Flowserve Corporation is a world leading manufacturer and aftermarket service provider of comprehensive flow control systems. Under the name of a predecessor entity, we were incorporated in the State of New York on May 1, 1912. Flowserve Corporation as it exists today was created in 1997 through the merger of two leading fluid motion and control companies — BW/IP and Durco International. Over the years, we have evolved through organic growth and strategic acquisitions, and our 220-year history of Flowserve heritage brands serves as the foundation for the breadth and depth of our products and services today. Unless the context otherwise indicates, references to "Flowserve," "the Company" and such words as "we," "our" and "us" include Flowserve Corporation and its subsidiaries.

We develop and manufacture precision-engineered flow control equipment integral to the movement, control and protection of the flow of materials in our customers’ critical processes. Our product portfolio of pumps, valves, seals, automation and aftermarket services supports global infrastructure industries, including oil and gas, chemical, power generation (including nuclear, fossil and renewable) and water management, as well as certain general industrial markets where our products and services add value. Through our manufacturing platform and global network of Quick Response Centers ("QRCs"), we offer a broad array of aftermarket equipment services, such as installation, advanced diagnostics, repair and retrofitting.

We conduct our operations through three business segments based on type of product and how we manage the business:

Our business segments share a focus on industrial flow control technology and benefit from our global footprint and our economies of scale in reducing administrative and overhead costs to serve customers more cost effectively. EPD and IPD have a high number of common customers and complementary product offerings and technologies that are often combined in applications that provide us a net competitive advantage. All segments share certain resources and functions, including elements of research and development ("R&D"), supply chain, safety, quality assurance and administrative functions that provide efficiencies and an overall lower cost structure.

Our operations leadership reports to our Chief Operating Officer, and the segments share leadership for operational support functions such as R&D, marketing and supply chain. We believe this leadership structure positions the Company to leverage operational excellence, cost reduction initiatives and internal synergies across our entire operating platform to drive further growth and increase shareholders' value.

Our overarching objective is to grow our position as a product and integrated solutions provider in the flow control industry. This objective includes continuing to sell products by building on existing sales relationships and leveraging the power of our portfolio of products and services. It also includes delivering specific end-user solutions that help customers attain their business goals by ensuring maximum reliability at a decreased cost of ownership. This objective is pursued by cultivating a corporate culture based on workplace safety for our employees, ethical and transparent business practices and a dedicated focus on serving our customers. These three pillars support a collaborative, 'One Flowserve' approach that leverages a diverse and inclusive work environment worldwide. We seek to drive increasing enterprise value by using the following strategies: disciplined profitable growth, customer intimacy, innovation and portfolio management, strategic localization, operational excellence, employee focus and sustainable business model. The key elements of these strategies are outlined below.

Disciplined profitable growth is focused on growing revenues profitably from our existing portfolio of products and services, as well as through the development or acquisition of new customer-driven products and services. Its overarching goals are to focus on opportunities that can maximize the organic growth from existing customers and to evaluate potential new customer-partnering initiatives that maximize the capture of products' total life cycle. We believe we are the largest major pump, valve and seal company that can offer customers a differentiated option of flow management products and services across a broad portfolio, as well as offer additional options that include any combination of products and solution support packages.

Through our ongoing relationships with our customers, we seek to gain a rich understanding of their business objectives and how our portfolio of offerings can best help them succeed. We collaborate with our customers on the front-end engineering and design work to drive flow management solutions that effectively generate the desired business outcomes. As we progress through original equipment projects, we work closely with our customers to understand and prepare for the long-term support needs for their operations with the intent of maximizing total life cycle value for our customers’ investments.

We seek to capture additional aftermarket business by creating mutually beneficial opportunities for us and our customers through sourcing and maintenance alliance programs where we provide all or an agreed-upon portion of customers’ parts and servicing needs. These alliances enable us to develop long-term relationships with our customers and serve as an effective platform for introducing new products and services and generating additional sales.

The ongoing management of our portfolio of products and services is critical to our success. As part of managing our portfolio, we continue to rationalize our portfolio of products and services to ensure alignment with changing market requirements. We also continue to invest in R&D to expand the scope of our product offerings and our deployment of advanced technologies. The infusion of advanced technologies into new products and services continues to play a critical role in the ongoing evolution of our product portfolio. Our objective is to improve the percentage of revenue derived from new products as a function of overall sales, utilizing technological innovation to improve overall product life cycle and reduce total cost of ownership for our customers.

We employ a robust portfolio management and project execution process to seek out new product and technology opportunities, evaluate their potential return on investment and allocate resources to their development on a prioritized basis. Each project is reviewed on a routine basis for such performance measures as time to market, net present value, budget adherence, technical and commercial risk and compliance with customer requirements. Technical skill sets and knowledge are deployed across business segment boundaries to ensure that we bring the best capabilities to bear for each project. Collectively, our R&D portfolio is a key to our ability to differentiate our product and service offerings from other competitors in our target markets.

We are focused on exploring and commercializing new technologies. In many of our research areas, we are teaming with universities and experts in the appropriate scientific fields to accelerate the required learning and to shorten the development time in leveraging the value of applied technologies in our products and services. Our intent is to be a market leader in the application of advanced technology to improve product performance and return on investment for our customers.

We continually evaluate acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic investment opportunities to broaden our product portfolio, service capabilities, geographic presence and operational capabilities to meet the growing needs of our customers. We evaluate all investment opportunities through a decision filtering process to ensure a good strategic, financial and cultural fit.

Strategic localization describescontinues to drive our global growth strategy. While we are a global company, we recognize that opportunities still remain. Therefore, we strive to advance our presence in geographies that we believe are critical to our future success as a company by focusing on the following areas:

We believe there are attractive opportunities in international markets, particularly in Africa, China, India, Latin America and the Middle East, and we intend to continue to utilize our global presence and strategically invest to further penetrate these markets. In the aftermarket services business, we seek to strategically add QRC sites in order to provide rapid response, fast delivery and field repair on a global scale for our customers.

We believe that our future success will be supported by investments made to establish indigenous operations to effectively serve the local market while taking advantage of low-cost manufacturing, competent engineering and strategic sourcing where practical.to support both local markets and export. We believe that this positions us well to support our global customers from project conception through commissioning and throughout the life of their operations. For example, we constructed a neware currently expanding our pump manufacturing siteand valve operations in China, that became operationalvalve operations in 2014India and we arepump operations in the process of constructing a new valve manufacturing site in China that will be operational in 2015.Mexico.

We continue to develop and increase our manufacturing, engineering and sourcing functions in lower-cost regions and emerging markets such as India, China, Mexico, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe as we drive higher value-add from our supply base of materials and components and satisfy local content requirements. In 2014,2015, these lower-cost regions supplied our business segments with direct materials ranging from 21%22% to 37%42% of business segment spending.

The operational excellence strategy encapsulates ongoing programs that work to drive increased customer fulfillment and yield internal productivity. This initiative includes:

We seek to increase our operational efficiency through our Continuous Improvement Process ("CIP") initiative, which utilizes tools such as value analysis, value engineering, six sigma methodology, lean manufacturing and capacity management to improve quality and processes, reduce product cycle times and lower costs. Recognizing that employees are our most valuable resource in achieving operational excellence goals, we have instituted CIP training tailored to maximize the impact on our business. ToAt this date, we have approximately 2,100 active employees that are CIP-trained or certified as "Green Belts," "Black Belts" or "Master Black Belts," and are deployed on CIP projects throughout our operations and supporting functions of the business. As a result of the CIP initiative, we have developed and implemented processes at various sites to reduce our engineering and manufacturing process cycle time, improve on-time delivery and service response time, optimize working capital levels and reduce costs. We have also experienced success in sharing and applying best practices achieved in one business segment and deploying those ideas to other segments of the business.

