COMPETITION

COMPETITION

Each of our businesses faces competition from both domestic and international companies. The December 2015 extension ofIn recent years, the PTC has boosted the market but has also attracted additional investment and competition in the wind energy industry. The industrial gearing industry has experienced consolidation of producers and acquisitions by strategic buyers in response to strong international competition, although recent tariff and reduced O&G and mining demand priorsupply chain uncertainties have caused buyers to 2017.shift more of their purchases to domestic gear manufacturers. 

For

Within the wind tower product line of our Towers and Heavy Fabrications segment, the largest North American based competitor is Arcosa Inc., which was formerly a Trinity Industries.Industries company. Other competitors include VestasC.S. Wind, Systems, which has periodically produced towers for third party customers in addition to meeting its own captive tower requirements, anda South Korean Company, Marmen Industries, a Canadian company, that also hasand GRI Renewable Industries, a Spanish company, each of which have production facilityfacilities in the U.S. We also face competition from imported towers, although importsin recent years a number of trade cases have periodically significantly reduced competition from imports. 

Imports from China and Vietnam have substantially ceaseddeclined following a determination by the U.S. International Trade Commission (“USITC”) in 2013 that wind towers from those countries were being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. As a result of the determination, the U.S. Department of Commerce (“USDOC”) issued antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imports of wind towers from China and an antidumping duty order on imports of towers from Vietnam. We continueIn May 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the decision from the U.S. Court of International Trade and at the same time excluded CS Wind Vietnam from the antidumping order. In April 2019, the USDOC extended the term of these duties for an additional five-year period. Following a renewed surge of tower imports from countries not impacted by existing tariffs, in July 2020, the USDOC issued antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imports of wind towers from Canada, Indonesia, and Vietnam and an antidumping order on imports of towers from Korea.  Then in September 2020, a new trade case was brought before the USDOC and USITC, to monitorassess whether wind tower imports.towers imported from India, Malaysia, and Spain were being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. The USDOC and USITC issued affirmative final determinations in all three antidumping (India, Malaysia, and Spain) and two countervailing duty cases (India and Malaysia). The USDOC imposed orders for two cases in August 2021 and the remainder in December 2021.Appeals of several of the USDOC determinations are currently pending at the CIT and the CAFC.

Within our industrial fabrications product line of our Heavy Fabrications segment, our competitors in a fragmented market include Weldall Manufacturing and AT&F Advanced Metals, along with a large number of other regional competitors. The primary differentiator among fabricators is the range of manufacturing and machining capabilities, including lifting capacity, precision machining, heat treatment capacity and the sophistication of quality systems.

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

In our Process SystemsIndustrial Solutions segment, which is primarily focused on the NGTgas turbine market, ourwe compete with electrical supply distributors. Our key competitors include Gexpro and Eastern Industrial.other small independent companies.

ENVIRONMENTAL

REGULATION AND COMPLIANCE

Production Tax Credit/Investment Tax Credit

The most impactful development incentive for our products has been the production tax credit (“PTC”) for new wind energy projects, which provides federal income tax credits based on electricity produced from qualifying wind turbines.Legislative support for the PTC has been intermittent since its introduction in 1992, which has caused volatility in the demand for new wind energy projects. 

In December 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (“COVID IV”), a $2.3 trillion spending bill that combines a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill for federal fiscal year 2021 with $900 billion in stimulus relief for the COVID-19 pandemic was signed into law. As part of COVID IV, the PTC was extended for an additional year, allowing for a 60% credit for projects that start construction by the end of 2021.  In order to benefit from the PTC, qualifying projects must either be completed within four years from their start of construction, or the developer must demonstrate that its projects are in continuous construction between start of construction and completion. As a result of COVID IV, the PTC will subsidize wind projects commenced as late as 2021 and completed by 2025, or later if continuous construction can be demonstrated. Included in COVID IV is the addition of a new 30% investment tax credit (“ITC”) created for offshore wind projects that start construction by the end of 2025.  The provision will retroactively apply to projects that started production in 2016.

On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) was enacted to reduce inflation and promote clean energy in the United States. The IRA modifies and extends the PTC until the later of 2032 or when greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 75% compared to 2022. It provides for tax credits up to a maximum of 30%, adjusted for inflation annually, for electricity generated from qualified renewable energy sources where taxpayers meet prevailing wage standards and employ a sufficient proportion of qualified apprentices from registered apprenticeship programs. It also provides a bonus credit for qualifying clean energy production in energy communities. 

The IRA also includes advanced manufacturing tax credits for manufacturers of eligible components, including wind and solar components (“45X credits”). Manufacturers qualify for the 45X credits based on the electricity output for each component produced and sold in the US starting in 2023 through 2032. The credit amount varies based on the eligible component, which includes solar components, wind energy components, inverters, qualifying battery components, and critical minerals. Tower manufacturers are eligible for credits of $0.03 per watt for applicable components produced. Manufacturers can apply to the Internal Revenue Service for cash refunds of the 45X credits for up to five years. After the first five years, the 45X credits are transferable and can be sold to third parties for cash. We are waiting for the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Treasury Department to provide implementation guidance for the legislation. 

Investment in Infrastructure

In November 2021, the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (“IIJA”) was signed into law. The IIJA provides for $548 billion in new infrastructure spending over the next five years and $650 billion in previously allocated funds. The IIJA allocated $62 billion to the Department of Energy for various projects focused on clean energy resources and expanding renewable energy. However the timing of the award of projects funded by the IIJA is uncertain thus the impact on our business is uncertain.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Our operations are subject to regulation of health and safety matters by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. We believe that we take appropriate precautions to protect our employees and third parties from workplace injuries and harmful exposure to materials handled and managed at our facilities. However, claims asserted in the future against the Company for work-related injury or illnesses could increase our costs.

Environmental

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

BACKLOG

We sell our towers under either supply agreements or individual purchase orders (“POs”), depending on the size and duration of the purchase commitment. Under the supply agreements, we typically receive a purchase commitment for towers to be delivered in future fiscal quarters, then receive POs on a periodic basis depending upon the customer’s forecast of production volume requirements within the contract terms. For our Gearing and Process SystemsIndustrial Solutions segments, sales are generally based on individual POs. As of December 31, 2017,2022, the dollar amount of our backlog believed to be firm under our supply agreements and POs awarded was approximately $138 $297million. This represents a 27% decrease 179% increasefrom the backlog at December 31, 2016, which2021. Backlog as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 is due to the receiptnet of a three-year tower framework agreementrevenue recognized over time as described in mid-2016, against which we are still delivering. The reduction in tower backlog has been partially offset by higher gearing orders due to the rebound in the O&G market, and the additionNote 2, “Revenues” of Red Wolf backlog pursuant to the February 2017 acquisition.our consolidated financial statements.

SEASONALITY

The majority of our business is not affected by seasonality.

EMPLOYEES

We had 399499 U.S.-based employees at December 31, 2017,2022, of which 329451 were in manufacturing related functions and 7048 were in administrative functions. As of December 31, 2017,2022, approximately 24%19% of our employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements with local unions in our Cicero, Illinois and Neville Island, Pennsylvania locations. We anticipate that the collective bargaining agreements with our union members will be renewed through contract renegotiation near the contract expiration dates, although there can be no assurance that any such agreements will be concluded.The three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Neville Island union was renegotiated in November 2017,2022 and is expected to remain in effect through October 2022. The2026.A four-year collective bargaining agreement within regards to the Cicero, union expiresIllinois facility was negotiated in February 2018; the parties are currently negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement.2022 and is expected to remain in effect through February 2026. We believe that our relationship with our employees is generally positive. The table below summarizes our employees as of December 31, 2022:

RAW MATERIALS

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

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

Although we have been affected by global supply chain issues that are at least partially a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe that we will be able to obtain an adequate supply of steel and other raw materials in 2023 to meet our manufacturing requirements. From time to time we have faced shortages of specific grades of steel, internal packages and delays associated with other materials from foreign sources including shortages and delays resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

QUALITY CONTROL

We have a long‑standinglong-standing focus on processes for ensuring the manufacture of high‑qualityhigh-quality products. To achieve high standards of production and operational quality, we implement strict and extensive quality control and inspections throughout our production processes. We maintain internal quality controls over all core manufacturing processes and carry out quality assurance inspections at the completion of each major manufacturing step to ensure the quality of our products. The manufacturing process at our Gearing segment, for example, involves transforming forged steel into precision gears through cutting, heat treating, testing and finishing. We inspect and test raw materials before they enter the assembly process, re‑testretest the raw materials after rough machining, test the functioning of gear teeth and cores after thermal treatment and accuracy test final outputs for compliance with product specifications. We believe our investment in industry‑industry leading heat treatment, high precision machining, specialized grinding technologies and cutting‑edgecutting-edge welding has contributed to our high product reliability and the consistent performance of our products under varying operating conditions. Our Gearing segment is ISO 9001:2008 certified. Our tower manufacturing plants in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and Abilene, TexasAll of our core operating facilities are ISO 9001:2010 certified. Our global NGT manufacturing plant in Sanford, North Carolina is ISO 9001:2015 certified.

