and 2022, cash used for investing activities was $(492) million and $(235) million, respectively. During 2023, Wabtec acquired L&M Radiator, Inc., a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty equipment radiators and heat exchangers, for net cash of approximately $(229) million and the remaining ownership shares of LKZ for net cash of approximately $(81) million. During 2023, Wabtec also used $(186) million for additions to property, plant and equipment for investments in our facilities and manufacturing processes. During 2022, Wabtec made three strategic acquisitions for a combined purchase price of $(89) million and used $(149) million for additions to property, plant and equipment.
Financing activities In 2023, cash used for financing activities was $(633) million, which included $42 million from net changes in debt, $(409) million of stock repurchases, $(123) million of dividend payments, $(112) million of contingent consideration payments related to the GE Transportation acquisition, $(17) million of distributions to noncontrolling interest, and $(16) million of payments for income tax withholding on share-based compensation. In 2022, cash used for financing activities was $(708) million which included $(30) million from net changes in debt, $(473) million of stock repurchases, $(111) million of dividend payments, and $(101) million of contingent consideration payments related to the GE Transportation acquisition.
During the third quarter of 2023, the Company borrowed the full $250 million of availability under the Delayed Draw Term Loan and subsequently utilized the proceeds to redeem the outstanding 2023 Notes. Beginning September 15, 2023, the effective interest rates for the 2024 Notes and the 2028 Notes were each reduced by 0.25% due to a favorable change in Wabtec's corporate credit rating and the rating of the aforementioned notes. Additionally, during 2023, the Company has also entered into $250 million of interest rate contracts to manage its net exposure to interest rate changes and its overall cost of borrowing. These contracts may be utilized for future debt financing.
During the second quarter of 2022, the Company redeemed $25 million of principal from the 2024 Notes plus a premium and the related accrued interest.
The Company borrows and repays against the revolving credit facility for added flexibility in liquidity to manage cash during the operating cycle. The proceeds from borrowing and the repayments are shown within the "Proceeds from debt, net of issuance costs" and "Payments of debt" lines, respectively, presented in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Additional information with respect to credit facilities and long-term debt is included in Note 9 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company held approximately $620 million of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, of which approximately $190 million was held within the United States and approximately $430 million was held outside of the United States, primarily in India, Europe, Brazil, and Kazakhstan. While repatriation of some cash held outside the United States may be restricted by local laws, most of the Company’s foreign cash could be repatriated to the United States net of any
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tax impacts. As of December 31, 2023, approximately $5 million of the Company's $620 million cash balance was classified as restricted cash.
We or our affiliates may, from time to time, seek to retire or purchase outstanding debt through negotiated or open-market cash purchases, exchanges, or otherwise, and such transactions, if any, will be upon such terms and at such prices as we may determine, and will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors.
Revolving Receivables Program
The Company utilizes a revolving receivables facility to sell up to $350 million of certain receivables through our bankruptcy-remote subsidiary to a financial institution on a recurring basis in exchange for cash equal to the gross receivables sold. As customers pay their balances, we transfer additional receivables into the program, which could result in our gross receivables sold being higher or lower than customer collections remitted to the financial institution for any applicable period. Net cash (remitted)/received from the revolving receivables program was $(60) million and $60 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Additional information with respect to the Revolving Receivables Program is included in Note 2 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
Supply Chain Financing Program
The Company has entered into supply chain financing arrangements with third-party financial institutions to provide our vendors with enhanced payment options while providing the Company with added working capital flexibility. The Company does not provide any guarantees under these arrangements, does not have an economic interest in our supplier's voluntary participation, does not receive an economic benefit from the financial institutions, and no assets are pledged under the arrangements. The arrangements do not change the payable terms negotiated by the Company and our vendors and does not result in a change in the classification of amounts due as accounts payable in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Additional information with respect to the Supply Chain Financing Program is included in Note 2 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
Guarantor Summarized Financial Information
The obligations under the US Notes issued by Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation (the "Parent Company") have been fully and unconditionally guaranteed by certain of the Parent Company's U.S. subsidiaries ("Guarantor Subsidiaries"). Each guarantor is 100% owned by the Parent Company, with the exception of GE Transportation, a Wabtec Company, which has 15,000 shares outstanding of Class A Non-Voting Preferred Stock held by General Electric Company. The Euro Notes are issued by Wabtec Transportation Netherlands B.V. ("Wabtec Netherlands") and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Parent Company.
The following tables present summarized financial information of the Parent Company and the guarantor subsidiaries on a combined basis. The combined summarized financial information eliminates intercompany balances and transactions among the Parent Company and guarantor subsidiaries and equity in earnings and investments in any guarantor subsidiaries or non-guarantor subsidiaries. The summarized financial information is provided in accordance with the reporting requirements of Rule 13-01 under SEC Regulation S-X for the issuer and guarantor subsidiaries.
Summarized Statement of Income
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2023 | ||
| Net sales | $ | 5,742 | |
| Gross profit | $ | 1,454 | |
| Net income attributable to Wabtec shareholders | $ | 481 |
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Summarized Balance Sheet
| Unaudited | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||||||
| In millions | December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||
| Current assets | $ | 1,513 | $ | 1,328 | |||
| Noncurrent assets | $ | 2,196 | $ | 2,384 | |||
| Current liabilities | $ | 2,443 | $ | 1,881 | |||
| Long-term debt | $ | 2,739 | $ | 3,209 | |||
| Other non-current liabilities | $ | 662 | $ | 551 |
The following is a description of the transactions between the combined Parent Company and guarantor subsidiaries with non-guarantor subsidiaries.
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2023 | ||
| Net sales to non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 956 | |
| Purchases from non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 1,571 | |
| Unaudited | |||
| Parent Company and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | December 31, 2023 | ||
| Amount due to non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 10,208 |
Summarized Financial Information—Euro Notes
The obligations under Wabtec Netherlands’ Euro Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Parent Company. Wabtec Netherlands is a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of the Parent Company. Wabtec Netherlands is a holding company and does not have any independent operations. Its assets consist of its investments in subsidiaries, which are separate and distinct legal entities that are not guarantors of the Euro Notes and have no obligations to pay amounts due under Wabtec Netherlands’ obligations.
The following tables present summarized financial information of Wabtec Netherlands, as the Issuer of the Euro Notes, and the Parent Company, as the parent Guarantor, on a combined basis. The combined summarized financial information eliminates all intercompany balances and transactions among Wabtec Netherlands and the Parent Company as well as all equity in earnings from and investments in any subsidiary of the Parent Company, other than Wabtec Netherlands, which we refer to below as the Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries. The summarized financial information is provided in accordance with the reporting requirements of Rule 13-01 under SEC Regulation S-X for the issuer and Parent Company guarantor.
Summarized Statement of Income
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2023 | ||
| Net sales | $ | 562 | |
| Gross profit | $ | 104 | |
| Net loss attributable to Wabtec shareholders | $ | (370) |
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Summarized Balance Sheet
| Unaudited | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||||||
| In millions | December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||
| Current assets | $ | 493 | $ | 264 | |||
| Noncurrent assets | $ | 651 | $ | 770 | |||
| Current liabilities | $ | 1,272 | $ | 733 | |||
| Long-term debt | $ | 3,287 | $ | 3,740 | |||
| Other non-current liabilities | $ | 84 | $ | 128 |
The following is a description of the transactions between the combined Wabtec Netherlands, as the Issuer of the Euro Notes, and the Parent Company, as the parent Guarantor, with the subsidiaries of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp., other than Wabtec Netherlands, none of which are guarantors of the Euro Notes.
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2023 | ||
| Net sales to non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 38 | |
| Purchases from non-guarantor subsidiaries | 153 | ||
| Unaudited | |||
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||
| In millions | December 31, 2023 | ||
| Amount due to non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 11,112 |
Contractual Obligations and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
The Company is obligated to make future payments under various contracts such as purchase, debt and lease agreements and has certain contingent commitments. The Company has grouped these contractual obligations and off-balance sheet arrangements into operating activities, financing activities, and investing activities in the same manner as they are classified in the Statement of Consolidated Cash Flows to provide a better understanding of the nature of the obligations and arrangements and to provide a basis for comparison to historical information. The table below provides a summary of contractual obligations and off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2023:
| In millions | Total | 2024 | 2025-26 | 2027-28 | 2029+ | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating activities: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations (1) | $ | 157 | $ | 137 | $ | 19 | $ | 1 | $ | — | |||||||||
| Operating leases (2) | 341 | 61 | 102 | 64 | 114 | ||||||||||||||
| Pension and postretirement benefit payments (3) | 218 | 20 | 40 | 43 | 115 | ||||||||||||||
| Interest payments (4) | 501 | 140 | 225 | 136 | — | ||||||||||||||
| Financing activities: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Long-term debt | 4,084 | 781 | 1,250 | 2,053 | — | ||||||||||||||
| Dividends to shareholders (5) | 142 | 142 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Contingent consideration (6) | 42 | 42 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 5,485 | $ | 1,323 | $ | 1,636 | $ | 2,297 | $ | 229 |
(1)Purchase obligations represent non-cancelable contractual obligations at December 31, 2023. In addition, the Company had approximately $1.3 billion of open purchase orders for which the related goods or services had not been received. Although open purchase orders are considered enforceable and legally binding, their terms generally allow us the option to cancel, reschedule and adjust our requirements based on our business needs prior to the delivery of goods or performance of services.
(2)Operating leases represent multi-year obligations for rental of facilities and equipment.
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(3)Pension and postretirement benefit payments includes expected payments to participants out of plan assets and corporate assets. The benefit payments are based on actuarial estimates using current assumptions for discount rates, expected return on long-term assets and rate of compensation increases. The Company expects to contribute $2 million to pension plan investments in 2024.
(4)Interest payments on the Senior Notes and the amount borrowed under the Delayed Draw Term Loan as of December 31, 2023 are based on interest rates in effect as of December 31, 2023 and are calculated on debt with maturities that extend to 2028.
(5)Shareholder dividends are subject to approval by the Company’s Board of Directors, currently at an annual rate of approximately $142 million beginning in 2024.
(6)Contingent consideration represents the total remaining payable to General Electric (GE) resulting from the 2019 acquisition of GE Transportation. The timing of the cash payments to GE is directly related to the future timing of tax benefits received by the Company and could change.
The above table does not reflect uncertain tax positions of $40 million, the timing of which are uncertain. Refer to Note 11 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information on uncertain tax positions. Additionally, the Company arranges for certain types of bank guarantees and letters of credit, such as performance bonds, bid bonds and financial guarantees, that are issued by certain banks and insurance companies to support customer contracts. At December 31, 2023, the total value of these bank guarantees and letters of credit were $855 million and expire on various dates through 2034. Amounts include interest payments based on contractual terms and the Company’s current interest rate.
Forward Looking Statements
We believe that all statements other than statements of historical facts included in this report, including certain statements under “Business” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” may constitute forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Although we believe that our assumptions made in connection with the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure that our assumptions and expectations are correct.