We continue to rationalize existing Enterprise Resource Planning ("ERP") systems onto six strategic ERP systems. Going forward, these six strategic ERP systems will be maintained as core systems with standard tool sets, and will be enhanced as needed to meet the growing needs of the business in areas such as e-commerce, back office optimization and export compliance. Further investment in non-strategic ERP systems will be limited to compliance matters and conversion to strategic ERP systems.

We also seek to improve our working capital utilization, with a particular focus on management of accounts receivable and inventory. See further discussion in the "Liquidity and Capital Resources" section of "Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" ("Item 7") of this Annual Report.

We focus on several elements in our strategic efforts to continuously enhance our organizational capability, including:

We continue to focus on training through the distribution of electronic learning packages in multiple languages for our Code of Business Conduct, workplace harassment, facility safety, anti-bribery, export compliance and other regulatory and compliance programs. We also drive our training and leadership development programs through the deployment of general management development, manager competencies and a series of multi-lingual programs that focus on enhancing people management skills.

The sustainable business model initiative is focused on areas that have the potential of adversely affecting our reputation, limiting our financial flexibility or creating unnecessary risk for any of our stakeholders. We proactively administer an enterprise risk management program with regular reviews of high-level matters with our Board of Directors. We work with our capital sourcing partners to ensure that the terms of our credit facilities and long-term debt are appropriately aligned with our business strategy. We also train our associates on and monitor matters of a legal or ethical nature to support understanding and compliance on a global basis.

In the aftermarket portion of our business, we compete against large, well-established national and global competitors and, in some markets, against regional and local companies who produce low-cost replications of spare parts.companies. In the oil and gas and chemical industries, the primary competitors for aftermarket services tend to be customers’ own in-house capabilities. In the nuclear power generation industry, we possess certain competitive advantages due to our "N Stamp" certification, which is a prerequisite to serve customers in that industry, and our considerable base of proprietary knowledge. Aftermarket competition for standardized products is aggressive due to the existence of common standards allowing for easier replacement or repair of the installed products.

In the sale of aftermarket products and services, we benefit from our large installed base of pumps, valves and seals, which continually require maintenance, repair and replacement parts due to the nature of the products and the conditions under which they operate. Timeliness of delivery, quality and the proximity of service centers are important customer considerations when selecting a provider for aftermarket products and services. In geographic regions where we are locally positioned to provide a quick response, customers have traditionally relied on us, rather than our competitors, for aftermarket products relating to our highly-engineered and customized products, although we are seeing increased competition in this area.

Generally, our customers attempt to reduce the number of vendors from which they purchase, thereby reducing the size and diversity of their supply chain. Although vendor reduction programs could adversely affect our business, we have been successful in establishing long-term supply agreements with a number of customers. While the majority of these agreements do not provide us with exclusive rights, they can provide us a "preferred" status with our customers and thereby increase opportunities to win future business. We also utilize our LifeCycle Advantage program to establish fee-based contracts to manage customers’ aftermarket requirements. These programs provide an opportunity to manage the customer’s installed base and expand the business relationship with the customer.

Our ability to use our portfolio of products, solutions and services to meet customer needs is a competitive strength. Our market approach is to create value for our customers throughout the life cycle of their investments in flow control management. We continue to explore and develop potential new offerings in conjunction with our customers. In the early phases of project design, we endeavor to create value in optimizing the selection of equipment for the customer’s specific application, as we are capable of providing technical expertise on product and system capabilities even outside the scope of our specific products, solutions and services. After the equipment is constructed and delivered to the customer’s site, we continue to create value through our aftermarket capabilities by optimizing the performance of the equipment over its operational life. Our skilled service personnel can provide these aftermarket services for our products, as well as many competitors’ products, within the installed base. This value is further enhanced by the global reach of our QRCs and, when combined with our other solutions for our customers’ flow control management needs, allows us to create value for our customers during all phases of the capital expenditure cycle.

We are not normally required to carry unusually high amounts of inventory to meet customer delivery requirements, although higher backlog levels and longer lead times generally require higher amounts of inventory. We typically require advance cash payments from customers on longer lead time projects to help offset our investment in inventory. We have initiated programs targeted at improving our operational effectiveness to reduce our overall working capital needs. While we do provide cancellation policies through our contractual relationships, we generally do not provide rights of product return for our customers.

We primarily distribute our products through direct sales by employees assigned to specific regions, industries or products. In addition, we use distributors and sales representatives to supplement our direct sales force in countries where it is more appropriate due to business practices or customs, or whenever the use of direct sales staff is not economically efficient. We generate a majority of our sales leads through existing relationships with vendors, customers and prospects or through referrals.

We own a number of trademarks and patents relating to the names and designs of our products. We consider our trademarks and patents to be valuable assets of our business. In addition, our pool of proprietary information, consisting of know-how and trade secrets related to the design, manufacture and operation of our products, is considered particularly valuable. Accordingly, we take proactive measures to protect such proprietary information. We generally own the rights to the products that we manufacture and sell and are unencumbered by licensing or franchise agreements. Our trademarks can typically be renewed indefinitely as long as they remain in use, whereas our existing patents generally expire 10 to 20 years from the dates they were filed, which has occurred at various times in the past. We do not believe that the expiration of any individual patent will have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The principal raw materials used in manufacturing our products are readily available and include ferrous and non-ferrous metals in the form of bar stock, machined castings, fasteners, forgings and motors, as well as silicon, carbon faces, gaskets and fluoropolymer components. A substantial volume of our raw materials is purchased from outside sources, and we have been able to develop a robust supply chain and anticipate no significant shortages of such materials in the future. We continually monitor the business conditions of our suppliers to manage competitive market conditions and to avoid potential supply disruptions. We continue to expand global sourcing to capitalize on localization in emerging markets and low-cost sources of purchased goods balanced with efficient consolidated and compliant logistics.

We are a vertically-integrated manufacturer of certain pump and valve products. Certain corrosion-resistant castings for our pumps and valves are manufactured at our foundries. Other metal castings are either manufactured at our foundries or purchased from qualified and approved foundry sources.

Concerning the products we supply to customers in the nuclear power generation industry, suppliers of raw materials for nuclear power generation markets must be qualified to meet the requirements of nuclear industry standards and governmental regulations. Supply channels for these materials are currently adequate, and we do not anticipate difficulty in obtaining such materials in the future.

We are subject to environmental laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which we have operating facilities. These requirements primarily relate to the generation and disposal of waste, air emissions and waste water discharges. We periodically make capital expenditures to enhance our compliance with environmental requirements, as well as to abate and control pollution. At present, we have no plans for any material capital expenditures for environmental control equipment at any of our facilities. However, we have incurred and continue to incur operating costs relating to ongoing environmental compliance matters. Based on existing and proposed environmental requirements and our anticipated production schedule, we believe that future environmental compliance expenditures will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We use hazardous substances and generate hazardous wastes in many of our manufacturing and foundry operations. Most of our current and former properties are or have been used for industrial purposes and some may require clean-up of historical contamination. During the due diligence phase of our acquisitions, we conduct environmental site assessments to identify potential environmental liabilities and required clean-up measures. We are currently conducting follow-up investigation and/or remediation activities at those locations where we have known environmental concerns. We have cleaned up a majority of the sites with known historical contamination and are addressing the remaining identified issues.