CUSTOMERS

INFORMATION SYSTEMS

We manufacture products for a varietyutilize standardized information technology systems across all areas of customersquoting and estimating, enterprise resource planning, materials resource planning, capacity planning and accounting, project execution and financial controls. We provide information technology oversight and support from our corporate headquarters in Cicero, IL. The operational information systems we employ throughout the wind energy, O&G, miningCompany are industry-specific applications that in some cases have been internally developed or modified by the vendor and other infrastructure industries. The majority ofimproved to fit our wind energy industry customer base consists of wind turbine manufacturers who supply wind farm operatorsoperations. Our enterprise resource planning software is integrated with our operational information systems wherever possible to deliver relevant and wind farm developersreal-time operational data. We believe our information systems provide our people with completed wind turbines. In the other industrial sectors, we selltools to execute their individual job function and achieve our products through our trained sales force or through manufacturers’ representatives to a wide variety of customers. The wind turbine market is very concentrated. According to American Wind Energy Association 2017 industry data, the top four wind turbine manufacturers constituted approximately 99% of the U.S. market. As a result, although we have historically produced towers for most of these global wind turbine manufacturers, in any given year a limited number of customers have accounted for the majority of our revenues. Sales to Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (“SGRE”), a company formed in early 2017 through the merger of Siemens and Gamesa’s global wind energy businesses, represented greater than 10% of our consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2017 and sales to SGREand General Electric each represented greater than 10% of our consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2016. The loss of one of these customers could have a material adverse effect on our business. As a result, we are seeking to diversify our customer base.strategic initiatives.

WORKING CAPITAL

Our primary customers are wind turbine manufacturers and various other

We sell to a broad range of industrial customers. In general, we produce to order rather than to stock. For wind towers, our primary business,largest product line, the industry has historically used customized contracts with varying terms and conditions between suppliers and customers, depending on the specific objectives of each party. As such, we produce to order rather than to stock. Our practices mirror this historical industry practice of negotiating agreements on a case‑by‑casecase- by-case basis. As a result, working capital needs, including levels of accounts receivable (“A/R”), customer depositsaccounts payable (“A/P”), and inventory, can vary significantly from quarter to quarter based on the contractual terms associated with each quarter’s sales, such as whether and when we are required to purchase and supply steel pursuant to such sales.meet our contractual obligations. Customer deposits can vary significantly from quarter to quarter based on customer mix, contractual terms associated with each quarter’s sales and the timing impacts associated with customers placing orders for future production. In recent years, our larger customers have increasingly used supplier financing programs, whereby a third-party lender advances customer payments to us net of an interest charge. The combination of customer deposits and supplier financing programs arrangements may significantly reduce our working capital requirements.

In analyzing our liquidity, we focus onan important short-term metric is our use of operating working capital (“OWC”) in relationshiprelation to revenue. OWC is comprised of A/R and inventories, net of accounts payable (“A/P”)P and customer deposits. Our OWC at December 31, 20172022 was $11,376$475, or 16%0.3% of trailing three months of sales annualized. This is an increase of $12,215 fromannualized, compared to December 31, 2016,2021, when OWC was ($839),$18,635, or (.4%)18% of trailing three months of sales annualized.  The increasedecrease in OWC was driven primarily by reducedthe timing and level of customer deposits due to lower production levels in our Towers and Heavy Fabrications segment in late 2017.received for future scheduled production.

CORPORATE INFORMATION

Our principal executive office is located at 3240 South Central Avenue, Cicero, IL 60804. Our phone number is (708) 780‑4800780-4800 and our website address is www.bwen.com.

OTHER INFORMATION

On our website at www.bwen.com, we make available under the “Investors” menu selection, free of charge, our Annual Reports on Form 10‑K,10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10‑Q,10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8‑8 K, and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports or amendments are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Materials that we file or furnish to the SEC may also be read and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20549. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1‑800‑SEC‑0330. Also, the SEC maintains an Internet site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information that we file electronically with the SEC.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

RISKS RELATED TO OUR INDUSTRIES

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

As a supplier of products to wind turbine manufacturers and owners and operators of wind energy generation facilities, our

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

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

The U.S. wind energy industry is significantly impacted by tax and other economic incentives and political and governmental policies. A significant change in these incentives and policies could significantly impact our results of operations and growth.

We supply products to wind turbine manufacturers and owners and operators of wind energy generation facilities. The U.S. wind energy industry is significantly impacted by federal tax incentives and state Renewable Portfolio Standards (“RPS’s”). Despite recent reductions in the cost of wind energy, due to variability in wind quality and consistency, and other regional differences, wind energy may not be economically viable in certain parts of the country absent such incentives. These programs have provided material incentives to develop wind energy generation facilities and thereby impact the demand for our products. The increased demand for our products that generally results from the credits and incentives could be impacted by the expiration or curtailment of these programs.

One such federal government program, the PTC, provides economic incentives to the owners of wind energy facilities in the form of a tax credit. The PTC has been extended several times since its initial introduction in 1992. The FY16 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, passed on December 18, 2015, included a five-year extension and phase-down of the PTC, as well as providing the option to elect the ITC for wind energy projects. As a result, the PTC has been extended at full value for projects commenced in 2015 and 2016, and will continue at 80% of full value for projects commenced in 2017, 60% for projects commended in 2018, and 40% for projects commenced in 2019. Similarly, for the ITC election, projects that started construction in 2015 and 2016 are eligible for a full 30% ITC, and projects that start construction in 2017, 2018 and 2019 are eligible for an ITC of 24%, 18% and 12%, respectively. As before, the rules allow wind energy projects to qualify so long as construction is started before the end of the respective period.

State RPSs generally require or encourage state‑regulated electric utilities to supply a certain proportion of electricity from renewable energy sources or to devote a certain portion of their plant capacity to renewable energy generation. Typically, utilities comply with such standards by qualifying for renewable energy credits evidencing the share of electricity that was produced from renewable sources. Under many state standards, these renewable energy credits can be unbundled from their associated energy and traded in a market system, allowing generators with insufficient credits to meet their applicable state mandate. These standards have spurred significant growth in the wind energy industry and a corresponding increase in the demand for our products. Currently, the majority of states have RPS’s in place and certain states have voluntary utility commitments to supply a specific percentage of their electricity from renewable sources. The enactment of RPS’s in additional states or any changes to existing RPS’s (including changes due to the failure to extend or renew the federal incentives described above), or the enactment of a federal RPS or imposition of other greenhouse gas regulations, may impact the demand for our products. We cannot assure that government support for renewable energy will continue. The elimination of, or reduction in, state or federal government policies that support renewable energy could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial performance and future development efforts.

We are substantially dependent on a few significant customers.

Historically, the majority of our revenues are highly concentrated with a limited number of customers. In 2017, one customer, SGRE, accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated revenues, and our five largest customers accounted for 85% of our consolidated revenues. Certain of our customers periodically have expressed their intent to scale back, delay or restructure existing customer agreements, which has led to reduced revenues from these customers. It is possible that this may occur again in the future. As a result, our operating profits and gross margins have historically been negatively affected by significant variability in production levels, which has created production volume inefficiencies in our operations and cost structures.

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

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

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

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

Wind turbine manufacturers are among our primary customers. There has been consolidation among these manufacturers, and more consolidation may occur in the future. For example, both Siemens Energy, Inc. and Gamesa Wind US, LLC, were customers for our tower business until their business combination in early 2017, at which time SGRE became our largest customer.they merged into SGRE. Customer consolidation may result in pricing pressures, to which we are subject, leading to downward pressure on our margins and profits, and may also disrupt our supply chain relationships.

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

We rely on banks and capital markets as a source of liquidity for capital requirements not satisfied by cash flows from operations or asset sales. We have experienced operating losses for most periods during which we have operated, and our committed sources of liquidity may be inadequate to satisfy our operational needs. There can be no assurances that even if we were to achieve in part any or all of our strategic objectives that we would be successful in improving profitability. If we are not able to access capital at competitive rates, the ability to implement our business plans may be adversely affected. In the absence of access to capital resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations at times when the prices for such assets or operations are depressed. In such event, we may not be able to consummate those dispositions. Furthermore, the proceeds of any such dispositions may not be adequate to meet our debt service obligations when due.

Additionally, our ability to comply with the restrictive covenants contained in our debt instruments, to make scheduled payments on our existing or future debt obligations, and to fund our operations will depend on our future financial and operating performance. There can be no assurances that our operations will generate sufficient cash flows to enable us to maintain compliance with the restrictive covenants contained in our debt instruments, pay our remaining indebtedness or to fund our other liquidity needs. If we cannot make scheduled payments on our debt, we will be in default and, as a result, among other things, our debt holders could declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable which could force us to liquidate certain assets or alter our business operations or debt obligations. Moreover, if we are unable to obtain additional capital or if our current sources of financing including customer advances, are reduced or unavailable, our overall operations could be materially and negatively impacted.  In addition, raising capital in the equity capital markets could result in limitations on our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards.

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

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

OPERATIONAL RISKS

We are substantially dependent on a few significant customers and the ordering levels for our products may vary based on customer needs.

Historically, the majority of our revenues are highly concentrated with a limited number of customers.  Some of the markets we serve have a limited number of customers.  In 2022, two customers, SGRE and GE Renewable Energy, each accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated revenues, and our five largest customers accounted for69% of our consolidated revenues. Certain of our customers have periodically expressed their intent to scale back, delay or restructure existing customer agreements, which has led to reduced revenues from these customers and periodic deviations in expected ordering levels. It is possible that this may occur again in the future. Additionally, not all of our customers make purchases every year. As a result, our operating profits and gross margins have historically been negatively affected by significant variability in production levels, which has created production volume inefficiencies in our operations and cost structures. Because of this variability, we believe that comparisons of our operating results in any particular quarterly period may not be a reliable indicator of future performance.

We face significant risks associated with uncertainties resulting from changes to policies and laws with the currentperiodic changes in the U.S. administration.administration as well as risks associated with changes in our relationship with our significant customers. 

The change

Changes of administration in the U.S. federal government may affect our business in a manner that currently cannot be reliably predicted, especially given the potentially significant changes to various laws and regulations that affect us. These uncertainties may include changes in laws and policies in areas such as corporate taxation, taxation on imports of

internationally-sourced internationally sourced products, international trade including trade treaties such as the North American Free TradeUnited States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, environmental protection and workplace safety laws, labor and employment law, immigration and health care, which individually or in the aggregate could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.