These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, including, among other things:
Economic and industry conditions
•changes in general economic and/or industry specific conditions, including the impacts of tax and tariff programs, inflation, supply chain disruptions, foreign currency exchange, and industry consolidation;
•prolonged unfavorable economic and industry conditions in the markets served by us, including North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa;
•decline in demand for freight cars, locomotives, passenger transit cars, buses and related products and services;
•reliance on major original equipment manufacturer customers;
•original equipment manufacturers’ program delays;
•demand for services in the freight and passenger rail industry;
•demand for our products and services;
•orders either being delayed, canceled, not returning to historical levels, or being reduced, and/or economic conditions affecting the ability of our customers to pay timely for goods and services delivered;
•consolidations in the rail industry;
•continued outsourcing by our customers;
•industry demand for faster and more efficient braking equipment;
•fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates;
•availability of credit or difficulty in obtaining debt or equity financing;
•changes in market consensus as to what attributes are required for projects to be considered "green" or "sustainable" or negative perceptions regarding determinations in such regard with respect to our Green Finance Framework or ESG strategy; or
•changes in the ESG topics that have the highest relative priority for Wabtec's external stakeholders;
Operating factors
•supply disruptions;
•technical difficulties;
•changes in operating conditions and costs;
•increases in raw material costs;
•successful introduction of new products;
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•performance under material long-term contracts;
•labor availability and relations;
•the outcome of our existing or any future legal proceedings, including litigation involving our principal customers and any litigation with respect to environmental matters, asbestos-related matters, pension liabilities, warranties, product liabilities, competition and anti-trust matters or intellectual property claims;
•completion and integration of acquisitions;
•the development and use of new technology; or
•cybersecurity and data protection risks;
Competitive factors
•the actions of competitors; or
•the outcome of negotiations with partners, suppliers, customers or others;
Political/governmental factors
•political stability in relevant areas of the world, including the impacts of war, conflicts, global military action, and acts of terrorism;
•future regulation/deregulation of our customers and/or the rail industry;
•levels of governmental funding on transit projects, including for some of our customers;
•political developments and laws and regulations, including those related to Positive Train Control;
•federal and state income tax legislation;
•sanctions imposed on countries and persons; or
•the outcome of negotiations with governments;
Natural hazards / health crises
•impacts of climate change, including evolving climate change policy;
•disruptive natural hazards, including earthquakes, fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes or weather conditions;
•epidemics, pandemics, or similar public health crises;
•deterioration of general economic conditions as a result of natural hazards or health crises;
•shutdown of one or more of our operating facilities as a result of natural hazards and health crises; or
•supply chain and sourcing disruptions as a result of natural hazards and health crises;
Statements in this Form 10-K apply only as of the date on which such statements are made, and except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions regarding uncertainties that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses. Areas of uncertainty that require judgments, estimates and assumptions include the accounting for allowance for doubtful accounts, inventories, business combinations, goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, warranty reserves, income taxes, and revenue recognition. Management uses historical experience and all available information to make these judgments and estimates, and actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions that are used to prepare the Company’s financial statements at any given time. Despite these inherent limitations, management believes that Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) and the financial statements and related footnotes provide a meaningful and fair perspective of the Company.
A summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies is included in Note 2 in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report. Management believes that the application of these policies on a consistent basis enables the Company to provide the users of the financial statements with useful and reliable information about the Company’s operating results and financial condition.
Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts:
Description The Company provides an allowance for doubtful accounts to cover anticipated losses on uncollectible accounts receivable.
Judgments and Uncertainties The allowance for doubtful accounts receivable reflects our best estimate of expected losses inherent in our receivable portfolio determined on the basis of historical experience, relevant credit forecast information, changes to customer's solvency and other currently available evidence.
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Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If our estimates regarding the collectability of troubled accounts, and/or our actual losses within our receivable portfolio exceed our estimated losses, we may be exposed to the expense of increasing our allowance for doubtful accounts and loss of cash flows.
Inventories:
Description Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and are reviewed to ensure that an adequate provision is recognized for excess, slow moving and obsolete inventories, and net realizable value reserves.
Judgments and Uncertainties Cost is determined primarily using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. Inventory costs include material, labor and overhead. The Company compares inventory components to prior year sales history, current backlog and anticipated future requirements. To the extent that inventory parts exceed estimated usage and demand, a reserve is recognized to reduce the carrying value of inventory. Also, specific reserves are established for known inventory obsolescence, a decline in market value, or loss of a customer with specific inventory.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If the market value or demand for our products were to decrease due to changing market conditions, the Company could be at risk of incurring write-downs to adjust inventory value to a net realizable value lower than stated cost. If our estimates regarding sales and backlog requirements are inaccurate, we may be exposed to the expense of increasing our reserves for slow moving and obsolete inventory.
Business Combinations:
Description The Company accounts for business acquisitions in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations, which requires the purchase price of the acquired business to be allocated to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on the respective fair values. The amount of purchase price which is in excess of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recognized as goodwill.
Judgments and Uncertainties Discounted cash flow models are used to estimate the fair values of acquired contract backlog, customer relationships, intellectual property intangibles and trade names. The significant assumptions used to estimate the value of the intangible assets include revenue growth rates, projected profit margins, discount rates, royalty rates, customer attrition rates, revenue obsolescence rates and market participant profit margins. These significant assumptions are forward-looking and could be affected by future economic and market conditions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Different assumptions may result in materially different values for assets acquired and liabilities assumed, which may impact the Company's financial position and future results of operations, including potential future impairment charges.
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets:
Description Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair value of the net assets acquired in a business combination. Indefinite-lived intangible assets primarily represent certain trade names acquired in a business combination that were determined to have indefinite useful lives. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles are required to be tested for impairment at least annually. The Company performs its annual impairment tests during the fourth quarter and more frequently when indicators of impairment are present. The Company reviews goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level. The Company has identified three reporting units for purposes of testing goodwill for impairment. Two reporting units exist within the Freight segment and the Transit segment is also a reporting unit. The evaluation of impairment involves comparing the current fair value of the business to the recorded value including goodwill.
Judgments and Uncertainties A number of significant assumptions and estimates are involved in the application of the impairment test, including the identification of macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, and overall financial performance. We also consider Wabtec-specific events and share price trends and making the assessment on whether each relevant factor will impact the impairment test positively or negatively and the magnitude of any such amount.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Management considers historical experience and all available information at the time the fair values of its reporting units are estimated. However, actual amounts realized may differ from those used to evaluate the impairment of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets. If actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and judgments used in estimating future cash flows and asset fair values, we may be exposed to impairment losses that could be material to our results of operations.
Warranty Reserves:
Description The Company provides warranty reserves to cover expected costs from repairing or replacing products with durability, quality or workmanship issues occurring during established warranty periods.
Judgments and Uncertainties In general, reserves are provided for as a percentage of sales, based on historical experience. In addition, specific reserves are established for known warranty issues and their estimable losses.
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Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If actual results are not consistent with the assumptions and judgments used to calculate our warranty liability, the Company may be exposed to the expense of increasing our reserves for warranty expense.
Income Taxes:
Description Wabtec records an estimated liability for income and other taxes based on what it determines will likely be paid in various tax jurisdictions in which it operates in accordance with ASC 740-10 Accounting for Income Taxes and Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.
Judgments and Uncertainties The estimate of our tax obligations are uncertain because management must use judgment to estimate the exposures associated with our various filing positions, as well as realization of our deferred tax assets. ASC 740-10 establishes a recognition and measurement threshold to determine the amount of tax benefit that should be recognized related to uncertain tax positions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Management uses its best judgment in the determination of these amounts. However, the liabilities ultimately realized and paid are dependent on various matters including the resolution of the tax audits in the various affected tax jurisdictions and may differ from the amounts recorded. An adjustment to the estimated liability would be recorded through income in the period in which new information changes the expected outcome of an uncertain tax position. A deferred tax valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Revenue Recognition:
Description Revenue is recognized in accordance with ASC 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company recognizes a portion of its revenues on long-term customer agreements involving the design and production of highly engineered products that require revenue to be recognized over time because these products have no alternative use without significant economic loss and the agreements contain an enforceable right to payment including a reasonable profit margin from the customer in the event of contract termination. Generally, the Company uses an input method for determining the amount of revenue, cost and gross margin to recognize over time for these customer agreements. The input method used for these agreements recognizes revenue based on our efforts to satisfy the performance obligation and includes costs of material and labor, both of which give an accurate representation of the progress made toward complete satisfaction of a particular performance obligation. The Company may also use the output method which recognizes revenue based on direct measurements of the value transferred to the customer.
Judgments and Uncertainties Accounting for long-term customer agreements involves a judgmental process of estimating the total sales and costs for each contract, which results in the development of estimated profit margin percentages. Contract estimates related to long-term projects are based on various assumptions to project the outcome of future events that could span several years. These assumptions include cost of materials, labor availability and productivity, complexity of the work to be performed, and the performance of suppliers, customers and subcontractors that may be associated with the contract. Factors that influence these estimates include inflationary trends, foreign exchange rates, technical and schedule risk, internal and subcontractor performance trends, business volume assumptions, asset utilization, and anticipated labor agreements. Generally, pricing is defined in our contracts but may include an estimate of variable consideration when required by the terms of the individual customer contract. Types of variable consideration that the Company typically has include volume discounts, prompt payment discounts, price escalation clauses, liquidating damages, and performance bonuses.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Should market conditions and customer demands dictate changes to our standard shipping terms, the Company may be impacted by longer than typical revenue recognition cycles. The development of expected contract costs and contract profit margin percentages involves procedures and personnel in all areas that provide financial or production information on the status of contracts. Due to the significance of judgments in the estimation process, it is likely that materially different revenue and cost amounts could be recorded if we used different assumptions or if the underlying circumstances were to change. Changes in underlying assumptions/estimates, inflation or deflation, foreign currency exchange rates, supplier performance, or other circumstances may adversely or positively affect financial performance in future periods. Some of our contracts are expected to be completed in a loss position. Provisions are made currently for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts and are updated as necessary.
FY 2022 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001628280-23-003675.
Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
OVERVIEW
Wabtec is one of the world’s largest providers of value-added, technology-based locomotives, equipment, systems and services for the global freight rail and passenger transit industries, and also serves customers in the mining, marine, and industrial markets. Our highly engineered products, which are intended to enhance safety, improve productivity and reduce maintenance costs for customers, can be found on most locomotives, freight cars, passenger transit cars and buses around the world. Our core products and services are essential in the safe and efficient operation of freight rail and passenger transit vehicles. Wabtec is a global company with operations in over 50 countries and our products can be found in more than 100 countries throughout the world. In 2022, approximately 55% of the Company’s net sales came from customers outside the U.S.
Wabtec’s long-term financial goals are to drive strong cash flow conversion, maintain a strong credit profile while minimizing our overall cost of capital, increase margins through strict attention to cost controls, drive improved efficiencies across the business, and increase revenues through a focused growth strategy, including product innovation and new technologies, global and market expansion, aftermarket products and services, and strategic acquisitions. In addition, Management evaluates the Company’s current operational performance through measures such as safety, quality and on-time delivery.
The Company primarily serves the worldwide freight and transit rail industries. Our operating results are largely dependent on the level of activity, financial condition and capital spending plans of railroads and passenger transit agencies around the world, and transportation equipment manufacturers who serve those markets. Many factors influence these industries, including general economic conditions; traffic volumes, as measured by freight carloads and passenger ridership; number of locomotives and railcars in operation; government spending on public transportation; and investment in new technologies. In general, trends such as urbanization and growth in developing markets, sustainability and environmental awareness, investment in technology solutions, an aging equipment fleet, and growth in global trade are expected to drive continued investment in freight rail and passenger transit.
The Company monitors a variety of factors and statistics to gauge market activity. Freight rail markets around the world are driven primarily by overall economic conditions and activity, while Transit markets are driven primarily by government funding and passenger ridership. Changes in these market drivers can cause fluctuations in demand for Wabtec's products and services.
Business Update
During 2022, Wabtec achieved a multitude of accomplishments while successfully navigating volatile market conditions. Through leveraging our installed customer base and our innovative scalable technologies, Wabtec was able to secure several key contracts globally that position the Company for long-term revenue generation. These contracts include the largest locomotive modernization deal in rail industry history, orders for our FLXdrive battery-electric powered locomotives, international locomotive orders, as well as a North American locomotive order with a Class I railroad. Wabtec executed on calculated market expansions through several strategic acquisitions that will allow us to leverage current and future product and service offerings for greater market share. Wabtec continued significant progress on our sustainability initiatives as exhibited in our completed green bond allocation and with our battery electric locomotive being recognized for sustainable innovation by the Business Intelligence Group and awarded “Commercial Technology of the Year” at the Platts Global Energy Awards. Management also launched Integration 2.0 to further poise the company for operational efficiencies into the future.
During the first quarter of 2022, Wabtec announced Integration 2.0, a three-year strategic initiative to target incremental run rate synergies estimated to be between $75 million and $90 million by 2025. The scope of the review includes consolidating our operating footprint, reducing headcount, streamlining the end-to-end manufacturing process, restructuring the North America distribution channels, expanding operations in low-cost countries and simplifying the business through systems enablement, including the source-to-pay process. Management will also consider additional capital investments to further simplify and streamline the business. The Company anticipates that it will incur one-time charges of approximately $135 million to $165 million related to this initiative. The estimate could change based on the specific programs approved or changes to the scope of the review. During 2022, the Company incurred one-time charges related to the initiative of approximately $46 million, primarily for employee-related costs associated with site consolidations in Europe and costs related to the restructuring of the North America distribution channels. See Note 21 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information.