Over the years, we have been involved as one of many potentially responsible parties ("PRP") at former public waste disposal sites that are or were subject to investigation and remediation. We are currently involved as a PRP at five Superfund sites. The sites are in various stages of evaluation by government authorities. Our total projected "fair share" cost allocation at these five sites is expected to be immaterial. See "Item 3. Legal Proceedings" included in this Annual Report for more information.

We have established reserves that we currently believe to be adequate to cover our currently identified on-site and off-site environmental liabilities.

Licenses are required from U.S. and other government agencies to export certain products. In particular, products with nuclear power generation and/or military applications are restricted, as are certain other pump, valve and seal products.

Our largest business segment is EPD, through which we design, manufacture, distribute and service custom and other highly-engineered pumps and pump systems, mechanical seals, auxiliary systems, replacement parts and related equipment. The business consists of long lead time, highly-engineered, custom-configured products, which require extensive test requirements and superior project management skills, as well as aftermarket services supporting global infrastructure industries. EPD products and services are primarily used by companies that operate in the oil and gas, power generation, chemical, water management and general industries. We market our pump and mechanical seal products through our global sales force and

Our pump products are manufactured in a wide range of metal alloys and with a variety of configurations to meet the critical operating demands of our customers. Mechanical seals are critical to the reliable operation of rotating equipment in that they prevent leakage and emissions of hazardous substances from the rotating equipment and reduce shaft wear on the equipment caused by the use of non-mechanical seals. We also manufacture a gas-lubricated mechanical seal that is used in high-speed compressors for gas pipelines and in the oil and gas production and process markets. Our products are currently manufactured at 3233 plants worldwide, nine10 of which are located in Europe, 11 in North America, seven in Asia Pacific and five in Latin America.

We also conduct business through strategic foreign joint ventures. We have six unconsolidated joint ventures that are located in China, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, where a portion of our products are manufactured, assembled or serviced in these territories. These relationships provide numerous strategic opportunities, including increased access to our current and new markets, access to additional manufacturing capacity and expansion of our operational platform to support low-cost sourcing initiatives and capacity demands for other markets.

We manufacture more than 40 different active types of pumps and approximately 185 different models of mechanical seals and sealing systems. The following is a summary list of our EPD products and globally recognized brands:

We provide engineered aftermarket services through our global network of 126129 QRCs, some of which are co-located in manufacturing facilities, in 4447 countries. Our EPD service personnel provide a comprehensive set of equipment services for flow management control systems, including installation, commissioning, repair, advanced diagnostics, re-rate and retrofit programs, machining and comprehensive asset management solutions. We provide asset management services and condition monitoring for rotating equipment through special contracts with many of our customers that reduce maintenance costs. A large portion of EPD’s service work is performed on a quick response basis, and we offer 24-hour service in all of our major markets.

Our investments in new product R&D continue to focus on increasing the capability of our products as customer applications become more advanced, demanding greater levels of production (i.e., flow, power and pressure) and under more extreme conditions beyond the level of traditional technology. We continue to develop innovations that improve product performance and our competitive position in the engineered equipment industry, specifically targeting pipeline, offshore and downstream applications for the oil and gas market. The emergence of extreme pressure applications prompted the development of an advanced stage design and construction of high pressure test capability necessary to validate the technology prior to introduction into the market.

As new sources of energy generation are explored, we have been developing new product designs to support the most critical applications in the power generation market. New designs and qualification test programs continue to support the critical services found in the modern nuclear power generation plant. In addition to nuclear pump product development, we have focused development efforts on an advanced seal design required to accommodate upset conditions recently identified by the nuclear industry. Continued engagement with our end users is exemplified through completion of advancements in coke cutting technology, nozzle design and auxiliary equipment improvements, as well as creation of an automated cutting system to improve operator safety.

We continue to address our core products with design enhancements to improve performance and the speed at which we can deliver our products. Application of advanced computational fluid dynamics methods utilizing unsteady flow analysis led to the development of an advanced inlet chamber and impeller vane design for high energy injection water pumps. Our engineering teams continue to apply and develop sophisticated design technology and methods supporting continuous improvement of our proven technology. Additionally, we are incentivizing our operations and tracking the R&D projects more closely, which is leading to broader engagement in developing new products.

In 2014,2015, EPD continued to advance our Technology Advantage platform through the Integrated Solutions Organization ("ISO"). This platform utilizes a combination of our developed technologies and leading edge technology partners to increase our asset management and service capabilities for our end-user customers. These technologies include intelligent devices, advanced communication and security protocols, wireless and satellite communications and web-enabled data convergence. Additionally, we have been exploring the "additive manufacturing" opportunities in our products and auxiliary systems.

None of these newly developed products or services required the investment of a material amount of our assets or was otherwise material.

Our customer mix is diversified and includes leading EPC firms, original equipment manufacturers, distributors and end users. Our sales mix of original equipment products and aftermarket products and services diversifies our business and helps mitigate the impact of normal economic cycles on our business. Our sales are diversified among several industries, including oil and gas, power generation, chemical, water management and general industries.

The pump and mechanical seal industry is highly fragmented, with hundreds of competitors. We compete, however, primarily with a limited number of large companies operating on a global scale. Competition among our closest competitors is generally driven by delivery times, expertise, price, breadth of product offerings, contractual terms, previous installation history and reputation for quality. Some of our largest industry competitors include: Sulzer Pumps; Ebara Corp.; SPX Corp.FLOW, Inc.; Eagle Burgmann, which is a joint venture of two traditional global seal manufacturers, A. W. Chesterton Co. and AES Corp.; John Crane Inc., a unit of Smiths Group Plc; and Weir Group Plc.

The pump and mechanical seal industry continues to undergo considerable consolidation, which is primarily driven by (i) the need to lower costs through reduction of excess capacity and (ii) customers’ preference to align with global full service suppliers to simplify their supplier base. Despite the consolidation activity, the market remains highly competitive.

We believe that our strongest sources of competitive advantage rest with our extensive range of pumps for the oil and gas, chemical and power generation industries, our large installed base of products, our strong customer relationships, our more than 200 years of legacy experience in manufacturing and servicing pumping equipment, our reputation for providing quality engineering solutions and our ability to deliver engineered new seal product orders within 72 hours from the customer’s request.

Through IPD we design, manufacture, distribute and service pre-configured engineered pumps and pump systems, including submersible motors, for industrial markets. Our globalized operating platform, low-cost sourcing and continuous improvement initiatives are essential aspects of this business. IPD’s standardized, general purpose pump products are primarily utilized by the oil and gas, chemical, water management, power generation and general industries. Our products are currently manufactured in 1322 manufacturing facilities, fourfive of which are located in the U.S. and six12 in Europe. IPD operates 1734 QRCs worldwide, including nine21 sites in Europe, foursix in the U.S., threefour in Asia Pacific and onethree in Latin America. Additionally, in the first quarter of 2015 we acquired SIHI Group B.V., a leader in fluid and vacuum pump technologies, which strengthens our offering to the chemical process industry.

We manufacture approximately 40 different active types of pumps available in a wide range of metal alloys and non-metallics with a variety of configurations to meet the critical operating demands of our customers. The following is a summary list of our IPD products and globally recognized brands:

We market our pump products through our worldwide sales force and our regional service and repair centers or through independent distributors and sales representatives. We provide an array of aftermarket services including product installation and commissioning services, spare parts, repairs, re-rate and upgrade solutions, advanced diagnostics and maintenance solutions through our global network of QRCs.