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

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

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

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

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

We have made a strategic decision to diversify our business further into NGT power generation, O&G, mining and other industries, particularly within our gearing and Heavy Fabrications businesses and through our 2017 acquisition of Red Wolf. While we have historically participated in most of these lines of business, there is no assurance that we will be able to grow our presence in these markets at a rate sufficient to compensate for a potentially weaker wind energy market. Moreover, our participation in these markets may require additional investments in personnel, equipment and operational infrastructure. If we are unable to further penetrate these markets, our plans to diversify our operations may not be successful and our anticipated future growth may be adversely affected.

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

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

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

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

Our growth strategy has included acquiring complementary businesses, such as Red Wolf, as more fully described in Note 21, “Business Combinations” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements. In regards to Red Wolf, or any other future acquisitions, we could fail to identify, finance or complete suitable acquisitions on acceptable terms and prices. Acquisitions and the related integration processes could increase a number of risks, including diversion of operations personnel, financial personnel and management’s attention, difficulties in integrating systems and operations, potential loss of key employees and customers of the acquired companies and exposure to unanticipated liabilities. The price we pay for a business may exceed the value realized and we cannot provide any assurance that we will realize the expected synergies and benefits of any acquisition, including Red Wolf. Our discovery of, or failure to discover, material issues during due diligence investigations of acquisition targets, either before closing with regard to potential risks of the acquired operations, or after closing with regard to the timely discovery of breaches of representations or warranties, could materially harm our business. Our failure to meet the challenges involved in integrating a new business to realize the anticipated benefits of an acquisition could cause an interruption or loss of momentum in our existing activities and could adversely affect our profitability. Acquisitions also may result in the recording of goodwill and other intangible assets which are subject to potential impairments in the future that could harm our financial position and operating results.

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

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

We have substantially generated net losses since our inception.

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

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

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

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

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

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

We depend on the services of unionized labor and have collective bargaining agreements with certain of our operations workforce at our Cicero, Illinois and Neville Island, Pennsylvania Gearing facilities. The loss of the services of these and other personnel, whether through terminations, attrition, labor strike or otherwise, or a material change in our collective bargaining agreements, could have a material adverse impact on us and our future profitability. In November 2017, a three-year  collective bargaining agreement was ratified by the collective bargaining union in our Neville Island facility and is expected to remain in effect through October 2022. The collective bargaining agreement with the Cicero union expires in February 2018; the parties are currently negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. As of December 31, 2017, these collective bargaining units represented approximately 24% of our workforce.

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

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

could result in potentially significant costs and expenditures to address contamination or resolve claims or liabilities. Such costs and expenditures could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Under certain circumstances, violation of such EHS laws and regulations could result in us being disqualified from eligibility to receive federal government contracts or subcontracts under the federal government’s debarment and suspension system.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

materials or significant changes in the cost of raw materials, particularly steel, our margins and profitability could be negatively impacted.

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

We depend on the services of unionized labor and have collective bargaining agreements with certain of our operations workforce at our Cicero, Illinois and Neville Island, Pennsylvania Gearing facilities. The loss of the services of these and other personnel, whether through terminations, attrition, labor strike or otherwise, or a material change in our collective bargaining agreements, including a significant increase in labor costs, could have a material adverse impact on us and our future profitability. In November 2022, a four-year collective bargaining agreement was ratified by the collective bargaining union in our Neville Island facility and will remain in effect through October 2026. A four-year collective bargaining agreement in regard to the Cicero, Illinois facility was negotiated in February 2022, and is expected to remain in effect through February 2026. Any failure to negotiate and conclude a new collective bargaining agreement with a union when the applicable agreement expires could result in strikes, boycotts, or other labor disruptions. As of December 31, 2022, these collective bargaining units represented approximately 19% of our workforce.

Our ability to hire and retain qualified personnel at competitive cost could adversely affect our business.

Many of the products we sell, and related services that we provide require that we have skilled labor in our manufacturing facilities. The availability of labor in the markets in which we operate has declined in recent years and competition for such labor has increased, especially under the economic crises experienced throughout and following the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant increase in wages paid by competitors, both within and outside the energy industry, for such work force could result in insufficient availability of workers or increase our labor costs, or both. In the event prevailing wage rates continue to increase in the markets in which we operate, we may be required to concurrently increase the wages paid to our employees to maintain the quality of our workforce and customer service. If the supply of skilled labor is constrained or our costs of attracting and maintaining a workforce increase, our profit margins could decrease, and our growth potential and brand image could be impaired.

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

The global markets for wind turbines and our other manufactured industrial components are rapidly evolving technologically. Our component manufacturing equipment and technology may not be suited for future generations of products being developed by wind turbine companies. As turbines grow in size, particularly to support the development of offshore windfarms, tower manufacturing becomes more complicated and may require investments in new manufacturing equipment. For example, some wind turbine manufacturers are using wind turbine towers made partially or wholly from concrete instead of steel. To maintain a successful business in our field, we must keep pace with technological developments and the changing standards of our customers and potential customers and meet their constantly evolving demands. If we fail to adequately respond to the technological changes in our industry, make the necessary capital investments or are not suited to provide components for new types of wind turbines, our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.

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

We provide warranty terms generally ranging between one and five years to our customers depending upon the specific product and terms of the customer agreement. We reserve for warranty claims based on prior experience and estimates made by management based upon a percentage of our sales revenues related to such products. From time to time, customers have submitted warranty claims to us. However, we have a limited history on which to base our warranty estimates for certain of our manufactured products. Our assumptions could materially differ from the actual performance of our products in the future and could exceed the levels against which we have reserved. In some instances, our customers have interpreted the scope and coverage of certain of our warranty provisions differently from our interpretation of such provisions. The expenses associated with remediation activities in the wind energy industry can be substantial, and if we are required to pay such costs in connection with a customer’s warranty claim, we could be subject to additional unplanned cash expenditures. If our estimates prove materially incorrect, or if we are required to cover remediation expenses in addition to our regular warranty coverage, we could be required to incur additional expenses and could face a material unplanned cash expenditure, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Market disruptions and volatility may result in an increased likelihood of our customers asserting warranty or remediation claims in connection with our products that they would not ordinarily assert in a more stable economic environment. In the event of such a claim, we may incur costs if we decide to compensate the affected customer or to engage in litigation with the affected customer regarding the claim. We maintain product liability insurance, but there can be no guarantee that such insurance will be available or adequate to protect against such claims. A successful claim against us could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Because our industry is capital intensive and we have significant fixed and semi-fixed costs, our profitability is sensitive to changes in volume.

The property, plants and equipment needed to manufacture products for our customers and provide our processes and solutions can be very expensive. We must spend a substantial amount of capital to purchase and maintain such property, plant and equipment. Although we believe our current cash balance, along with our projected internal cash flows and available financing sources, will provide sufficient cash to support our currently anticipated operating and capital needs, if we are unable to generate sufficient cash to purchase and maintain the property, plant and equipment necessary to operate our business, we may be required to reduce or delay planned capital expenditures or to incur additional indebtedness.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may continue to have, adverse effects on our operations.

In prior periods, we experienced adverse impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic including a decline in order activity levels within the Gearing and Heavy Fabrications segments and customers’ postponement of scheduled purchases and project timing partially offset by the continued operation of our facilities as essential businesses in light of the customers and markets served. We continue to incur manufacturing inefficiencies associated with severe supply chain disruptions and realized employee staffing constraints due to the continued spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although availability of vaccines and reopening of state and local economies have improved the outlook for recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the ongoing global pandemic, including emerging variants, we may again experience weaker customer demand, requests for extended payment terms, customer bankruptcies, additional supply chain disruption, more employee staffing constraints and difficulties, government restrictions or other factors that could negatively impact us and our business, operations and financial results. In addition, a possible recession or market correction resulting from the spread of COVID-19 or otherwise could materially affect our business and the value of our stock. 

The impacts and potential impacts of COVID-19 that could directly or indirectly materially affect our business also include, but are not limited to, effectiveness of the vaccines against the evolving variants, additional widespread resurgences in COVID-19 infections, and evolving safety protocols such as requirements for proof of vaccination or regular testing in certain of our markets. As we cannot predict the duration or scope of the pandemic or its impact on economic and financial markets, any negative impact to our results cannot be reasonably estimated, but it could be material.

Cybersecurity incidents could disrupt our business and result in the compromise of confidential information.

Our business is at risk from and may be impacted by information security incidents, including attempts to gain unauthorized access to our confidential data, ransomware, malware, phishing emails, and other electronic security events. Such incidents can range from individual attempts to gain unauthorized access to our information technology systems to more sophisticated security threats. They can also result from internal compromises, such as human error, or malicious acts. While we seek to employ measures to prevent, detect, and mitigate these threats, there is no guarantee such efforts will be successful in preventing a cyber event. Cybersecurity incidents could disrupt our business and compromise confidential information belonging to us and third parties.

Recent increases in inflation and interest rates in the United States and elsewhere could adversely affect our business.

We are exposed to fluctuations in inflation and interest rates, which could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The United States and other jurisdictions have recently experienced high levels of inflation. If the inflation rate continues to increase, it will likely affect our expenses, including, but not limited to, employee compensation and labor expenses and increased costs for supplies, and we may not be successful in offsetting such cost increases. In addition, historically we have carried a significant amount of variable rate debt which is subject to fluctuations in interest rates. Recent increases in interest rates will result in increased interest expense to the extent we cannot limit our debt balances.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR CORPORATE STRATEGY  

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

We continue to seek to strategically diversify and grow the business to improve operational efficiency and meet customer demand. Our diversification efforts into the natural gas turbine power generation, O&G, mining and other industries may require additional investments in personnel, equipment and operational infrastructure. Moreover, although we have historically participated in most of these lines of business, there is no assurance that we will be able to grow our presence in these markets at a rate sufficient to compensate for a potentially weaker wind energy market. If we are unable to produce, maintainfurther penetrate these markets, our plans to diversify our operations may not be successful and disseminate relevant and/or reliable dataour anticipated future growth may be adversely affected.