The unfavorable global economic conditions driven by the impacts of the pandemic and supply chain disruptions, and further intensified by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, continue to have an adverse impact on our operations and business results. Impacts for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021 are discussed in more detail in the Results of Operations section below. Supply chain disruptions and labor availability have caused component, raw material and chip shortages
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resulting in an adverse effect on the timing of the Company’s revenue generation. Additionally, broad-based inflation, escalation of diesel, metals, energy and other commodity costs, transportation and logistics costs, labor costs, and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations all continue to impact our results.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resultant sanctions related to Russia and Belarus have further impacted our supply and distribution channels and caused significant price inflation which had, and are expected to continue to have, adverse effects on Wabtec’s business results. For the year ended December 31, 2021, prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting imposition of various sanctions against Russia and Belarus, Wabtec had earnings of approximately $40 million attributable to customers in Russia, while earnings from customers in Ukraine and Belarus were not significant. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, Wabtec had approximately $14 million and $20 million of assets, respectively, related to Russian operations, which were primarily cash and inventory. Management has determined, based on information currently available, that these assets are expected to be recoverable and therefore no impairment was recorded during 2022. This will continue to be monitored and may result in a future impairment charge based on changes in the situation. Management determined that inventory related to operations in Ukraine were not expected to be recoverable and were written off resulting in an insignificant charge during the first quarter of 2022. Remaining assets related to Ukraine and those in Belarus were not significant.
The Company has implemented various mitigating actions intended to lessen the impact of these unfavorable economic conditions. These actions include implementing price escalations and surcharges, driving operational efficiencies through various cost mitigation efforts and discretionary spend management, strategically sourcing materials, reviewing and modifying distribution logistics, and accelerating integration synergies where possible, including Integration 2.0. Additionally, the Company has proactively built-up inventory ahead of expected growth and in response to supply chain challenges to minimize further interruption on customer orders. The Company expects to continue to incur increased costs in future quarters. We also face the possibility that additional actions may be taken by governmental authorities and private industry, or government policies may become more restrictive in response to the pandemic, especially if COVID-19 transmission rates increase in certain areas, which could result in curtailing operations of our plants. Uncertainty around the economic conditions driven by the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine could result in significant adverse impacts to the Company. Changes in trade regulations, retaliatory measures, advancements, or changes in the conflict in Ukraine could cause significant adverse impacts to our customers, suppliers, distribution channels and operating locations, and in turn could result in material adverse impacts to the business, including impairment charges from changes in estimates.
Management will continue to monitor the evolving situations but, as a result of the numerous uncertainties surrounding the pandemic, continued supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, inflation, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are unable to specifically predict the extent and length of time that our business may be negatively impacted. Uncertainty around general global economic and market conditions, including fluctuations in currency exchange rates, could have an impact on our sales and operations in 2023 and beyond. To the extent that these factors cause further instability of capital markets, supply chain disruptions including shortages of raw materials or component parts, labor availability, longer sales cycles, deferral or delay of customer orders, or an inability to market or distribute our products effectively, our business and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Cyber Incident
As previously announced, on June 26, 2022, we detected a cyber security incident which impacted the Company’s network. The Company promptly activated incident response protocols, which included shutting down certain systems, and commenced an investigation of the incident. The Company also notified law enforcement and engaged legal counsel and other third-party incident response and cybersecurity professionals.
Based on the Company's assessment, the incident has not had a material financial impact and the Company does not believe the incident will have a material impact on its business, operations or financial results. The Company maintains cyber insurance, subject to certain deductibles and policy limitations typical for its size and industry.
ACQUISITIONS
During 2022, the Freight Segment made three strategic acquisitions for a combined purchase price of $89 million. Two of the acquisitions are reported in the Digital Electronics product line and one is reported in the Services product line. Each of the acquisitions in 2022 are individually and collectively immaterial. On March 31, 2021, the Services product line of the Freight Segment acquired Nordco, a leading North American supplier of new, rebuilt and used maintenance of way equipment. The Company also made acquisitions in prior periods not listed above which are individually and collectively immaterial. For additional information related to these acquisitions refer to Note 3 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Consolidated Results
2022 COMPARED TO 2021
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years indicated.
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Net sales: | |||||||
| Sales of goods | $ | 6,459 | $ | 6,205 | |||
| Sales of services | 1,903 | 1,617 | |||||
| Total net sales | 8,362 | 7,822 | |||||
| Cost of sales: | |||||||
| Cost of goods | (4,791) | (4,545) | |||||
| Cost of services | (1,031) | (908) | |||||
| Total cost of sales | (5,822) | (5,453) | |||||
| Gross profit | 2,540 | 2,369 | |||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | (1,029) | (1,030) | |||||
| Engineering expenses | (209) | (176) | |||||
| Amortization expense | (291) | (287) | |||||
| Total operating expenses | (1,529) | (1,493) | |||||
| Income from operations | 1,011 | 876 | |||||
| Other income and expenses: | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | (186) | (177) | |||||
| Other income, net | 29 | 38 | |||||
| Income before income taxes | 854 | 737 | |||||
| Income tax expense | (213) | (172) | |||||
| Net income | 641 | 565 | |||||
| Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest | (8) | (7) | |||||
| Net income attributable to Wabtec shareholders | $ | 633 | $ | 558 |
The following table shows the major components of the change in net sales in 2022 from 2021:
| In millions | Freight Segment | Transit Segment | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Net Sales | $ | 5,239 | $ | 2,583 | $ | 7,822 | |||||
| Acquisitions | 83 | 4 | 87 | ||||||||
| Foreign Exchange | (62) | (242) | (304) | ||||||||
| Organic | 752 | 5 | 757 | ||||||||
| 2022 Net Sales | $ | 6,012 | $ | 2,350 | $ | 8,362 |
The following discussion compares our results for the year ended December 31, 2022 to the year ended December 31, 2021. The discussion comparing our results for the year ended December 31, 2021 to the year ended December 31, 2020 is included within Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on February 17, 2022.
Net sales
Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $540 million, or 6.9%, to $8.36 billion compared to the same period in 2021. Organic sales increased $757 million which is primarily attributable to the Freight Segment driven by an increase in Services sales from higher locomotive modernizations and a larger active locomotive fleet, and an increase in Equipment sales due to higher international locomotive sales and higher mining equipment sales. In addition, Components sales increased due to a higher railcar build, increased railcars in operation, and growth in industrial end-markets and Digital Electronics sales increased due to higher demand for on-board locomotive products and technology upgrades. Sales from
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acquisitions contributed $87 million, primarily in the Freight Segment and unfavorable changes in foreign exchange rates decreased sales by $304 million, primarily in the Transit segment.
Cost of sales
Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $369 million, or 6.8%, to $5.82 billion compared to the same period in 2021. The increase is primarily due to the increase in sales and increased materials, labor and transportation costs. Cost of sales as a percentage of sales was 69.6% and 69.7% for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The decrease as a percentage of sales is primarily due to improved productivity and lower restructuring costs, partially offset by unfavorable product mix and the increase in the costs described above. Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 included $43 million and $53 million, respectively, of restructuring costs primarily for footprint rationalization and headcount actions, with the amount in 2022 primarily related to Integration 2.0.
Operating expenses
Total operating expenses increased $36 million, or 2.4%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. Operating expenses as a percentage of sales was 18.3% and 19.1% for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A") decreased $1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. The decrease is primarily due to a decrease in restructuring costs, the effects of foreign exchange rates and lower employee compensation and benefit costs, partially offset by costs incurred to support the higher sales volume and incremental expense from acquisitions. Restructuring costs included in SG&A were $9 million and $25 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and were primarily for headcount actions and footprint rationalization programs, with the amount in 2022 primarily related to Integration 2.0. Engineering expense increased $33 million primarily due to investments in new technology and incremental costs from acquisitions. Amortization expense increased $4 million, due to acquisitions.
Interest expense, net
Interest expense, net, increased $9 million to $186 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 over the same period in 2021 primarily attributable to higher average interest rates.
Other income, net
Other income, net, decreased $9 million to $29 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the same period of 2021. The decrease is primarily attributable to lower foreign exchange gains and lower equity income in the current year compared to the prior year.
Income taxes
The effective income tax rate was 25.0% and 23.2% for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, representing a 1.8 percentage point increase. The rate for the year ended December 31, 2021 was favorably impacted by filing amended federal and state income tax returns for a prior year to incorporate changes in tax regulations. The absence of this benefit in the current year was partially offset by a more favorable earnings mix across jurisdictions. See Note 11 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information.
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Freight Segment
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for our Freight Segment:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Net sales: | |||||||
| Sales of goods | $ | 4,125 | $ | 3,646 | |||
| Sales of services | 1,887 | 1,593 | |||||
| Total net sales | 6,012 | 5,239 | |||||
| Cost of sales: | |||||||
| Cost of goods | (3,098) | (2,682) | |||||
| Cost of services | (1,018) | (890) | |||||
| Total cost of sales | (4,116) | (3,572) | |||||
| Gross profit | 1,896 | 1,667 | |||||
| Operating expenses | (1,032) | (950) | |||||
| Income from operations ($) | $ | 864 | $ | 717 | |||
| Income from operations (% of net sales) | 14.4 | % | 13.7 | % |
The following table shows the major components of the change in net sales for the Freight Segment in 2022 from 2021:
| In millions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Net Sales | $ | 5,239 | |
| Acquisitions | 83 | ||
| Foreign Exchange | (62) | ||
| Changes in Sales by Product Line: | |||
| Services | 347 | ||
| Equipment | 251 | ||
| Components | 96 | ||
| Digital Electronics | 58 | ||
| 2022 Net Sales | $ | 6,012 |
Net sales
Freight Segment sales increased by $773 million, or 14.8%, to $6.01 billion, compared to the same period in 2021 which was primarily attributable to an increase in Services sales from higher locomotive modernizations and a larger active locomotive fleet, and an increase in Equipment sales due to higher international locomotive sales and higher mining equipment sales. In addition, Components sales increased due to a higher railcar build, increased railcars in operation, and growth in industrial end-markets and Digital Electronics sales increased due to higher demand for on-board locomotive products and technology upgrades. Sales from acquisitions contributed $83 million and the effects of unfavorable foreign exchange rates decreased sales by $62 million.
Cost of sales
Freight Segment cost of sales increased by $544 million, or 15.2%, to $4.12 billion, compared to the same period in 2021. The increase is primarily due to the increase in sales and increased materials, transportation and labor costs. Cost of sales as a percentage of sales was 68.5% and 68.2% for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, representing a 0.3 percentage point increase primarily from the higher costs described above, higher restructuring costs and unfavorable product mix, partially offset by improved productivity. Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 includes $15 million and $8 million, respectively, of restructuring costs, primarily for headcount actions and footprint rationalization, with the amount in 2022 primarily related to Integration 2.0.
Operating expenses
Freight Segment operating expenses increased $82 million, or 8.6%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. SG&A increased $41 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. The increase is primarily due to higher costs to support the increase in sales volumes, incremental expense from
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acquisitions and higher technology costs. Engineering expense increased $36 million primarily due to investments in new technology and incremental expense from acquisitions. Amortization expense increased $5 million due to acquisitions.
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Transit Segment
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for our Transit Segment:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Net sales | $ | 2,350 | $ | 2,583 | |||
| Cost of sales | (1,706) | (1,881) | |||||
| Gross profit | 644 | 702 | |||||
| Operating expenses | (413) | (464) | |||||
| Income from operations ($) | $ | 231 | $ | 238 | |||
| Income from operations (% of net sales) | 9.8 | % | 9.2 | % |
The following table shows the major components of the change in net sales for the Transit Segment in 2022 from 2021:
| In millions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Net Sales | $ | 2,583 | |
| Foreign Exchange | (242) | ||
| Acquisitions | 4 | ||
| Changes in Sales by Product Line: | |||
| Original Equipment Manufacturing | (3) | ||
| Aftermarket | 8 | ||
| 2022 Net Sales | $ | 2,350 |
Net sales
Transit Segment sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased by $233 million, or 9.0%, to $2.35 billion compared to the same period in 2021, with foreign exchange rates being the primary driver of the decrease. Transit segment organic sales increased $5 million with the primary driver being increased demand and an increase in government transportation spending, particularly for Aftermarket products. Additionally, both Original Equipment Manufacturing and Aftermarket sales were impacted by supply chain issues and manufacturing disruptions caused by the second quarter cyber incident.