Our IPD development projects target product feature enhancements, design improvements and sourcing opportunities that we believe will improve the competitive position of our industrial pump product lines. We will invest in our chemical product platform to expand and enhance our products offered to the global chemical industry.

We continue to address our core products with design enhancements to improve performance and the speed at which we can deliver our products. Successful new product release of permanent magnet motor technology in our submersible motor products demonstrated improved product efficiency. We will further our energy efficiency initiatives in response to various global governmental directives. Cost reduction projects incorporating product rationalization, value engineering, lean manufacturing and overhead reduction continue to be key drivers for IPD.

None of these newly developed products or services required the investment of a material amount of our assets or was otherwise material.

Our customer mix is diversified and includes leading EPC firms, original equipment manufacturers, distributors and end users. Our sales mix of original equipment products and aftermarket products and services diversifies our business and helps mitigate the impact of normal economic cycles on our business. Our sales are diversified among several industries, including oil and gas, chemical, water management, power generation and general industries.

The industrial pump industry is highly fragmented, with many competitors. We compete, however, primarily with a limited number of large companies operating on a global scale. Competition among our closest competitors is generally driven by delivery times, expertise, price, breadth of product offerings, contractual terms, previous installation history and reputation for quality. Some of our largest industry competitors include ITT Industries, KSB Inc. and Sulzer Pumps.

We believe that our strongest sources of competitive advantage rest with our extensive range of pumps for the chemical industry, our large installed base, our strong customer relationships, our more than 200 years of legacy experience in manufacturing and servicing pumping equipment and our reputation for providing quality engineering solutions.

FCD designs, manufactures, distributes and services a broad portfolio of industrial valve and automation solutions, including isolation and control valves, actuation, controls and related equipment. In addition, FCD offers energy management products such as steam traps, boiler controls and condensate and energy recovery systems. FCD leverages its experience and application know-how by offering a complete menu of engineering and project management services to complement its expansive product portfolio. FCD products are used to control, direct and manage the flow of liquids and gases and are an integral part of any flow control system. Our valve products are most often customized and engineered to perform specific functions within each customer’s unique flow control environment.

Our flow control products are primarily used by companies operating in the chemical, power generation, oil and gas, water management and general industries. Our products are currently manufactured in 26 principal manufacturing facilities, five of which are located in the U.S., 13 of which are located in Europe, and seven of which are located in Asia Pacific.Pacific and one of which is located in Latin America. FCD operates 32 QRCs worldwide.

Our valve, automation and controls product and solutions portfolio represents one of the most comprehensive in the flow control industry. Our products are used in a wide variety of applications, from general service to the most severe and demanding services, including those involving high levels of corrosion, extreme temperatures and/or pressures, zero fugitive emissions and emergency shutdown.

Our “smart” valve and diagnostic technologies integrate sensors, microprocessor controls and software into high performance integrated control valves, digital positioners and switchboxes for automated on/off valve assemblies and electric actuators. These technologies permit real-time system analysis, system warnings and remote indication of asset health. These technologies have been developed in response to the growing demand for reduced maintenance, improved process control efficiency and digital communications at the plant level. We are committed to further enhancing the quality of our product portfolio by continuing to upgrade our existing offerings with cutting-edge technologies.

Our valve automation products encompass a broad range of pneumatic, electric, hydraulic and stored energy actuation designs to take advantage of whatever power source the customer has available. FCD’s actuation products can utilize the process fluid flowing through the pipeline as a source of power to actuate the valve. Our actuation products also cover one of the widest ranges of output torques in the industry, providing the ability to automate anything from the smallest linear globe valve to the largest multi-turn gate valve. Most importantly, FCD combines best-in-class mechanical designs with the latest in digital controls in order to provide complete integrated automation solutions that optimize the combined valve-actuator-controls package.

The following is a summary list of our generally available valve and automation products and globally recognized brands:

Our service personnel provide comprehensive equipment maintenance services for flow control systems, including advanced diagnostics, repair, installation, commissioning, retrofit programs and field machining capabilities. A large portion of our service work is performed on a quick response basis, which includes 24-hour service in all of our major markets. We also provide in-house repair and return manufacturing services worldwide through our manufacturing facilities. We believe our ability to offer comprehensive, quick turnaround services provides us with a unique competitive advantage and unparalleled access to our customers’ installed base of flow control products.

Our R&D investment is focused on areas that will advance our technological leadership and further differentiate our competitive advantage from a product perspective. Investment has been focused on significantly enhancing the digital integration and interoperability of valve top works (e.g., positioners, actuators, limit switches and associated accessories) with Distributed Control Systems ("DCS"). We continue to pursue the development and deployment of next-generation hardware and software for valve diagnostics and the integration of the resulting device intelligence through the DCS to provide a practical and effective asset management capability for the end user. In addition to developing these new capabilities and value-added services, our investments also include product portfolio expansion and fundamental research in material sciences in order to increase the temperature, pressure and corrosion/erosion-resistance limits of existing products, as well as noise and cavitation reduction. These investments are made by adding new resources and talent to the organization, as well as leveraging the experience of EPD and IPD and increasing our collaboration with third parties. We expect to continue our R&D investments in the areas discussed above.

None of these newly developed valve products or services required the investment of a material amount of our assets or was otherwise material.

Our customer mix spans several markets, including the chemical, power generation, oil and gas, water management, pulp and paper, mining and other general industries. Our product mix includes original equipment and aftermarket parts and services. FCD contracts with a variety of customers, ranging from EPC firms, to distributors, end users and other original equipment manufacturers.

While in recent years the valve market has undergone a significant amount of consolidation, the market remains highly fragmented. Some of the largest valve industry competitors include Pentair Ltd., Cameron International Corp., Emerson Electric Co., General Electric Co. and Crane Co.

Our market research and assessments indicate that the top 10 global valve manufacturers collectively comprise less than 25% of the total valve market. Based on independent industry sources, we believe that we are the fourth largest industrial valve supplier in the world. We believe that our strongest sources of competitive advantage rest with our comprehensive portfolio of valve products and services, our focus on execution and our expertise in severe corrosion and erosion applications.

We maintain an Internet web site at www.flowserve.com. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are made available free of charge through the “Investor Relations” section of our Internet web site as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file the reports with, or furnish the reports to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

Also available on our Internet web site are our Corporate Governance Guidelines for our Board of Directors and Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, as well as the charters of the Audit, Finance, Organization and Compensation and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committees of our Board of Directors and other important governance documents. All of the foregoing documents may be obtained through our Internet web site as noted above and are available in print without charge to shareholders who request them. Information contained on or available through our Internet web site is not incorporated into this Annual Report or any other document we file with, or furnish to, the SEC.