Our growth efforts through increased production levels at existing facilities, acquisitions and information pertainingcontinuous improvement activities such as the proper coordination and integration of the supply chain, the consistent use of systems with respect to production activities, the Advanced Product Quality Processes (APQP) to support the introduction of new products, and the hiring of continuous improvement experts to optimize our production processes, will require coordinated efforts across the Company and continued enhancements to our current operating infrastructure. If the cost of making these changes increases or if our efforts are unsuccessful, the Company may not realize anticipated benefits and our future earnings may be adversely affected.

Our diversification outside of the wind energy market exposes us to business risks associated with the gas turbine, O&G, and mining industries, among others, which may slow our growth or penetration in an efficient, cost-effective, securethese markets.

Although we have experience in the gas turbine, O&G and well-controlled fashion and avoid security breaches affectingmining industry markets, these markets have not historically been our information technology systems, such inabilityprimary focus. In further diversifying our business to serve these markets, we face competitors who may have significant negative impacts onmore resources, longer operating histories and more well-established relationships than we do, and we may not be able to successfully or profitably generate additional business opportunities in these industries. Moreover, if we are able to successfully diversify into these markets, our confidentiality obligations, and proprietary needs and therefore on our future operations, profitability and competitive position.

Management relies on information technology infrastructure and architecture, including hardware, network, software, people and processes,businesses may be exposed to provide useful and confidential information to conduct our business in the ordinary course, including correspondence and commercial data and information interchangerisks associated with customers, suppliers, consultants, advisors and governmental agencies, and to support assessments and conclusions about future plans and initiatives pertaining to market demands, operating performance and competitive positioning. In addition, any material failure, interruption of service, compromised data security or cybersecurity threatthese industries, which could adversely affect our relationsfuture earnings and growth. These risks include, among other things:

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

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

Additionally, most of our customers do not commit to long-term contracts or firm production schedules, and accordingly, we frequently experience volatile lead-times in customer orders. Additionally, customers may change production quantities or delay production with little advance notice. Therefore, we rely on and plan our production and inventory levels based on our customers’ advance orders, commitments and/or forecasts, as well as our internal assessments and forecasts of customer demand. The variations in volume and timing of sales make it difficult to schedule production and optimize utilization of manufacturing capacity. This uncertainty may require us to increase staffing and incur other expenses in order to meet an unexpected increase in customer demand, potentially placing a significant burden on our resources. An inability to respond to such changes in a timely manner may also cause customer dissatisfaction, which may negatively affect our customer relationships. 

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

Our growth strategy includes acquiring complementary businesses. In regards to any other future acquisitions, we could fail to identify, finance or complete suitable acquisitions on acceptable terms and prices. Acquisitions and the related integration processes could increase a number of risks, including diversion of operations personnel, financial personnel and management’s attention, difficulties in integrating systems and operations, potential loss of key employees and customers place usof the acquired companies and exposure to unanticipated liabilities. The price we pay for a business may exceed the value realized and we cannot provide any assurance that we will realize the expected synergies and benefits of any acquisitions. Our discovery of, or failure to discover, material issues during due diligence investigations of acquisition targets, either before closing with regard to potential risks of the acquired operations, or after closing with regard to the timely discovery of breaches of representations or warranties, could materially harm our business. Our failure to meet the challenges involved in violationintegrating a new business to realize the anticipated benefits of confidentialityan acquisition could cause an interruption or loss of momentum in our existing activities and data protection laws, rules and regulations, andcould adversely affect our profitability. Acquisitions also may result in negative impactsthe recording of goodwill and other intangible assets which are subject to potential impairments in the future that could diminish our market share, operationsreported earnings and profitability. Security breachesoperating results.

We are subject to risks associated with proxy contests and other actions of activist stockholders.

Publicly traded companies have increasingly become subject to campaigns by activist investors advocating corporate actions such as governance changes, financial restructurings, increased borrowings, special dividends, stock repurchases or even sales of assets or entire companies to third parties or the activists themselves. We have received a notice dated January 18, 2023 from WM Argyle Fund, LLC (“WM Argyle”), which allegedly owned approximately 1.0% of the Company’s outstanding shares at the time of submission, purporting to nominate a slate of six candidates for election as directors at our 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Company values input from all stockholders, including WM Argyle, and remains open to ongoing engagement with WM Argyle. However, if the Company and WM Argyle cannot reach an agreement in connection with its nomination, there will be a contested election at the Company’s 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. A proxy contest or related activities on the part of activist stockholders, including, among others, WM Argyle, could adversely affect our information technologybusiness for a number of reasons, including, without limitation, the following:

FINANCIAL RISKS

We have substantially generated net losses since our inception.

We have experienced operating losses since inception, except that we were profitable in 2016 and 2021. We have incurred significant costs in connection with the development of our businesses, and because we have operated at low-capacity utilization in certain facilities, there is no assurance that we will generate sufficient revenues to offset anticipated operating costs. Although we anticipate deriving revenues from the sale of our products, no assurance can be given that these products can be sold on a profitable basis. We cannot give any assurance that we will be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis in the future. 

We may continue to incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including other risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays, and other unknown factors.

Our PPP Loans were forgiven, but we may still be subject to audit and any resulting adverse audit financings of non-compliance could result in theft, destruction, loss, misappropriationthe repayment of a portion or releaseall of confidential datathe PPP Loans and may restrict our flexibility in operating our business or intellectual propertyotherwise adversely affect our results of operations.

On April 15, 2020, we received funds under notes and related documents (“PPP Loans”) with CIBC Bank, USA under the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”), which was established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), as amended by the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (the “SBA”). We received total proceeds of $9,530 from the PPP Loans and made repayments of $379 on May 13, 2020. We used at least 60% of our PPP Loan proceeds to pay for payroll costs and the balance on other eligible qualifying expenses that we believe to be consistent with the PPP.

We submitted our forgiveness applications to CIBC Bank, USA in the first quarter of 2021, and during the second quarter of 2021, all PPP Loans were forgiven by the SBA. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced that it will conduct audits for PPP Loans that exceed $2,000 for a period of six years after forgiveness. Should we be audited or reviewed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the SBA, such audit or review could result in the diversion of management’s time and attention and cause us to incur significant costs. If we were to be audited and receive an adverse outcome in such an audit, we could be required to return the full amount of the PPP Loans and may potentially be subject to civil and criminal fines and penalties.  If it is subsequently determined that the PPP Loans must be repaid, we may be required to use a substantial portion of our available cash and/or cash flows from operations to pay interest and principal on the PPP Loans, and any future repayment of such loans, would adversely impact our futureoperations and financial results.

Future sales

RISKS RELATED TO OWNING OUR COMMON STOCK

There is a limited trading market for our securities and the market price of our securities is subject to volatility.

Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Historically, we have not had an active trading market for our common stock. The absence of an active trading market increases price volatility and reduces the liquidity of our common stock. The market price and level of trading of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include, among other things, our limited trading volume, actual or securities convertible intoanticipated variations in our common stock may depress our stock price.

Sales of a substantial number of sharesoperating results and cash flow, the nature and content of our common stockearnings releases, announcements or events that impact our business and the general state of the securities convertible intomarket, as well as general economic, political and market conditions and other factors that may affect our common stock infuture results.  In 2022, the public market, or the perception that these sales might occur, may reduce the prevailing marketclosing price of our common stock and could impairvaried from a high of $3.59per share to a low of $1.47 per share. Stockholders may have incurred substantial losses with regard to any investment in our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities and may make it more difficult for our stockholders to sell their common stock at a time and price that they deem appropriate.adversely affecting stockholder confidence.

On August 11, 2017, we filed a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-219931), which was declared effective by the SEC on October 10, 2017, to register securities that we may choose to issue in the future (the “Broadwind Form S-3”).  Under the registration statement, we have the option to offer and sell up to $50,000 in the aggregate of securities in one or more offerings.

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

We may not be able to utilize all of our NOLs. For financial statement presentation, all benefits associated with the NOL carryforwards have been reserved; therefore, this potential asset is not reflected on our balance sheet. To the extent available, we will use any NOL carryforwards to reduce the U.S. corporate income tax liability associated with our operations. However, if we do not achieve sufficient profitability prior to their expiration, we will not be able to fully utilize our NOLs to offset income. Section 382 of the IRC (“Section 382”) generally imposes an annual limitation on the amount of NOL carryforwards that may be used to offset taxable income when a corporation has undergone certain changes in stock ownership. Our ability to utilize NOL carryforwards and built‑inbuilt-in losses may be limited, under Section 382 or otherwise, by our issuance of common stock or by other changes in ownership of our stock. After analyzing Section 382 in 2010, we determined that aggregate changes in our stock ownership had triggered an annual limitation of NOL carryforwards and built‑inbuilt-in losses available for utilization to $14,284 per annum. Although this event limited the amount of pre‑pre ownership

change date NOLs and built‑built- in losses we can utilize annually, it does not preclude us from fully utilizing our current NOL carryforwards prior to their expiration. However, subsequent changes in our stock ownership could further limit our ability to use our NOL carryforwards and our income could be subject to taxation earlier than it would if we were able to use NOL carryforwards and built‑inbuilt-in losses without an annual limitation, which could result in lower profits. To address these concerns, in February 2013 we adopted a Section 382 Stockholder Rights Plan, which was subsequently approved by our stockholders and extended in 2016 and 2019 for an additional three-year periodperiods (as amended, the “Rights Plan”), designed to preserve our substantial tax assets associated with NOL carryforwards under Section 382. The Rights Plan is intended to deter any person or group from being or becoming the beneficial owner of 4.9% or more of our common stock and thereby triggering a further limitation of our available NOL carryforwards. On February 3, 2022, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) approved an amendment which included an extension of the Rights Plan for an additional three years, which was subsequently approved by our stockholders at our 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. See Note 14,13, “Income Taxes” of our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our Rights Plan. There can be no assurance that the Rights Plan will be effective in protecting our NOL carryforwards. Additionally, because the Rights Plan subjects any person that acquires 4.9% of our common stock without the Board’s permission to significant dilution, it could make it harder for a third party to acquire us without the consent of the Board. In particular, the Rights Plan may deter a third party from completing or even initiating an acquisition of the Company, which may prevent stockholders from realizing a control premium from a potential acquirer, or from otherwise maximizing stockholder value.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RISKS

Any failure to protect our customers’ intellectual property that we use in the products we manufacture for them could harm our customer relationships and subject us to liability.