Cost of sales
Transit Segment cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased by $175 million, or 9.3%, to $1.71 billion compared to the same period in 2021. The decrease is primarily due to the decreased sales discussed above, decreased restructuring costs and the effect of foreign exchange rates. Cost of sales as a percentage of sales was 72.6% and 72.8% for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, representing a 0.2 percentage point decrease. This can be attributed to improved productivity and savings from prior year cost actions taken through restructuring programs, partially offset by increased materials, transportation and labor costs and inefficiencies associated with the cyber incident. Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 included $28 million and $45 million of restructuring costs, respectively, primarily for headcount actions and footprint rationalization in Europe, with the amount in 2022 primarily related to Integration 2.0.
Operating expenses
Transit Segment operating expenses decreased $51 million, or 11.0%, in 2022 compared to the same period in 2021 driven primarily by a decrease in SG&A of $47 million. The decrease is due to the decrease in sales, the effects of foreign exchange rates, lower employee compensation and benefit costs, the cost actions taken in the prior year and decreased restructuring costs. Restructuring costs included within SG&A were $9 million and $14 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and were primarily for headcount actions for footprint rationalization in Europe, with the amount in 2022 primarily related to Integration 2.0. Engineering expense decreased $3 million and amortization expense decreased $1 million both due to the effects of foreign exchange rates.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity is provided by operating cash flows and borrowings under the Company’s Senior Notes and unsecured credit facility with a consortium of commercial banks. Additionally, the Company utilizes the revolving receivables program and supply chain financing program described below for added flexibility as part of our liquidity management strategy. The following is a summary of selected cash flow information and other relevant data:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Cash provided by (used for): | |||||||
| Operating activities | $ | 1,038 | $ | 1,073 | |||
| Investing activities | $ | (235) | $ | (540) | |||
| Financing activities | $ | (708) | $ | (653) |
Operating activities. Cash provided by operations decreased $35 million in 2022 to $1,038 million compared with $1,073 million in 2021. Significant changes to the sources and (uses) of cash for the twelve month periods include the following:
•$11 million attributable to higher Net income and other changes in the related statements of income amounts;
•$(106) million from net changes in working capital driven by: $(327) million unfavorable change in inventory from proactive inventory build-ups ahead of expected growth, in response to supply chain challenges, and in preparation for certain large contracts secured during 2022, as well as higher costs of inventory due to inflation; $197 million in accounts payable, primarily due to the timing of payments to suppliers; and, $24 million from changes in receivables due to timing and volume of sales and the net change in the Revolving Receivables Program;
•$143 million from changes in the timing of customer deposits; and,
•$(100) million from higher employee related benefits and the timing of payments related to severance accruals.
Investing activities. In 2022 and 2021, cash used for investing activities was $(235) million and $(540) million, respectively. The major components of the cash outflow in 2022 was planned additions to property, plant, and equipment of $(149) million for continued investments in our facilities and manufacturing processes, and $(89) million in net cash paid for acquisitions. The major components of the cash outflow in 2021 were $(435) million in net cash paid for acquisitions, primarily for Nordco, and $(130) million for additions to property, plant, and equipment.
Financing activities. In 2022, cash used for financing activities was $(708) million, which included $(473) million for share repurchases, $(111) million of dividend payments, $(101) million of contingent consideration payments related to the GE Transportation acquisition, and net debt payments of $(30) million, which includes the partial redemption of the 2024 Notes mentioned below. In 2021, cash used for financing activities was $(653) million which included, $(300) million for share repurchases, net debt payments of $(161) million, primarily resulting from the repayment of the 364 Day Facility and issuance of the Euro Notes mentioned below, $(99) million of contingent consideration payments related to the GE Transportation acquisition and $(92) million of dividend payments.
During the second quarter of 2022, the Company redeemed $25 million of principal from the 2024 Notes plus a premium and the related accrued interest.
On August 15, 2022, the Company amended, restated and replaced the then-existing credit agreement. The Restated Credit Agreement updated the multi-currency revolving credit facility from $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion and added a new Delayed Draw Term Loan of up to $250 million. The Company borrows and repays against the revolving credit facility for added flexibility in liquidity to manage cash during the operating cycle. The proceeds from borrowing and the repayments are shown within the "Proceeds from debt, net of issuance costs" and "Payments of debt" lines, respectively, presented in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
On June 3, 2021, Wabtec Transportation Netherlands B.V. ("Wabtec Netherlands") issued €500 million of 1.25% Senior Notes due in 2027, which are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Company, for approximately $599 million in proceeds after consideration of the discount. Also on June 3, 2021, the Company repaid all outstanding borrowings and interest related to the 364 Day Facility, effectively retiring the facility. Additional information with respect to credit facilities and long-term debt is included in Note 9 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company held approximately $541 million of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash. Of this amount, approximately $88 million was held within the United States and approximately $453 million was held outside
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of the United States, primarily in India, China, Europe, and Brazil. While repatriation of some cash held outside the United States may be restricted by local laws, most of the Company’s foreign cash could be repatriated to the United States net of any tax impacts. As of December 31, 2022, $7 million of the Company's $541 million cash balance was classified as restricted cash.
Revolving Receivables Program
The Company utilizes a revolving receivables facility to sell up to $350 million of certain receivables through our bankruptcy-remote subsidiary to a financial institution on a recurring basis in exchange for cash equal to the gross receivables sold. As customers pay their balances, we transfer additional receivables into the program, which could result in our gross receivables sold being higher or lower than collections reinvested for any applicable periods. Net cash received/(remitted) from the revolving receivables program was $60 million and $(53) million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Additional information with respect to the Revolving Receivables Program is included in Note 2 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this report and incorporated by reference herein.
Supply Chain Financing Program
The Company has entered into supply chain financing arrangements with third-party financial institutions to provide our vendors with enhanced payment options while providing the Company with added working capital flexibility. The Company does not provide any guarantees under these arrangements, does not have an economic interest in our supplier's voluntary participation and does not receive an economic benefit from the financial institutions. The arrangements do not change the payable terms negotiated by the Company and our vendors and does not result in a change in the classification of amounts due as accounts payable in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Guarantor Summarized Financial Information—US Notes
The obligations under the Company's US Notes have been fully and unconditionally guaranteed by certain of the parent company's U.S. subsidiaries. Each guarantor is 100% owned by the parent company, with the exception of GE Transportation, a Wabtec Company, which has 15,000 shares outstanding of Class A Non-Voting Preferred Stock held by General Electric Company. The Euro Notes are issued by Wabtec Netherlands and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Company.
On January 1, 2022, the Company completed an internal legal entity reorganization that resulted in changes to the subsidiaries and operating divisions serving as guarantors under the Company's US Notes. As such, certain prior year amounts have been reclassified, where necessary, to conform to the current year presentation in line with the legal reorganization. Refer to Exhibit 22 for the updated list of guarantor subsidiaries.
The following tables present summarized financial information of the parent and the guarantor subsidiaries on a combined basis. The combined summarized financial information eliminates intercompany balances and transactions among the parent and guarantor subsidiaries and equity in earnings and investments in any guarantor subsidiaries or non-guarantor subsidiaries. The summarized financial information is provided in accordance with the reporting requirements of Rule 13-01 under SEC Regulation S-X for the issuer and guarantor subsidiaries.
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Summarized Statement of Income
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2022 | ||
| Net sales | $ | 4,761 | |
| Gross profit | 1,111 | ||
| Net income attributable to Wabtec shareholders | 282 |
Summarized Balance Sheets
| Unaudited | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||||||
| In millions | December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||
| Current assets | $ | 1,328 | $ | 1,057 | |||
| Noncurrent assets | $ | 2,384 | $ | 2,344 | |||
| Current liabilities | $ | 1,881 | $ | 1,414 | |||
| Long-term debt | $ | 3,209 | $ | 3,483 | |||
| Other non-current liabilities | $ | 551 | $ | 592 |
The following is a description of the transactions between the combined Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. and guarantor subsidiaries with non-guarantor subsidiaries.
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2022 | ||
| Net sales to Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | $ | 763 | |
| Purchases from Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | 1,143 | ||
| Unaudited | |||
| Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | December 31, 2022 | ||
| Amount due (to)/from Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | $ | (6,821) |
Summarized Financial Information—Euro Notes
The obligations under Wabtec Netherlands’ Euro Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Company. Wabtec Netherlands is a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of the parent company. Wabtec Netherlands is a holding company and does not have any independent operations. Its assets consist of its investments in subsidiaries, which are separate and distinct legal entities that are not guarantors of the Euro Notes and have no obligations to pay amounts due under Wabtec Netherlands’ obligations.
On January 1, 2022, the Company completed an internal legal entity reorganization that resulted in changes to the operating divisions serving as the parent guarantor under the Company's Euro Notes. As such, certain prior year amounts have been reclassified, where necessary, to conform to the current year presentation in line with the legal reorganization.
The following tables present summarized financial information of Wabtec Netherlands, as the issuer of the Euro Notes, and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, as the parent guarantor, on a combined basis. The combined summarized financial information eliminates all intercompany balances and transactions among Wabtec Netherlands and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation as well as all equity in earnings from and investments in any subsidiary of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, other than Wabtec Netherlands, which we refer to below as the Non-Issuer and Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries. The summarized financial information is provided in accordance with the reporting requirements of Rule 13-01 under SEC Regulation S-X for the issuer and parent guarantor.
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Summarized Statement of Income
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||
| In millions | Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2022 | ||
| Net sales | $ | 437 | |
| Gross profit | 68 | ||
| Net loss attributable to Wabtec shareholders | (318) |
Summarized Balance Sheets
| Unaudited | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||||||
| In millions | December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||
| Current assets | $ | 264 | $ | 217 | |||
| Noncurrent assets | $ | 770 | $ | 770 | |||
| Current liabilities | $ | 733 | $ | 479 | |||
| Long-term debt | $ | 3,740 | $ | 4,044 | |||
| Other non-current liabilities | $ | 128 | $ | 207 |
The following is a description of the transactions between the combined Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. and Wabtec Netherlands, with the subsidiaries of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp., other than Wabtec Netherlands, none of which are guarantors of the Euro Notes.
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||
| In millions | Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2021 | ||
| Net sales to non-issuer and non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 33 | |
| Purchases from non-issuer and non-guarantor subsidiaries | 82 | ||
| Unaudited | |||
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||
| In millions | December 31, 2021 | ||
| Amount due from/(to) non-issuer and non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | (7,703) |
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Contractual Obligations and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
The Company is obligated to make future payments under various contracts such as purchase, debt and lease agreements and has certain contingent commitments. The Company has grouped these contractual obligations and off-balance sheet arrangements into operating activities, financing activities, and investing activities in the same manner as they are classified in the Statement of Consolidated Cash Flows to provide a better understanding of the nature of the obligations and arrangements and to provide a basis for comparison to historical information. The table below provides a summary of contractual obligations and off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2022:
| In millions | Total | 2023 | 2024-25 | 2026-27 | 2028+ | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating activities: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations (1) | $ | 168 | $ | 157 | $ | 10 | $ | 1 | $ | — | |||||||||
| Operating leases (2) | 357 | 61 | 99 | 68 | 129 | ||||||||||||||
| Pension and postretirement benefit payments (3) | 189 | 17 | 35 | 38 | 99 | ||||||||||||||
| Interest payments (4) | 607 | 153 | 229 | 163 | 62 | ||||||||||||||
| Financing activities: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Long-term debt | 4,023 | 251 | 1,237 | 1,285 | 1,250 | ||||||||||||||
| Dividends to shareholders (5) | 123 | 123 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Contingent consideration (6) | 154 | 105 | 49 | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 5,621 | $ | 867 | $ | 1,659 | $ | 1,555 | $ | 1,540 |
(1)Purchase obligations represent non-cancelable contractual obligations at December 31, 2022. In addition, the Company had approximately $1.7 billion of open purchase orders for which the related goods or services had not been received. Although open purchase orders are considered enforceable and legally binding, their terms generally allow us the option to cancel, reschedule and adjust our requirements based on our business needs prior to the delivery of goods or performance of services.
