We operate in three reportable segments: Power, Renewable and Industrial. Through
our Power segment, we provide the supply of and aftermarket services for steam-generating,
environmental, and auxiliary equipment for power generation and other industrial
applications. Through our Renewable segment, we supply steam-generating systems,
environmental and auxiliary equipment for the waste-to-energy and biomass power
generation industries. Our Industrial segment provides custom-engineered environmental
solutions, industrial equipment and aftermarket parts and services through
Babcock & Wilcox MEGTEC Holdings, Inc. ("MEGTEC"), and provides
custom-engineered comprehensive dry and wet cooling solutions and aftermarket
services to the power generation industry including natural gas-fired and renewable
energy power plants, as well as downstream oil and gas, petrochemical and other
industrial end markets through SPIG S.p.A. ("SPIG"), which we acquired
on July 1, 2016.
Our overall activity depends significantly on the capital expenditures and
operations and maintenance expenditures of global electric power generating
companies, other steam-using industries and industrial facilities with environmental
compliance and noise abatement needs. Several factors influence these expenditures,
including:
prices for electricity, along with the cost of production and distribution including
the cost of fuel within the United States or internationally;
demand for electricity and other end products of steam-generating facilities;
requirements for environmental and noise abatement improvements;
expectation of future requirements to further limit or reduce greenhouse gas
and other emissions in the United States and internationally;
environmental policies which include waste-to-energy or biomass as options to
meet legislative requirements and clean energy portfolio standards;
level of capacity utilization at operating power plants and other industrial
uses of steam production;
requirements for maintenance and upkeep at operating power plants to combat
the accumulated effects of usage;
overall strength of the industrial industry; and
ability of electric power generating companies and other steam users to raise
capital.
Customer demand is heavily affected by the variations in our customers business
cycles and by the overall economies and energy, environmental and noise abatement
needs of the countries in which they operate.