The products we manufacture for our customers often contain our customers’ intellectual property, including copyrights, patents, trade secrets and know-how. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our customers’ intellectual property. The steps we take to protect our customers’ intellectual property may not adequately prevent its disclosure or misappropriation. If we fail to protect our customers’ intellectual property, our customer relationships could be harmed and we may experience difficulty in establishing new customer relationships. Additionally, our customers might pursue legal claims against us for any failure to protect their intellectual property, possibly resulting in harm to our reputation and our business, financial condition and operating results.

We may not be able to protect important intellectual property and we could incur substantial costs defending against claims that our products infringe on the proprietary rights of others.

Our ability to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary system level technologies, systems designs and manufacturing processes. While we have attempted to safeguard and maintain our proprietary rights, we do not know whether we have been or will be successful in doing so.

Further, our competitors may independently develop or patent technologies or processes that are substantially equivalent or superior to ours. If we are found to be infringing third-party patents, we could be required to pay substantial royalties and/or damages, and we do not know whether we will be able to obtain licenses to use such patents on acceptable terms, if at all. Failure to obtain needed licenses could delay or prevent the development, manufacture or sale of our products, and could necessitate the expenditure of significant resources to develop or acquire non infringing intellectual property.

We may need to pursue lawsuits or legal action in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights and to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. Litigation and other proceedings, even if they are successful, are expensive to pursue and time consuming, and we could use a substantial amount of our management and financial resources in either case.

Confidentiality agreements to which we are party may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. Our trade secrets may also be known without breach of such agreements or may be independently developed by competitors. Our inability to maintain the proprietary nature of our technology and processes could allow our competitors to limit or eliminate any competitive advantages we may have.

LEGAL, TAX, REGULATORY AND COMPLIANCE RISKS

The U.S. wind energy industry is significantly impacted by tax and other economic incentives. A significant change in these incentives could significantly impact our results of operations and growth. 

We sell towers to wind turbine manufacturers who supply wind energy generation facilities. The U.S. wind energy industry is significantly impacted by federal tax incentives and state Renewable Portfolio Standards (“RPSs”). Despite recent reductions in the cost of wind energy, due to variability in wind quality and consistency, and other regional differences, wind energy may not be economically viable in certain parts of the country absent such incentives. These programs have provided material incentives to develop wind energy generation facilities and thereby impact the demand for our products. The increased demand for our products that generally results from the credits and incentives could be impacted by the expiration or curtailment of these programs.

One such federal government program, the PTC, provides a supplemental payment based on electricity produced from each qualifying wind turbine. Legislative support for the PTC has been intermittent since its introduction in 1992, which has caused volatility in the demand for new wind energy projects. In 2015, the PTC was extended for a five-year period, with a time-based phase-out depending on the year the wind project is commenced. The phase-out schedule legislated in 2015 provided for: 100% extension of the credit for projects commenced before the end of 2016, 80% extension of the credit for projects commenced in 2017, 60% extension of the credit for projects commenced in 2018 and 40% extension of the credit for projects commenced in 2019. As part of a year-end tax extenders bill in 2019, the PTC was extended for an additional year, allowing for a 60% extension of the credit for projects commenced before the end of 2020.

On December 27, 2020, COVID IV was signed into law. As part of COVID IV, the PTC was extended for an additional year, allowing for a 60% credit for projects that start construction by the end of 2021.  In order to benefit from the PTC, qualifying projects must either be completed within four years from their start of construction, or the developer must demonstrate that its projects are in continuous construction between start of construction and completion. As a result of COVID IV, the PTC will subsidize wind projects commenced as late as 2021 and completed by 2025, or later if continuous construction can be demonstrated. The PTC tax benefits are available for the first ten years of operation of a wind energy facility, and also applies to significant redevelopment of existing wind energy facilities. Included in COVID IV is the addition of a new 30% ITC created for offshore wind projects that start construction by the end of 2025. The provision will be retroactively applied to projects that started production in 2016.

On August 16, 2022, the IRA was enacted to reduce inflation and promote clean energy in the United States. The IRA modifies and extends the PTC until the later of 2032 or when greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 75% compared to 2022. It provides for tax credits up to a maximum of 30%, adjusted for inflation annually, for electricity generated from qualified renewable energy sources where taxpayers meet prevailing wage standards and employ a sufficient proportion of qualified apprentices from registered apprenticeship programs. It also provides a bonus credit for qualifying clean energy production in energy communities. 

The IRA also includes advanced manufacturing tax credits for manufacturers of eligible components, including wind and solar components (“45X credits”). Manufacturers qualify for the 45X credits based on the electricity output for each component produced and sold in the US starting in 2023 through 2032. The credit amount varies based on the eligible component, which includes solar components, wind energy components, inverters, qualifying battery components, and critical minerals. Tower manufacturers are eligible for credits of $0.03 per watt for applicable components produced. Manufacturers can apply to the Internal Revenue Service for cash refunds of the 45X credits for up to five years. After the first five years, the 45X credits are transferable and can be sold to third parties for cash. We are waiting for the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Treasury Department to provide implementation guidance for the legislation. 

RPSs generally require or encourage state regulated electric utilities to supply a certain proportion of electricity from renewable energy sources or to devote a certain portion of their plant capacity to renewable energy generation. Typically, utilities comply with such standards by qualifying for renewable energy credits evidencing the share of electricity that was produced from renewable sources. Under many state standards, these renewable energy credits can be unbundled from their associated energy and traded in a market system, allowing generators with insufficient credits to meet their applicable state mandate. These standards have spurred significant growth in the wind energy industry and a corresponding increase in the demand for our products. Currently, the majority of states have RPSs in place and certain states have voluntary utility commitments to supply a specific percentage of their electricity from renewable sources. The enactment of RPSs in additional states or any changes to existing RPSs (including changes due to the failure to extend or renew the federal incentives described above), or the enactment of a federal RPS or imposition of other greenhouse gas regulations, may impact the demand for our products. We cannot assure that government support for renewable energy will continue including any assurance regarding the adoption of any of the clean energy provisions of the Build Back Better agenda. The elimination of, or reduction in, state or federal government policies that support renewable energy could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial performance and future development efforts.

Changes to trade regulation, quotas, duties or tariffs, and sanctions caused by changing U.S. and geopolitical policies, may impact our competitive position or adversely impact our margins.

Tariffs have resulted in increased prices, including with respect to certain steel products, and could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows. These tariffs, along with any additional tariffs or trade restrictions that may be implemented by the U.S. or other countries, could result in further increased prices and a decreased available supply of steel and other imported components and inputs. We may not be able to pass price increases on to our customers and may not be able to secure adequate alternative sources of steel on a timely basis.

The existence of government subsidies available to our competitors in certain countries may affect our ability to compete on a price basis. In 2013, the USITC determined that wind towers from China and Vietnam were being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. Imports from China and Vietnam have declined following a determination by the USITC in 2013 that wind towers from those countries were being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. As a result of the determination, the USDOC issued antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imports of wind towers from China and an antidumping duty order on imports of towers from Vietnam. In May 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the decision from the U.S. Court of International Trade and at the same time excluded CS Wind Vietnam from the antidumping order. In April 2019, the USDOC extended the term of these duties for an additional five-year period. Following a renewed surge of tower imports from countries not impacted by existing tariffs, in July 2020, the USDOC issued antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imports of wind towers from Canada, Indonesia, and Vietnam and an antidumping order on imports of towers from Korea.  Then in September 2020, a new trade case was brought before the USDOC and USITC, to assess whether wind towers imported from India, Malaysia, and Spain were being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. The USDOC and USITC issued affirmative final determinations in all three antidumping (India, Malaysia, and Spain) and two countervailing duty cases (India and Malaysia). The USDOC imposed orders for two cases in August 2021 and the remainder in December 2021. Appeals of several of the USDOC determinations are currently pending at the CIT and the CAFC.

Additionally, the war in Ukraine has led to economic sanctions imposed against Russia by the U.S. and certain European nations, including a prohibition on doing business with certain Russian companies. Such sanctions may impact companies in many sectors and could lead to volatility of prices in the global energy industry. The extent and duration of the war and extent and strength of the sanctions are still developing, and the corresponding effect on the Company remains uncertain.  

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

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

We also are subject to laws and regulations that impose liability and cleanup responsibility for releases of hazardous substances into the environment. Under certain of these laws and regulations, such liabilities can be imposed for cleanup of currently and formerly owned, leased or operated properties, or properties to which hazardous substances or wastes were sent by current or former operators at our current or former facilities, regardless of whether we directly caused the contamination or violated any law at the time of discharge or disposal. Several of our facilities have a history of industrial operations, and contaminants have been detected at some of our facilities. The presence of contamination from hazardous substances or wastes could interfere with ongoing operations or adversely affect our ability to sell, lease or use our properties as collateral for financing. We also could be held liable under third-party claims for property damage, natural resource damage or personal injury and for penalties and other damages under such environmental laws and regulations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. During 2022, we did not incur significant remediation costs or penalties related to environmental matters. 