(2)Operating leases represent multi-year obligations for rental of facilities and equipment.
(3)Pension and postretirement benefit payments includes expected payments to participants out of plan assets and corporate assets. The benefit payments are based on actuarial estimates using current assumptions for discount rates, expected return on long-term assets and rate of compensation increases. The Company expects to contribute $2 million to pension plan investments in 2023.
(4)Interest payments on the Senior Notes are based on interest rates in effect as of December 31, 2022 and are calculated on debt with maturities that extend to 2028.
(5)Shareholder dividends are subject to approval by the Company’s Board of Directors, currently at an annual rate of approximately $123 million.
(6)Contingent consideration represents the total remaining payable to General Electric (GE) resulting from the 2019 acquisition of GE Transportation. The timing of the cash payments to GE is directly related to the future timing of tax benefits received by the Company and could change.
The above table does not reflect uncertain tax positions of $33 million, the timing of which are uncertain. Refer to Note 11 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information on uncertain tax positions. Additionally, the Company arranges for certain types of bank guarantees and letters of credit, such as performance bonds, bid bonds and financial guarantees, that are issued by certain banks and insurance companies to support customer contracts. At December 31, 2022, the total value of these bank guarantees and letters of credit were $865 million and expire on various dates through 2039. Amounts include interest payments based on contractual terms and the Company’s current interest rate.
Forward Looking Statements
We believe that all statements other than statements of historical facts included in this report, including certain statements under “Business” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” may constitute forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Although we believe that our assumptions made in connection with the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure that our assumptions and expectations are correct.
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These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, including, among other things:
Economic and industry conditions
•changes in general economic and/or industry specific conditions, including the impacts of tax and tariff programs, inflation, supply chain disruptions, foreign currency exchange, and industry consolidation;
•prolonged unfavorable economic and industry conditions in the markets served by us, including North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa;
•decline in demand for freight cars, locomotives, passenger transit cars, buses and related products and services;
•reliance on major original equipment manufacturer customers;
•original equipment manufacturers’ program delays;
•demand for services in the freight and passenger rail industry;
•demand for our products and services;
•orders either being delayed, canceled, not returning to historical levels, or reduced or any combination of the foregoing;
•consolidations in the rail industry;
•continued outsourcing by our customers;
•industry demand for faster and more efficient braking equipment;
•fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates;
•availability of credit; or
•changes in market consensus as to what attributes are required for projects to be considered "green" or "sustainable" or negative perceptions regarding determinations in such regard with respect to our Green Finance Framework;
Operating factors
•supply disruptions;
•technical difficulties;
•changes in operating conditions and costs;
•increases in raw material costs;
•successful introduction of new products;
•performance under material long-term contracts;
•labor availability and relations;
•the outcome of our existing or any future legal proceedings, including litigation involving our principal customers and any litigation with respect to environmental matters, asbestos-related matters, pension liabilities, warranties, product liabilities, competition and anti-trust matters or intellectual property claims;
•completion and integration of acquisitions;
•the development and use of new technology; or
•cybersecurity and data protection risks;
Competitive factors
•the actions of competitors; or
•the outcome of negotiations with partners, suppliers, customers or others;
Political/governmental factors
•political stability in relevant areas of the world, including the impacts of war and conflicts;
•future regulation/deregulation of our customers and/or the rail industry;
•levels of governmental funding on transit projects, including for some of our customers;
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•political developments and laws and regulations, including those related to Positive Train Control;
•federal and state income tax legislation;
•sanctions imposed on countries and persons; or
•the outcome of negotiations with governments;
COVID-19 factors
•the severity and duration of the pandemic;
•deterioration of general economic conditions;
•shutdown of one or more of our operating facilities;
•supply chain and sourcing disruptions;
•ability of our customers to pay timely for goods and services delivered;
•health of our employees;
•ability to retain and recruit talented employees; or
•difficulty in obtaining debt or equity financing.
Statements in this Form 10-K apply only as of the date on which such statements are made, and except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions regarding uncertainties that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses. Areas of uncertainty that require judgments, estimates and assumptions include the accounting for allowance for doubtful accounts, inventories, business combinations, goodwill and other intangible assets, warranty reserves, income taxes, and revenue recognition. Management uses historical experience and all available information to make these judgments and estimates, and actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions that are used to prepare the Company’s financial statements at any given time. Despite these inherent limitations, management believes that Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) and the financial statements and related footnotes provide a meaningful and fair perspective of the Company.
A summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies is included in Note 2 in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report. Management believes that the application of these policies on a consistent basis enables the Company to provide the users of the financial statements with useful and reliable information about the Company’s operating results and financial condition.
Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts:
Description The Company provides an allowance for doubtful accounts to cover anticipated losses on uncollectible accounts receivable.
Judgments and Uncertainties The allowance for doubtful accounts receivable reflects our best estimate of expected losses inherent in our receivable portfolio determined on the basis of historical experience, relevant credit forecast information, changes to customer's solvency and other currently available evidence.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If our estimates regarding the collectability of troubled accounts, and/or our actual losses within our receivable portfolio exceed our estimated losses, we may be exposed to the expense of increasing our allowance for doubtful accounts and loss of cash flows.
Inventories:
Description Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and are reviewed to ensure that an adequate provision is recognized for excess, slow moving and obsolete inventories, and net realizable value reserves.
Judgments and Uncertainties Cost is determined primarily using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. Inventory costs include material, labor and overhead. The Company compares inventory components to prior year sales history, current backlog and anticipated future requirements. To the extent that inventory parts exceed estimated usage and demand, a reserve is recognized
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to reduce the carrying value of inventory. Also, specific reserves are established for known inventory obsolescence, a decline in market value, or loss of a customer with specific inventory.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If the market value or demand for our products were to decrease due to changing market conditions, the Company could be at risk of incurring write-downs to adjust inventory value to a net realizable value lower than stated cost. If our estimates regarding sales and backlog requirements are inaccurate, we may be exposed to the expense of increasing our reserves for slow moving and obsolete inventory.
Business Combinations:
Description The Company accounts for business acquisitions in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations, which requires the purchase price of the acquired business to be allocated to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on the respective fair values. The amount of purchase price which is in excess of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recognized as goodwill.
Judgments and Uncertainties Discounted cash flow models are used to estimate the fair values of acquired contract backlog, customer relationships, intellectual property intangibles and trade names, and below-market customer contract liabilities. The significant assumptions used to estimate the value of the intangible assets and below-market customer contract liabilities include revenue growth rates, projected profit margins, discount rates, royalty rates, customer attrition rates, revenue obsolescence rates and market participant profit margins. These significant assumptions are forward-looking and could be affected by future economic and market conditions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Different assumptions may result in materially different values for assets acquired and liabilities assumed, which may impact the Company's financial position and future results of operations, including potential future impairment charges.
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets:
Description Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles are required to be tested for impairment at least annually. The Company performs its annual impairment test during the fourth quarter and more frequently when indicators of impairment are present. The Company reviews goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level. The Company has identified three reporting units for purposes of testing goodwill for impairment. Two reporting units exist within the Freight segment and the Transit segment is also a reporting unit. The evaluation of impairment involves comparing the current fair value of the business to the recorded value (including goodwill).
Judgments and Uncertainties A number of significant assumptions and estimates are involved in the application of the impairment test, including the identification of macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, and overall financial performance. We also consider Wabtec-specific events and share price trends and making the assessment on whether each relevant factor will impact the impairment test positively or negatively and the magnitude of any such amount.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Management considers historical experience and all available information at the time the fair values of its reporting units are estimated. However, actual amounts realized may differ from those used to evaluate the impairment of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets. If actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and judgments used in estimating future cash flows and asset fair values, we may be exposed to impairment losses that could be material to our results of operations.
Warranty Reserves:
Description The Company provides warranty reserves to cover expected costs from repairing or replacing products with durability, quality or workmanship issues occurring during established warranty periods.
Judgments and Uncertainties In general, reserves are provided for as a percentage of sales, based on historical experience. In addition, specific reserves are established for known warranty issues and their estimable losses.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If actual results are not consistent with the assumptions and judgments used to calculate our warranty liability, the Company may be exposed to the expense of increasing our reserves for warranty expense.
Income Taxes:
Description Wabtec records an estimated liability for income and other taxes based on what it determines will likely be paid in various tax jurisdictions in which it operates in accordance with ASC 740-10 Accounting for Income Taxes and Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.
Judgments and Uncertainties The estimate of our tax obligations are uncertain because management must use judgment to estimate the exposures associated with our various filing positions, as well as realization of our deferred tax assets. ASC 740-10 establishes a recognition and measurement threshold to determine the amount of tax benefit that should be recognized related to uncertain tax positions.
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Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Management uses its best judgment in the determination of these amounts. However, the liabilities ultimately realized and paid are dependent on various matters including the resolution of the tax audits in the various affected tax jurisdictions and may differ from the amounts recorded. An adjustment to the estimated liability would be recorded through income in the period in which new information changes the expected outcome of an uncertain tax position. A deferred tax valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Revenue Recognition:
Description Revenue is recognized in accordance with ASC 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company recognizes a portion of its revenues on long-term customer agreements involving the design and production of highly engineered products that require revenue to be recognized over time because these products have no alternative use without significant economic loss and the agreements contain an enforceable right to payment including a reasonable profit margin from the customer in the event of contract termination. Generally, the Company uses an input method for determining the amount of revenue, cost and gross margin to recognize over time for these customer agreements. The input method used for these agreements recognizes revenue based on our efforts to satisfy the performance obligation and includes costs of material and labor, both of which give an accurate representation of the progress made toward complete satisfaction of a particular performance obligation. The Company may also use the output method which recognizes revenue based on direct measurements of the value transferred to the customer.
Judgments and Uncertainties Accounting for long-term customer agreements involves a judgmental process of estimating the total sales and costs for each contract, which results in the development of estimated profit margin percentages. Contract estimates related to long-term projects are based on various assumptions to project the outcome of future events that could span several years. These assumptions include cost of materials, labor availability and productivity, complexity of the work to be performed, and the performance of suppliers, customers and subcontractors that may be associated with the contract. Factors that influence these estimates include inflationary trends, foreign exchange rates, technical and schedule risk, internal and subcontractor performance trends, business volume assumptions, asset utilization, and anticipated labor agreements. Generally, pricing is defined in our contracts but may include an estimate of variable consideration when required by the terms of the individual customer contract. Types of variable consideration that the Company typically has include volume discounts, prompt payment discounts, price escalation clauses, liquidating damages, and performance bonuses.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Should market conditions and customer demands dictate changes to our standard shipping terms, the Company may be impacted by longer than typical revenue recognition cycles. The development of expected contract costs and contract profit margin percentages involves procedures and personnel in all areas that provide financial or production information on the status of contracts. Due to the significance of judgments in the estimation process, it is likely that materially different revenue and cost amounts could be recorded if we used different assumptions or if the underlying circumstances were to change. Changes in underlying assumptions/estimates, inflation or deflation, foreign currency exchange rates, supplier performance, or other circumstances may adversely or positively affect financial performance in future periods. Some of our contracts are expected to be completed in a loss position. Provisions are made currently for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts and are updated as necessary.
FY 2021 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001628280-22-002997.
Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
OVERVIEW
Wabtec is one of the world’s largest providers of locomotives, value-added, technology-based equipment, systems and services for the global freight rail and passenger transit industries. Our highly engineered products, which are intended to enhance safety, improve productivity and reduce maintenance costs for customers, can be found on most locomotives, freight cars, passenger transit cars and buses around the world. Our core products and services are essential in the safe and efficient operation of freight rail and passenger transit vehicles. Wabtec is a global company with operations in over 50 countries and our products can be found in more than 100 countries throughout the world. In 2021, approximately 60% of the Company’s net sales came from customers outside the U.S.