Any of the events discussed as risk factors below may occur. If they do, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. While we believe all known material risks are disclosed, additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that we currently deem immaterial, may also impair our business

The businesses of many of our customers, particularly oil and gas companies, chemical companies and general industrial companies, are to varying degrees cyclical and have experienced periodic downturns. Our customers in these industries, particularly those whose demand for our products and services is primarily profit-driven, historically have tended to delay large capital projects, including expensive maintenance and upgrades, during economic downturns. For example, our chemical customers generally tend to reduce their spending on capital investments and operate their facilities at lower levels in a soft economic environment, which reduces demand for our products and services. Additionally, fluctuating energy demand forecasts and lingering uncertainty concerning commodity pricing, specifically the price of oil, can cause our customers to be more conservative in their capital planning, which may reduce demand for our products and services. Reduced demand for our products and services could result in the delay or cancellation of existing orders or lead to excess manufacturing capacity, which unfavorably impacts our absorption of fixed manufacturing costs. This reduced demand may also erode average selling prices in our industry. Any of these results could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Additionally, some of our customers may delay capital investment and maintenance even during favorable conditions in their industries or markets. Despite these favorable conditions, the general health of global credit and capital markets and our customers' ability to access such markets may impact investments in large capital projects, including necessary maintenance and upgrades. In addition, the liquidity and financial position of our customers could impact capital investment decisions and their ability to pay in full and/or on a timely basis. Any of these factors, whether individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on our customers and, in turn, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our backlog represents the value of uncompleted customer orders. While we cannot be certain that reported backlog will be indicative of future results, our ability to accurately value our backlog can be adversely affected by numerous factors, including the health of our customers' businesses and their access to capital, volatility in commodity prices (e.g., copper, nickel, stainless steel) and economic uncertainty. While we attempt to mitigate the financial consequences of order delays and cancellations through contractual provisions and other means, if we were to experience a significant increase in order delays or cancellations that can result from the aforementioned economic conditions or other factors beyond our control, it could impede or delay our ability to realize anticipated revenues on our backlog. Such a loss of anticipated revenues could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The markets for our products and services are geographically diverse and highly competitive. We compete against large and well-established national and global companies, as well as regional and local companies, low-cost replicators of spare parts and in-house maintenance departments of our end-user customers. We compete based on price, technical expertise, timeliness of delivery, contractual terms, previous installation history and reputation for quality and reliability. Competitive environments in slow-growth industries and for original equipment orders have been inherently more influenced by pricing and domestic and global economic conditions and current economic forecasts suggest that the competitive influence of pricing has broadened. Additionally, some of our customers have been attempting to reduce the number of vendors from which they purchase in order to reduce the size and diversity of their supply chain. To remain competitive, we must invest in manufacturing, marketing, customer service and support and our distribution networks. No assurances can be made that we will have sufficient resources to continue to make the investment required to maintain or increase our market share or that our investments will be successful. If we do not compete successfully, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

We purchase substantially all electric power and other raw materials we use in the manufacturing of our products from outside sources. The costs of these raw materials have been volatile historically and are influenced by factors that are outside our control. In recent years, the prices for energy, metal alloys, nickel and certain other of our raw materials have been volatile. While we strive to offset our increased costs through supply chain management, contractual provisions and our CIP initiative, where gains are achieved in operational efficiencies, our operating margins and results of operations and cash flows may be adversely affected if we are unable to pass increases in the costs of our raw materials on to our customers or operational efficiencies are not achieved.

A substantial portion of our operations is conducted and located outside the U.S. We have manufacturing, sales or service facilities in more than 50 countries and sell to customers in over 90 countries, in addition to the U.S. Moreover, we primarily outsource certain of our manufacturing and engineering functions to, and source our raw materials and components from, China, Eastern Europe, India, Latin America and Mexico. Accordingly, our business and results of operations are subject to risks associated with doing business internationally, including:

For example, political unrest or work stoppages could negatively impact the demand for our products from customers in affected countries and other customers, such as U.S. oil refineries, that could be affected by the resulting disruption in the supply of crude oil. Similarly, military conflicts in Russia, the Middle East and North Africa could soften the level of capital investment and demand for our products and services.

Some of the risks outlined above are particularly prevalent in Venezuela. The operating environment in Venezuela is challenging, with high inflation, increased risk of political and economic instability and increased government restrictions. As a result of these factors, we have experienced delays in payments from the national oil company in Venezuela, our primary Venezuelan customer, though these amounts are not disputed and we have not historically had write-offs relating to this customer. Going forward, additional government actions, political and labor unrest, or other economic headwinds, including the Venezuelan government's inability to fulfill its fiscal obligations, could have further adverse impacts on our ability to fully collect our receivable and our business in Venezuela.

In order to manage our day-to-day operations, we must overcome cultural and language barriers and assimilate different business practices. In addition, we are required to create compensation programs, employment policies and other administrative programs that comply with laws of multiple countries. We also must communicate and monitor standards and directives across our global network. Our failure to successfully manage our geographically diverse operations could impair our ability to react quickly to changing business and market conditions and to enforce compliance with standards and procedures.

Our future success will depend, in large part, on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and other risks associated with our international operations. Any of these factors could, however, materially adversely affect our international operations and, consequently, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Due to the international scope of our operations, the system of laws and regulations to which we are subject is complex and includes, without limitation, regulations issued by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control and various foreign governmental agencies, including applicable export controls, customs, currency exchange control and transfer pricing regulations, as applicable. No assurances can be made that we will continue to be found to be operating in compliance with, or be able to detect violations of, any such laws or regulations. In addition, we cannot predict the nature, scope or effect of future regulatory requirements to which our international operations might be subject or the manner in which existing laws might be administered or interpreted.

A significant portion of our revenue and certain of our costs, assets and liabilities, are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The primary currencies to which we have exposure are the Euro, British pound, Mexican peso, Brazilian real, Indian rupee, Japanese yen, Singapore dollar, Argentine peso, Canadian dollar, Australian dollar, Chinese yuan, Colombian peso, Chilean peso and South African rand. Certain of the foreign currencies to which we have exposure, such as the Venezuelan bolivar and Argentine peso, have undergone significant devaluation in the past, which can reduce the value of our local monetary assets, reduce the U.S. dollar value of our local cash flow, generate local currency losses that may impact our ability to pay future dividends from our subsidiary to the parent company and potentially reduce the U.S. dollar value of future local net income. Although we enter into forward exchange contracts to economically hedge some of our risks associated with transactions denominated in certain foreign currencies, no assurances can be made that exchange rate fluctuations will not adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") and similar anti-bribery laws and regulations in other jurisdictions, such as the UK Bribery Act, generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or securing an improper advantage. Because we operate in many parts of the world and sell to industries that have experienced corruption to some degree, our policies mandate compliance with applicable anti-bribery laws worldwide. If we are found to be in violation of the FCPA or other similar anti-bribery laws or regulations, whether due to our or others' actions or inadvertence, we could be subject to civil and criminal penalties or other sanctions that could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, actual or alleged violations could damage our reputation or ability to do business.

As a global company with a large international footprint, we are subject to increased risk of damage or disruption to us, our employees, facilities, partners, suppliers, distributors, resellers or customers due to terrorist acts, conflicts and wars, wherever located around the world. The potential for future attacks, the national and international responses to attacks or perceived threats to national security, and other actual or potential conflicts or wars, such as the Israeli-Hamas conflict and ongoing instability in Syria and Egypt, have created many economic and political uncertainties. In addition, as a global company with headquarters and significant operations located in the U.S., actions against or by the U.S. may impact our business or employees. Although it is impossible to predict the occurrences or consequences of any such events, they could result in a decrease in demand for our products, make it difficult or impossible to deliver products to our customers or to receive components from our suppliers, create delays and inefficiencies in our supply chain and pose risks to our employees, resulting in the need to impose travel restrictions, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our operations and properties are subject to regulation under environmental laws, which can impose substantial sanctions for violations. We must conform our operations to applicable regulatory requirements and adapt to changes in such requirements in all countries in which we operate.