Our ability to comply with regulatory requirements and potential environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) regulations and trends is critical to our future success, and there can be no guarantee that our businesses are in full compliance with all such requirements.

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

Additionally, other ESG-related laws, regulations, treaties, and similar initiatives and programs are being proposed, adopted and implemented throughout the world. If we were to violate or become liable under environmental or certain ESG-related laws or if our products become non-compliant with such laws or market access requirements, our customers may refuse to purchase our products, and we could incur costs or face other sanctions, such as restrictions on our products entering certain jurisdictions, fines, and/or civil or criminal sanctions. In addition to potential implementation of ESG laws, investor advocacy groups, certain institutional investors, investment funds, other market participants, stockholders, and customers have focused increasingly on the ESG practices of companies, including those associated with climate change. If our ESG practices do not meet investor or other industry stakeholder expectations and standards, which continue to evolve, our brand, reputation and employee retention may be negatively impacted based on an assessment of our ESG practices.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our corporate headquarters is located in Cicero, Illinois, a suburb located west of Chicago, Illinois. In addition, the Subsidiaries own or lease operating facilities, which are presented by operating segment as follows (information below is as of December 31, 2017)2022).

We consider our active facilities to be in good condition and adequate for our present and future needs.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are party to a variety of legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of our business. While the results of these legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes that the final outcome of these proceedings will not have a material adverse effect, individually or in the aggregate, on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. Due to the inherent uncertainty of litigation, there can be no assurance that the resolution of any particular claim or proceeding would not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. It is possible that if one or more of such matters were decided against us, the effects could be material to our results of operations in the period in which we would be required to record or adjust the related liability and could also be material to our financial condition and cash flows in the period in which we would be required to pay such liability.

We received a notice dated January 18, 2023 from WM Argyle Fund, LLC, which allegedly owned approximately 1.0% of our outstanding shares at the time of submission, purporting to nominate a slate of six candidates for election as directors at our 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. We remain open to ongoing engagement with WM Argyle. However, if the Company and WM Argyle cannot reach an agreement in connection with its nomination, there will be a contested election at the Company’s 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not Applicable.

The following table reconciles our non-GAAP key financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure:

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Year Ended December 31, 20172022 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 20162021

The summary of selected financial data table below should be referenced in connection with a review of the following discussion of our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 20172022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2016.2021.

Consolidated

Revenues decreased increasedby $34,055$31,140 during the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to a 92% increase in industrial fabrications product line revenue within the Heavy Fabrications segment compared to the prior year. This was primarily due to higher recent order intake from $180,840industrial customers and revenue recognized from our PRS units in the current year. Gearing segment revenue increased by 49% compared to the prior year primarily due to higher order intake in recent quarters from customers in most end markets, particularly O&G, partially offset by a decrease in aftermarket wind revenue. Industrial Solutions segment revenue increased 16% primarily due to the timing of aftermarket installations.

Gross profit improved by $5,199 during the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to higher sales volumes in the Gearing and the Heavy Fabrications segments, partially offset by higher material costs and ramp-up costs. As a result, our gross margin increased from 3.8% for the year ended December 31, 2016,2021, to $146,7856.1% for the year ended December 31, 2017. The decrease primarily reflects lower sales in our Towers and Heavy Fabrications segment of $56,821, partially offset by higher sales in the Gearing segment of $5,358, and the addition of sales from the acquisition of Red Wolf in February 2017. The Towers and Heavy Fabrications segment revenue decrease was due to a 41% decrease in towers sold, partially offset by the impact of higher steel content related to the mix of tower designs produced. The Gearing segment revenue increase was due primarily to the recovery of the market for O&G gearing.2022.

Gross profit decreased by $9,980, from $18,139 for the year ended December 31, 2016, to $8,159, for the year ended December 31, 2017. The decrease in gross profit was primarily attributable to the decrease in the production volumes in the Towers and Heavy Fabrications segment, partially offset by the benefit of increased production volumes in the Gearing segment and additional gross profit due to the acquisition of Red Wolf. As a result, our gross margin decreased from 10.0% for the year ended December 31, 2016, to 5.6% for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Operating expenses decreased from $16,230 during the year ended December 31, 2016, to $15,592 during the year ended December 31, 2017. Compensation costs decreased by $894 as a result of lower incentive compensation and staffing reductions primarily in response to lower tower production volumes, but were offset by $2,791 of operating and intangible amortization expenses associated with the acquisition of Red Wolf. Also impacting operating expenses in the current year was the reversal of the current portion of the Red Wolf earn-out payment of $1,394 and the release of a $727 environmental reserve due to completing remediation of a vacated gearing facility. Operating expenses as a percentage of sales increaseddecreased to 9.8% in 2022 from 9.0%12.4% in the prior-year to 10.6% in the current year2021 primarily due to lower revenues.higher revenue levels, reduced salaries and benefits and reduced legal fees.

Income from continuing operationsNet income decreased from income of $1,335$2,847 for the year ended December 31, 20162021 to a net loss of $3,183$9,730 for the year ended December 31, 2017,2022.The decrease in net income was primarily as a result of the factors described above, partly offset by a $5,060 tax benefit due to the release of a portionabsence of the valuation allowance related to$9,151 benefit recognized from the acquisitionPPP loan forgiveness and the $6,965 ERC benefit, both of Red Wolf.

Profitability decreased from net incomewhich were recognized in “Other Income (expense), net” in our consolidated statement of $319operations for the year ended December 31, 2016, to a net loss of $3,641, for the year ended December 31, 2017, primarily as a result of the factors described above, partly2021. This decrease was partially offset by a reduction in the net loss from discontinued operations due to a reduction in wind down expenses in our Services business.volume related increases discussed above. 

Towers and Heavy Fabrications Segment

The following table summarizes the Towers and Heavy Fabrications segment operating results for the yearstwelve months ended December 31, 20172022 and 2016:2021:

The significant reduction in orders is due primarily to the absence of the $137,000 multi-year tower order received in 2016, which supports deliveries through 2019, and an inventory correction by our largest customer in the second half of 2017. Towers and

Heavy Fabrications segment operating results improved by $2,170 as compared to the prior year. The improvement in operating performance was primarily a result of higher sales in the current year and the absence of one-time events that occurred during the prior year period including a weather-related event and a customer driven project delay, partially offset by costs associated with transitioning a portion of the workforce to support growth in the industrial fabrications product line and inefficiencies associated with a change to a new tower design in the fourth quarter. Operating profit margin was (0.9%) during the year ended December 31, 2017. The Towers and Heavy Fabrications segment revenue decrease was primarily due2022 compared to a 41% decrease in towers sold, partially offset by higher prices due to a more complex tower design and higher material costs, which are generally passed through to customers.

Towers and Heavy Fabrications segment operating income decreased by $10,121, from $12,788 for the year ended December 31, 2016, to $2,667 for the year ended December 31, 2017. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower production volumes and the corresponding underutilization of plant capacity, offset in part by significant cost reduction actions including a $1,510 decrease in incentive compensation, and staffing reductions. Operating margin decreased from 8.0%(3.2%) during the year ended December 31, 2016, to 2.6% during the year ended December 31, 2017.2021.

Gearing Segment

The following table summarizes the Gearing segment operating results for the yearstwelve months ended December 31, 20172022 and 2016:2021:

Gearing segment orders more than doubled in 2017, primarily due to the recovery in demand from O&G customers. Revenues rose more gradually, up 26% from the prior year, as the business ramped up production in the second half of the current year to support the higher demand.    

Gearing segment operating loss improved by $612 from $3,244 for the year ended December 31, 2016,2022 increased 16% compared to $2,632the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily due to increased demand from customers in all end markets. Revenues increased 49% during the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to higher order intake in recent quarters from customers in most end markets, particularly O&G, partially offset by a decrease in aftermarket wind revenue.

The Gearing segment's operating income improved by $2,636during the year ended December 31, 2022 from the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily due to higher sales,partially offset by higher material costs, ramp-up costs, and increased fixed costs to support higher volumes. Operating margin was 0.1% for the year ended December 31, 2017.  The improvement was primarily due2022 compared to the $1,886 impact of higher sales volumes and the $727 release of an environmental reserve following the successful completion of remediation activities on a facility that is now held for sale. Partially offsetting these factors were higher maintenance and tooling expense associated with supporting the volume increases, and higher commission expenses of $288. The operating margin improved based on the above items from (15.7%)(9.1)% during the year ended December 31, 2016,2021.

Industrial Solutions Segment

The following table summarizes the Industrial Solutions segment operating results for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.

Industrial Solutions segment orders increased by 3% for the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to (10.1%) an increase in new gas turbine orders. Segment revenue increased 16% from the prior year primarily due tothe timing of aftermarket installations. The improvement in operating incomeduring the year ended December 31, 2017.

Process Systems Segment

2022 was a result of the revenue increase, partially offset by increased labor and freight costs. The following table summarizes the Process Systems segment operating results formargin improved from (2.5)% during the year ended December 31, 2017.

We acquired Red Wolf on February 1, 2017 and as a result, aggregated our Abilene CNG with Red Wolf2021, to form the Process Systems reportable segment. The current year loss reflects low capacity utilization in the Abilene facility, due

to weak CNG equipment demand, a one-time charge of $350 for the write-down of CNG inventory and fixed assets due to market conditions and the impact of $1,320 of intangible amortization associated with the Red Wolf transaction.

Corporate and Other

Corporate and Other expenses improved by $2,436, from $7,635 for0.7% during the year ended December 31, 2016, to $5,199 for2022.