Wabtec’s long-term financial goals are to drive strong cash flow conversion, maintain a strong credit profile while minimizing our overall cost of capital, increase margins through strict attention to cost controls, drive improved efficiencies across the business, and increase revenues through a focused growth strategy, including product innovation and new technologies, global and market expansion, aftermarket products and services, and acquisitions. In addition, Management evaluates the Company’s current operational performance through measures such as safety, quality and on-time delivery.
The Company primarily serves the worldwide freight and transit rail industries. As such, our operating results are largely dependent on the level of activity, financial condition and capital spending plans of railroads and passenger transit agencies around the world, and transportation equipment manufacturers who serve those markets. Many factors influence these industries, including general economic conditions; traffic volumes, as measured by freight carloads and passenger ridership; government spending on public transportation; and investment in new technologies. In general, trends such as increasing urbanization, a focus on sustainability and environmental awareness, an aging equipment fleet, and growth in global trade are expected to drive continued investment in freight and transit rail.
The Company monitors a variety of factors and statistics to gauge market activity. Freight rail markets around the world are driven primarily by overall economic conditions and activity, while Transit markets are driven primarily by government funding and passenger ridership. Changes in these market drivers can cause fluctuations in demand for Wabtec's products and services.
Business Update
The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact our sales channels, supply chain, manufacturing operations, workforce and other key aspects of our operations. The Company continues to monitor the situation and guidance from international and domestic authorities, including federal, state, and local public health authorities; however, there are numerous uncertainties, including the duration and severity of the pandemic, availability and effectiveness of vaccines, impact of variants of the disease, actions that may be taken by governmental authorities and private industry, including preventing or curtailing the operations of our plants, the potential impact on global economic activity, global supply chain operations, our employees, our customers, suppliers and end-markets and other consequences that could negatively impact our business. We also face the possibility that government policies may become more restrictive especially if COVID-19 transmission rates increase in certain areas. As a result of these numerous uncertainties, we are unable to specifically predict the extent and length of time the COVID-19 pandemic will negatively impact our business.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the uncertainty around global economic and market conditions, which impacts our sales and operations. To the extent that these factors cause, or exacerbate, instability of capital markets, shortages of raw materials or component parts, longer sales cycles, deferral or delay of customer orders or an inability to market our products effectively, our business and results of operations could be materially adversely affected, and the materially adverse impacts that we have experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic could continue or worsen. In addition, we face risks associated with our growth strategy including the level of investment that customers are willing to make in new technologies developed by the industry and the Company, and risks inherent in global expansion. When necessary, we will modify our financial and operating strategies to address changes in market conditions and risks.
Although the U.S. and other international governments deemed rail transportation as “critical infrastructure” providing essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVID-19 pandemic had a materially adverse impact on our operations and business results for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, which is discussed in more detail in the Results of Operations section below. Supply chain disruptions and labor availability have caused component, raw material and chip shortages resulting in an adverse effect on the timing of the Company’s revenue generation. Additionally, broad-based inflation, escalation of metals and commodities costs, transportation and logistics costs and labor costs have all resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company has implemented various mitigating actions to lessen the impact of supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. These actions include price escalations in long-term contracts, implementing price surcharges, driving operational efficiencies through various cost mitigation efforts and discretionary spend management,
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strategic sourcing alignments, and accelerating integration synergies where possible. The Company expects to continue to realize these increased costs over the next few quarters.
Uncertainty around general global economic and market conditions, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, will have an impact on our sales and operations in 2022 and beyond. To the extent that these factors cause instability of capital markets, supply chain disruptions including shortages of raw materials or component parts, labor availability, longer sales cycles, deferral or delay of customer orders, or an inability to market our products effectively, our business and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Cybersecurity Exposure
During the third quarter 2021, one of our vendors publicly disclosed vulnerabilities in one of its operating systems that is used in a range of products across the rail sector and other industries, including in certain Wabtec products. In response, Wabtec reviewed its digital onboard locomotive products and locomotive control systems to determine which products may be affected and the potential impact to Wabtec, our customers and other relevant parties. To date, we are unaware of any exploitation of these vulnerabilities; however, we are working closely with our vendor to appropriately address potentially impacted products. Additionally, we have communicated with potentially affected customers and discussed mitigation strategies.
ACQUISITIONS
Wabtec acquired Nordco, a leading North American supplier of new, rebuilt and used maintenance of way equipment, on March 31, 2021, and GE Transportation, a former business unit of GE, on February 25, 2019. For additional information related to these acquisitions refer to Note 3 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part IV, Item 15 of this report.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Consolidated Results
2021 COMPARED TO 2020
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years indicated.
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Net sales: | |||||||
| Sales of goods | $ | 6,205 | $ | 6,233 | |||
| Sales of services | 1,617 | 1,323 | |||||
| Total net sales | 7,822 | 7,556 | |||||
| Cost of sales: | |||||||
| Cost of goods | (4,545) | (4,629) | |||||
| Cost of services | (908) | (790) | |||||
| Total cost of sales | (5,453) | (5,419) | |||||
| Gross profit | 2,369 | 2,137 | |||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | (1,030) | (948) | |||||
| Engineering expenses | (176) | (162) | |||||
| Amortization expense | (287) | (282) | |||||
| Total operating expenses | (1,493) | (1,392) | |||||
| Income from operations | 876 | 745 | |||||
| Other income and expenses: | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | (177) | (199) | |||||
| Other income, net | 38 | 11 | |||||
| Income before income taxes | 737 | 557 | |||||
| Income tax expense | (172) | (145) | |||||
| Net income | 565 | 412 | |||||
| Less: Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest | (7) | 2 | |||||
| Net income attributable to Wabtec shareholders | $ | 558 | $ | 414 |
The following table shows the major components of the change in net sales in 2021 from 2020:
| In millions | Freight Segment | Transit Segment | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Net Sales | $ | 5,082 | $ | 2,474 | $ | 7,556 | |||||
| Acquisitions | 138 | — | 138 | ||||||||
| Foreign Exchange | 23 | 111 | 134 | ||||||||
| Organic | (4) | (2) | (6) | ||||||||
| 2021 Net Sales | $ | 5,239 | $ | 2,583 | $ | 7,822 |
The following discussion compares our results for the year ended December 31, 2021 to the year ended December 31, 2020. The discussion comparing our results for the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2019 is included within Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on February 19, 2021.
Net sales
Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $266 million, or 3.5%, to $7.82 billion compared to the same period in 2020. Organic sales decreased $6 million which is primarily attributable to a net organic decrease of $4 million in the Freight Segment. Services sales increased from higher locomotive modernizations and overhauls and a decrease in locomotive parkings while Components sales increased due to a higher railcar build and lower railcar parkings. These increases were offset by lower Equipment sales due to lower locomotive sales, particularly in North America and Egypt, and lower Digital Electronics sales primarily due to chip shortages caused by supply chain disruptions. These decreases in Freight were
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offset by an increase in sales from acquisitions, which contributed $138 million, and favorable changes in foreign exchange rates increased sales by $134 million, primarily in the Transit segment.
Cost of sales
Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $34 million, or 0.6%, to $5.45 billion compared to the same period in 2020. The increase is primarily due to the increase in sales, increased metals, transportation and labor costs and higher restructuring costs. Cost of sales as a percentage of sales was 69.7% and 71.7% for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, representing a 2.0 percentage point decrease. The decrease as a percentage of sales is primarily due to favorable product mix, improved productivity, synergy savings and the structural cost actions taken in the prior year, partially offset by the increase in the costs described above. Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2021 included $53 million of restructuring costs, primarily for footprint rationalization and headcount actions in Europe. Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2020 included $45 million of restructuring costs, primarily for footprint rationalization and related headcount actions as part of the acquisition of GE Transportation and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Operating expenses
Total operating expenses increased $101 million, or 7.3%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. Operating expenses as a percentage of sales was 19.1% and 18.4% for the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A") increased $82 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. The increase is primarily due to higher employee compensation and benefit costs, costs incurred to support the higher sales volume and incremental expense from the acquisition of Nordco, partially offset by a decrease in restructuring and transaction costs. Restructuring and transaction costs included in SG&A were $25 million and $71 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and were primarily for headcount actions and footprint rationalization programs. Engineering expense increased $14 million primarily due to investments in new technology and incremental expense from the acquisition of Nordco. Amortization expense increased $5 million, due to the acquisition of Nordco.
Interest expense, net
Interest expense, net, decreased $22 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 over the same period in 2020 attributable to lower overall average debt balances and lower interest rates.
Other income, net
Other income, net, was $38 million of income in 2021 compared to $11 million of income in the same period of 2020. The increase is primarily attributable to foreign exchange gains in the current year compared to losses in the prior year as well as higher equity income in the current year.
Income taxes
The effective income tax rate was 23.2% and 26.0% in 2021 and 2020, respectively. The change in effective tax rate in 2021 is primarily the result of filing amended federal and state income tax returns in 2021. The Company amended the 2019 federal tax return to incorporate changes in tax regulations which generated a net operating loss that was carried back to tax years 2014 to 2016, which were at a higher federal tax rate. See Note 11 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part IV, Item 15 of this report for additional information.
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Freight Segment
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for our Freight Segment:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Net sales: | |||||||
| Sales of goods | $ | 3,646 | $ | 3,790 | |||
| Sales of services | 1,593 | 1,292 | |||||
| Total net sales | 5,239 | 5,082 | |||||
| Cost of sales: | |||||||
| Cost of goods | (2,682) | (2,829) | |||||
| Cost of services | (890) | (765) | |||||
| Total cost of sales | (3,572) | (3,594) | |||||
| Gross profit | 1,667 | 1,488 | |||||
| Operating expenses | (950) | (904) | |||||
| Income from operations ($) | $ | 717 | $ | 584 | |||
| Income from operations (%) | 13.7 | % | 11.5 | % |
The following table shows the major components of the change in net sales for the Freight Segment in 2021 from 2020:
| In millions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Net Sales | $ | 5,082 | |
| Acquisitions | 138 | ||
| Foreign Exchange | 23 | ||
| Changes in Sales by Product Line: | |||
| Equipment | (229) | ||
| Components | 31 | ||
| Digital Electronics | (33) | ||
| Services | 227 | ||
| 2021 Net Sales | $ | 5,239 |
Net sales
Freight Segment sales increased by $157 million, or 3.1%, to $5.24 billion, compared to the same period in 2020, however, net organic sales decreased $4 million. Services sales increased from higher locomotive modernizations and overhauls and a decrease in locomotive parkings while Components sales increased due to a higher railcar build and lower railcar parkings. These increases were offset by lower Equipment Sales due to lower locomotive sales, particularly in North America and Egypt, and lower Digital Electronics sales primarily due to chip shortages caused by supply chain disruptions that have caused order delays but have not resulted in order cancellations. The organic sales decrease was more than offset by sales from acquisitions of $138 million and the effects of favorable foreign exchange rates of $23 million.
Cost of sales
Freight Segment cost of sales decreased by $22 million, to $3.57 billion, compared to the same period in 2020. The decrease is primarily due to favorable product mix, productivity and synergies and lower restructuring costs partially offset by increased metals, transportation and labor costs. Cost of sales as a percentage of sales was 68.2% and 70.7% for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, representing a 2.5 percentage point decrease which also benefited from improved absorption of fixed costs. Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2021 includes $8 million of restructuring and transaction costs, primarily for amortization of the inventory step-up recorded in purchase accounting for the acquisition of Nordco and headcount actions as part of the ongoing integration of GE Transportation. Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2020 included $30 million of restructuring costs, primarily for costs for footprint rationalization and related headcount actions as part of the integration of GE Transportation and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Operating expenses
Freight Segment operating expenses increased $46 million, or 5.1%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. SG&A increased $31 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. The increase is primarily due to higher employee compensation and benefit costs and incremental expense from the acquisition of Nordco, partially offset by a decrease in restructuring and transaction costs. Restructuring and transaction costs included in SG&A were $1 million and $46 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and were primarily for headcount actions and footprint rationalization as part of the integration of GE Transportation. Engineering expense increased $10 million primarily due to investments in new technology and incremental expense from the acquisition of Nordco. Amortization expense increased $5 million due to the acquisition of Nordco.