We use hazardous substances and generate hazardous wastes in many of our manufacturing and foundry operations. Most of our current and former properties are or have been used for industrial purposes, and some may require clean-up of historical contamination. We are currently conducting investigation and/or remediation activities at a number of locations where we have known environmental concerns. In addition, we have been identified as one of many PRPs at five Superfund sites. The projected cost of remediation at these sites, as well as our alleged "fair share" allocation, while not anticipated to be material, has been reserved. However, until all studies have been completed and the parties have either negotiated an amicable resolution or the matter has been judicially resolved, some degree of uncertainty remains.

We have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, operating and capital costs to comply with environmental requirements. In addition, new laws and regulations, stricter enforcement of existing requirements, the discovery of previously unknown contamination or the imposition of new clean-up requirements could require us to incur costs or become the basis for new or increased liabilities. Moreover, environmental and sustainability initiatives, practices, rules and regulations are under increasing scrutiny of both governmental and non-governmental bodies, which can cause rapid change in operational practices, standards and expectations and, in turn, increase our compliance costs. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We are a defendant in a substantial number of lawsuits that seek to recover damages for personal injury allegedly resulting from exposure to asbestos-containing products formerly manufactured and/or distributed by us. Such products were used as internal components of process equipment, and we do not believe that there was any significant emission of asbestos-containing fibers during the use of this equipment. Although we are defending these allegations vigorously and believe that a high percentage of these lawsuits are covered by insurance or indemnities from other companies, there can be no assurance that we will prevail or that payments made by insurance or such other companies would be adequate. Unfavorable rulings, judgments or settlement terms could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our ability to implement our business strategy and serve our customers is dependent upon the continuing ability to employ talented professionals and attract, train, develop and retain a skilled workforce. We are subject to the risk that we will not be able to effectively replace the knowledge and expertise of an aging workforce as workers retire. Without a properly skilled and experienced workforce, our costs, including productivity costs and costs to replace employees may increase, and this could negatively impact our earnings.

We rely on a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, confidentiality provisions and licensing arrangements to establish and protect our proprietary rights. We cannot guarantee, however, that the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be adequate to prevent infringement of our rights or misappropriation of our technology. For example, effective patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited in some of the foreign countries in which we operate. In addition, while we generally enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and third parties to protect our intellectual property, such confidentiality agreements could be breached or otherwise may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets and know-how related to the design, manufacture or operation of our products. If it became necessary for us to resort to litigation to protect our intellectual property rights, any proceedings could be burdensome and costly, and we may not prevail. Further, adequate remedies may not be available in the event of an unauthorized use or disclosure of our trade secrets and manufacturing expertise. If we fail to successfully enforce our intellectual property rights, our competitive position could suffer, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We maintain defined benefit pension plans that are required to be funded in the U.S., Canada, India, Mexico, The Netherlands, Switzerland and the U.K., and defined benefit plans that are not required to be funded in Austria, France, Germany, Japan and Sweden. Our pension liability is materially affected by the discount rate used to measure our pension obligations and, in the case of the plans that are required to be funded, the level of plan assets available to fund those obligations and the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets. A change in the discount rate can result in a significant increase or decrease in the valuation of pension obligations, affecting the reported status of our pension plans and our pension expense. Significant changes in investment performance or a change in the portfolio mix of invested assets can result in increases and decreases in the valuation of plan assets or in a change of the expected rate of return on plan assets. This impact may be particularly prevalent where we maintain significant concentrations of specified investments, such as the U.K. equity and fixed income securities in our non-U.S. defined benefit plans. Changes in the expected return on plan assets assumption can result in significant changes in our pension expense and future funding requirements.

We continually review our funding policy related to our U.S. pension plan in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. U.S. regulations have increased the minimum level of funding for U.S pension plans in prior years, which has at times required significant contributions to our pension plans. Contributions to our pension plans reduce the availability of our cash flows to fund working capital, capital expenditures, R&D efforts and other general corporate purposes.

We may be exposed to product liability and warranty claims in the event that the use of one of our products results in, or is alleged to result in, bodily injury and/or property damage or our products actually or allegedly fail to perform as expected. While we maintain insurance coverage with respect to certain product liability claims, we may not be able to obtain such

We currently have significant net deferred tax assets resulting from tax credit carryforwards, net operating losses and other deductible temporary differences that are available to reduce taxable income in future periods. Based on our assessment of our deferred tax assets, we determined, based on projected future income and certain available tax planning strategies, that approximately $242$250 million of our deferred tax assets will more likely than not be realized in the future, and no valuation allowance is currently required for this portion of our deferred tax assets. Should we determine in the future that these assets will not be realized we will be required to record an additional valuation allowance in connection with these deferred tax assets and our operating results would be adversely affected in the period such determination is made. In addition, tax law changes could negatively impact our deferred tax assets.

We are required to make scheduled repayments and, under certain events of default, mandatory repayments on our outstanding indebtedness, which may require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flows to fund working capital, capital expenditures, R&D efforts and other general corporate purposes, such as dividend payments and share repurchases, and could generally limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and industry.

In addition, the agreements governing our indebtedness impose certain operating and financial restrictions on us and somewhat limit management's discretion in operating our businesses. These agreements limit or restrict our ability, among other things, to: incur additional debt; pay dividends and make other distributions; prepay subordinated debt; make investments and other restricted payments; create liens; sell assets; and enter into transactions with affiliates.

We are also required to maintain certain debt ratings, comply with leverage and interest coverage financial covenants and deliver to our lenders audited annual and unaudited quarterly financial statements. Our ability to comply with these covenants may be affected by events beyond our control. Failure to comply with these covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Since 1997, we have expanded through a number of acquisitions, and we may pursue strategic acquisitions of businesses in the future. Our ability to implement this growth strategy will be limited by our ability to identify appropriate acquisition candidates, covenants in our credit agreement and other debt agreements and our financial resources, including available cash and borrowing capacity. Acquisitions may require additional debt financing, resulting in higher leverage and an increase in interest expense. In addition, acquisitions may require large one-time charges and can result in the incurrence of contingent liabilities, adverse tax consequences, substantial depreciation or deferred compensation charges, the amortization of identifiable purchased intangible assets or impairment of goodwill, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Should we acquire another business, the process of integrating acquired operations into our existing operations may create operating difficulties and may require significant financial and managerial resources that would otherwise be available for the ongoing development or expansion of existing operations. Some of the more common challenges associated with acquisitions that we may experience include:

Further, no guarantees can be made that we would realize the cost savings, synergies or revenue enhancements that we may anticipate from any acquisition, or that we will realize such benefits within the time frame that we expect. If we are not able to timely address the challenges associated with acquisitions and successfully integrate acquired businesses, or if our integrated product and service offerings fail to achieve market acceptance, our business could be adversely affected.

This Annual Report and other written reports and oral statements we make from time-to-time include “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this Annual Report regarding our financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives of management for future operations, industry conditions, market conditions and indebtedness covenant compliance are forward-looking statements. In some cases forward looking statements can be identified by terms such as "may," "should," "expects," "could," "intends," "projects," "predicts," "plans," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," "forecasts" or other comparable terminology. These statements are not historical facts or guarantees of future performance, but instead are based on current expectations and are subject to significant risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control.

We have identified factors that could cause actual plans or results to differ materially from those included in any forward-looking statements. These factors include those described above under this "Risk Factors" heading, or as may be identified in our other SEC filings from time to time. These uncertainties are beyond our ability to control, and in many cases, it is not possible to foresee or identify all the factors that may affect our future performance or any forward-looking information, and new risk factors can emerge from time to time. Given these risks and uncertainties, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.

All forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report are based on information available to us on the date of this Annual Report and the risk that actual results will differ materially from expectations expressed in this report will increase with the passage of time. We undertake no obligation, and disclaim any duty, to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement or disclose any facts, events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof that may affect the accuracy of any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in our expectations or otherwise. This discussion is provided as permitted by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and all of our forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referenced in this section.

Our principal executive offices, including our global headquarters, are located at 5215 N. O'Connor Boulevard, Suite 2300, Irving, Texas 75039. Our global headquarters is a leased facility, which we began to occupy on January 1, 2004. In September 2011, we extended our original lease term an additional 10 years to December 31, 2023. We have the option to renew the current lease for two additional five-year periods. We currently occupy 125,000 square feet at this facility.

Not applicable.

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "FLS." On February 11, 2015,2016, our records showed 1,5251,468 shareholders of record. The following table sets forth the range of high and low prices per share of our common stock as reported by the NYSE for the periods indicated.

Note 1514 to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report includes a discussion of our share repurchase activity and payment of quarterly dividends on our common stock.

The following graph depicts the most recent five-year performance of our common stock with the S&P 500 Index and S&P 500 Industrial Machinery. The graph assumes an investment of $100 on December 31, 2009,2010, and assumes the reinvestment of any dividends over the following five years. The stock price performance shown in the graph is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.

The following discussion and analysis is provided to increase the understanding of, and should be read in conjunction with, the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and the “Forward-Looking Statements” included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 20142015 ("Annual Report") for a discussion of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions associated with these statements. Unless otherwise noted, all amounts discussed herein are consolidated.

We believe that we are a world-leading manufacturer and aftermarket service provider of comprehensive flow control systems. We develop and manufacture precision-engineered flow control equipment integral to the movement, control and protection of the flow of materials in our customers’ critical processes. Our product portfolio of pumps, valves, seals, automation and aftermarket services supports global infrastructure industries, including oil and gas, chemical, power generation and water management, as well as general industrial markets where our products and services add value. Through our manufacturing platform and global network of Quick Response Centers ("QRCs"), we offer a broad array of aftermarket equipment services, such as installation, advanced diagnostics, repair and retrofitting. We currently employ approximately 18,00019,000 employees in more than 50 countries.

Our business model is significantly influenced by the capital spending of global infrastructure industries for the placement of new products into service and aftermarket services for existing operations. The worldwide installed base of our products is an important source of aftermarket revenue, where products are expected to ensure the maximum operating time of many key industrial processes. Over the past several years, we have significantly invested in our aftermarket strategy to provide local support to drive customer investments in our offerings and use of our services to replace or repair installed products. The aftermarket portion of our business also helps provide business stability during various economic periods. The aftermarket business, which is primarily served by our network of 171191 QRCs located around the globe, provides a variety of service offerings for our customers including spare parts, service solutions, product life cycle solutions and other value-added services. It is generally a higher margin business compared to our original equipment business and a key component of our profitable growth strategy.

Our operations are conducted through three business segments that are referenced throughout this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("MD&A"):

Our business segments share a focus on industrial flow control technology and have a high number of common customers. These segments also have complementary product offerings and technologies that are often combined in applications that provide us a net competitive advantage. Our segments also benefit from our global footprint and our economies of scale in reducing administrative and overhead costs to serve customers more cost effectively. For example, our segment leadership reports to our Chief Operating Officer ("COO") and the segments share leadership for operational support functions, such as research and development, marketing and supply chain.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the "Outlook for 2015"2016" section included below in this MD&A.

Our products and services are used in several distinct industries: oil and gas, chemical, power generation, water management, and a number of other industries that are collectively referred to as "general industries."

Demand for most of our products depends on the level of new capital investment and planned and unplanned maintenance expenditures by our customers. The level of new capital investment depends, in turn, on capital infrastructure projects driven by the need for oil and gas, chemicals, power generation and water management, as well as general economic conditions. These drivers are generally related to the phase of the business cycle in their respective industries and the expectations of future market behavior. The levels of maintenance expenditures are additionally driven by the reliability of equipment, planned and unplanned downtime for maintenance and the required capacity utilization of the process.

Sales to EPC firms and original equipment manufacturers are typically for large project orders and critical applications, as are certain sales to distributors. Project orders are typically procured for customers either directly from us or indirectly through contractors for new construction projects or facility enhancement projects.

The quick turnaround business, which we also refer to as "short-cycle," is defined as orders that are received from the customer (booked) and shipped generally within six months of receipt. These orders are typically for more standardized, general purpose products, parts or services. Each of our three business segments generate certain levels of this type of business.

In the sale of aftermarket products and services, we benefit from a large installed base of our original equipment, which requires periodic maintenance, repair and replacement parts. We use our manufacturing platform and global network of QRCs to offer a broad array of aftermarket equipment services, such as installation, advanced diagnostics, repair and retrofitting. In geographic regions where we are positioned to provide quick response, we believe customers have traditionally relied on us, rather than our competitors, for aftermarket products due to our highly engineered and customized products. However, the aftermarket for standard products is competitive, as the existence of common standards allows for easier replacement of the installed products. As proximity of service centers, timeliness of delivery and quality are important considerations for all

The oil and gas industry represented approximately 43%36% and 41%43% of our bookings in both2015 and 2014, and 2013, respectively. Capital spending in the oil and gas industry increaseddecreased in 20142015 compared to the previous year due to the need to continue building infrastructure to bring capacity on line to meet future demand expectations. The majority of investmentbroad-based capital spending declines, heightened pricing pressures and negative currency impacts caused by the major oil companies continued to focus on upstream production activities; however, there were improved levels of spending in both mid-stream pipeline and downstream refining operations, particularly in the developing markets.a stronger U.S. dollar. Aftermarket opportunities in this industry improveddecreased in 2014 as refinery2015 due to deferred spending on our customers' repair and maintenance activity increasedbudgets and the impact of end-user union strikes in our North American markets.America.

The chemical industry, which represented approximately 22% and 20% of our bookings in 2015 and 2014, and 2013,respectively, experienced an increaseda decreased level of capital spending in 2014 with the expansion of existing facilities2015 due to broad-based capital spending declines, heightened pricing pressures and the approval of new projects around the world. North America experiencednegative currency impacts caused by a revival, where shale gas has changed the economics of production allowing for a lower cost abundant feedstock to drive high value chemical projects. The Middle East and Asia have seen growth in chemical projects as countries in those regions try to access the higher margins available downstream in the petrochemical markets.stronger U.S. dollar. The aftermarket opportunities improved fordecreased in 2015 due to deferred spending of our customers' repair and maintenance budgets and the majorityimpact of the year with indications that the improvements will continue into 2015.union strikes of our customers in North America.

Despite a solid year, theThe outlook for the chemical industry remains heavily dependent on global economic conditions. IfAs global economies stabilize and unemployment conditions improve, a rise in consumer spending should follow. An increase in spending would drive greater demand for chemical-based products supporting improved levels of capital investment. We believe the chemical industry in the near-term will continue to invest in North America capacity additions, maintenance and upgrades for optimization of existing assets and that developing regions will continue investingselectively invest in capital infrastructure to meet current and future indigenous demand. We believe our global presence and our localized aftermarket capabilities are well-positioned to serve the potential growth opportunities in this industry.

The power generation industry represented approximately 12%14% and 13%12% of our bookings in 20142015 and 2013,2014, respectively. In 2014,2015, the power generation industry continued to experience some softness in capital spending in the mature regions driven by the uncertainty related to environmental regulations, as well as potential regulatory impacts to the overall civilian nuclear market. In the developing regions, capital investment remained in place driven by increased demand forecasts for electricity in countries such as China and India. Global concerns about the environment continue to support an increase in desired future capacity from renewable energy sources. The majority of the active and planned construction throughout 20142015 continued to utilize designs based on fossil fuels. Natural gas increased its percentage of utilization driven by market prices for gas remaining low and relatively stable. With the potential of unconventional sources of gas, such as shale gas, the power generation industry is forecasting an increased use of this form of fuel for power generation plants.

We believe the outlook for the power generation industry remains favorable. Current legislative efforts to limit the emissions of carbon dioxide may have an adverse effect on investment plans depending on the potential requirements imposed and the timing of compliance by country. However, we believe that proposed methods of limiting carbon dioxide emissions offer business opportunities for our products and services. We believe the long-term fundamentals for the power generation industry remain solid based on projected increases in demand for electricity driven by global population growth, advancements of industrialization and growth of urbanization in developing markets. We also believe that our long-standing reputation in the power generation industry, our portfolio of offerings for the various generating methods, our advancements in serving the

The water management industry represented approximately 3%4% and 4%3% our bookings in both2015 and 2014, and 2013, respectively. Water management industry activity level experienced some softness in 20142015 despite worldwide demand for fresh water and water treatment continuing to create requirements for new facilities or for upgrades of existing systems, many of which require products that we offer, particularly pumps. The proportion of people living in regions that find it difficult to meet water requirements is expected to double by 2025. We believe that the persistent demand for fresh water during all economic cycles supports continued investments.

The outlook for this group of industries is heavily dependent upon the condition of global economies and consumer confidence levels. The long-term fundamentals of many of these industries remain sound, as many of the products produced by these industries are common staples of industrialized and urbanized economies. We believe that our specialty product offerings designed for these industries and our aftermarket service capabilities will provide continued business opportunities.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the “Outlook for 2015”2016” section included in this MD&A.

On May 17, 2006, the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 was signed into law, creating an exclusion from U.S. taxable income for certain types of foreign related party payments of dividends, interest, rents and royalties that, prior to 2006, had been subject to U.S. taxation. On December 18, 2015, this exclusion was further extended for five additional years. This exclusion is effective for the years 2006 through 2014,2019, and applies to certain of our related party payments.

Our effective tax rate is based upon current earnings and estimates of future taxable earnings for each domestic and international location. Changes in any of these and other factors, including our ability to utilize foreign tax credits and net operating losses or results from tax audits, could impact the tax rate in future periods. As of December 31, 2014,2015, we have foreign tax credits of $29.7$46.5 million, expiring in 20202021 through 20232024 against which we recorded a valuation allowance of $0.6 million. Additionally, we have recorded other net deferred tax assets of $29.5$42.2 million, which relate to net operating losses, tax credits and other deductible temporary differences that are available to reduce taxable income in future periods, most of

Other comprehensive loss in 2014 increased to $158.8 million as compared to income of $2.8 million in 2013. The increase was almost entirely due to foreign currency translation impacts resulting from the weakening of the Euro versus the U.S. dollar and, to a lesser extent, all other major currencies that we have exposure to at December 31, 2014 as compared with December 31, 2013.

We conduct our operations through three business segments based on type of product and how we manage the business. We evaluate segment performance and allocate resources based on each segment’s operating income. See Note 1716 to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report for further discussion of our segments. The key operating results for our three business segments, EPD, IPD and FCD, are discussed below.

Our largest business segment is EPD, through which we design, manufacture, distribute and service custom and other highly-engineered pumps and pump systems, mechanical seals and auxiliary systems (collectively referred to as "original equipment"). EPD includes longer lead time, highly-engineered pump products, and shorter cycle engineered pumps and mechanical seals that are generally manufactured within shorter lead times. EPD also manufactures replacement parts and related equipment and provides a full array of replacement parts, repair and support services (collectively referred to as "aftermarket"). EPD primarily operates in the oil and gas, power generation, chemical, water management and general industries. EPD operates in 4447 countries with 3233 manufacturing facilities worldwide, nine10 of which are located in Europe, 11 in North America, seven in Asia and five in Latin America, and it has 126129 QRCs, including those co-located in manufacturing facilities and/or shared with FCD.

Bookings in 20132014 increased by $101.0$251.1 million, or 4.3%9.7%, as compared with 2012.2013. The increase included negative currency effects of approximately $39$103 million. The increase in customer bookings was primarily driven by the oil and gas general

Gross profit in 2014 decreased by $11.1 million, or 1.2%, as compared with 2013. Gross profit margin in 2014 of 34.6%34.8% increased from 33.9%34.1% in 2013. The increase in gross profit margin was primarily attributable to a mix shift to higher margin aftermarket sales, disciplined selectivity of customer bookings and the effects of lower costs associated with operational execution improvements, partially offset by the negative impact of decreased sales on the absorption of fixed manufacturing costs.

Gross profitOperating income in 2013 increased2015 decreased by $50.1$118.2 million, or 6.2%26.4%, as compared with 2012. Gross profit margin in 20132014. The decrease included negative currency effects of 33.9%approximately $28 million. The decrease was comparable with 2012. Lower costs associated with our execution of operational improvements and,due to a lesser extent, fewer lower margin projects that shipped from backlog, were substantially$146.1 million decrease in gross profit, partially offset by a $31.0 million decrease in SG&A (including a decrease due to currency effects of approximately $49 million). The decrease in SG&A was due primarily to decreased selling and marketing-related expenses resulting from lower sales, mix shiftsavings associated with strategic cost reduction programs and a decrease in broad-based annual incentive program compensation, partially offset by charges related to lower margin original equipment sales.our realignment programs and increased bad debt expense.

Operating income in 2013 increasedBacklog of $1.2 billion at December 31, 2015 decreased by $27.2$416.0 million, or 6.9%26.4%, as compared with 2012. The increase included negative currency effects of approximately $8 million. The increase was due primarily to the gross profit increase of $50.1 million, partially offset by increased SG&A of $19.1 million (including a decrease due to currency effects of approximately $6 million). The increase in SG&A was due in part to increased bad debt expense related to certain customers and included a $10.4 million gain from the sale of our manufacturing facility in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2012 that did not recur in 2013.

Through IPD we design, manufacture, distribute and service engineered, pre-configured industrial pumps and pump systems, including submersible motors and specialty products, collectively referred to as "original equipment." Additionally, IPD manufactures replacement parts and related equipment, and provides a full array of support services, collectively referred to as "aftermarket". IPD primarily operates in the oil and gas, chemical, water management, power generation and general industries. IPD operates 1322 manufacturing facilities, fourfive of which are located in the U.S and six12 in Europe, four in Asia, one in Latin America and it operates 1734 QRCs worldwide, including nine21 sites in Europe and foursix in the U.S., three in Latin America and four in Asia, including those co-located in manufacturing facilities.

Gross profit in 2013 increasedOperating income for 2015 decreased by $15.0$76.8 million, or 6.5%71.8%, as compared with 2012. Gross profit margin in 20132014. The decrease included negative currency effects of 25.8% increased from 24.1% in 2012.approximately $5 million. The increasedecrease was primarily attributabledue to lower manufacturinga $96.6 million increase in SG&A, due primarily to the inclusion of SIHI's SG&A, which included charges related to our realignment programs and acquisition-related costs, resulting from our execution of operational improvements.and increased bad debt expense, partially offset by a decrease in broad-based annual incentive compensation.