Corporate and Other

Corporate and Other expensesdecreased by $679 during the year ended December 31, 2017.2022. The decrease was primarily dueattributable to the reversal into income of the current portion of the accrued Red Wolf earn-out payment of $1,394lower salaries and a reduction of incentive compensation expenses of $934.benefits. 

SUMMARY OF CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

The methods, estimates and judgments that we use in applying our critical accounting policies have a significant impact on the results that we report in our financial statements. Some of our accounting policies require us to make difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates regarding matters that are inherently uncertain.

We have identified the accounting policies listed below to be critical to obtain an understanding of our consolidated financial statements. This section should also be read in conjunction with Note 1, “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of these and other significant accounting policies.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue when control of the earnings process is complete and when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, transfer of title has occurredpromised goods or services have been rendered,is transferred to customers, in an amount that reflects the selling price is fixedconsideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or determinable, collectability is reasonably assured and delivery has occurred per the terms of the contract.services. Customer deposits and other receipts are deferred and recognized when the revenue is realized and earned. Cash payments to customers, like those made for liquidated damages, are presumed to be classified as reductions of revenue in our statement of operations.

In mostmany instances within our Towers and Heavy Fabrications segment, productswind towers are sold under terms included in bill and hold sales arrangements that result in different timing for revenue recognition versus shipment, due to our customers’ preference to ship towersproducts in batches to support efficient construction of wind farms. We recognize revenue under these arrangements only when there is a substantive reason for the arrangement (i.e., the buyer requests the arrangement, title and risk of ownership has passed to the buyer, a fixed schedule for delivery exists,arrangement), the ordered goods are segregated from inventory and not available to fill other orders, and the goods are complete andcurrently ready for shipment.physical transfer to the customer, and we do not have the ability to use the product or to direct it to another customer. Assuming these required revenue recognition criteria are met, revenue is recognized upon completion of product manufacture and customer acceptance.

We will adopt

During 2022 and 2021, we also recognized revenue over time, versus point in time, when products in the provisionsGearing and Heavy Fabrications segments had no alternative use to us and we had an enforceable right to payment, including profit, upon termination of Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers,the contract by the customer. Since the projects are labor intensive, we use labor hours as the input measure of progress for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018 and will be electingcontract. Contract assets are recorded when performance obligations are satisfied but we are not yet entitled to payment. We recognize contract assets associated with this revenue which represents our rights to consideration for work completed but not billed at the modified retrospective approach. Through our assessmentend of the ASC 606, we have determined there are minimal changes to the assumptions currently utilized for the year ending December 31, 2017 and the adoption of the guidance will not result in a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.period.  

Warranty Liability

We provide warranty terms that generally range from one to five years for various products relating to workmanship and materials supplied by us. In certain contracts, we have recourse provisions for items that would enable us to seek recovery from third parties for amounts paid to customers under warranty provisions. We estimate the warranty accrual based on various factors, including historical warranty costs, current trends, product mix and sales.

Inventories

Inventories consist of raw materials, work-in-process and finished goods. Raw materials consist of components and parts for general production use. Work-in-process consists of labor and overhead, processing costs, purchased subcomponents, and materials purchased for specific customer orders. Finished goods consist of components purchased from third parties as well as components manufactured by us.

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market and net realizable value. WeWhere necessary, we have recorded a reserve for the excess of cost over marketnet realizable value in our inventory allowance. MarketNet realizable value of inventory, and management’s judgment concerning the need for reserves, encompasses consideration of othermany business factors including physical condition, inventory holding period, contract terms and usefulness. Inventories are valued based either on actual cost or using a first‑in,first-in, first out method.

Long-Lived Assets

We review property and equipment and other long-lived assets (“long-lived assets”) for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. In evaluating the recoverability of long-lived assets, we utilize a fair value technique accepted by ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, which is the asset accumulation approach.  If the fair value of the asset group is less than the carrying amount, we recognize an impairment loss.

Due to triggering events identified within our segments at various times in the Gearing segment’s operating losses in 2017 and 2016 combined with its history of continued operating losses,past, we continue to evaluate the recoverability of certain of the long-lived assetsassets. During November 2022, we identified a triggering event associated with the GearingHeavy Fabrications segment. Based on third-party appraisals and other estimates ofIn accordance with GAAP, we compared the faircarrying value of the Gearingsegment asset group we determinedto the fair value offorecast undiscounted cash flows associated with the asset group is in excess of carrying amounts under ASC 360 testing, and no impairment was indicated as of December 31, 2017 or 2016. The appraised value of the assets was determined primarily through the use of market value third-party appraisals. To the extent assumptions used in our evaluations are not achieved, there may be a negative effectgroup. Based on the valuation of these assets.

Goodwill

We review goodwill for impairment on an annual basis is accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles- Goodwill and Other. In evaluatinganalysis performed, the goodwill, we must make assumptions regarding the discounted futureforecast undiscounted cash flows of the acquired company. If the discounted cash flows are less thanexceeded the carrying value we then determine if anresulting in no recorded impairment loss is recognized by evaluating the fair value of the goodwill. We utilize fair value techniques accepted by ASC 820, which include the income, market and cost approach.  If the fair value of the goodwill is less than the carrying amount, we recognize an impairment loss.this group. 

With the Red Wolf acquisition, we recorded goodwill associated with the transaction. In accordance with ASC 350, we have elected to perform the review of goodwill for impairment on an annual basis during the fourth quarter of our fiscal year. Based on the discounted cash flows calculation utilizing three weighted average scenarios and a 19.5% discount rate, we determined the fair value of the goodwill is in excess of carrying value, and no impairment was indicated. 

Income Taxes

We account for income taxes based upon an asset and liability approach. Deferred tax assets and liabilities represent the future tax consequences of the differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities versus the tax basis of assets and liabilities. Under this method, deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary differences, and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The impact of tax rate changes on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the year that the change is enacted.

In connection with the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our income tax liability for each of the tax jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves estimating our actual current income tax expense and assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of certain income or expense items for income tax reporting and financial reporting purposes. We also recognize the expected future income tax benefits of NOL carryforwards as deferred income tax assets. In evaluating the realizability of deferred income tax assets associated with NOL carryforwards, we consider, among other things, expected future taxable income, the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary reporting differences, and the expected impact of tax planning strategies that may be implemented to prevent the potential loss of future income tax benefits. Changes in, among other things, income tax legislation, statutory income tax rates or future taxable income levels could materially impact our valuation of income tax assets and liabilities and could cause our income tax provision to vary significantly among financial reporting periods.

On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”). The Tax Act makes broad and complex changes to the U.S. tax code, including, but not limited to, (1) reducing the U.S. federal corporate tax rate; (2) eliminating the corporate alternative minimum tax; (3) creating a new limitation on deductible interest expense; and (4) changing rules related to uses and limitations of net operating loss carryforwards created in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017.

We also account for the uncertainty in income taxes related to the recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in an income tax return. We follow the applicable pronouncement guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure, and transition related to the uncertainty in these income tax positions.

Workers’ Compensation Reserves

At the beginning of the third quarter of 2013, we began to self‑insure for our workers’ compensation liability, and began establishing reserves for self‑retained losses. Historical loss experience combined with actuarial evaluation methods and the application of risk transfer programs are used to determine required workers’ compensation reserves. We take into account claims incurred but not reported when determining our workers’ compensation reserves. Workers’ compensation reserves are included in accrued liabilities. While we believe that we have adequately reserved for these claims, the ultimate outcome of these matters may exceed the amounts recorded and additional losses may be incurred. Although we entered into a guaranteed cost program at the beginning of the third quarter of 2016, we maintain a liability for the trailing claims from the self-insured policies.

Health Insurance Reserves

At the beginning of the first quarter of 2014, we began to self‑insure for our health insurance liabilities, including reserves for self‑retained losses. Historical loss experience combined with actuarial evaluation methods and the application of risk transfer programs are used to determine required health insurance reserves. We take into account claims incurred but not reported when determining our health insurance reserves. Health insurance reserves are included in accrued liabilities. While we believe that we have adequately reserved for these claims, the ultimate outcome of these matters may exceed the amounts recorded and additional losses may be incurred.

LIQUIDITY, FINANCIAL POSITION AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

On August 4, 2022, we entered into a credit agreement (the “2022 Credit Agreement”) with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as lender (“Wells Fargo”), providing the Company and its subsidiaries with a $35,000 senior secured revolving credit facility (which may be further increased by up to an additional $10,000 upon the request of the Company and at the sole discretion of Wells Fargo) and a $7,578 senior secured term loan (collectively, the “2022 Credit Facility”). The proceeds of the 2022 Credit Facility are available for general corporate purposes, including strategic growth opportunities. As of December 31, 2017,2022, cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled $78, a decrease$12,732, an increase of $21,792 $11,880from December 31, 2016.2021. Debt and capitalfinance lease obligations at December 31, 20172022 totaled $16,752,$14,545, and we had the ability to borrow up to $11,796$27,351 under ourthe 2022 Credit Facility.

In addition to the 2022 Credit Facility, (as definedwe also utilize supply chain financing arrangements as a component of our funding for working capital, which accelerates receivable collections and helps to better manage cash flow. Under these agreements, we have agreed to sell certain of our accounts receivable balances to banking institutions who have agreed to advance amounts equal to the net accounts receivable balances due, less a discount as set forth in Note 10, “Debtthe respective agreements. The balances under these agreements are accounted for as sales of accounts receivable, as they are sold without recourse. Cash proceeds from these agreements are reflected as operating activities included in the change in accounts receivable in the consolidated statements of cash flows. Fees incurred in connection with the agreements are recorded as interest expense.

On August 18, 2020, we filed a “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3, which was declared effective by the Securities and CreditExchange Commission (the “SEC”) on October 13, 2020 (the “Form S-3”) and expires on October 12, 2023. This shelf registration statement, which includes a base prospectus, allows us at any time to offer any combination of securities described in the prospectus in one or more offerings. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement accompanying the base prospectus, we would use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered pursuant to the shelf registration statement for general corporate purposes. 