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Transit Segment
The following table shows our Consolidated Statements of Operations for our Transit Segment:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Net sales | $ | 2,583 | $ | 2,474 | |||
| Cost of sales | (1,881) | (1,825) | |||||
| Gross profit | 702 | 649 | |||||
| Operating expenses | (464) | (419) | |||||
| Income from operations ($) | $ | 238 | $ | 230 | |||
| Income from operations (%) | 9.2 | % | 9.3 | % |
The following table shows the major components of the change in net sales for the Transit Segment in 2021 from 2020:
| In millions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Net Sales | $ | 2,474 | |
| Foreign Exchange | 111 | ||
| Changes in Sales by Product Line: | |||
| Original Equipment Manufacturing | 6 | ||
| Aftermarket | (8) | ||
| 2021 Net Sales | $ | 2,583 |
Net sales
Transit Segment sales for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $109 million, or 4.4%, to $2.58 billion compared to the same period in 2020, with foreign exchange rates being the primary driver of the increase. Transit segment organic sales decreased $2 million due to supply chain issues and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cost of sales
Transit Segment cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $56 million, or 3.1%, to $1.88 billion compared to the same period in 2020. The increase is primarily due to higher restructuring costs, increased metals, transportation and labor costs and the effect of foreign exchange rates. Cost of sales as a percentage of sales was 72.8% and 73.8% for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, representing a 1.0 percentage point decrease which also benefited from improved operational efficiency and the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on margins in 2020. Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 included $45 million and $14 million of restructuring costs, respectively, primarily for footprint rationalization in Europe.
Operating expenses
Transit Segment operating expenses increased $45 million, or 10.7%, in 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. SG&A increased $41 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. The increase is primarily due to higher employee compensation and benefit costs and the effect of foreign exchange rates. Restructuring and transaction costs included within SG&A were $14 million for both years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 and were primarily for headcount actions and footprint rationalization in Europe. Engineering expense increased $4 million due to investments in new technology, and amortization expense remained consistent year over year.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity is provided by operating cash flow and borrowings under the Company’s Senior Notes and unsecured credit facility with a consortium of commercial banks. Additionally, the Company utilizes the revolving receivables program and supply chain financing program described below for added flexibility as part of our liquidity management strategy. The following is a summary of selected cash flow information and other relevant data:
| For the year ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In millions | 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Cash provided by (used for): | |||||||
| Operating activities | $ | 1,073 | $ | 784 | |||
| Investing activities | $ | (540) | $ | (155) | |||
| Financing activities | $ | (653) | $ | (619) |
Operating activities. Cash provided by operations increased $289 million in 2021 to $1,073 million compared with $784 million in 2020. Significant changes to the sources and (uses) of cash for the twelve month periods include the following:
•$280 million attributable to higher Net income and other favorable changes in the related statement of income;
•$(235) million from net changes in working capital driven by: $(266) million from changes in receivables due to timing and volume of sales and $(125) million from the pay down of the Revolving Receivables Program; $(222) million unfavorable change in inventory primarily from inventory build-ups in response to supply chain challenges; $378 million improvement from accounts payable, primarily due to the timing of payments to suppliers and the COVID-19 related impacts on expenditures in 2020;
•favorable change in accrued liabilities and customer deposits of $175 million, which related to approximately $120 million of cash payments made during 2020 for costs related to the GE Transportation acquisition, higher incentive compensation accruals and timing of severance accruals related to site rationalization; and,
•approximately $40 million related to settlement of litigation in 2020 that did not recur in 2021.
Investing activities. In 2021 and 2020, cash used in investing activities was $(540) million and $(155) million, respectively. The major components of the cash outflow in 2021 was planned additions to property, plant, and equipment of $(130) million for continued investments in our facilities and manufacturing processes, and $(435) million in net cash paid for acquisitions, primarily for Nordco. The major components of the cash outflow in 2020 was $(136) million for additions to property, plant, and equipment and $(40) million in net cash paid for various small acquisitions.
Financing activities. In 2021, cash used for financing activities was $(653) million, which included net debt payments of $(161) million, $(99) million of contingent consideration payments related to the GE Transportation acquisition, $(92) million of dividend payments, and $(300) million for share repurchases. In 2020, cash used for financing activities was $(619) million, which included net debt payments of $(199) million, $(115) million of contingent consideration payments related to the GE Transportation acquisition, $(93) million of dividend payments, and $(207) million for share repurchases.
On June 3, 2021, Wabtec Transportation Netherlands B.V. ("Wabtec Netherlands") issued €500 million of 1.25% Senior Notes due in 2027, which are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Company. Also on June 3, 2021, the Company repaid all outstanding borrowings and interest related to the 364 Day Facility, effectively retiring the facility. Additional information with respect to Senior Notes, credit facilities and long-term debt is included in Note 8 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part IV, Item 15 of this report.
The Company borrows and repays against the Multi-Currency Revolving loan facility for added flexibility in liquidity to manage cash during the operating cycle. The proceeds from borrowing and the repayments are shown within the "Proceeds from debt, net of issuance costs" and "Payments of debt" lines, respectively, presented in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company held approximately $473 million of cash and cash equivalents. Of this amount, approximately $91 million was held within the United States and approximately $382 million was held outside of the United States, primarily in Europe, India, China, and Brazil. While repatriation of some cash held outside the United States may be restricted by local laws, most of the Company’s foreign cash could be repatriated to the United States.
Revolving Receivables Program
In May 2020, the Company entered into a revolving agreement to transfer up to $150 million of certain receivables of certain subsidiaries of the Company (the "Originators") through our bankruptcy-remote subsidiary to a financial institution on a
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recurring basis in exchange for cash equal to the gross receivables transferred. During the first quarter of 2021, the Company amended its revolving agreement to increase the amount of certain receivables that can be transferred from $150 million to $200 million. Additional information with respect to the Revolving Receivables Program is included in Note 2 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part IV, Item 15 of this report and incorporated by reference herein.
Supply Chain Financing Program
The Company has entered into supply chain financing arrangements with third-party financial institutions to provide our vendors with enhanced payment options while providing the Company with added working capital flexibility. The Company does not provide any guarantees under these arrangements, does not have an economic interest in our supplier's voluntary participation and does not receive an economic benefit from the financial institutions. The arrangements do not change the payable terms negotiated by the Company and our vendors and does not result in a change in the classification of amounts due as accounts payable in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Guarantor Summarized Financial Information
The obligations of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation under the Senior Notes, Senior Credit Facility and 364 Day Facility have been fully and unconditionally guaranteed by certain of the parent company's U.S. subsidiaries. Each guarantor is 100% owned by the parent company, with the exception of GE Transportation, a Wabtec Company, which has 15,000 shares outstanding of Class A Non-Voting Preferred Stock held by General Electric Company.
The following tables present summarized financial information of the parent and the guarantor subsidiaries on a combined basis. The combined summarized financial information eliminates intercompany balances and transactions among the parent and guarantor subsidiaries and equity in earnings and investments in any guarantor subsidiaries or non-guarantor subsidiaries. The summarized financial information is provided in accordance with the reporting requirements of Rule 13-01 under SEC Regulation S-X for the issuer and guarantor subsidiaries.
Summarized Statement of Income
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2021 | ||
| Net sales | $ | 3,750 | |
| Gross profit | 820 | ||
| Net income attributable to Wabtec shareholders | 175 |
Summarized Balance Sheets
| Unaudited | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||||||
| In millions | December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||
| Current assets | $ | 999 | $ | 1,092 | |||
| Noncurrent assets | $ | 2,087 | $ | 1,836 | |||
| Current liabilities | $ | 1,382 | $ | 1,409 | |||
| Long-term debt | $ | 3,483 | $ | 3,780 | |||
| Other non-current liabilities | $ | 552 | $ | 374 |
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The following is a description of the transactions between the combined Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. and guarantor subsidiaries with non-guarantor subsidiaries.
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | Year Ended December 31, 2021 | ||
| Net sales to Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | $ | 643 | |
| Purchases from Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | 1,151 | ||
| Unaudited | |||
| Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. and Guarantor Subsidiaries | |||
| In millions | December 31, 2021 | ||
| Amount due from/(to) Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | $ | (6,428) |
Summarized Financial Information—Euro Notes
The obligations under Wabtec Netherlands’ Euro Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation. Wabtec Netherlands is a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of the parent company. Wabtec Netherlands is a holding company and does not have any independent operations. Its assets consist of its investments in subsidiaries, which are separate and distinct legal entities that are not guarantors of the Euro Notes and have no obligations to pay amounts due under Wabtec Netherlands’ obligations.
The following tables present summarized financial information of Wabtec Netherlands, as the issuer of the Euro Notes, and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, as the parent guarantor, on a combined basis. The combined summarized financial information eliminates all intercompany balances and transactions among Wabtec Netherlands and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation as well as all equity in earnings from and investments in any subsidiary of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, other than Wabtec Netherlands, which we refer to below as the Non-Issuer and Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries. The summarized financial information is provided in accordance with the reporting requirements of Rule 13-01 under SEC Regulation S-X for the issuer and parent guarantor.
Summarized Statement of Income
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||
| In millions | Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2021 | ||
| Net sales | $ | 540 | |
| Gross profit | 97 | ||
| Net loss attributable to Wabtec shareholders | (267) |
Summarized Balance Sheets
| Unaudited | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||||||
| In millions | December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||
| Current assets | $ | 252 | $ | 408 | |||
| Noncurrent assets | $ | 805 | $ | 710 | |||
| Current liabilities | $ | 499 | $ | 824 | |||
| Long-term debt | $ | 4,044 | $ | 3,780 | |||
| Other non-current liabilities | $ | 209 | $ | 314 |
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The following is a description of the transactions between the combined Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. and Wabtec Netherlands, with the subsidiaries of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp., other than Wabtec Netherlands, none of which are guarantors of the Euro Notes.
| Unaudited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||
| In millions | Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2021 | ||
| Net sales to non-issuer and non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | 69 | |
| Purchases from non-issuer and non-guarantor subsidiaries | 109 | ||
| Unaudited | |||
| Issuer and Guarantor | |||
| In millions | December 31, 2021 | ||
| Amount due from/(to) non-issuer and non-guarantor subsidiaries | $ | (6,262) |
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Contractual Obligations and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
The Company is obligated to make future payments under various contracts such as debt and lease agreements, and has certain contingent commitments. The Company has grouped these contractual obligations and off-balance sheet arrangements into operating activities, financing activities, and investing activities in the same manner as they are classified in the Statement of Consolidated Cash Flows to provide a better understanding of the nature of the obligations and arrangements and to provide a basis for comparison to historical information. The table below provides a summary of contractual obligations and off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2021:
| In millions | Total | 2022 | 2023-24 | 2025-26 | 2027+ | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating activities: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations (1) | $ | 117 | $ | 73 | $ | 40 | $ | 4 | $ | — | |||||||||
| Operating leases (2) | 345 | 60 | 99 | 73 | 113 | ||||||||||||||
| Pension and postretirement benefit payments (3) | 202 | 18 | 38 | 40 | 106 | ||||||||||||||
| Interest payments (4) | 765 | 155 | 282 | 198 | 130 | ||||||||||||||
| Financing activities: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Long-term debt | 4,081 | 2 | 1,012 | 1,250 | 1,817 | ||||||||||||||
| Dividends to shareholders (5) | 111 | 111 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Contingent consideration (6) | 256 | 110 | 146 | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 5,877 | $ | 529 | $ | 1,617 | $ | 1,565 | $ | 2,166 |
(1)Purchase obligations represent non-cancelable contractual obligations at December 31, 2021. In addition, the Company had approximately $1 billion of open purchase orders for which the related goods or services had not been received. Although open purchase orders are considered enforceable and legally binding, their terms generally allow us the option to cancel, reschedule and adjust our requirements based on our business needs prior to the delivery of goods or performance of services.
(2)Operating leases represent multi-year obligations for rental of facilities and equipment.