On March 9, 2021, we entered into a $10,000 Equity Distribution Agreement (the “Equity Distribution Agreement”) with Craig-Hallum Capital Group, LLC. Pursuant to the terms of the Equity Distribution Agreement, we issued 1,897,697 shares of the Company's common stock thereunder during the first two quarters of 2021. The net proceeds (before upfront costs) to the Company from the sales of such shares were approximately $9,725 after deducting commissions paid of approximately $275 and before deducting other expense of $411. 

On September 12, 2022, we entered into a Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with Roth Capital Partners, LLC and HC Wainwright & Co., LLC (collectively, the “Agents”). Pursuant to the terms of the Sales Agreement, we may sell from time to time, through the Agents, shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share with an aggregate sales price of up to $12,000. The Company will pay a commission to the Agents of 2.75% of the gross proceeds of the sale of the shares sold under the Sales Agreement and reimburse the Agents for the expenses incident to the performance of their obligations under the Sales Agreement. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we issued 100,379 shares of the Company’s common stock under the Sales Agreement and the net proceeds (before upfront costs) from the sale of the Company’s common stock were approximately $323 after deducting commissions paid of approximately $9 and before deducting other expenses of $93. As of December 31, 2022, shares of the Company’s common stock having a value of approximately $11,667 remained available for issuance under the Sales Agreement.

On March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was signed into law providing numerous tax provisions and other stimulus measures, including the Employee Retention Credit (“ERC”), which is a refundable tax credit against certain employment taxes. The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 extended and expanded the availability of the ERC. As amended, the ERC was available for wages paid through September 30, 2021 and was equal to 70% of qualified wages (which included employer qualified health plan expenses) paid to employees. During each quarter of 2021, a maximum of $10,000 in qualified wages for each employee was eligible for the ERC. Therefore, the maximum tax credit that could be claimed by an eligible employer in 2021 was $7,000 per employee per calendar quarter. We qualified for the ERC in the first quarter of the year because we experienced a reduction in gross receipts of more than 20% for the first quarter of 2021 compared to the first quarter of 2019, the relevant criteria for the ERC. Since we qualified for the ERC in the first quarter of 2021, we automatically qualified for the ERC in the second quarter of 2021. In the first and second quarters of 2021, we received ERC benefits of $3,372 and $3,593, respectively, and under analogy to IAS 20 “Accounting for Government Grants and Disclosure of Government Assistance” were recorded in “Other income (expense), net” in our consolidated financial statements). statement of operations. During the third quarter of 2021 due to relatively higher revenues in 2021 as compared to the third quarter of 2019, we did not qualify for the ERC benefit. The receivable for the remaining uncollected ERC benefit was $497 as of December 31, 2021 and was included in the “Employee retention credit receivable” line item in our consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2021. The $497 receivable balance was collected during January 2022.  

We anticipate that we will be able to satisfy the cash requirements associated with, among other things, working capital needs, capital expenditures and lease commitments through at least the next twelve months primarily through cash generated from operations, available cash balances, our Credit Facility, sales of shares under the Sales Agreement, additional equipment financing, and access to the public or private debt and/or equity markets, including the option to raise additional capital from the sale of our securities under the Broadwinda “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3.

On January 29, 2018, we executed the Third Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement (the “Third Amendment”), which waived the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio Covenant as of December 31, 2017 and added new minimum EBITDA and capital expenditure covenants through June 30, 2018. Among other changes, the amendment also revised the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio Covenant to be recalculated for future periods commencing with the quarter ending June 30, 2018.

While we believe that we will continue to have sufficient cash available to operate our businesses and to meet our financial obligations and amended debt covenants, there can be no assurance that our operations will generate sufficient cash, that we will be able to comply with applicable loan covenants or that credit facilities will be available in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay our indebtedness or to fund our other liquidity needs.

Sources and Uses of Cash

Operating Cash Flows

During the year ended December 31, 2017 net cash used in operations was $9,350 compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $17,300 for the year ended December 31, 2016. The decrease in net cash provided by operating activities was primarily attributable to reduced customer deposits, accrued liabilities, and accounts payable based primarily on lower scheduled tower production.

Investing Cash Flows

During the year ended December 31, 2017, net cash used in investing activities was $19,894 compared to net cash used in investing activities of $3,164 for the year ended December 31, 2016. The increase in net cash used in investing activities as compared to the prior-year period was primarily attributable to the $16,449 cash paid for the Red Wolf acquisition in February 2017.

Financing Cash Flows

During the year ended December 31, 2017, net cash provided by financing activities totaled $10,660 compared to net cash used in financing activities of $3,319 for the year ended December 31, 2016. The increase in net cash provided by financing activities as compared to the prior‑year period was due primarily to drawing proceeds of $158,856 from the Credit Facility partially offset by repayments of $148,009 on the Credit Facility during the year ended December 31, 2017.

Other

Included in Line of Credit, NMTC and other notes payable line item of our consolidated financial statements is $2,600 associated with the New Markets Tax Credit transaction described further in Note 18, “New Markets Tax Credit Transaction” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements. We have

In 2016, we entered into a $570 unsecured loan agreement with the Development Corporation of Abilene of which $114 is included in Current maturities, long-term debt in the consolidated financial statements and $456 is included in Long-term debt, less current maturities. The loan is forgivable upon us meeting and maintaining specific employment thresholds. During each of the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, $114 of the loan was forgiven. As of December 31, 2022, the loan balance was $0. In addition, we have outstanding notes payable for capital expenditures in the amount of $1,146,$1,094 and $363 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, with $804$88 and $186 included in the Line“Line of Credit, NMTCcredit and othercurrent portion of long-term debt” line item of our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The notes payable line item.have monthly payments that range from $3 to $16 and an interest rate of 4%. The equipment purchased is utilized as collateral for the notes payable. Of theThe outstanding notes payable one matures on Marchhave maturity dates that range from July2023toSeptember 2028.

Sources and Uses of Cash

The following table summarizes our cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities for the years ended December 31, 20182022 and 2021:

Operating Cash Flows

During the other matures on April 25, 2020.year ended December 31, 2022, net cash provided by operations was $16,643 compared to net cash used in operating activities of $12,826 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in net cash provided by operating activities was primarily due to an increase in customer deposits for future scheduled production during the current year period and an increase in accounts payable as compared to the prior year. 

Investing Cash Flows

During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash used in investing activities was $3,098 compared to net cash used in investing activities of $1,674 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to an increase in net purchases of property and equipment.

Financing Cash Flows

During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash used in financing activities totaled $1,665 compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $11,980 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to greater proceeds from the sale of securities under the Equity Distribution Agreement received in the prior year and increased net repayments under our 2022 Credit Facility during the current year. This was partially offset by an increase in proceeds from long term debt primarily related to the senior secured term loan under our 2022 Credit Facility. 

Contractual Obligations

We enter into a variety of contractual obligations as part of our normal operations in addition to capital expenditures. As of December 31, 2022, we have (i) debt obligations related to our Credit Facility and other notes payable as described in Note 9, “Debt and Credit Agreements” of our consolidated financial statements (ii) cash payments for operating and finance lease obligations that are described in Note 10, “Leases” of our consolidated financial statements and (iii) purchase obligations made in the normal course of business. We expect to fund these cash requirements primarily through cash generated from operations, available cash balances, our 2022 Credit Facility, additional equipment financing, and access to the public or private debt and/or equity markets, including the option to raise additional capital from the sale of our securities under a “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and as such are not required to provide information under this item.

ITEM 7A.  QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and as such are not required to provide information under this item.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

The financial information required by Item 8 is contained in Part IV, Item 15 “EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES” of this Annual Report.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

(a)Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We seek to maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. This information is also accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management, under the supervision and with the participation of our CEO and CFO, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the most recent fiscal year reported on herein. Based on that evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of December 31, 2017.2022.

(b)Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

(c)Report of Management on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management, including our CEO and CFO, is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act).

Our management, including our CEO and CFO, assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017.2022. Management based this assessment on criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in “Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013)” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment, management determined that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2017.2022.

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

None.

PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

With the exception of the description of our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct below, the information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference from the discussion under the headings “Directors and Director Compensation,” “Corporate Governance,” and “Executive Officers and Executive Compensation” and “Other Matters—Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance”Officers” in our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed in connection with our 20182023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2018“2023 Proxy Statement”).

Code of Ethics and Business Conduct

We have adopted a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct (the “Code”) that applies to all of our directors, executive officers and senior financial officers (including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, controller, and any person performing similar functions). The Code is available on our website at www.bwen.com under the caption “Investors” and is available in print, free of charge, to any stockholder who sends a request for a paper copy to Broadwind, Energy, Inc., Attn: Investor Relations, 3240 South Central Avenue, Cicero, IL 60804. We intend to include on our website any amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of the Code that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions, that relates to any element of the code of ethics definition enumerated in Item 406(b) of Regulation S‑K.S-K.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Information regarding director and executive compensation is incorporated by reference from the discussion under the headings “Directors and Director Compensation”Compensation,” “Executive Officers” and “Executive Officers“Compensation Discussion and Executive Compensation”Analysis” in the 20182023 Proxy Statement.

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Certain of the information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference from the discussion under the heading “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Holders and Management” in the 20182023 Proxy Statement.

The following table provides information as of December 31, 2017,2022, with respect to shares of our common stock that may be issued under our existing equity compensation plans:

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference from the discussion under the headings “Certain Transactions and Business Relationships” and “Corporate Governance” in the 20182023 Proxy Statement.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference from the discussion under the heading “Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in the 20182023 Proxy Statement.