(3)Pension and postretirement benefit payments includes expected payments to participants out of plan assets and corporate assets. The benefit payments are based on actuarial estimates using current assumptions for discount rates, expected return on long-term assets and rate of compensation increases. The Company expects to contribute $3 million to pension plan investments in 2022.
(4)Interest payments on the Senior Notes are based on interest rates in effect as of December 31, 2021 and are calculated on debt with maturities that extend to 2028. Interest payments for the Revolving Credit Facility and Other Borrowings are based on contractual terms and the Company’s current interest rates.
(5)Shareholder dividends are subject to approval by the Company’s Board of Directors, currently at an annual rate of approximately $111 million.
(6)Contingent consideration represents the total remaining payable to General Electric (GE) resulting from the 2019 acquisition of GE Transportation. The timing of the cash payments to GE is directly related to the future timing of tax benefits received by the Company and could change.
The above table does not reflect uncertain tax positions of $32 million, the timing of which are uncertain. Refer to Note 11 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” for additional information on uncertain tax positions. Additionally, the Company arranges for certain types of bank guarantees and letters of credit, such as performance bonds, bid bonds and financial guarantees, that are issued by certain banks and insurance companies to support customer contracts. At December 31, 2021, the total value of these bank guarantees and letters of credit were $791 million and expire on various dates through 2039. Amounts include interest payments based on contractual terms and the Company’s current interest rate.
Forward Looking Statements
We believe that all statements other than statements of historical facts included in this report, including certain statements under “Business” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” may constitute forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Although we believe that our assumptions made in connection with the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure that our assumptions and expectations are correct.
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These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, including, among other things:
Economic and industry conditions
•prolonged unfavorable economic and industry conditions in the markets served by us, including North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa;
•decline in demand for freight cars, locomotives, passenger transit cars, buses and related products and services;
•reliance on major original equipment manufacturer customers;
•original equipment manufacturers’ program delays;
•demand for services in the freight and passenger rail industry;
•demand for our products and services;
•orders either being delayed, canceled, not returning to historical levels, or reduced or any combination of the foregoing;
•consolidations in the rail industry;
•continued outsourcing by our customers;
•industry demand for faster and more efficient braking equipment;
•fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates;
•availability of credit; or
•changes in market consensus as to what attributes are required for projects to be considered "green" or "sustainable" or negative perceptions regarding determinations in such regard with respect to our Green Finance Framework;
Operating factors
•supply disruptions;
•technical difficulties;
•changes in operating conditions and costs;
•increases in raw material costs;
•successful introduction of new products;
•performance under material long-term contracts;
•labor relations;
•the outcome of our existing or any future legal proceedings, including litigation involving our principal customers and any litigation with respect to environmental matters, asbestos-related matters, pension liabilities, warranties, product liabilities, competition and anti-trust matters or intellectual property claims;
•completion and integration of acquisitions; or
•the development and use of new technology;
Competitive factors
•the actions of competitors; or
•the outcome of negotiations with partners, suppliers, customers or others;
Political/governmental factors
•political stability in relevant areas of the world, including the impacts of war and conflicts;
•future regulation/deregulation of our customers and/or the rail industry;
•levels of governmental funding on transit projects, including for some of our customers;
•political developments and laws and regulations, including those related to Positive Train Control;
•federal and state income tax legislation; or
•the outcome of negotiations with governments;
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COVID-19 factors
•the severity and duration of the pandemic;
•deterioration of general economic conditions;
•shutdown of one or more of our operating facilities;
•supply chain and sourcing disruptions;
•ability of our customers to pay timely for goods and services delivered;
•health of our employees;
•ability to retain and recruit talented employees; or
•difficulty in obtaining debt or equity financing.
Statements in this 10-K apply only as of the date on which such statements are made, and except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles requires Management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions regarding uncertainties that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses. Areas of uncertainty that require judgments, estimates and assumptions include the accounting for allowance for doubtful accounts, inventories, business combinations, the testing of goodwill and other intangibles for impairment, warranty reserves, stock based compensation, income taxes, and revenue recognition. Management uses historical experience and all available information to make these judgments and estimates, and actual results will inevitably differ from those estimates and assumptions that are used to prepare the Company’s financial statements at any given time. Despite these inherent limitations, Management believes that Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) and the financial statements and related footnotes provide a meaningful and fair perspective of the Company.
A summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies is included in Note 2 in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part IV, Item 15 of this report. Management believes that the application of these policies on a consistent basis enables the Company to provide the users of the financial statements with useful and reliable information about the Company’s operating results and financial condition.
Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts:
Description The Company provides an allowance for doubtful accounts to cover anticipated losses on uncollectible accounts receivable.
Judgments and Uncertainties The allowance for doubtful accounts receivable reflects our best estimate of expected losses inherent in our receivable portfolio determined on the basis of historical experience, relevant credit forecast information, changes to customer's solvency and other currently available evidence.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If our estimates regarding the collectability of troubled accounts, and/or our actual losses within our receivable portfolio exceed our estimated losses, we may be exposed to the expense of increasing our allowance for doubtful accounts and loss of cash flows.
Inventories:
Description Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and are reviewed to ensure that an adequate provision is recognized for excess, slow moving and obsolete inventories, and net realizable value reserves.
Judgments and Uncertainties Cost is determined under the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. Inventory costs include material, labor and overhead. The Company compares inventory components to prior year sales history and current backlog and anticipated future requirements. To the extent that inventory parts exceed estimated usage and demand, a reserve is recognized to reduce the carrying value of inventory. Also, specific reserves are established for known inventory obsolescence, a decline in market value, or loss of a customer with specific inventory.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If the market value or demand for our products were to decrease due to changing market conditions, the Company could be at risk of incurring write-downs to adjust inventory value to a net realizable value lower than stated cost. If our estimates regarding sales and backlog requirements are inaccurate, we may be exposed to the expense of increasing our reserves for slow moving and obsolete inventory.
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Business Combinations:
Description The Company accounts for business acquisitions in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations, which requires the purchase price of the acquired business to be allocated to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on the respective fair values. The amount of purchase price which is in excess of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recognized as goodwill.
Judgments and Uncertainties Discounted cash flow models are used to estimate the fair values of acquired contract backlog, customer relationships, intellectual property intangibles and trade names, and below-market customer contract liabilities. The significant assumptions used to estimate the value of the intangible assets and below-market customer contract liabilities included revenue growth rates, projected profit margins, discount rates, royalty rates, customer attrition rates, revenue obsolescence rates and market participant profit margins. These significant assumptions are forward-looking and could be affected by future economic and market conditions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Different assumptions may result in materially different values for assets acquired and liabilities assumed, which may impact the Company's financial position and future results of operations.
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangibles:
Description Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles are required to be tested for impairment at least annually. The Company performs its annual impairment test during the fourth quarter and more frequently when indicators of impairment are present. The Company reviews goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level. The Company has identified three reporting units for purposes of testing goodwill for impairment. Two reporting units exist within the Freight segment and the Transit segment is also a reporting unit. The evaluation of impairment involves comparing the current fair value of the business to the recorded value (including goodwill).
Judgments and Uncertainties A number of significant assumptions and estimates are involved in the application of the impairment test, including the identification of macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, overall financial performance, Wabtec specific events and share price trends and making the assessment on whether each relevant factor will impact the impairment test positively or negatively and the magnitude of any such amount.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Management considers historical experience and all available information at the time the fair values of its reporting units are estimated. However, actual amounts realized may differ from those used to evaluate the impairment of goodwill. If actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and judgments used in estimating future cash flows and asset fair values, we may be exposed to impairment losses that could be material to our results of operations. At December 31, 2021, all three of the Company’s reporting units had fair values which were substantially in excess of their carrying values. See Note 2 in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part IV, Item 15 of this report for additional discussion regarding impairment testing.
Warranty Reserves:
Description The Company provides warranty reserves to cover expected costs from repairing or replacing products with durability, quality or workmanship issues occurring during established warranty periods.
Judgments and Uncertainties In general, reserves are provided for as a percentage of sales, based on historical experience. In addition, specific reserves are established for known warranty issues and their estimable losses.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If actual results are not consistent with the assumptions and judgments used to calculate our warranty liability, the Company may be exposed to the expense of increasing our reserves for warranty expense.
Stock-based Compensation:
Description The Company has issued incentive stock units to eligible employees that vest upon attainment of certain cumulative three-year performance goals. The program is structured as a rolling three-year plan; each year starts a new three-year performance cycle with the most recently completed cycle being 2019-2021. No incentive stock units will vest for performance below the three-year cumulative threshold. The Company utilizes an economic profit measure for this performance goal. Economic profit is a measure of the extent to which the Company produces financial results in excess of its cost of capital. Based on the Company’s achievement of the threshold and three-year cumulative performance, the stock units vested can range from 0% to 200% of the shares granted.
Judgments and Uncertainties Significant judgments and estimates are used in determining the estimated three-year performance, which is then used to estimate the total shares expected to vest over the three year vesting cycle and corresponding expense based on the grant date fair value of the award. When determining the estimated three-year performance, the Company utilizes a combination of historical actual results, budgeted results and forecasts. Upon the initial grant of a performance cycle, the Company estimates the three-year performance at 100%. As actual performance results for a cycle begin to accumulate and the Company completes its budgeting and forecasting cycles the performance estimates are updated. These judgments and estimates are reviewed and updated on a quarterly basis.
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Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions If assumptions used in determining the estimated three-year performance change significantly, stock-based compensation expense related to the unvested incentive stock awards can fluctuate from period to period.
Income Taxes:
Description Wabtec records an estimated liability or benefit for income and other taxes based on what it determines will likely be paid in various tax jurisdictions in which it operates in accordance with ASC 740-10 Accounting for Income Taxes and Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.
Judgments and Uncertainties The estimate of our tax obligations are uncertain because Management must use judgment to estimate the exposures associated with our various filing positions, as well as realization of our deferred tax assets. ASC 740-10 establishes a recognition and measurement threshold to determine the amount of tax benefit that should be recognized related to uncertain tax positions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Management uses its best judgment in the determination of these amounts. However, the liabilities ultimately realized and paid are dependent on various matters including the resolution of the tax audits in the various affected tax jurisdictions and may differ from the amounts recorded. An adjustment to the estimated liability would be recorded through income in the period in which new information changes the expected outcome of an uncertain tax position. A deferred tax valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Revenue Recognition:
Description Revenue is recognized in accordance with ASC 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Company recognizes a portion of its revenues on long-term customer agreements involving the design and production of highly engineered products that require revenue to be recognized over time because these products have no alternative use without significant economic loss and the agreements contain an enforceable right to payment including a reasonable profit margin from the customer in the event of contract termination. Generally, the Company uses an input method for determining the amount of revenue, cost and gross margin to recognize over time for these customer agreements. The input methods used for these agreements include costs of material and labor, both of which give an accurate representation of the progress made toward complete satisfaction of a particular performance obligation.
Judgments and Uncertainties Accounting for long-term customer agreements involves a judgmental process of estimating the total sales and costs for each contract, which results in the development of estimated profit margin percentages. Contract estimates related to long-term projects are based on various assumptions to project the outcome of future events that could span several years. These assumptions include cost of materials; labor availability and productivity; complexity of the work to be performed; and the performance of suppliers, customers and subcontracts that may be associated with the contract. Factors that influence these estimates include inflationary trends, technical and schedule risk, internal and subcontractor performance trends, business volume assumptions, asset utilization, and anticipated labor agreements. Generally, pricing is defined in our contracts but may include an estimate of variable consideration when required by the terms of the individual customer contract. Types of variable consideration that the Company typically has include volume discounts, prompt payment discounts, liquidating damages, and performance bonuses.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions Should market conditions and customer demands dictate changes to our standard shipping terms, the Company may be impacted by longer than typical revenue recognition cycles. The development of expected contract costs and contract profit margin percentages involves procedures and personnel in all areas that provide financial or production information on the status of contracts. Due to the significance of judgments in the estimation process, it is likely that materially different revenue amounts could be recorded if we used different assumptions or if the underlying circumstances were to change. Changes in underlying assumptions/estimates, supplier performance, or circumstances may adversely or positively affect financial performance in future periods. Some of our contracts are expected to be completed in a loss position. Provisions are made currently for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts.