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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

 ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

or

 TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from   ______  to  ______

Commission file number: 001-38071

NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



Delaware

46-1527455



(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(IRS Employer

Identification number)





19350 State Highway 249, Suite 600



Houston, Texas

77070



(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (281) 453-2222

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $0.01 par value

NCSM

Nasdaq Capital Market

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.     Yes    No 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.     Yes    No 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     Yes    No 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).     Yes    No 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

 

Non-accelerated filer

 

Smaller reporting company

 

 

 

Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.    

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C.7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.    

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes    No 

As of June 30, 2021, the aggregate market value of the common stock of the registrant held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $20.9 million (based on the closing sale price of the registrant’s common stock on that date).

As of March 4, 2022, there were 2,405,746 shares of common stock outstanding.

Portions of the definitive proxy statement for the registrant’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K. Such proxy statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after December 31, 2021.

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

PART I

Item 1.

Business

5

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

12

Item 1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments

35

Item 2.

Properties

35

Item 3.

Legal Proceedings

35

Item 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures

35

PART II

Item 5.

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

36

Item 6.

[Reserved]

36

Item 7.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

37

Item 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

51

Item 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

52

Item 9.

Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

83

Item 9A.

Controls and Procedures

83

Item 9B.

Other Information

83

Item 9C.

Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections

83

PART III

Item 10.

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

84

Item 11.

Executive Compensation

84

Item 12.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

84

Item 13.

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

84

Item 14.

Principal Accounting Fees and Services

84

PART IV

Item 15.

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

85

Item 16.

Form 10-K Summary

87

Signatures

88

 

 

2


CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Form 10-K”) includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects” and similar references to future periods, or by the inclusion of forecasts or projections. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make regarding the outlook for our future business and financial performance, including the effects of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic thereon, such as those contained in Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, by their nature, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. As a result, our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include regional, national or global political, economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory conditions and the following:

the risks and uncertainties relating to public health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and its continuing impact on market conditions and our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and stock price;

declines in the level of oil and natural gas exploration and production (“E&P”) activity in Canada and the United States;

oil and natural gas price fluctuations;

significant competition for our products and services that results in pricing pressures, reduced sales, or reduced market share;

inability to successfully implement our strategy of increasing sales of products and services into the United States;

loss of significant customers;

our inability to successfully develop and implement new technologies, products and services;

our inability to protect and maintain critical intellectual property assets;

losses and liabilities from uninsured or underinsured business activities;

the financial health of our customers including their ability to pay for products or services provided;

our failure to identify and consummate potential acquisitions;

our inability to integrate or realize the expected benefits from acquisitions;

loss of any of our key suppliers or significant disruptions negatively impacting our supply chain;

risks in attracting and retaining qualified employees and key personnel or related to labor cost inflation;

risks resulting from the operations of our joint venture arrangement;

currency exchange rate fluctuations;

impact of severe weather conditions;

restrictions on the availability of our customers to obtain water essential to the drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes;

changes in legislation or regulation governing the oil and natural gas industry, including restrictions on emissions of greenhouse gases (“GHGs”);

our inability to meet regulatory requirements for use of certain chemicals by our tracer diagnostics business;

change in trade policy, including the impact of additional tariffs;

our inability to accurately predict customer demand, which may result in us holding excess or obsolete inventory;

failure to comply with or changes to federal, state and local and non-U.S. laws and other regulations, including anti-corruption and environmental regulations, guidelines and regulations for the use of explosives, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) and the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “2017 Tax Act”);

loss of our information and computer systems;

system interruptions or failures, including complications with our enterprise resource planning system (“ERP”), cyber security breaches, identity theft or other disruptions that could compromise our information;

impairment in the carrying value of long-lived assets and goodwill;

 

3


 

our failure to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting;

risks and uncertainties relating to cost reduction efforts or savings we may realize from such cost reduction efforts;

the reduction in our Senior Secured Credit Facility borrowing base or our inability to comply with the covenants in our debt agreements; and

our inability to obtain sufficient liquidity on reasonable terms, or at all.

See Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Form 10-K for a further description of these and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. For the reasons described above, we caution you against relying on any forward-looking statements, which should also be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this Form 10-K speaks only as of the date on which we make it. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Trademarks and Trade Names

We own or have the rights to use various trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this Form 10-K, including, among others, AirLock, MultiCycle, OST, Innovus, Terrus, Ratek, Accelus, PurpleSeal Express, Repeat Precision, NCS Multistage and NCS and their respective logos. Solely for convenience, we refer to trademarks, service marks and trade names in this Form 10-K without the TM, SM and ® symbols. Such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent permitted by law, our rights to our trademarks, service marks and trade names. Third party trademarks, service marks or trade names appearing in this Form 10-K are the property of their respective owners.

Available information

Our website address is www.ncsmultistage.com. Information that we furnish to or file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements, and any amendments to, or exhibits included in, those reports or statements are available for download, free of charge, on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are filed with or furnished to the SEC. From time to time, we also post announcements, updates, events, investor information and presentations on our website at http://ir.ncsmultistage.com in addition to copies of all recent press releases as means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Reports and statements that we file with or furnish to the SEC, including related exhibits, are also available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The contents of the websites referred to above are not incorporated into this filing. References to the URLs for these websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.

 

 

4


PART I

Item 1. Business

Overview

NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc. (“NCS,” the “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us”) is a leading provider of highly engineered products and support services that facilitate the optimization of oil and natural gas well completions and field development strategies. We provide our products and services primarily to E&P companies for use in onshore wells, predominantly wells that have been drilled with horizontal laterals in unconventional oil and natural gas formations. Our products and services are utilized in oil and natural gas basins throughout North America and in selected international markets, including Argentina, China, the Middle East and the North Sea. Our extensive research and development efforts are influenced and driven by the needs of our customers, allowing us to introduce innovative and commercial solutions that improve customer efficiency and profitability. We provided our products and services to over 225 customers in 2021, including leading large independent oil and natural gas companies and major oil companies.

Our primary offering is our fracturing systems products and services, which enable efficient pinpoint stimulation: the process of individually stimulating each entry point into a formation targeted by an oil or natural gas well. We began providing pinpoint stimulation products and services in 2006 and our fracturing systems products and services are typically utilized in cemented wellbores and enable our customers to precisely place stimulation treatments in a more controlled and repeatable manner as compared with traditional completion techniques. Fracturing systems products and services include our casing-installed sliding sleeves and downhole frac isolation assembly. Customers typically purchase our casing-installed sliding sleeves, a consumable product that is cemented at intervals into the casing of the wellbore and can also utilize services associated with our downhole frac isolation assembly, where our personnel supervise the use of the downhole frac isolation assembly during completion operations. Our fracturing systems products and services are utilized in conjunction with third-party providers of pressure pumping, coiled tubing and other services.

We offer enhanced recovery systems, which enable our customers to inject water, other fluids, or gases in a controlled manner with the objective of increasing the amount of hydrocarbons produced from their assets.

We own a 50% controlling interest in Repeat Precision, LLC (“Repeat Precision”), which we consolidate. Repeat Precision markets composite frac plugs and related products directly to customers and provides high-quality machining services for NCS products.

We provide tracer diagnostics services for well completion and reservoir characterization that utilize downhole chemical and radioactive tracers. Our customers utilize these services to better characterize their assets and to optimize completion designs. Chemical and radioactive tracer studies may provide a cost-effective and reliable means to determine the production profile along a lateral, assess fluid and proppant communication between wells during completions and determine stage and cluster level efficiency of completion designs.

We sell products for well construction, including our casing buoyancy system, liner hanger systems and toe initiation sleeves. Our customers utilize these products to safely and efficiently install casing and production liners, facilitate cementing operations and initiate a flow path into the formation at the commencement of stimulation operations.

Our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, was $118.5 million, $107.0 million and $205.5 million, respectively. Our net loss attributable to NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc. for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, was $(4.7) million, $(57.6) million and $(32.8) million, respectively. Our total assets for the years ended 2021, 2020 and 2019, were $142.3 million, $138.7 million and $202.6 million, respectively. For additional financial information by geographic area, see “Note 18. Segment and Geographic Information” of our consolidated financial statements.

Business Strategy

Our business strategy is to increase the adoption of our products and services in all geographies, continue to be an innovator of technology and create value for our stockholders. We intend to achieve these objectives by (i) pursuing disciplined organic growth through increasing market adoption of our products and services in the United States, Canada and in select international markets, (ii) developing and introducing innovative technologies that are aligned with customer needs, (iii) maintaining financial strength and flexibility and (iv) selectively pursuing complementary mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures.

We have diversified our revenue base through this strategy, including the investment in Repeat Precision and the acquisition of Spectrum Tracer Services, LLC (“Spectrum”) in 2017. In 2021, approximately 65% of our revenue was derived from fracturing systems products and services and enhanced oil recovery systems, approximately 15% was derived from Repeat Precision and approximately 10% was derived from each of our well construction products and tracer diagnostics services. This represents a more

 

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balanced portfolio, serving a larger addressable market than in 2016, when over 90% of our revenue was derived from fracturing systems products and services, with the remainder from well construction products. In addition, this diversification of our revenue base has, in part, contributed to a reduction in the percentage of revenue derived from the Canadian market from 71% in 2016 to 62% in 2021.

Products and Services

We provide highly engineered products and support services that facilitate the optimization of oil and natural gas well completions and field development strategies. Our key products and services include:

Fracturing Systems. Our fracturing systems products and services encompass our technology developed to enable efficient pinpoint stimulation and re-stimulation strategies. Pinpoint stimulation is the process of individually stimulating each entry point into a formation targeted by an oil or natural gas well, a process that we believe provides benefits compared to traditional completion techniques. Our pinpoint stimulation solutions and refined field processes are designed to enable efficient, controlled, verifiable, and repeatable completions.

Our fracturing systems products and services are comprised of our casing-installed sliding sleeves and our downhole frac isolation assemblies, which are deployed using coiled tubing. Our services include advising customers on optimizing completion designs and operating the downhole frac isolation assemblies.

Casing-installed sliding sleeves. Our casing-installed sliding sleeves are a consumable product, sold to our customers and integral to a well’s casing. These sliding sleeves can be used in both cemented and open-hole wellbores in both vertical and horizontal wells. There is no practical limitation on the number of stages that can be installed in a well, and all sleeves have an inner diameter that is the same as the casing in the wellbore. We produce two primary models of sliding sleeves: models which can be opened only once, and models which can be opened and closed multiple times throughout the life of a well. The closable sleeves provide our customers the benefit of additional completion options and the ability to better optimize a well’s production phase. During completion operations, the downhole frac isolation assembly is placed in the sleeve and the inner barrel of the sleeve is shifted down, exposing the frac ports to the formation, allowing the stimulation of that stage to begin. In our closable sleeves, the inner barrel can later be shifted up to re-isolate the frac ports until the well is ready to be produced. Further, these sleeves can be re-opened or re-closed at any time during production to selectively access or isolate segments of the wellbore. Several generations of sliding sleeves have been developed over the years, each providing improvements in functionality and reliability.

oInnovus. The Innovus line of sliding sleeves is the latest generation of our fracturing sleeves designed primarily for the onshore market.

oRatek. The Ratek line of sliding sleeves has recently been commercialized for more difficult environments, including offshore applications, that may require V0 and V3 ISO ratings.

Downhole frac isolation assembly. Our proprietary downhole frac isolation assembly is comprised of several components, including a resettable bridge plug for stage isolation, a sleeve locator to efficiently locate our sliding sleeves in the wellbore, an optional abrasive perforating sub that can create additional perforations in the casing, and gauge packages that can measure and record downhole data. The assembly, which is attached to a third-party coiled tubing reel, is primarily used to locate our sliding sleeves and to shift our sliding sleeves open or closed and, in combination with coiled tubing, provides real time-downhole pressure measurements. We typically do not sell the assemblies and utilize them in our service to our customers. Our personnel operate the assemblies during completion operations in coordination with other on-site service providers.

Sand jet perforating. Our sand jet perforating technology was part of the first NCS frac isolation assembly used for pinpoint stimulation. To cut access points into the formation, sand-laden fluid is pumped down the coiled tubing and through tungsten-carbide nozzles. The high-velocity slurry cuts through the casing and cement and into the formation. The tunnels created through this process serve as access points for stimulation. Stimulation treatments are pumped down the annulus between the coiled tubing and the casing. Although the sand jet perforating process requires more time per stage than using sliding sleeves, it provides a practical option for pinpoint stimulation in wells that are already cased, such as for drilled, but uncompleted (“DUC”) wells.

Accelus system. Our Accelus sliding sleeves can be cemented in place or utilized with our Accelus open-hole packers. Each sleeve is activated by pumping a ball from the surface that lands on a seat in the corresponding sleeve, providing pinpoint stimulation. In some instances, the Accelus sleeves will be utilized together with our Innovus sleeves in a hybrid application to increase the number of stages that can be run in extended-reach applications, with the Accelus sleeves installed at the toe of such wells.

Enhanced Recovery. Our Enhanced Recovery product line extends from our experience with fracturing systems, featuring a series of injection control devices to deliver fluid at a predetermined rate to selected stages along the lateral. This

 

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product line includes valve systems to extend the life of a well by conversion from primary hydrocarbon production operations to enhanced recovery operations such as waterflood or gas injection.

Innovus Convertible. This valve assembly is a dual barrel version of our Innovus sleeve. Following the initial fracturing and production phase, a second inner barrel can be shifted to convert the frac ports to injection ports. Water can then be injected into the reservoir at a predetermined rate suitable for enhanced recovery operations, extending the useful life of the original completion.

Terrus System. This valve system includes injection control devices that can be assembled into various configurations with isolation devices to create a customized injection string for installation in existing wells.

Repeat Precision. We own a 50% interest in Repeat Precision. Repeat Precision markets its high-performance Purple Seal line of composite frac plugs and bridge plugs, RP single-use disposable setting tools, Purple Seal Express systems that combine a Purple Seal Frac Plug with a single-use disposable setting tool, and related products. Repeat Precision began selling perforating guns, devices utilized to perforate a well’s casing, in late 2021. It sells these products directly to E&P customers as well as to other oilfield services companies that act as distributors. Repeat Precision also provides high-quality machining services for certain NCS products.

Tracer Diagnostics. We provide chemical and radioactive tracer diagnostics technologies used by E&P companies to assess completion performance, evaluate well production, and optimize field development strategies. Our fracture fluid identifier tracers (“FFIs”), particulate water-soluble tracers (“WSTs”), particulate oil-soluble tracers (“OSTs”) and natural gas tracers enable efficient, cost-effective downhole diagnostics, providing E&P companies with critical data to better optimize reservoir development and production.

Well Construction. Our well construction products are designed to allow our customers to safely and efficiently install casing and production liners, facilitate cementing operations and initiate a flow path into the formation at the commencement of stimulation operations. Our well construction products include:

AirLock casing buoyancy system. Our AirLock casing buoyancy system facilitates landing casing strings in horizontal wells at the desired depth, while minimizing running time and hook-load. The AirLock assembly is installed in the casing string, allowing the vertical casing section to be filled with fluid, while the lateral section remains air-filled. The air-filled segment significantly reduces sliding friction, while the weight of the vertical section provides the force to push the casing to depth. After the casing is landed, surface pressure is increased to release the ceramic or glass seal at a predetermined pressure, leaving an unrestricted casing bore.

Vecturon and Vectraset liner hanger systems. Our proprietary liner hanger systems are specifically designed to perform in complex horizontal wells and are fully compatible with our fracturing systems products. The liner hanger is used to distribute the loads and weight of the liner to the supporting casing and can be set in the absence of a wiper plug bump.

Toe initiation sleeves. Our toe initiation sleeves are designed to provide initial formation access for multistage completions. After shifting open the toe initiation sleeve, a customer can perform a casing integrity test, a pre-frac injection fall-off test, flush the wellbore to facilitate the pumping of completion tools to the toe of the well or execute the first fracturing stage for the well.

Business History

We were incorporated in Delaware on November 28, 2012, under the name “Pioneer Super Holdings, Inc.” On December 13, 2016, we changed our name to “NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc.” On May 3, 2017, we completed the initial public offering (“IPO”) of our common stock.

Intellectual Property and Patent Protection

We have dedicated resources to the development and acquisition of new technology and products designed to optimize well completions and field development strategies, primarily for use in onshore wells drilled with horizontal laterals in unconventional formations. Our sales and earnings are influenced by our ability to successfully introduce new or improved products to the North American and international markets. Our fracturing systems, wellbore construction products, tracers and other equipment and services involve proprietary technologies, some of which are protected by patents.

We hold 50 U.S. utility patents and 52 related international utility patents. These relate to various products and services from each of our product lines, such as our casing buoyancy system, OSTs, casing installed sliding sleeves, frac isolation assemblies, frac plug setting tools and other equipment and methods utilized in the provision of our services. Our U.S. utility patents expire between 2030 and 2039. Our international utility patents expire between 2025 and 2037.

 

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We also have a number of U.S. and international patent applications pending. Some of these patent applications cover equipment and methods which are currently in development. The applications are in various stages of the patent prosecution process and patents may not be issued on such applications in any jurisdiction for some time, if they are issued at all.

We believe that our patents have historically been important in enabling us to compete in the market to supply our customers with our products and services. We intend to enforce, and have in the past vigorously enforced, our intellectual property rights. We may from time to time in the future be involved in litigation to determine the enforceability, scope and validity of our patent rights. In addition to patent rights, we use a significant amount of trade secrets, or “know-how,” and other proprietary information and technology as well as intellectual property licensed from third parties.

Customers

Our customer base primarily consists of oil and natural gas producers in North America and certain international markets as well as oilfield service companies. For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, we had over 225, 200 and 325 customers, respectively. Our five largest customers accounted for approximately 30%, 31% and 22% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. We had one single customer who accounted for 10% of our revenue during the year ended December 31, 2020. No other customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenue during 2020. No customer represented more than 10% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2019. Although we believe we have a broad customer base and wide geographic coverage of operations, the loss of one or more of our significant customers could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. For additional information relating to risks regarding the loss of any of our significant customers, see Item 1A. “Risk Factors.”

Sales and Marketing

Our sales and marketing activities are performed through a technically-trained direct sales force. We recognize the importance of a technical marketing program in demonstrating the advantages of new technologies that offer benefits relative to established industry methodologies. Our technical sales force advises customers on the benefits of pinpoint stimulation, Innovus and Ratek sliding sleeves, enhanced recovery systems, well construction products and tracer diagnostics services.

In the United States and Canada, sales of our fracturing systems products and services, enhanced recovery systems, liner hangers, toe initiation sleeves and tracer diagnostics services are made directly to E&P companies. Our customers also hire coiled tubing companies and pressure pumping services companies that work alongside us during the completion of a well. We provide our casing buoyancy system directly to E&P companies as well as to oilfield services companies that act as distributors for this product. Although we do not typically maintain supply or service contracts with our customers, a significant portion of our sales represents recurring business. Repeat Precision, which maintains a sales force separate from NCS in the United States, sells its products directly to E&P companies as well as to oilfield services companies that act as distributors.

International sales are made through local NCS entities or to our local operating partners on a free on board or free carrier basis with a point of sale in the United States. Some of the locations in which we have operating partners or sales representatives include China and the Middle East. Our operating partners and representatives do not have authority to contractually bind our company, but market our products in their respective territories as part of their product or services offering.

We provide extensive support services and have developed proprietary methodologies for assessing and reporting the information that is collected on our downhole gauges and through tracer diagnostics evaluations.

In addition to the technical marketing effort, we occasionally engage in field trials to demonstrate the economic benefits of our products and services.

Seasonality

A substantial portion of our business is subject to quarterly variability. In Canada, we typically experience higher activity levels in the first quarter of each year, as our customers take advantage of the winter freeze to gain access to remote drilling and production areas. In the past, our revenue in Canada has declined during the second quarter due to warming weather conditions that result in thawing, softer ground, difficulty accessing well sites and road bans that curtail drilling and completion activity. Access to well sites typically improves throughout the third and fourth quarters in Canada, leading to activity levels that are higher than in the second quarter, but lower than activity in the first quarter. Our business can also be impacted by a reduction in customer activity during the winter holidays in late December and early January. In recent years, many customers in the United States exhausted their capital budgets prior to the end of the year, leading to reductions in drilling and completion activity during the fourth quarter.

 

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Suppliers and Raw Materials

We acquire component parts and raw materials from suppliers, including machine shops. The prices we pay for our raw materials may be affected by, among other things, energy, steel and other commodity prices, tariffs and duties on imported materials and foreign currency exchange rates. Most of the raw materials we use in our operations, such as steel in various forms, electronic components, chemicals and elastomers are available from many sources.

We generally try to purchase our raw materials from multiple suppliers, so we are not dependent on any one supplier. We will generally utilize multiple machine shops for the manufacturing of our component parts so that we are not dependent on any one machine shop. To decrease fixed costs, in connection with lower industry activity levels, we have reduced our internal manufacturing capacity and relied more heavily on certain machine shops. Our suppliers are also active in multiple regions which allows us to react to changes in foreign currency exchange rates and tariffs and duties. For example, we have made changes to the suppliers of certain raw materials based on tariff rates. In addition, sourcing certain product categories from Repeat Precision allows us to reduce our costs.

While we experienced modest disruptions to our supply chain as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including delays in importation of certain chemical products from China and temporary work-from-home orders that reduced the capacity at the Repeat Precision machine shop operations in Mexico, such disruptions were temporary in nature, the impacted products are available through alternative sources of supply, and we maintained sufficient inventory on hand to meet customer demand. We also experienced delays in access to certain materials and products utilized in our research and development activities, which has led, and may continue to lead, to delays in new product introductions. The continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are contributing to ongoing supply chain disruptions and cost inflation, including labor cost inflation, the effects of which have continued into 2022. To address this, we have also initiated projects to qualify additional vendors or materials in instances where availability is limited or delivery times have increased. See Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for more information.

Operating Risks and Insurance

We currently carry a variety of insurance for our operations. Although we believe we currently maintain insurance coverage adequate for the risks involved, there is a risk our insurance may not be sufficient to cover any particular loss or that our insurance may not cover all losses.

Competition

The markets in which we operate are highly competitive. To be successful, we must provide services and products that meet the specific needs of E&P companies at competitive prices. We compete in all areas of our operations with a number of companies, some of which have financial and other resources greater than or comparable to ours.

We believe that we compete not only against other providers of pinpoint stimulation equipment and services, but also with companies that support the other primary means of hydraulically fracturing a horizontal well, including plug and perf and ball drop completions. We also compete with other suppliers of well construction products, enhanced recovery systems, tracer diagnostics services, and composite frac plugs.

Our major competitors for our completion products and services include Baker Hughes Company (“Baker Hughes”), Core Laboratories N.V., DMC Global Inc., Forum Energy Technologies, Inc., Halliburton Company, Innovex Downhole Solutions, Nine Energy Service, Inc., NOV Inc., Oil States International, Inc., Packers Plus Energy Services, Schlumberger Limited, Schoeller-Bleckmann Oilfield Equipment AG and Weatherford International public limited company as well as a number of smaller or regional competitors.

We believe that the most significant factors influencing a customer’s decision to utilize our equipment and services are technology, service quality, safety track record and price. While we must be competitive in our pricing, we believe our customers select our products and services based on the technical attributes of our products and equipment, the level of technical and operational service we provide before, during and after the job, and the know-how derived from our extensive operational track record.

Government Regulations

We are subject to stringent and complex federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations governing the discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise relating to protection of worker health, safety and the environment. Compliance with these laws and regulations may require the acquisition of permits to conduct regulated activities, capital expenditures to prevent, limit or address emissions and discharges, and stringent practices to handle, recycle and dispose of certain wastes and materials. Failure to

 

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comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the imposition of remedial or corrective obligations, and the issuance of injunctive relief.

We believe that we are in substantial compliance with applicable environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Further, we do not anticipate that compliance with existing environmental, health and safety laws and regulations will have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements. However, laws and regulations protecting the environment, health and safety generally have become more stringent in recent years and are expected to continue to do so. It is possible that we could incur substantial costs for compliance with applicable environmental, health and safety laws and regulations in the future. Moreover, it is possible that other developments, such as the adoption of stricter environmental laws, regulations, and enforcement policies, could result in additional costs or liabilities that we cannot currently quantify.

While we do not anticipate that compliance with existing environmental, health and safety laws and regulations will have a material adverse effect on our operations, we and/or our customers are subject to a wide range of such laws and regulations, which could materially and adversely affect their businesses and indirectly, through reduced demand for our products and services, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, including with respect to the following:

Air Emissions. The Federal Clean Air Act (the “CAA”) and comparable state laws regulate emissions of various air pollutants through air emissions permitting programs and the imposition of other emission control requirements. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has developed, and continues to develop, stringent regulations governing emissions of toxic air pollutants at specified sources. Non-compliance with air permits or other requirements of the CAA and associated state laws and regulations can result in the imposition of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, as well as the issuance of orders or injunctions limiting or prohibiting non-compliant operations.

Water Discharges. The Federal Clean Water Act (the “CWA”), and analogous state laws impose restrictions and strict controls with respect to the discharge of pollutants, including spills and leaks of oil and other substances, into state waters or waters of the United States. The discharge of pollutants into regulated waters is prohibited, except in accordance with the terms of a permit issued by the EPA or an analogous state agency. Federal and state regulatory agencies can impose administrative, civil and criminal penalties as well as other enforcement mechanisms for non-compliance with discharge permits or other requirements of the CWA and analogous state laws and regulations.

Climate Change. Governmental and public concern over the threat of climate change arising from GHG emissions is giving rise to an increased likelihood of regulatory actions to address climate change in the United States and abroad. As a result, our customers are or may become subject to statutes or regulations aiming to reduce emissions of GHGs. In December 2009, the EPA determined that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other GHGs present an endangerment to public health and the environment because emissions of such gases are, according to the EPA, contributing to warming of the earth’s atmosphere and other climatic changes. Based on these findings, the EPA has promulgated regulations restricting emissions of GHGs under existing provisions of the CAA, including establishing New Source Performance Standards (“NSPS”), a set of uniform technology-based standards for new and modified sources of air pollution, that govern emissions of methane and volatile organic compounds from new and modified oil and natural gas development and production operations. Most recently, in November 2021, EPA issued a proposed rule that would sharply reduce the emission of methane and other air pollutants from both new and existing sources in the oil and natural gas industry. The proposal would expand current emissions reduction requirements for new, modified and reconstructed oil and natural gas sources, and would require states to reduce methane emissions from hundreds of thousands of existing sources nationwide for the first time. While the scope and future implementation of any final rule regarding such proposed NSPS and emissions guidelines, remain uncertain, these rules could have an adverse effect on our customers and result in an indirect material adverse effect on our business.

Various U.S. states or groups of states have adopted or considered adopting legislation, regulations or other governmental actions focused on reducing GHG emissions, including cap and trade programs, carbon taxes, reporting and tracking initiatives and renewable portfolio standards. At the international level, the United States is a party to the United Nations-sponsored Paris Agreement, a non-binding agreement for nations to limit their GHG emissions through individually-determined reduction goals. Although it is not possible at this time to predict how any legal requirements imposed following the implementation of the Paris Agreement or otherwise that may be adopted or issued to address GHG emissions would impact our business or that of our customers, any such future laws, regulations or legal requirements imposing reporting or permitting obligations on, or limiting emissions of GHGs from, oil and natural gas exploration activities could require our customers to incur costs to reduce emissions of GHGs associated with their operations. In addition, substantial limitations on GHG emissions could adversely affect demand for the oil and natural gas our customers produce.

 

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Non-Hazardous and Hazardous Wastes. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) and comparable state laws control the management and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste. These laws and regulations govern the generation, storage, treatment, transfer and disposal of wastes that our customers generate. Drilling fluids, produced waters, and most of the other wastes associated with the exploration, development, and production of oil or natural gas, if properly handled, are currently exempt from regulation as hazardous waste under RCRA and, instead, are regulated under RCRA’s less stringent non-hazardous waste provisions, state laws or other federal laws. It is possible, however, that certain oil and natural gas drilling and production wastes now classified as non-hazardous could be classified as hazardous wastes in the future. A loss of the RCRA exclusion for drilling fluids, produced waters and related wastes could result in an increase in our customers’ costs to manage and dispose of generated wastes and a corresponding decrease in their drilling operations, which developments could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Contamination. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and comparable state laws, impose joint and several liability, without regard to fault or legality of conduct, on classes of persons who are considered to be responsible for the release of a hazardous substance into the environment. These persons include the owner or operator of the site where the release occurred, and anyone who disposed or arranged for the disposal of a hazardous substance released at the site. In addition, it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third-parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by hazardous substances released into the environment.

Occupational Health and Safety. We are subject to a number of federal and state laws and regulations, including the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act and comparable state statutes, establishing requirements to protect the health and safety of workers. Substantial fines and penalties can be imposed and orders or injunctions limiting or prohibiting certain operations may be issued in connection with any failure to comply with laws and regulations relating to worker health and safety.

Radioactive Materials. Part of our business involves the use of radioactive tracers, typically consisting of three standard isotopes (Iridium 192, Scandium 46 and Antimony 124), to help determine the existence of fractures within a well formation. The use of these materials requires us to obtain and comply with radioactive materials licenses issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) or its counterparts in the states where we perform these services if they are among the states to which the NRC has delegated its regulatory authority pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act (so-called “Agreement States”). Under the terms of these licenses, we are required to train designated personnel, maintain records, submit periodic reports, ensure the safety and reliability of related equipment and storage facilities, conduct radiation safety monitoring, and ensure the proper disposal of materials and equipment at the end of their useful lives. In the event we fail to adequately comply with these requirements, we could be subject to enforcement action, which could include fines, injunctive relief, or the revocation of our licenses.

In addition, the oil and natural gas industry is extensively regulated by numerous federal, state and local authorities, including with respect to permitting for the drilling of wells, drilling bonds and reporting concerning operations. Legislation and regulation affecting the oil and natural gas industry is frequently under review for amendment or expansion, which can increase the regulatory burden. Failure to comply with laws and regulations can result in substantial fines and penalties. In addition, the effect of these regulations may be to limit or increase the cost of oil and natural gas E&P companies, which could have a material adverse effect on our customers and indirectly materially and adversely affect our business. Although changes to the regulatory burden on the oil and natural gas industry could affect the demand for our services, we would not expect to be affected any differently or to any greater or lesser extent than other companies in the industry with similar operations.

We supply equipment and services to customers in the oil and natural gas industry conducting hydraulic fracturing operations. Although we do not directly engage in hydraulic fracturing activities, our customers purchase our products and services for use in their hydraulic fracturing activities. Hydraulic fracturing is typically regulated by state oil and natural gas commissions and similar agencies. Some states have adopted, and other states are considering adopting, regulations that could impose new or more stringent permitting, disclosure or well construction requirements on hydraulic fracturing operations. States could also elect to prohibit high volume hydraulic fracturing altogether, following the approach taken by the State of New York in 2015. Aside from state laws, local land use restrictions may restrict drilling in general or hydraulic fracturing in particular. Municipalities may adopt local ordinances attempting to prohibit hydraulic fracturing altogether or, at a minimum, allow such fracturing processes within their jurisdictions to proceed but regulating the time, place and manner of those processes. In addition, the federal government can limit hydraulic fracturing activities on federal lands through permitting. On January 27, 2021, the current administration issued an executive order directing the Secretary of the Interior to pause on entering into new oil and natural gas leases on public lands or offshore waters to the extent possible. This moratorium has been stayed by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, which means that leasing of Federal public lands can continue until the court rules on the substance of the case or until the Court or an appeals court issues additional orders. In addition, the current administration cancelled the construction permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would have transported Canadian oil to the Gulf Coast. We do not currently expect that the recent executive order regarding leases on public land or the cancellation of the Keystone XL oil pipeline will have a material impact on our business in the short term. Various studies also have been conducted or are currently underway by the EPA, and other federal agencies concerning the potential

 

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environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing activities. State and federal regulatory agencies have recently focused on a possible connection between the operation of injection wells used for oil and natural gas waste disposal and seismic activity. Similar concerns have been raised that hydraulic fracturing may also contribute to seismic activity. At the same time, certain environmental groups have suggested that additional laws may be needed to more closely and uniformly limit or otherwise regulate the hydraulic fracturing process, and legislation has been proposed by some members of Congress to provide for such regulation.

The current administration’s proposed moratorium on entering into new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and efforts to decrease or eliminate fossil fuel subsidies as well as the adoption of new laws or regulations at the federal or state levels prohibiting, limiting or otherwise regulating the hydraulic fracturing process could make it more difficult, or even impossible, to complete oil and natural gas wells, increase our customers’ costs of compliance and doing business, and otherwise adversely affect the hydraulic fracturing services they perform, which could negatively impact demand for our products and services. In addition, heightened political, regulatory, and public scrutiny of hydraulic fracturing practices could expose us or our customers to increased legal and regulatory proceedings, which could be time-consuming, costly, or result in substantial legal liability or significant reputational harm. We could be directly affected by adverse litigation involving us, or indirectly affected if the cost of compliance limits the ability of our customers to operate. Such costs and scrutiny could directly or indirectly, through reduced demand for our products and services, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Employees

As of December 31, 2021, we had 224 employees of which 201 are full-time employees. As of such date, 129 of our employees were based in the United States, 88 were based in Canada and seven were based outside of North America. Our international operations, with the exception of our Argentinean operations, are currently serviced by employees operating out of the United States and Canada. In addition, our consolidated joint venture, Repeat Precision, has 199 employees, 24 of which are based in the United States and 175 of which are based in Mexico. We are not a party to any collective bargaining agreements, and we consider our relations with our employees to be good.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Described below are certain risks that we believe apply to our business and the industry in which we operate. You should carefully consider each of the following risk factors in conjunction with other information provided in this Form 10-K and in our other public disclosures. The risks described below highlight potential events, trends or other circumstances that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity or access to sources of financing, and consequently, the market value of our common stock. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. All forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf are qualified by the risks described below.

RISK FACTORS SUMMARY

You should carefully consider the information set forth below before deciding whether to invest in our securities. Below is a summary of material risks associated with an investment in our securities.

Risks Related to Our Business and the Oil and Natural Gas Industry

Our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and stock price have been negatively impacted and may in the future be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our business depends on the levels of expenditures by companies in the oil and natural gas industry and particularly on the level of E&P activity within Canada and the United States.

The cyclicality of the oil and natural gas industry may cause our results of operations to fluctuate.

Competition within our industry may adversely affect our ability to market our services.

We may not be able to successfully implement our strategy of increasing sales of our products and services for use in basins located in the United States.

A single customer constituted 7%, 10% and 8% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The loss of any of our significant customers, or their failure to pay the amounts they owe us, could cause our revenue to decline substantially.

Our success depends on our ability to develop and implement new technologies, products and services.

Advancements in drilling and well completion technologies and processes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

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Our competitors may infringe upon, misappropriate, violate or challenge the validity or enforceability of our intellectual property and we may not be able to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights in the future. We may be adversely affected by disputes regarding intellectual property rights.

Our products are used in operations that are subject to potential hazards inherent in the oil and natural gas industry, including claims for personal injury and property damage, and, as a result, we are exposed to potential liabilities that may affect our financial condition and reputation.

Losses and liabilities from operating activities could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Explosive incidents arising out of dangerous materials used in our business could disrupt operations and result in bodily injuries and property damages, which occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Low commodity price environments can negatively impact oil and natural gas E&P companies and, in some cases, impair their ability to timely pay for products or services provided or can result in their insolvency or bankruptcy, any of which exposes us to credit risk of our oil and natural gas E&P customers.

The growth of our business through acquisitions or strategic partnerships exposes us to various risks, including identifying suitable opportunities and integrating businesses, assets and personnel.

Disruptions or delays involving our suppliers or increases in prices for the components, raw materials and parts that we obtain from our suppliers could have a material adverse effect on our business and consolidated results of operations.

Our success may depend on the continued service and availability of key personnel.

We may be unable to attract and retain skilled and technically knowledgeable employees, which could adversely affect our business.

We conduct a portion of our operations through the Repeat Precision joint venture, which subjects us to additional risks that could adversely affect the success of these operations and the ability of Repeat Precision to make cash distributions to us, which could adversely impact our business, financial position and results of operations.

A significant amount of our revenue generated is denominated in the Canadian dollar (“CAD”) and could be negatively impacted by currency fluctuations.

Our operations may be limited or disrupted in certain parts of the continental United States, Canada and the North Sea during severe weather conditions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Hydraulic fracturing is substantially dependent on the availability of water. Restrictions on the ability of our customers to obtain water may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The adoption of climate change legislation or regulations restricting emissions of GHGs, and associated litigation, could result in increased compliance or operating costs, limit the areas in which our customers may conduct E&P activities, and reduce demand for oil and natural gas.

Federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing could result in increased costs and additional operating restrictions or delays on our customers, which could in turn decrease the demand for our products and services.

Restrictions on drilling activities intended to protect certain species of wildlife may adversely affect the ability of our customers to conduct drilling activities in some of the areas where we operate.

We may not be able to meet applicable regulatory requirements for our use of certain chemicals by our tracer diagnostics business, and, even if requirements are met, complying on an ongoing basis with the numerous regulatory requirements may be time-consuming and costly.

Our operations and our customers’ operations are subject to a variety of governmental laws and regulations that may increase our costs, limit the demand for our products and services or restrict our operations.

Changes in trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs, could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to accurately predict customer demand or if customers cancel their orders on short notice, we may hold excess or obsolete inventory, which would reduce gross margins. Conversely, insufficient inventory would result in lost revenue opportunities and potentially a loss in market share and damaged customer relationships.

We could be subject to additional income tax liabilities.

 

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Loss of our information and computer systems could adversely affect our business.

We are subject to cyber security risks. A cyber incident could occur and result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

Impairment in the carrying value of long-lived assets and goodwill could negatively affect our operating results.

Our business operations in countries outside of the United States are subject to U.S. and non-U.S. federal laws and regulations, including restrictions imposed by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act as well as trade sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and the Commerce Department.

Risks Relating to Our Indebtedness

Our outstanding indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to operate our business, and we may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to meet our debt service obligations.

Restrictive covenants in the agreement governing our Senior Secured Credit Facility may restrict our ability to pursue our business strategies.

Risks Relating to Ownership of Our Common Stock 

We are controlled by the funds controlled by Advent International Corporation (“Advent”), whose interests may differ from those of our public stockholders.

Future sales of our common stock, or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, could cause the market price for our common stock to decline.

Anti-takeover protections in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws or our contractual obligations may discourage or prevent a takeover of our company, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders.

We are an “emerging growth company” and “smaller reporting company” and may elect to comply with reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, which could make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We may identify material weaknesses or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, which may result in material misstatements of our financial statements or cause to us to fail to meet our reporting obligations or fail to prevent fraud; which would harm our business and could negatively impact the price of our common stock.

Public and investor sentiment towards climate change, fossil fuels and other environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) matters could adversely affect our cost of capital, availability of capital and the price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Our Business and the Oil and Natural Gas Industry

Our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and stock price have been negatively impacted and may in the future be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public health crises, pandemics and epidemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have adversely impacted and are expected to continue to adversely impact our operations, the operations of our customers and the global economy, including the worldwide demand for oil and natural gas and the level of demand for our services. Fear of such events has also altered the level of capital spending by oil and gas companies for E&P activities and adversely affected the economies and financial markets of many countries, or globally, resulting in an economic downturn that has affected demand for our products and services. Actions taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by governmental authorities around the world, including imposing mandatory closures of all non-essential business facilities, seeking voluntary closures of such facilities and imposing restrictions on, or advisories with respect to, travel, business operations and public gatherings or interactions, have significantly reduced global economic activity, thereby resulting in lower demand for oil and natural gas.

Governmental authorities have also implemented multi-step policies with the goal of re-opening various sectors of the economy. However, certain jurisdictions began reopening only to return to restrictions in the face of increases in new COVID-19 cases, while other jurisdictions are continuing to reopen or have completed the reopening process amid increases in COVID-19 cases. Despite the increased availability of vaccines in certain jurisdictions, the COVID-19 pandemic may continue unabated or worsen due to the emergence of more infectious strains of the virus, vaccine hesitancy or increased business and social activities, which may cause governmental authorities to reconsider restrictions on business and social activities. In the event governmental authorities increase restrictions, the reopening of the economy may be curtailed.

In early March 2020, the increase in crude oil supply resulting from production escalations from members of OPEC and certain other countries, including Russia (informally known as “OPEC+”) combined with a decrease in crude oil demand stemming from the

 

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global response and uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a sharp decline in crude oil prices. Consequently, there was a significant decrease in customer 2020 capital budgets and a corresponding dramatic decline in the demand for products and services in our industry. Although OPEC+ agreed in April 2020 to cut oil production, OPEC+ has been gradually reducing such cuts and in July 2021, agreed to further reduce such cuts on a monthly basis with a goal of phasing out all production cuts in September 2022. There is no assurance that the most recent OPEC+ agreement will be observed by its parties and OPEC+ may change its agreement depending upon market conditions. Although crude oil prices have recovered since March 2020, oil and natural gas prices are expected to continue to be volatile as a result of near-term production instability, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, changes in oil and natural gas inventories, industry demand, global and national economic performance, and the actions of OPEC+.

We are considered a critical infrastructure industry, as defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Although we have continued to operate our facilities to date consistent with federal guidelines and state and local orders, the COVID-19 pandemic and any preventive or protective actions taken by governmental authorities may have a material adverse effect on our operations, supply chain, customers and transportation networks, including business shutdowns or disruptions. To date, we have experienced delays in importation of certain chemical products from China, and temporary work-from-home orders have reduced operating capacity at the Repeat Precision machine shop operations in Mexico. We also experienced delays in access to certain materials and products utilized in our research and development activities, which has led, and may continue to lead, to delays in new product introductions. The continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are contributing to ongoing supply chain disruptions and cost inflation, including labor cost inflation, the effects of which have continued into 2022. Work-from-home orders and other restrictions have also led to delays in planned work in Argentina and China. The COVID-19 pandemic and other factors have adversely affected, and may continue to further adversely effect, our supply chain, including creating shipping and logistics challenges and placing significant limits on component supplies. These effects on our supply chain have resulted in delayed product availability, resulted in additional costs, and may otherwise adversely impact our business and results of operations. In addition, the travel restrictions in certain countries where we operate, including the closure of their borders to travel into the country, have resulted in difficulty to effectively staff or rotate personnel at, and thereby operate, certain of our projects and could lead to an inability to service awarded businesses.

During 2020, we implemented various workforce reductions resulting in the termination of approximately 190 employees, temporary furloughs for certain employees and lower compensation levels for executives and employees not participating in furloughs in response to the decrease in crude oil pricing, customer capital spending plans and activity as a result of the decline in market conditions primarily related to the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced demand for oil. The reductions result in the loss of longer-term employees, institutional knowledge and expertise and the reallocation and combination of certain roles and responsibilities across the organization. These reductions, or others which may be caused by, but not limited to, the temporary inability of our workforce to work due to illness, quarantine, or government action, may negatively impact our operations.

The increase in certain of our employees working remotely has amplified certain information technology risks to our business and increased the demand on our information technology resources and systems, including increased phishing and other cyber security attacks as cybercriminals attempt to exploit uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase in the number of points of potential attack, including laptops and mobile devices, to be secured. Any failure to effectively manage these risks, including to identify and appropriately respond to any cyberattacks, may adversely affect our business.

The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to adversely impact our business depends on future developments, which are highly uncertain and unpredictable, depending upon the severity and duration of the pandemic and the effectiveness of actions taken globally to contain or mitigate its effects. These events have had, and could continue to have, an adverse impact on numerous aspects of our business, financial condition and results of operations, including, but not limited to, our growth, costs, loss of workers, supply chain disruptions, logistics constraints, customer demand for our services and industry demand generally, capital spending by oil and gas companies, our liquidity, the price of our securities and trading markets with respect thereto, our ability to access capital markets, certain of our customers experiencing bankruptcy or otherwise becoming unable to pay vendors, and the global economy and financial markets generally. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, we may experience materially adverse impacts to our business due to any resulting economic recession or depression. To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business, financial results and results of operations, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described below.

Our business depends on the levels of expenditures by companies in the oil and natural gas industry and particularly on the level of E&P activity in Canada and the United States.

Demand for our products and services depends substantially on the level of expenditures by companies in the oil and natural gas industry. These expenditures are generally dependent on our customers’ views of future oil and natural gas prices and are sensitive to our customers’ views of future economic growth and the resulting impact on demand for oil and natural gas. Declines, as well as anticipated declines, in oil and natural gas prices could result in project modifications, delays or cancellations, general business disruptions, and delays in payment of, or nonpayment of, amounts that are owed to us. For example, in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic materially reduced the demand for crude oil and natural gas, which led to a decline in commodity prices. The low commodity price environment resulted in a reduction in the drilling, completion and other production activities of most of our customers and a

 

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reduction in their spending on our products and services as well as the prices we were able to charge our customers. Although oil pricing has improved since mid-2020, drilling, completion and other production activities have not returned to 2019 levels in the United States and most markets outside of North America and oil and natural gas prices remain volatile, and prolonged reductions in oil and natural gas prices have had and may continue to have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, more stable or higher commodity prices do not necessarily translate to a higher level of expenditures by companies in the oil and natural gas industry. For example, in recent years, investors in E&P companies have been prioritizing free cash flow and return of capital to shareholders over production growth, leading to lower expenditures. In addition, E&P companies require significant capital to drill and complete wells and it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to access capital. These trends may continue, even if commodity prices were to further increase.

Many factors over which we have no control affect the supply of and demand for, and our customers’ willingness to explore, develop and produce oil and natural gas, and therefore, influence demand levels and prices for our products and services, including:

the domestic and foreign supply of and demand for oil and natural gas;

the level of prices, and expectations about future prices, of oil and natural gas;

the level of global oil and natural gas E&P capital spending;

the cost of exploring for, developing, producing and delivering oil and natural gas;

the expected decline rates of current production;

the price and quantity of foreign imports;

political and economic conditions in oil producing countries, including the Middle East, Africa, South America and Russia;

the ability of members of OPEC+ to agree to and maintain production controls to support oil prices;

regional or global health epidemics;

speculative trading in crude oil and natural gas derivative contracts;

the level of consumer product demand;

the discovery rates of new oil and natural gas reserves;

contractions in the credit market;

the strength or weakness of the United States Dollar (“USD”);

available pipeline and other transportation capacity;

the levels of oil and natural gas storage;

weather conditions and other natural disasters;

political instability in oil and natural gas producing countries;

domestic and foreign tax policy;

domestic and foreign governmental approvals and regulatory requirements and conditions;

the continued threat of terrorism and the impact of military and other action, including military action in the Middle East;

technical advances affecting energy demand, generation and consumption;

the proximity and capacity of oil and natural gas pipelines and other transportation facilities;

alternative energy requirements or technological advances and the demand and availability of alternative energy sources;

energy conservation measures, including the increased focus by the investment community on sustainability practices in the oil and natural gas industry;

the ability of oil and natural gas producers to raise equity capital and debt financing;

merger and divestiture activity among oil and natural gas producers; and

overall domestic and global economic conditions.

These factors and the volatility of the energy markets make it difficult to predict future oil and natural gas price movements with any certainty. Any of the above factors could impact the level of oil and natural gas E&P activity and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, regardless of the macro commodity price environment, our current or prospective customers may experience certain constraints that disproportionately impact their business

 

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and reduce their expenditures. For example, during the second half of 2018, our Canadian customers experienced a widening of oil price differentials due to pipeline constraints which continued through the end of 2019, reducing their cash flows. Also, should a low commodity price environment impact our customers’ expenditures, we could encounter difficulties such as an inability to access needed capital on attractive terms or at all, the incurrence of further impairment charges, a reduction in our borrowing capacity under our Senior Secured Credit Facility, a need to reduce our capital spending and other similar impacts, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The cyclicality of the oil and natural gas industry may cause our results of operations to fluctuate.

We derive our revenues from companies in the oil and natural gas E&P industry, a historically cyclical industry with levels of activity that are significantly affected by the levels and volatility of oil and natural gas prices. Prices for oil and natural gas historically have been extremely volatile and are expected to continue to be volatile. During the past five years, the posted West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”) price for oil has ranged from a low of $(36.98) per barrel, or Bbl, in April 2020 to a high of $85.64 per Bbl in October 2021. Over the same period, the Henry Hub spot market price of natural gas has ranged from a low of $1.33 per million British thermal units, or MMBtu, in September 2020 to a high of $23.86 per MMBtu in February 2021. We have, and may in the future, experience significant fluctuations in operating results as a result of the reactions of our customers to changes in oil and natural gas prices. For example, prolonged low commodity prices experienced by the oil and natural gas industry during 2015 and 2016, combined with adverse changes in the capital and credit markets, caused many E&P companies to reduce their capital budgets and drilling activity. This resulted in a significant decline in demand for oilfield services and adversely impacted the prices oilfield services companies could charge for their services. E&P capital budgets were reduced significantly in 2020 as well in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with many of the same effects, as discussed above. We have master services agreements (“MSAs”) with most of our customers which have no minimum purchase requirements. As a result, a large portion of our customers are not obligated to buy our products or utilize our services for an extended period or at all.

Competition within our industry may adversely affect our ability to market our services.

The markets in which we operate are generally highly competitive. The principal competitive factors in our market are technology, service quality, safety track record and price. We compete with large national and multi-national companies that have substantially longer operating histories, greater financial, technical and other resources and greater name recognition than we do. Several of our competitors provide a broader array of services and have a stronger presence in more geographic markets. In addition, we compete with several smaller companies capable of competing effectively on a regional or local basis. These companies may be able to charge lower prices for competing products and services, particularly if a company maintains a lower cost structure by investing in less research and development activities. These products and services offered by lower-priced competitors may be more attractive to our customers in lower commodity price environments, even if the products or services offered are inferior. Also, our competitors may be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies, products and services and changes in customer requirements. These responses may come from direct competitors who offer similar products or services or competitors who offer substitutes. In certain circumstances, work is awarded on a bid basis, which further increases competition based on price. Pricing is often the primary factor in determining which qualified contractor is awarded the work. Also, this competitive environment may make it difficult to commercialize new products and gain customer adoption.

The competitive environment may be further intensified when oil and gas companies reduce their expenditures, as occurred in the recent lower commodity price environment, leading to excess capacity and additional pricing pressure. Further, as a result of the significant reduced demand for oil and natural gas services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, certain of our competitors may engage in bankruptcy proceedings, debt refinancing transactions, management changes, or other strategic initiatives in an attempt to reduce operating costs to maintain a position in the market. In addition, mergers and acquisitions among oil and natural gas companies or other events that have the effect of reducing the number of available customers may make the environment more competitive. As a result of competition, we may lose market share or be unable to maintain or increase prices for our current products or services or to acquire additional business opportunities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to successfully implement our strategy of increasing sales of our products and services for use in basins located in the United States.

A key component of our growth strategy is to increase our market share in the United States. We sell a variety of products and services in the United States, including our fracturing systems, enhanced recovery systems, well construction, tracer diagnostic services and composite frac plugs and related products through Repeat Precision. In many of the product and service categories, we have been selling in the United States for a shorter period of time than we have been selling in Canada and thus must convince potential customers about either the value of the emerging technology compared to traditional methods or, in the case of more mature technology offerings, our differentiated benefits.

 

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Our primary offering is our fracturing systems products and services. Currently, most E&P companies in the United States rely on traditional well completion techniques and do not utilize pinpoint stimulation. In many circumstances, it has been and may continue to be difficult convincing potential customers of the benefits of our technologies relative to traditional well completion techniques, whether it be for more specific targeted uses or widespread adoption. If we are unable to convince potential customers in the United States of the benefits of pinpoint stimulation, our strategy to increase the level of sales of our products and services in the United States would be negatively impacted, harming our growth prospects. Additionally, the sales of our products and services depend in large part on the perception of pinpoint stimulation in the oil and natural gas industry. Unfavorable industry reports or poor well performance for wells that were completed using pinpoint stimulation would harm the perception of pinpoint stimulation and the technological advances in traditional well completion techniques that have made, and could continue to make, it more difficult to convince potential customers to adopt pinpoint stimulation, which could impact our ability to grow revenues in the United States and harm our growth prospects. In other product and service categories, we often compete in markets with many other competitors which may make it difficult to increase market share in the United States, as further described in the risk factor below.

A single customer constituted 7%, 10% and 8% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The loss of any of our significant customers, or their failure to pay the amounts they owe us, could cause our revenue to decline substantially.

A single customer accounted for approximately 7%, 10% and 8% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Additionally, our five largest customers accounted for approximately 30%, 31% and 22% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. It is likely that we will continue to derive a significant portion of our revenue from these customers in the near future. There has been an increase in consolidation amongst E&P companies and, as a result, we have experienced a reduction in spending with certain large customers and may continue to further experience a reduction in future business with consolidating customers if combined capital spending is reduced, if procurement strategies are altered, or if the counterparty in the consolidation has other preferred vendors for the products and services we have been providing. If any large customers decided not to continue to use our products and services for any reason, our revenue would decline, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we are subject to credit risk due to the concentration of our customer base. Any nonperformance by these customers, including their failure to pay the amounts they owe us, either as a result of changes in general financial and economic conditions, conditions in the oil and natural gas industry or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends on our ability to develop and implement new technologies, products and services.

Our success depends on the ongoing development and implementation of new product designs and improvements, and on our ability to protect and maintain critical intellectual property assets related to these developments. If we are unable to continue to develop and produce competitive technology or deliver it to our clients in a timely and cost-competitive manner in the various markets we serve, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, if we are not able to obtain patent or other intellectual property protection of our technology, we may not be able to recoup development costs or fully exploit systems, services and technologies in a manner that allows us to meet evolving industry requirements at prices acceptable to our customers. In 2020, we implemented several cost reduction measures, including several workforce reductions resulting in the termination of many employees. These measures resulted in the loss of longer-term employees, institutional knowledge and expertise and may negatively impact our ability to develop or implement new technologies. In addition, some of our competitors are large national and multinational companies that may be able to devote greater financial, technical, manufacturing and marketing resources to research and development of new systems, services and technologies than we are able to do.

Investments in new technologies involve uncertainties and risk. Commercial success depends on many factors, including the levels of innovation, the development costs and the availability of capital resources to fund those costs, the levels of competition from others developing similar or other competing technologies, our ability to obtain or maintain government permits or certifications, the effectiveness of production, distribution and marketing efforts, and the costs to customers to deploy and provide support for the new technologies. In addition, it may take long periods of time to develop new technologies and we may not accurately predict the future needs of our customers or the competitive landscape. We may not achieve significant revenues from new product and service investments for a number of years, if at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Advancements in drilling and well completion technologies and processes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our industry is characterized by rapid and significant technological advancements and introductions of new products and services using new technologies. As new well completion technologies develop, we may be placed at a competitive disadvantage, and competitive pressure may force us to implement new technologies at a substantial cost. We may not be able to successfully acquire or use new technologies. New technologies, services or standards, including improvements to existing competing technologies, could render our technologies, products or services obsolete, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition

 

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and results of operations. In addition, the development of new processes to replace hydraulic fracturing altogether or that replace our technologies, could cause a decline in the demand for the products and services that we provide and could result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our competitors may infringe upon, misappropriate, violate or challenge the validity or enforceability of our intellectual property and we may not be able to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights in the future. We may be adversely affected by disputes regarding intellectual property rights.

We currently hold multiple U.S. and international patents and have multiple pending patent applications for products and processes. Patent rights give the owner of a patent the right to exclude third parties from making, using, selling, and offering for sale the inventions claimed in the patents in the applicable country. Patent rights do not necessarily grant the owner of a patent the right to practice the invention claimed in a patent, but merely the right to exclude others from practicing the invention claimed in the patent. It may be possible for a third-party to design around our patents. Furthermore, patent rights have strict territorial limits. We may not be able to enforce our patents against infringement occurring in “non-covered” territories. Also, we do not have patents in every jurisdiction in which we conduct business and our patent portfolio will not protect all aspects of our business and may relate to obsolete or unusual methods, which would not prevent third parties from entering the same market.

Despite our efforts to safeguard our intellectual property rights, we may not be successful in doing so, or the steps taken by us in this regard may not be adequate to detect or deter misappropriation of our technology or to prevent an unauthorized third party from copying or otherwise obtaining and using our products, technology or other information that we regard as proprietary. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how. Competitors could purchase our products and attempt to replicate some or all of the competitive advantages we derive from our development efforts, infringe our intellectual property rights, design around our protected technology or develop their own competitive technologies that fall outside of our intellectual property rights. Our inability to adequately protect our intellectual property could allow our competitors and other third parties to produce products based on our patented or proprietary technology and other intellectual property rights, providing increased competition and pricing pressure, which could substantially impair our ability to compete.

In addition, by customarily entering into employment, confidentiality and/or license agreements with our employees, customers and potential customers and suppliers, we attempt to limit access to and distribution of our technology. Our rights in our confidential information, trade secrets, and confidential know-how will not prevent third parties from independently developing similar information. Publicly available information (e.g. information in expired issued patents, published patent applications, and scientific literature) can also be used by third parties to independently develop technology. This independently developed technology may be equivalent or superior to our proprietary technology.

Confidential information shared with employees, customers and potential customers and suppliers may be used by those parties in a manner inconsistent with their employment, confidentiality and/or license agreements and we may not be able to adequately protect against or stop such behavior. We may not be able to determine if competitive technology offered by third parties was independently developed or resulted from breach of our agreements. In addition, we operate in certain jurisdictions with a heightened risk of misappropriation or misuse of confidential information and intellectual property and it may be more difficult in such jurisdictions to enforce our rights.

We have in the past, and may in the future, become involved in legal proceedings from time to time to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights. In addition, third parties from time to time may initiate litigation against us by asserting that the conduct of our business infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates intellectual property rights. We may not prevail in any legal proceedings related to such claims, and our products and services may be found to infringe, impair, misappropriate, dilute or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of others. If we are sued for infringement and lose, we could be required to pay substantial damages and/or be enjoined from using or selling the infringing products or technology. Likewise, if we do not prevail in the lawsuits initiated by us, it could impact the strength or validity of the patents in question. Any legal proceeding concerning intellectual property could be protracted and costly and is inherently unpredictable and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation, regardless of its outcome.

Our products are used in operations that are subject to potential hazards inherent in the oil and natural gas industry, including claims for personal injury and property damage, and, as a result, we are exposed to potential liabilities that may affect our financial condition and reputation.

Our products are used in potentially hazardous drilling, completion and production applications in the oil and natural gas industry where an accident or a failure of a product can potentially have catastrophic consequences. Risks inherent to these applications, such as equipment malfunctions and failures, equipment misuse and defects, explosions, blowouts and uncontrollable flows of oil, natural gas or well fluids and natural disasters can cause personal injury, loss of life, suspension of operations, damage to formations, damage to facilities, business interruption and damage to or destruction of property, surface water and drinking water resources, equipment and the environment. If our products or services fail to meet specifications or are involved in accidents or

 

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failures, we could face warranty, contract or other litigation claims, which could expose us to substantial liability for personal injury, wrongful death, property damage, pollution and other environmental damages. We operate with many of our customers under MSAs. We endeavor to allocate potential liabilities and risks between the parties in MSAs, which may result in material liability to us. In addition, despite our intention to generally allocate risk under MSAs, we might not succeed in enforcing such contractual allocation, might incur an unforeseen liability falling outside the scope of such allocation or may be required to enter into an MSA with terms that are unfavorable to us. As a result, we may incur substantial losses which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, the frequency and severity of such incidents will affect operating costs, insurability and relationships with customers, employees and regulators. In particular, our customers may elect not to purchase our services if they view our safety record as unacceptable, which could cause us to lose customers and substantial revenues. In addition, these risks may be greater for us because we may acquire companies that have not allocated significant resources and management focus to safety and have a poor safety record requiring rehabilitative efforts during the integration process and we may incur liabilities for losses before such rehabilitation occurs.

Losses and liabilities from operating activities could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our insurance policies may not be adequate to cover all liabilities. Our operations are subject to significant hazards often found in the oil and natural gas industry. Claims for loss of oil and natural gas production and damage to formations occur in the ordinary course of business in the well services industry. Litigation arising from a catastrophic occurrence at a location where our products and services are being used may result in our being named as a defendant in lawsuits asserting large claims. As described in the risk factor above, our MSAs may require us to indemnify our customers for damage or loss arising out of our sale of goods or performance of our work, regardless of fault, and provide for warranties for products and workmanship and we may also be required to name the customer and others as an additional insured under our insurance policies. We maintain limited insurance coverage against these and other risks associated with our business. Any insurance obtained by us may not be adequate to cover any losses or liabilities and, particularly in the event that we must submit larger claims to insurance providers, this insurance may not continue to be available at all or on terms which are acceptable to us. Insurance rates have in the past been subject to wide fluctuation and changes in coverage could result in less coverage, increases in cost or higher deductibles and retentions. Moreover, even if we are successful in defending a claim, it could be time-consuming and costly to defend. Furthermore, the operational insurance coverage we maintain for our business may not fully insure us against all risks, either because insurance is not available or because of the high premium costs relative to perceived risk. For example, our insurance does not typically cover losses and liabilities related to intellectual property or general breach of contract claims. In addition, our insurance may not cover losses associated with pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Liabilities for which we are not insured, or which exceed the policy limits of our applicable insurance, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Explosive incidents arising out of dangerous materials used in our business could disrupt operations and result in bodily injuries and property damages, which occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We use explosive materials in our manufacturing processes and products. The use of explosives is an inherently dangerous activity. These activities subject us to extensive environmental and health and safety laws and regulations including guidelines and regulations for the purchase, manufacture, handling, transport, import, storage and use of explosives issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations set forth by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Safety Library Publications of the Institute of Makers of Explosives. Despite our use of specialized facilities to store and handle dangerous materials and our employee training programs, the storage and handling of explosive materials could result in explosive incidents that temporarily shut down or otherwise disrupt our or our customers’ operations or could cause restrictions, delays or cancellations in the delivery of our services. It is possible that such an explosion could result in death or significant injuries to employees and other persons. Material property damage to us, our customers and third parties arising from an explosion or resulting fire could also occur. Any explosion or related environmental law violation could expose us to adverse publicity and liability for damages or cause production restrictions, delays or cancellations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Moreover, failure to comply with applicable requirements or the occurrence of an explosive incident may also result in the loss of our license to store and handle explosives, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Low commodity price environments can negatively impact oil and natural gas E&P companies and, in some cases, impair their ability to timely pay for products or services provided or can result in their insolvency or bankruptcy, any of which exposes us to credit risk of our oil and natural gas E&P customers.

We are subject to the risk of loss resulting from nonpayment or nonperformance by our customers, many of whose operations may be concentrated in certain markets which, as described above, are subject to volatility and, therefore, credit risk. Our credit

 

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procedures and policies may not be adequate to fully reduce customer credit risk. If we are unable to adequately assess the creditworthiness of existing or future customers or unanticipated deterioration in their creditworthiness, any resulting increase in nonpayment or nonperformance by them could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, in weak economic and commodity price environments, we may experience difficulties, delays or failures in collecting outstanding receivables from many customers, due to, among other reasons, a reduction in their cash flow from operations, their inability to access the credit markets and, in certain cases, their insolvencies. In 2020, lower commodity prices impacted E&P companies that carry significant debt on their balance sheets and companies that rely on liquidity from loans that are based on the value of their oil and gas reserves. There were several Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings by E&P companies in 2020 and 2021, and the credit quality of the upstream oil and natural gas sector, our customer base, has been negatively impacted by the decline in market conditions, primarily related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We recorded a provision for doubtful accounts of $0.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 and a recovery of $0.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2021. Further, laws in some jurisdictions in which we operate could make collection unlikely, difficult or time consuming. Such collection issues could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

To the extent one or more of our key customers commences bankruptcy proceedings, our contracts with these customers may be subject to rejection under applicable provisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and similar international laws, or may be renegotiated. Further, during any such bankruptcy proceeding, prior to assumption, rejection or renegotiation of such contracts, the bankruptcy court may temporarily authorize the payment of value for our services less than contractually required, which could also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The growth of our business through acquisitions or strategic partnerships exposes us to various risks, including identifying suitable opportunities and integrating businesses, assets and personnel.

We evaluate and pursue acquisitions on a regular basis in order to expand and diversify our business. We may also form strategic partnerships with third parties that we believe will complement or augment our existing business. We may not be able to identify any potential acquisition or strategic partnership candidates, consummate any acquisitions or enter into any strategic partnerships and any future acquisitions or strategic partnerships may not be successfully integrated or may not be advantageous to us. In addition, we may not have or be able to obtain sufficient capital resources to complete any acquisitions. Entities we acquire may not achieve the revenue and earnings we anticipate or their liabilities may exceed our expectations. We could face integration issues pertaining to the internal controls and operational functions of the acquired companies and we also could fail to realize cost efficiencies or synergies that we anticipated when selecting our acquisition candidates. Client dissatisfaction or performance problems with a particular acquired entity or resulting from a strategic partnership could have a material adverse effect on our reputation as a whole. We may be unable to profitably manage any acquired entities, or we may fail to integrate them successfully without incurring substantial expenses, delays or other problems. We may not achieve the anticipated benefits from our acquisitions or any of the strategic partnerships we form. In addition, business acquisitions and strategic partnerships involve a number of risks that could affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, including but not limited to:

our ability to integrate operational, accounting and technology policies, processes and systems and the implementation of those policies and procedures;

our ability to integrate personnel and human resources systems as well as the cultures of each of the acquired businesses;

our ability to implement our business plan for the acquired business;

transition of operations, users and clients to our existing platforms or the integration of data, systems and technology platforms with ours;

compliance with regulatory requirements and avoiding potential conflicts of interest in markets that we serve;

diversion of management’s attention and other resources;

our ability to retain or replace key personnel;

our ability to maintain relationships with the customers of the acquired business or a strategic partner and further develop the acquired business or the business of our strategic partner;

our ability to cross-sell our products and services and products and services of the acquired businesses or strategic partners to our respective clients;

entry into unfamiliar markets;

assumption of unanticipated legal or financial liabilities and/or negative publicity related to prior acts by the acquired entity;

litigation or other claims in connection with the acquired company, including claims from terminated employees, clients, former stockholders or third parties;

misuse of intellectual property by our strategic partners;

 

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disagreements with strategic partners or a misalignment of incentives within any strategic partnership;

becoming subject to increased regulation as a result of an acquisition;

becoming significantly leveraged as a result of incurring debt to finance an acquisition;

unanticipated operating, accounting or management difficulties in connection with the acquired entities; and

impairment of acquired intangible assets, including goodwill, and dilution to our earnings per share.

If we fail to successfully integrate the businesses that we acquire or strategic partnerships that we enter into, we may not realize any of the benefits we anticipate in connection with the acquisitions or partnerships, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Disruptions or delays involving our suppliers or increases in prices for the components, raw materials and parts that we obtain from our suppliers could have a material adverse effect on our business and consolidated results of operations.

Our operations are dependent upon the continued ability of our suppliers to deliver the components, raw materials and parts that we need to manufacture our products. In some instances, we purchase components, raw materials and parts that are ultimately derived from a single source and may be at an increased risk for supply disruptions. Any number of factors, including labor disruptions, military activity, catastrophic weather events, the occurrence of a pandemic or other widespread illness (such as COVID-19), contractual or other disputes, unfavorable economic or industry conditions, transportation disruptions, delivery delays or other performance problems or financial difficulties or solvency problems, could disrupt our suppliers’ operations and performance, which could, in turn, lead to uncertainty in our supply chain or cause supply disruptions for us and disrupt our operations. Recently, we have been facing an inflationary environment with respect to our supply chain, which is resulting in extended delivery times and increased prices for raw materials, supplies and transportation. In addition, our Repeat Precision joint venture operates two manufacturing facilities in Mexico. There are several risks associated with doing business in Mexico, including, exposure to local economic and political conditions, export and import restrictions, tariffs and related duty-free rules, and the potential for shortages of labor. The realization of any of these risks could disrupt our supply chain and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Although we have been able to manage supply chain impacts through the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been experiencing longer lead times for certain materials and increases in prices. Continued or increasing lockdown orders or a prolonged period of travel, commercial and other similar restrictions could cause additional global supply disruptions. If we experience further supply disruptions, we may not be able to develop alternate sourcing quickly. Any disruption of our production schedule caused by an unexpected shortage of components, raw materials or parts even for a relatively short period of time could cause us to alter production schedules or suspend production entirely, which would adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our success may depend on the continued service and availability of key personnel.

Our success and future growth is dependent upon the ability of our executive officers, senior managers and other key personnel to operate and manage our business and execute on our growth strategies successfully. We may be unable to continue to attract and retain our executive officers, senior managers or other key personnel. We may incur increased expenses in connection with the hiring, promotion, retention or replacement of any of these individuals. These labor costs include the cost of providing employee benefits in the United States, Canada and other foreign jurisdictions, including severance benefits. The loss of the services of any of our key personnel could have a material adverse effect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be unable to attract and retain skilled and technically knowledgeable employees, which could adversely affect our business.

Our success and future growth is dependent upon attracting and retaining highly skilled professionals and other technical personnel. A number of our employees are highly skilled engineers, chemists and highly trained technicians, and our failure to continue to attract and retain such individuals could adversely affect our ability to compete in the oilfield services industry. We may confront significant and potentially adverse competition for these skilled and technically knowledgeable personnel, particularly during periods of increased demand for oil and natural gas. Additionally, at times there may be a shortage of skilled and technical personnel available in the market, potentially compounding the difficulty of attracting and retaining these employees. Although we have not experienced any material labor shortage to date, we have recently observed an overall tightening and increasingly competitive local labor market. A sustained labor shortage or increased turnover rates within our employee base, caused by COVID-19, or measures taken to address COVID-19, or as a result of general macroeconomic factors, could lead to increased costs and a material impact on our operations. If we are unable to recruit or retain sufficient skilled and technical personnel, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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We conduct a portion of our operations through the Repeat Precision joint venture, which subjects us to additional risks that could adversely affect the success of these operations and the ability of Repeat Precision to make cash distributions to us, which could adversely impact our business, financial position and results of operations.

We conduct a portion of our operations through the Repeat Precision joint venture and may also enter into other joint venture arrangements in the future. Our joint venture arrangements may involve risks not otherwise present when operating assets directly. For example, we may:

Share approval rights over certain major decisions and may not be able to fully control decisions, including cash distributions to us from the joint venture, which totaled $2.8 million and $17.6 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively;

Devote significant management time to the requirements of, and matters relating to, the joint ventures;

Engage in disputes that may result in delays, litigation or operational impasses;

Incur liabilities as a result of an action taken by our joint venture partner, including leaving us liable for the other joint venture partners’ shares of joint venture liabilities;

Not receive credit for additional borrowing capacity under our borrowing base of our Senior Secured Credit Facility, as in the case with the Repeat Precision joint venture;

Have different systems or controls at the joint venture, which may subject us to additional risks and vulnerabilities; and

Not carry adequate insurance policies that fully cover loss or damage incurred by both us and our joint venture partners in certain circumstances.

The risks described above or the failure to continue our joint venture could adversely affect our ability to transact the business that is the subject of such joint venture and our ability to receive cash distributions from the joint venture, which would in turn adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations.

A significant amount of our revenue generated is denominated in CAD and could be negatively impacted by currency fluctuations.

Because approximately 62% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 was generated in Canada, we could be materially affected by currency fluctuations. Changes in currency exchange rates, particularly with respect to CAD, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial position. As we have a trade accounts receivable balance in Canadian dollars of $19.1 million CAD as of December 31, 2021, a 10% movement in exchange rates for CAD relative to USD would increase or decrease pre-tax income during the period of the change and increase or decrease the resulting trade accounts receivable balance by $1.5 million. We have not hedged our exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates and, as a result, could incur significant and unanticipated translation gains and losses.

Our operations may be limited or disrupted in certain parts of the continental United States, Canada and the North Sea during severe weather conditions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We provide products and services to E&P companies that operate in basins throughout the continental United States, Canada and in the North Sea. We serve these markets through our facilities and service centers located in Texas, Oklahoma, Montana, West Virginia, and Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, and Western Norway. A substantial portion of our revenue is generated from our operations in geographies where weather conditions may be severe, particularly during winter and spring months. Repercussions of severe weather conditions may include:

curtailment of drilling and completion activity;

weather-related damage to equipment resulting in suspension of operations;

weather-related damage to our facilities;

inability to deliver equipment and materials to jobsites in accordance with contract schedules; and

loss of productivity.

Many municipalities impose bans or other restrictions on the use of roads and highways, which include weight restrictions on the paved roads that lead to our jobsites due to the muddy conditions caused by spring thaws. This can limit our access to these jobsites and our ability to service wells in these areas. Harsh winter conditions in the North Sea can result in strong winds and high waves, which can limit our ability to service offshore platforms. These constraints and the resulting shortages or high costs could delay our operations and materially increase our operating and capital costs in those regions. Weather conditions may also affect the

 

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price of crude oil and natural gas, and related demand for our services. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Hydraulic fracturing is substantially dependent on the availability of water. Restrictions on the ability of our customers to obtain water may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Water is an essential component of deep shale oil and natural gas production during both the drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes. Over the past several years, certain of the areas in which we sell our products and services have experienced extreme drought conditions and competition for water in such shales is growing. As a result of this severe drought, some local water districts have begun restricting the use of water subject to their jurisdiction for hydraulic fracturing to protect local water supply. The inability of our customers to obtain water to use in their operations from local sources or to effectively utilize flowback water could impact demand for our products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The adoption of climate change legislation or regulations restricting emissions of GHGs, and associated litigation, could result in increased compliance or operating costs, limit the areas in which our customers may conduct E&P activities, and reduce demand for oil and natural gas.

Governmental, scientific, and public concern over the threat of climate change arising from GHG emissions is giving rise to an increased likelihood of regulatory actions to address climate change in the United States and abroad. As a result, our customers are or may become subject to statutes or regulations aiming to reduce emissions of GHGs. In December 2009, the EPA determined that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other GHGs present an endangerment to public health and the environment because emissions of such gases are, according to the EPA, contributing to warming of the earth’s atmosphere and other climatic changes. Based on these findings, the EPA has promulgated regulations restricting emissions of GHGs under existing provisions of the CAA, including establishing NSPS, a set of uniform technology-based standards for new and modified sources of air pollution, that govern emissions of methane and volatile organic compounds from new and modified oil and natural gas development and production operations. Most recently, in November 2021, EPA issued a proposed rule that would sharply reduce the emission of methane and other air pollutants from both new and existing sources in the oil and natural gas industry. The proposal would expand current emissions reduction requirements for new, modified and reconstructed oil and natural gas sources, and would require states to reduce methane emissions from hundreds of thousands of existing sources nationwide for the first time. While the scope and future implementation of any final rule regarding such proposed NSPS and emissions guidelines, remain uncertain, these rules could have an adverse effect on our customers and result in an indirect material adverse effect on our business.

Various U.S. states or groups of states have adopted or considered adopting legislation, regulations or other governmental actions focused on reducing GHG emissions, including cap and trade programs, carbon taxes, reporting and tracking initiatives and renewable portfolio standards. At the international level, the United States is a party to the United Nations-sponsored Paris Agreement, a non-binding agreement for nations to limit their GHG emissions through individually-determined reduction goals. Although it is not possible at this time to predict how any legal requirements imposed following the implementation of the Paris Agreement or otherwise that may be adopted or issued to address or restrict GHG emissions would impact our business or that of our customers, any such future laws, regulations or legal requirements imposing reporting or permitting obligations on, or limiting emissions of GHGs from, oil and natural gas exploration activities could require our customers to incur costs to reduce emissions of GHGs associated with their operations. In addition, substantial limitations on GHG emissions could adversely affect demand for the oil and natural gas our customers produce or make it more expensive to develop and produce hydrocarbons, which could have a material adverse effect on future demand for our products and services.

In addition, claims have been made against certain energy companies alleging that GHG emissions from oil and natural gas operations constitute a public nuisance under federal and/or state common law. As a result, private individuals may seek to enforce environmental laws and regulations against certain energy companies and could allege personal injury or property damages. While our business is not a party to any such litigation, we could be named in actions making similar allegations. An unfavorable ruling in any such case could significantly impact our or our customers’ operations and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Moreover, climate change may cause more extreme weather conditions such as more intense hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes and snow or ice storms, as well as rising sea levels and increased volatility in seasonal temperatures. Extreme weather conditions can interfere with our or our customers’ operations and increase our costs, and damage resulting from extreme weather may not be fully insured. However, at this time, we are unable to determine the extent to which climate change may lead to increased storm or weather hazards affecting our operations.

 

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Federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing could result in increased costs and additional operating restrictions or delays on our customers, which could in turn decrease the demand for our products and services.

Our business is dependent on the ability of our customers to conduct hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling activities. Hydraulic fracturing is an important common practice that is used to stimulate production of hydrocarbons, particularly natural gas, from tight formations, including shales. The process, which involves the injection of water, sand and other proppants under pressure into formations to fracture the surrounding rock and stimulate production, is typically regulated by state oil and natural gas commissions. The federal government can, however, limit hydraulic fracturing activities on federal lands through permitting. On January 27, 2021, the current administration issued an executive order directing the Secretary of the Interior to pause on entering into new oil and natural gas leases on public lands or offshore waters to the extent possible. This moratorium has been stayed by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, which means that leasing of Federal public lands can continue until the court rules on the substance of the case or until the Court or an appeals court issues additional orders. In addition, the current administration cancelled the construction permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would have transported Canadian oil to the Gulf Coast. Federal agencies also have asserted regulatory authority over additional aspects of the process and there are certain governmental reviews either completed, underway, or being proposed that focus on the environmental aspects of hydraulic fracturing practices. These completed, ongoing, or proposed studies, depending on their degree of pursuit and whether any meaningful results are obtained, could spur initiatives to further regulate hydraulic fracturing. For example, in December 2016, the EPA released a final report assessing the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. In this report, the EPA found scientific evidence that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking water resources under some circumstances. Other governmental agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Government Accountability Office, have evaluated or are evaluating various other aspects of hydraulic fracturing. State and federal regulatory agencies recently have focused on a possible connection between the operation of injection wells used for oil and natural gas waste disposal and seismic activity. Similar concerns have been raised that hydraulic fracturing may also contribute to seismic activity. When caused by human activity, such events are called induced seismicity. Regulatory agencies at all levels are continuing to study the possible linkage between oil and natural gas activity and induced seismicity. These ongoing or proposed studies could spur initiatives to further regulate hydraulic fracturing, and could ultimately make it more difficult or costly to perform fracturing and increase the costs of compliance and doing business for our customers. In addition, in response to concerns regarding induced seismicity, regulators in some states have from time to time, developed and implemented plans directing certain wells where seismic incidents have occurred to restrict or suspend disposal well operations. Such actions to restrict or suspend disposal well operations could make it more difficult or costly for our customers to perform fracturing.

Various state and local-level initiatives in regions with substantial shale resources have been or may be proposed or implemented to further regulate hydraulic fracturing practices, limit water withdrawals and water use, require disclosure of fracturing fluid constituents, restrict which additives may be used, or implement temporary or permanent bans on hydraulic fracturing. For instance, the State of New York elected in 2015 to prohibit high volume hydraulic fracturing altogether. Any increased regulation of hydraulic fracturing could reduce our customers’ demand for our products and services and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

At this time, it is not possible to estimate the impact on our business of newly enacted or potential federal, state or local laws governing hydraulic fracturing.

Restrictions on drilling activities intended to protect certain species of wildlife may adversely affect the ability of our customers to conduct drilling activities in some of the areas where we operate.

Oil and natural gas operations in our operating areas can be adversely affected by seasonal or permanent restrictions on drilling activities designed to protect various wildlife, which may limit the ability of our customers to operate in protected areas. Permanent restrictions imposed to protect endangered species could prohibit drilling in certain areas or require the implementation of expensive mitigation measures. Additionally, the designation of previously unprotected species as threatened or endangered in areas where we operate could result in increased costs arising from species protection measures. Restrictions on the oil and natural gas operations of our customers to protect wildlife could reduce demand for our products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to meet applicable regulatory requirements for our use of certain chemicals by our tracer diagnostics business, and, even if requirements are met, complying on an ongoing basis with the numerous regulatory requirements may be time-consuming and costly.

The chemicals that we use in our tracer diagnostics business may be subject to government regulation in our target markets. In the United States, the EPA administers the Toxic Substances Control Act (the “TSCA”) which regulates the commercial registration, distribution, and use of many chemicals, including many of the chemicals we use in our tracer diagnostics business. Before we can manufacture or distribute significant volumes of a chemical, we need to determine whether that chemical is listed in the TSCA

 

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inventory. If the substance is listed, then manufacture or distribution can commence immediately. If not, then we must file a Pre-Manufacture Notice (“PMN”) with the EPA for review. Certain categories of chemical substances may be exempt from a full PMN review, including chemical substances that qualify for a Low Volume Exemption (“LVE”). We have filed PMNs for certain chemicals, and have sought for and obtained LVEs for other chemicals that we use in our tracer diagnostics business, and we will file additional PMNs or seek additional LVEs in the future. We may not be able to expediently receive approval from the EPA to list such chemicals on the TSCA inventory, resulting in delays in our ability to manufacture such chemicals, or significant increases in testing requirements.

In addition, once we have a consent order from the EPA allowing us to manufacture PMN substances for our tracer diagnostics business, we remain subject to regulatory requirements, including, as applicable, volume limitations that may impede us from producing sufficient quantities of such chemicals. Noncompliance with an EPA consent order could result in civil or criminal penalties and delays, or require us to cease operations that are authorized under the consent order. Similar programs exist in most, if not all, of the countries in which we may seek to produce, import or use certain chemicals in our tracer diagnostics business, including compliance with regulations imposed in Canada by the Environment and Climate Change Canada/Health Canada. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain necessary approvals in a timely manner or at all. If we do not meet applicable regulatory requirements in a particular country for some chemicals, then we may not be able to commercialize those chemicals or tracers in such country, and our business could be adversely affected. Changes in regulatory requirements, laws and policies, or evolving interpretations of existing regulatory requirements, laws and policies, may result in increased compliance costs, delays, capital expenditures and other financial obligations that could adversely affect our business or financial results.

Our operations and our customers’ operations are subject to a variety of governmental laws and regulations that may increase our costs, limit the demand for our products and services or restrict our operations.

Our business and our customers’ businesses may be significantly affected by:

federal, state and local and non-U.S. laws and other regulations relating to import tariffs, oilfield operations, worker safety and protection of the environment;

changes in these laws and regulations; and

the level of enforcement of these laws and regulations.

If we fail to comply with safety regulations or maintain an acceptable level of safety at our facilities, we may incur fines, penalties or other liabilities, or may be held criminally liable. We may incur additional costs to upgrade equipment or conduct additional training, or otherwise incur costs in connection with compliance with safety regulations. Failure to maintain safe operations or achieve certain safety performance metrics could disqualify us from doing business with certain customers, particularly major oil companies.

We depend on the demand for our products and services from the oil and natural gas industry which is affected by changing taxes, price controls and other laws and regulations relating to the oil and natural gas industry in general. For example, the adoption of laws and regulations curtailing exploration and development drilling for oil and natural gas for economic or other policy reasons could adversely affect our operations by limiting demand for our products. In addition, some non-U.S. countries may adopt regulations or practices that give advantage to indigenous oil companies in bidding for oil leases, or require indigenous companies to perform oilfield services currently supplied by international service companies. To the extent that such companies are not our customers, or we are unable to develop relationships with them, our business may suffer. We cannot determine the extent to which our future operations and earnings may be affected by new legislation, new regulations or changes in existing regulations.

Because of our non-U.S. operations and sales, we are subject to changes in regional, political or economic conditions, and non-U.S. laws and policies, including taxes, trade protection measures, and changes in regulatory requirements governing the operations of companies in non-U.S. countries. We are also subject to changes in non-U.S. laws and regulations that may encourage or require hiring of local contractors or require non-U.S. contractors to employ citizens of, or purchase supplies from, a particular jurisdiction. If we fail to comply with any applicable law or regulation, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs, could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The U.S. administration may propose or take action with respect to major changes to trade policies, such as the imposition of additional tariffs on imported products and the withdrawal from or renegotiation of certain trade agreements. In addition, these could also result in additional retaliatory actions by the United States’ trade partners. Given that we procure many of the raw materials that we use to create our products directly or indirectly from outside of the United States, the imposition of tariffs and other potential changes in U.S. trade policy could increase the cost or limit the availability of such raw materials, which could hurt our competitive position and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, the United States has a tariff of

 

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25% in place on a significant number of commodities originating from China, including certain chemicals utilized in our tracer diagnostics business. In addition, we sell a significant proportion of our products to customers outside of the United States. Retaliatory actions by other countries could result in increases in the price of our products, which could limit demand for such products, hurt our global competitive position and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to accurately predict customer demand or if customers cancel their orders on short notice, we may hold excess or obsolete inventory, which would reduce gross margins. Conversely, insufficient inventory would result in lost revenue opportunities and potentially a loss in market share and damaged customer relationships.

Customers can generally cancel or defer purchase orders on short notice without incurring a significant penalty. As a result, we cannot accurately predict what or how many products such customers will need in the future. Anticipating demand is difficult because our customers face unpredictable demand for their own products and are increasingly focused on cash preservation and tighter inventory management.

Orders are placed with our suppliers based on forecasts of customer demand and, in some instances, we may establish buffer inventories to accommodate anticipated demand. Our forecasts of customer demand are based on multiple assumptions, each of which may introduce errors into the estimates. If we overestimate customer demand, we may allocate resources to the purchase of material or manufactured products that we may not be able to sell when expected, if at all. As a result, we may hold excess or obsolete inventory, which would reduce gross margin and adversely affect financial results. Conversely, if we underestimate customer demand or if insufficient manufacturing capacity is available, we would miss revenue opportunities and potentially lose market share and damage our customer relationships. In addition, any future significant cancellations or deferrals of product orders or the return of previously sold products could materially and adversely affect profit margins, increase product obsolescence and restrict our ability to fund our operations.

We could be subject to additional income tax liabilities.

We are subject to income taxes in the United States (federal and state), Canada and other foreign jurisdictions. Tax laws, regulations, and administrative practices in various jurisdictions may be subject to significant change, with or without notice, due to economic, political, and other conditions, and significant judgment is required in evaluating and estimating our provision and accruals for these taxes. There are many transactions that occur during the ordinary course of business for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Our effective tax rates could be affected by numerous factors, such as intercompany transactions, the relative amount of our foreign earnings, including lower than anticipated earnings in jurisdictions where we have lower statutory rates and higher than anticipated in jurisdictions where we have higher statutory rates, losses incurred in jurisdictions for which we are not able to realize the related tax benefit, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, entry into new businesses and geographies, changes to our existing businesses and operations, acquisitions (including integrations) and investments and how they are financed, changes in our deferred tax assets and liabilities and their valuation, and changes in the relevant tax, accounting, and other laws, regulations, administrative practices, principles, and interpretations. In addition, a number of countries are actively pursuing changes to their tax laws applicable to corporate multinationals.

We are also currently subject to audit in various jurisdictions, and these jurisdictions may assess additional income tax liabilities against us. Additionally, several tax authorities have increasingly focused attention on intercompany transfer pricing with respect to sales of products and services and the use of intangibles. Tax authorities could disagree with our cross-jurisdictional transfer pricing or other matters and assess additional taxes. If we do not prevail in any such disagreements, our profitability and cash flows may be adversely affected. Developments in an audit, litigation, or the relevant laws, regulations, administrative practices, principles, and interpretations could have a material effect on our operating results or cash flows in the period or periods for which that development occurs, as well as for prior and subsequent periods.

Loss of our information and computer systems could adversely affect our business.

We are heavily dependent on our information systems and computer based programs, including our engineering information and accounting data. If any of such programs or systems were to fail or create erroneous information in our hardware or software network infrastructure, whether due to cyberattack or otherwise, possible consequences include our loss of communication links and inability to automatically process commercial transactions or engage in similar automated or computerized business activities. Any such consequence could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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We are subject to cyber security risks. A cyber incident could occur and result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

Our operations depend on effective and secure information technology systems. Threats to information technology systems, including as a result of cyberattacks and cyber incidents, continue to grow. Cybersecurity risks could include, but are not limited to, ransomware attacks, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to our data and the unauthorized release, corruption or loss of our data and personal information, interruptions in communication, loss of our intellectual property or theft of our sensitive or proprietary technology, loss or damage to our data delivery systems, or other cybersecurity and infrastructure systems, including our property and equipment. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we moved to a largely “remote work” model for office personnel in early 2020, and in 2021 we introduced full-time or part-time remote work as a permanent option for select employees. A significant number of our office employees work remotely. Remote work relies heavily on the use of remote networking and online conferencing services that enable employees to work outside of our corporate infrastructure and, in some cases, use their own personal devices, which exposes us to additional cybersecurity risks, including unauthorized access to sensitive information as a result of increased remote access and other cybersecurity related incidents.

It is possible that our business, financial and other systems could be compromised, which could go unnoticed for a prolonged period of time. While various procedures and controls are being utilized to mitigate exposure to such risk, there can be no assurance that the procedures and controls that we implement, or which we cause third party service providers to implement, will be sufficient to protect our systems, information or other property. Additionally, customers as well as other third parties upon whom we rely face similar cybersecurity threats, which could directly or indirectly impact our business and operations. The occurrence of a cyber incident or attack could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, as cyber incidents continue to evolve, we may be required to incur additional costs to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate or remediate the effects of cyber incidents. Also, our insurance coverage for cyberattacks may not be sufficient to cover all the losses we may experience as a result of such cyberattacks.

Complications with our ERP system could adversely impact our business and operations.

We rely extensively on information systems and technology to manage our business and summarize operating results. Our ERP system is designed to accurately maintain our financial records, enhance operational functionality and provide timely information to our management team related to the operation of the business. In the operation of our ERP system we may have technical issues that could cause operating and reporting delays, increased costs and other difficulties. If we are unable to successfully operate our ERP system, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if we do not effectively operate the ERP system, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting could be adversely affected or our ability to assess those controls adequately could be delayed.

Impairment in the carrying value of long-lived assets and goodwill could negatively affect our operating results.

We evaluate our property and equipment and identifiable intangible assets for impairment whenever changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable. Should the review indicate that the carrying value is not fully recoverable, the amount of the impairment loss is determined by comparing the carrying value to the estimated fair value. See “Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” “Note 6. Property and Equipment” and “Note 7. Goodwill and Identifiable Intangibles” of our consolidated financial statements for further information related to these charges.

An assessment of potential goodwill impairment indicators is performed annually or whenever there is a triggering event that indicates an impairment loss may have been incurred. Under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), we determine if it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is greater than its carrying amount. Determining the fair value of a reporting unit requires the use of estimates, assumptions and judgment. See “Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and “Note 7. Goodwill and Identifiable Intangibles” of our consolidated financial statements for further information related to these charges.

We are unable to predict whether further impairments of one or more of our long-lived assets or investments may occur in the future. Such an impairment would result in additional non-cash charges that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business operations in countries outside of the United States are subject to U.S. and non-U.S. federal laws and regulations, including restrictions imposed by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act as well as trade sanctions administered by the OFAC and the Commerce Department.

Local laws and customs in many countries differ significantly from those in the United States. In many countries, particularly in those with developing economies, it is common to engage in business practices that are prohibited by U.S. regulations applicable to us. The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions, including the UK Bribery Act

 

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2010, prohibit corporations and individuals, including us and our employees, from engaging in certain activities to obtain or retain business or to influence a person working in an official capacity. We are responsible for any violations by our employees, contractors and agents, whether based within or outside of the United States, for violations of the FCPA. We may also be held responsible for any violations by an acquired company that occur prior to an acquisition, or subsequent to the acquisition but before we are able to institute our compliance procedures. In addition, our non-U.S. competitors that are not subject to the FCPA or similar laws may be able to secure business or other preferential treatment in such countries by means that such laws prohibit with respect to us. A violation of any of these laws, even if prohibited by our policies, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Actual or alleged violations could damage our reputation, be expensive to defend, and impair our ability to do business.

Compliance with U.S. regulations on trade sanctions and embargoes administered by OFAC also poses a risk to us. We cannot provide products or services to certain countries subject to U.S. trade sanctions. Furthermore, the laws and regulations concerning import activity, export recordkeeping and reporting, export control and economic sanctions are complex and constantly changing. Any failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory trading obligations could result in criminal and civil penalties and sanctions, such as fines, imprisonment, debarment from governmental contracts, seizure of shipments and loss of import and export privileges.

We may not be able to satisfy technical requirements, testing requirements, code requirements or other specifications under contracts and contract tenders.

Many of our products could be used in harsh environments and severe service applications. Our contracts with customers and customer requests for bids may set forth detailed specifications or technical requirements (including that they meet certain industrial code requirements, such as API, ASME or similar codes, or that our processes and facilities maintain ISO or similar certifications) for our products and services, which may also include extensive testing requirements. We anticipate that such code testing requirements will become more common in our contracts. We cannot assure you that our products or facilities will be able to satisfy the specifications or requirements, or that we will be able to perform the full-scale testing necessary to prove that the product specifications are satisfied in future contract bids or under existing contracts, or that the costs of modifications to our products or facilities to satisfy the specifications and testing will not adversely affect our results of operations. If our products or facilities are unable to satisfy such requirements, or we are unable to perform or satisfy the required testing, our customers may cancel their contracts and/or seek new suppliers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Our Indebtedness

We are a holding company and rely on dividends, distributions and other payments, advances and transfers of funds from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations.

We are a holding company that does not conduct any business operations of our own. As a result, we are largely dependent upon cash dividends and distributions and other transfers from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations. The agreements governing the indebtedness of our subsidiaries impose restrictions on our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us. The deterioration of the earnings from, or other available assets of, our subsidiaries for any reason also could limit or impair their ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us.

Our outstanding indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to operate our business, and we may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to meet our debt service obligations.

As of December 31, 2021, our total outstanding indebtedness was $7.8 million, of which no amount is currently outstanding under our Senior Secured Credit Facility (as defined below). Under our Senior Secured Credit Facility, which is secured by substantially all of our assets, we may borrow up to the lesser of a borrowing base and $25.0 million, with sublimits for loans in foreign currencies and loans to our Canadian subsidiary. The borrowing base, which also limits swingline advances, is determined based on 85% of eligible accounts receivable, which does not include accounts receivable at Repeat Precision, subject to change based on field audit results and the reasonable business judgment of the administrative agent under our Senior Secured Credit Facility. The Senior Secured Credit Facility authorizes, but does not require, the administrative agent to make over-advances, notwithstanding a borrowing base deficiency, up to 10% of the borrowing base (but never to exceed the lenders’ aggregate commitments). Our Senior Secured Credit Facility is subject to Wells Fargo’s customary LIBOR transition provisions (see below). There can be no assurance that our Senior Secured Credit Facility will be adequate in size to satisfy our liquidity needs, or that adverse energy market developments impacting our customers won’t constrain our liquidity by reducing the size of our borrowing base.

Our outstanding indebtedness, and any additional indebtedness we incur, may have important consequences for us, including, without limitation, that: we may be required to use a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay the principal of and interest on our indebtedness; our indebtedness and leverage may increase our vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic and industry conditions, as well as to competitive pressures; our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures,

 

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acquisitions and for general corporate and other purposes may be limited; our indebtedness may expose us to the risk of increased interest rates because our borrowings are at variable rates of interest (including LIBOR); LIBOR—the London interbank offered rate, began phasing out by the end of 2021, and is expected to be phased out completely sometime in 2023, and the effect on our debt service burden is unclear; our indebtedness may prevent us from taking advantage of business opportunities as they arise or successfully carrying out our plans to expand our business; and our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and our industry may be limited by covenants in our indebtedness documents.

Under the terms of the credit agreement governing our Senior Secured Credit Facility, we are required to comply with specified financial and operating covenants, which may limit our ability to operate our business as we otherwise might operate it. The obligations under our Senior Secured Credit Facility may be accelerated upon the occurrence of an event of default, which includes customary events of default including, without limitation, payment defaults, cross-defaults to certain material indebtedness, covenant defaults, material inaccuracy of representations and warranties, bankruptcy events, material judgments, certain ERISA-related events, material defects with respect to guarantees and collateral, invalidity of subordination provisions and change of control. If not cured, an event of default could result in any amounts outstanding, including any accrued interest and unpaid fees, becoming immediately due and payable, which would require us to, among other things: seek additional financing in the debt or equity markets, refinance or restructure all or a portion of our indebtedness, sell selected assets and/or reduce or delay planned capital or operating expenditures. Such measures might not be sufficient to enable us to service our debt and any such financing or refinancing might not be available on economically favorable terms or at all. If we are not able to generate sufficient cash flows to meet our debt service obligations or are forced to take additional measures to be able to service our indebtedness, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial indebtedness.

We may incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. Although the terms of the agreement governing our Senior Secured Credit Facility contains restrictions on our ability to incur additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of important exceptions, and indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. If we and our subsidiaries incur substantial additional indebtedness, the related risks to our financial condition could increase.

Restrictive covenants in the agreement governing our Senior Secured Credit Facility may restrict our ability to pursue our business strategies.

The agreement governing our Senior Secured Credit Facility contains a number of restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and may limit our ability to engage in acts that may be in our long-term best interests. These include covenants restricting, among other things, our ability to: incur additional indebtedness; grant liens; enter into burdensome agreements with negative pledge clauses or restrictions on subsidiary distributions; make certain investments; pay dividends; make payments in respect of junior lien or subordinated debt; make acquisitions; consolidate, amalgamate, merge, liquidate or dissolve; sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of assets; make certain organizational changes (including with respect to organizational documents and changes in fiscal year); engage in sale-leaseback transactions; engage in transactions with affiliates; enter into operating leases; enter into hedging arrangements; enter into certain leasehold arrangements and arrangements with respect to inventory and equipment; materially alter our business; and incur capital expenditures.

Our Senior Secured Credit Facility requires, as a condition to borrowing, that (i) if availability under such credit facility is less than 20% of our borrowing base, our fixed charge coverage ratio for the applicable 12 month period must be at least 1.0 to 1.0, and (ii) our available cash on hand does not exceed $10.0 million. The Senior Secured Credit Facility also contains (i) a financial covenant requiring us to maintain a fixed charge coverage ratio of at least 1.0 to 1.0 for the applicable 12 month period whenever availability under our Senior Secured Credit is less than 20% of our borrowing base, and (ii) a minimum liquidity requirement of at least $7.5 million. Our ability to satisfy the fixed charge coverage ratio and the minimum liquidity requirement can be affected by events beyond our control and we cannot assure you that we will be able to satisfy these covenants. Our inability to satisfy the fixed charge coverage ratio, or the minimum liquidity requirement, could render us unable to borrow under the Senior Credit Facility at the time when liquidity is most needed.

The Senior Secured Credit Facility also contains a weekly test requiring a cash sweep and mandatory pay down of the outstanding balance of such facility if from time to time our available cash balance exceeds $12.0 million.

A breach of any covenant or restriction contained in the agreement governing our Senior Secured Credit Facility could result in an event of default under this agreement. If any such event of default occurs, the lenders under the facility may elect (after the expiration of any applicable notice or grace periods) to declare all outstanding borrowings, together with accrued and unpaid interest and other amounts payable thereunder, to be immediately due and payable. The lenders under our Senior Secured Credit Facility, also have the right, upon an event of default thereunder, to terminate any commitments they have to provide further borrowings. Further, following an event of default under the agreement governing our Senior Secured Credit Facility, the lenders under the facility will have the right to proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that debt. If the debt under our Senior Secured Credit Facility

 

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was to be accelerated, our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full that debt or any other debt that may become due as a result of that acceleration.

Volatility and weakness in bank and capital markets may adversely affect credit availability and related financing costs for us.

The indebtedness under our Senior Secured Credit Facility matures on May 1, 2023. Our ability to refinance this indebtedness on acceptable terms will be dependent upon a number of factors, including our degree of leverage, the value of our assets, borrowing restrictions which may be imposed by lenders and conditions in the credit markets at the time we refinance. Furthermore, bank and capital markets can experience periods of volatility and disruption. If the disruption in these markets is prolonged, our ability to refinance, and the related cost of refinancing, some or all of our debt could be adversely affected. There is also a risk, during periods of volatile credit markets, that lenders, even those with strong balance sheets and sound lending practices, could fail or refuse to honor their legal commitments and obligations under existing credit commitments, including our Senior Secured Credit Facility. Although we currently can access the bank and capital markets, there is no assurance that such markets will continue to be a reliable source of financing for us. These factors, including the tightening of credit markets, could adversely affect our ability to obtain cost-effective financing. Increased volatility and disruptions in the financial markets also could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to refinance outstanding indebtedness and obtain financing. In addition, the adoption of new statutes and regulations, the implementation of recently enacted laws or new interpretations or the enforcement of older laws and regulations applicable to the financial markets or the financial services industry could result in a reduction in the amount of available credit or an increase in the cost of credit. Disruptions in the financial markets can also adversely affect our lenders, insurers, customers and other counterparties. Perceptions of us and the industries in which we or our customers operate, including perceptions of our ESG attributes may result in pressure on banks and other financial institutions to reduce or avoid lending, which could further reduce the available pool of financing for us and increase the cost of financing to us. Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Ownership of Our Common Stock

The price of our common stock may be volatile and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Securities markets worldwide have experienced in the past, and are likely to experience in the future, significant price and volume fluctuations. Specifically, the oilfield services sector has recently experienced significant market volatility. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions could reduce the market price of our common stock regardless of our results of operations. The trading price of our common stock may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide price fluctuations in response to various factors, including, among other things, the risk factors described herein and other factors beyond our control. Factors affecting the trading price of our common stock could include:

market conditions in the broader stock market;

actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly financial and operating results;

developments in the oil and natural gas industry in general or in the oil and natural gas services market in particular;

variations in operating results of similar companies;

introduction of new services by us, our competitors or our customers;

issuance of new, negative or changed securities analysts’ reports, recommendations or estimates;

a decline in the number of securities analysts covering our company;

investor perceptions of us and the industries in which we or our customers operate, including perceptions of our ESG attributes;

sales, or anticipated sales, of our stock, including sales by our officers, directors and significant stockholders;

additions or departures of key personnel;

regulatory or political developments;

the public’s response to press releases or other public announcements by us or third parties, including our filings with the SEC;

announcements, media reports or other public forum comments related to litigation, claims or reputational charges against us;

guidance, if any, that we provide to the public, any changes in this guidance or our failure to meet this guidance;

the sustainability of an active trading market for our common stock;

 

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investor perceptions of the investment opportunity associated with our common stock relative to other investment alternatives;

other events or factors, including those resulting from system failures and disruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes, war, acts of terrorism, other natural disasters or responses to these events;

changes in accounting principles;

share-based compensation expense under applicable accounting standards;

litigation and governmental investigations; and

changing economic conditions.

These and other factors may cause the market price and demand for shares of our common stock to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of common stock and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common stock. In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock sometimes have instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. Securities litigation against us, regardless of the merits or outcome, could result in substantial costs and divert the time and attention of our management from our business, which could significantly harm our business, profitability and reputation.

We are controlled by the Advent Funds, whose interests may differ from those of our public stockholders.

We are controlled by funds (the “Advent Funds”) managed by Advent, which beneficially own in the aggregate 62.1% of the combined voting power of our common stock. As a result of this ownership, Advent will have effective control over the outcome of votes on all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors, the adoption of amendments to our charter and bylaws and other significant corporate transactions.

In addition, persons associated with Advent currently serve on our board of directors (our “Board”). The interests of Advent may not always coincide with the interests of our other stockholders, and the concentration of effective control in Advent will limit other stockholders’ ability to influence corporate matters. The concentration of ownership and voting power of Advent also may delay, defer or even prevent an acquisition by a third-party or other change of control and may make some transactions more difficult or impossible without their support, even if such events are in the best interests of our other stockholders.

Further, Advent may have an interest in having us pursue acquisitions, divestitures, financing or other transactions, including, but not limited to, the issuance of additional debt or equity and the declaration and payment of dividends, that, in its judgment, could enhance Advent’s equity investments, even though such transactions may involve risk to us or to our creditors. Additionally, the Advent Funds may make investments in businesses that directly or indirectly compete with us, or may pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us.

Advent may take actions that our other stockholders do not view as beneficial, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and cause the value of your investment to decline.

Advent and our directors affiliated with Advent, with certain exceptions, do not have obligations to present business opportunities to us and may compete with us.

Our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (as amended by the Certificate of Amendment, our “amended and restated certificate of incorporation”) provides that Advent and our directors affiliated with Advent do not have any obligation to offer us an opportunity to participate in business opportunities presented to them even if the opportunity is one that we might reasonably have pursued (and therefore may be free to compete with us in the same business or similar businesses), and that, to the extent permitted by law, Advent and such directors, will not be liable to us or our stockholders for breach of any duty by reason of any such activities.

As a result, Advent or any of its managers, officers, directors, agents, stockholders, members, partners, affiliates and subsidiaries (other than us and our subsidiaries) will not be prohibited from investing in competing businesses or doing business with our clients. Therefore, we may be in competition with Advent and such persons or their respective affiliates, and we may not have knowledge of, or be able to pursue, transactions that could potentially be beneficial to us. Accordingly, we may lose certain corporate opportunities or suffer competitive harm, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.

 

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Future sales of our common stock, or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, could cause the market price for our common stock to decline.

We may sell additional shares of common stock in subsequent public offerings. In addition, we currently have an effective shelf registration statement on file with the SEC to allow us to sell and certain requesting holders to resell shares of our common stock. We cannot predict the effect, if any, that such market sales of shares of our common stock or the availability of shares of our common stock for sale will have on the market price of our common stock prevailing from time to time. Sales of substantial amounts of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that those sales will occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

We have elected to take advantage of the “controlled company” exemption to the corporate governance rules for publicly-listed companies, which could make our common stock less attractive to some investors or otherwise harm our stock price.

Because we qualify as a “controlled company” under the corporate governance rules for publicly-listed companies on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”), we are not required to have a majority of our Board be independent, nor are we required to have a compensation committee or a Board committee performing the Board nominating function. As permitted by our status as a controlled company, we may choose to change our Board composition, or the composition of the compensation, nominating and corporate governance committee. Accordingly, should the interests of the Advent Funds differ from those of other stockholders, the other stockholders may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance rules for publicly-listed companies. Our status as a controlled company could make our common stock less attractive to some investors or otherwise harm our stock price.

Anti-takeover protections in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws or our contractual obligations may discourage or prevent a takeover of our company, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders.

Provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, as amended, as well as provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), could delay or make it more difficult to remove incumbent directors or could impede a merger, takeover or other business combination involving us or the replacement of our management or discourage a potential investor from making a tender offer for our common stock, which, under certain circumstances, could reduce the market value of our common stock, even if it would benefit our stockholders.

In addition, our Board has the authority to cause us to issue, without any further vote or action by the stockholders, up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, in one or more series, to designate the number of shares constituting any series, and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption, redemption price or prices and liquidation preferences of such series. The issuance of shares of preferred stock or the adoption of a stockholder rights plan may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company without further action by the stockholders, even where stockholders are offered a premium for their shares.

In addition, under the agreement governing our Senior Secured Credit Facility, a change of control would cause an event of default to occur and the lenders under the facility would have the right to accelerate their loans, and if so accelerated, we would be required to repay all of our outstanding obligations under our Senior Secured Credit Facility. In addition, from time to time we may enter into contracts that contain change of control provisions that limit the value of, or even terminate, the contract upon a change of control. These change of control provisions may discourage a takeover of our company, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders.

We are an “emerging growth company” and “smaller reporting company” and may elect to comply with reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, which could make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an emerging growth company and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, even if we choose to comply with certain of the greater obligations of public companies that are not emerging growth companies, we may avail ourselves of the reduced requirements applicable to emerging growth companies from time to time in the future. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

 

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We will remain an emerging growth company until December 31, 2022, or until the earliest of (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (ii) the date that we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), which would occur if the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, or (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period, whether or not issued in a registered offering.

Notwithstanding the above, we are also currently a “smaller reporting company,” meaning that we are not an investment company, an asset-backed issuer, or a majority-owned subsidiary of a parent company that is not a smaller reporting company and have a public float of less than $250 million. In the event that we are still considered a “smaller reporting company,” at such time we cease being an “emerging growth company,” we will be required to provide additional disclosure in our SEC filings. This increase in reporting requirements will further increase our compliance burden. Our management and other personnel are required to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives, including an increase in our legal and financial compliance costs. We cannot predict or estimate the amount or timing of additional costs we may incur to respond to these requirements. However, similar to “emerging growth companies,” “smaller reporting companies” are exempt from the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in periodic reports and proxy statements and are exempt from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved; and have certain other decreased disclosure obligations in their SEC filings, including, among other things, only being required to provide two years of audited financial statements in annual reports. In the event we are no longer a “smaller reporting company,” our legal, accounting and other expenses may further increase as we will no longer qualify for an exemption from the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Decreased disclosures in our SEC filings due to our status as an “emerging growth company” or “smaller reporting company” may make it harder for investors to analyze our results of operations and financial prospects.

We may identify material weaknesses or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, which may result in material misstatements of our financial statements or cause to us to fail to meet our reporting obligations or fail to prevent fraud; which would harm our business and could negatively impact the price of our common stock.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we might not be able to report on our financial results accurately or prevent fraud; which would harm our business and could negatively impact the price of our common stock. Any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements that may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

In addition, an independent registered public accounting firm has never performed an evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 because no such evaluation has been required. Had our independent registered public accounting firm performed an evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, material weaknesses may have been identified. If we are unable to prevent or remediate any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or identify any additional material weaknesses that may exist, the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting may be adversely affected, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, we may be unable to prevent fraud, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting, and our stock price may decline as a result. Additionally, our reporting obligations as a public company could place a strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future and may cause us to fail to timely achieve and maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to certain exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders; (iii) any action asserting a claim against us, any director or our officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our certificate or our amended and restated by-laws; or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us, any director or our officers or employees that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the provisions of our certificate described above. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim

 

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in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision that will be contained in our certificate to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Application of the choice of forum provision may be limited in some instances by law. Section 27 of the Exchange Act provides for exclusive federal court jurisdiction over Exchange Act claims. Accordingly, to the extent the exclusive forum provision is held to cover a stockholder derivative action asserting claims under the Exchange Act, such claims could not be brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and would instead be within the jurisdiction of the federal district court for the District of Delaware. Section 22 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”) creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Moreover, our stockholders will not be deemed by operation of our choice of forum provision to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the regulations promulgated thereunder. It is also possible that, notwithstanding the forum selection clause, a court could rule that such a provision is inapplicable or unenforceable, which could adversely impact our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

Public and investor sentiment towards climate change, fossil fuels and other ESG matters could adversely affect our cost of capital, availability of capital and the price of our common stock.

There have been intensifying efforts within the investment community (including investment advisors, investment fund managers, sovereign wealth funds, public pension funds, universities and individual investors) to promote the divestment of, or limit investment in, the stock of companies in the oil and gas industry. There has also been pressure on lenders and other financial services companies to limit or curtail financing of companies in the oil and gas industry. Because we operate within the oil and gas industry, if these efforts continue or expand, our stock price and our ability to raise capital may be negatively impacted. Members of the investment community are increasing their focus on ESG practices and disclosures by public companies, including practices and disclosures related to climate change and sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and heightened governance standards. As a result, we may continue to face increasing pressure regarding our ESG disclosures and practices. These pressures have intensified recently in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, significant societal events and the efforts of current administrations in the United States and Canada to mitigate climate change.

 

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

 

Item 2. Properties

Our corporate headquarters is located at 19350 State Highway 249, Suite 600, Houston, Texas 77070. We currently own one property, located in Calgary, Alberta, which is used for our engineering and research and development activities. In addition to our property in Calgary, Alberta, we also lease 19 properties with terms greater than 12 months that are used for our corporate headquarters, sales offices, manufacturing, engineering, district operations, laboratory, warehousing and storage yards. All of these properties are leased from third parties. We believe that these facilities are adequate for our current operations and that none of our leases are individually material to our business.

 

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

See “Note 10. Commitments and Contingencies” of our consolidated financial statements for further information regarding our legal proceedings.

 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

 

 

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PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information

Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “NCSM”.

See Part III, Item 12. “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” for information regarding shares of common stock authorized for issuance under our stock incentive plans.

Holders

On March 4, 2022, we had 2,405,746 shares of common stock outstanding, which were held by approximately 17 record holders. The actual number of stockholders is considerably greater than this number of record holders, and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners but whose shares are held in street name by brokers and other nominees.

Dividends

We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. However, in the future, we may change this policy and choose to pay dividends. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our Board and will take into account restrictions in our debt instruments, including our secured credit facilities, general economic and business conditions, our net income, financial condition and results of operations, our capital requirements, our prospects, the ability of our operating subsidiaries to pay dividends and make distributions to us, legal restrictions and such other factors as our Board may deem relevant.

Performance Graph

As we are a “smaller reporting company,” for the year ended December 31, 2021, we are not required to provide the performance graph under Item 201(e) of Regulation S-K.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

None.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

None.

 

Item 6. [Reserved]

 

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following is a discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations as of, and for, the periods presented. You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with the sections entitled Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” “—Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. This section and other parts of the Form 10-K contain forward-looking statements regarding the industry outlook, estimates and assumptions concerning events and financial and industry trends that may affect our future results of operations or financial condition and other non-historical statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the risks and uncertainties described in “—Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and Item 1A. “Risk Factors.” Our actual results may differ materially from those contained in or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Overview

We are a leading provider of highly engineered products and support services that facilitate the optimization of oil and natural gas well completions and field development strategies. We provide our products and services primarily to E&P companies for use in onshore wells, predominantly wells that have been drilled with horizontal laterals in unconventional oil and natural gas formations. Our products and services are utilized in oil and natural gas basins throughout North America and in selected international markets, including Argentina, China, the Middle East and the North Sea. We provided our products and services to over 225 customers in 2021, including leading large independent oil and natural gas companies and major oil companies.

Our primary offering is our fracturing systems products and services, which enable efficient pinpoint stimulation: the process of individually stimulating each entry point into a formation targeted by an oil or natural gas well. Our fracturing systems products and services are typically utilized in cemented wellbores and enable our customers to precisely place stimulation treatments in a more controlled and repeatable manner as compared with traditional completion techniques. Our fracturing systems products and services are utilized in conjunction with third-party providers of pressure pumping, coiled tubing and other services.

We own a 50% interest in Repeat Precision, which sells composite frac plugs and related products. We provide tracer diagnostics services for well completion and reservoir characterization that utilize downhole chemical and radioactive tracers. We sell products for well construction, including our casing buoyancy system, liner hanger systems and toe initiation sleeves. We offer enhanced recovery systems, which enable our customers to inject water, other fluids, or gases in a controlled manner with the objective of increasing the amount of hydrocarbons produced from their assets. We operate in one reportable segment that has been identified based on how our chief operating decision maker manages our business.

Outlook

Our products and services are primarily sold to North American E&P companies and our ability to generate revenues from our products and services depends upon oil and natural gas drilling and completion activity in North America. Oil and natural gas drilling and completion activity is directly related to oil and natural gas prices.

Drilling activity in the United States bottomed in the third quarter of 2020 before increasing in the fourth quarter of 2020 and throughout 2021. Completion activity in the United States also increased throughout 2021, although customer drilling and completion activity in the United States in the first quarter of 2021 was negatively impacted by winter storm Uri. The Canadian rig count, which was also well below typical seasonal levels during the last three quarters of 2020, experienced the expected seasonal increase in the first quarter of 2021 but was 26% below the same period of 2020; however, by the second quarter of 2021, the Canadian rig count had surpassed 2020 levels and was 82% higher in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the fourth quarter of 2020. Additionally, during the third and fourth quarters of 2021, the Canadian rig count surpassed 2019 levels, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating a stronger industry recovery in Canada than in the United States.

Based on capital budgets for 2022 that have been set by E&P companies, we believe that industry drilling and completion activity in the United States will be higher in 2022 than in 2021, with drilling activity increasing by over 20%, a faster rate than completion activity, which we expect to increase by over 10%. We expect drilling and completion activity to increase by 10% to 15% in Canada in 2022, with year-over-year increases highest in the first quarter before moderating over the remainder of the year. We currently expect international industry activity to improve by over 10% in 2022 as compared to 2021, reflecting recent increases in the international rig count. Many of our customers in North America continue to be committed to generating free cash flow while maintaining production at year-end 2021 levels, though privately-owned operators have increased activity as commodity prices improved and have contributed to the majority of activity increases since the end of 2020. Oil and natural gas prices continued to rise in early 2022, and spot pricing increased further following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February.

Despite the recent and expected improvements in industry activity levels, we continue to face intense competitive pressure across all of our product and services offerings, which may negatively impact our market share as well as our margins.

 

37


COVID-19 Impacts on the Oil & Gas Market and NCS Multistage

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and associated actions taken around the world to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 caused unprecedented declines in economic activity, energy demand and oil and natural gas prices. Governments around the world implemented measures designed to slow the spread of COVID-19; however, in many countries, the most restrictive measures were eased throughout the second quarter of 2020 and further reduced with the distribution of vaccines in early 2021. These measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 have had material impacts on the global economy, resulting in a significant reduction in global gross domestic product (“GDP”) in 2020 and continued to negatively impact global GDP in 2021 as compared to 2019.

The demand for crude oil was materially reduced as a result of the measures taken by governments around the world to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. In response, members of OPEC+ agreed to a collective reduction in oil production of 9.7 MMBBL/D in May through July of 2020. With the distribution of vaccines and reopening of certain economic activities that resulted in increases in demand for oil and natural gas, much of this production has since been restored, with OPEC+ currently scheduled to add 0.4 MMBBL/D of production each month until production would be fully-restored in September 2022. Given the uncertainty related to the rate of new COVID-19 infections, vaccinations, economic recovery and oil demand recovery, OPEC+ plans to continue to meet monthly during 2022 to evaluate potential increases or decreases to the targeted level of production.

As a result of the rapid and material reduction in oil pricing in 2020, E&P companies responded by significantly reducing their capital expenditure budgets for that year, which resulted in significant reductions in drilling and completion activity. While commodity prices recovered in late 2020, capital budgets for E&P companies in the United States in 2021 were relatively in line with 2020, while E&P capital spending in 2021 exceeded 2020 levels in Canada. Preliminary capital budgets for 2022 indicate increases from 2021, led by private companies as public E&P companies continue to prioritize free cash flow with limited production growth.

The factors mentioned above have also led to an increase in consolidation amongst E&P companies, especially large, independent publicly-traded E&P companies. During 2020 and 2021, several large consolidation transactions were consummated. We provided products and services to several of the companies involved in consolidation transactions, and have experienced a reduction in spending with certain customers, especially for Repeat Precision’s products, and may experience a reduction in future business with consolidating customers if combined capital spending is reduced, if procurement strategies are altered, or if the counterparty in the consolidation has other preferred vendors for the products and services we provide.

While we experienced modest disruptions to our supply chain as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including delays in importation of certain chemical products from China and temporary work-from-home orders that reduced the capacity at the Repeat Precision machine shop operations in Mexico, such disruptions were temporary in nature, the impacted products are available through alternative sources of supply, and we maintained sufficient inventory on hand to meet customer demand. We also experienced delays in access to certain materials and products utilized in our research and development activities, which has led, and may continue to lead, to delays in new product introductions. The continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are contributing to ongoing supply chain disruptions and cost inflation, including labor cost inflation, the effects of which have continued into 2022.

In response to the reduction in demand for our products and services, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, throughout 2020 and 2021 NCS has undertaken, and the Board has and continues to monitor and evaluate initiatives to reduce our cost structure, limit capital expenditures and enhance our liquidity and access to capital, including:

Reductions in force and reductions to salaries and hourly rates for substantially all employees, not paying 2019 or 2020 bonuses, and a temporary elimination of the employer matching contributions for NCS’s U.S. 401(k) plan and its Registered Retirement Savings Plan in Canada. Such salaries were substantially reinstated in mid-2021, salary increases were implemented in the first quarter of 2022 and employer matching contributions were restored in 2022;

A moratorium on non-essential travel for all employees, negotiation of new rates, work rules and payment schedules with vendors, and reductions in third-party spend, including information technology, financial services and third-party research and development;

Deferral of U.S. employer payroll taxes for 2020, as permitted under the CARES Act, application for, and receipt of, benefits under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (“CEWS”) and Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (“CERS”) programs, and application for, and receipt of, refundable employee retention tax credits under the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020;

Reducing planned capital expenditures for 2020 and 2021 and selling excess vehicles;

Closing our district operational facilities in Corpus Christi and Oklahoma City and relocating our U.S. assembly operations; and

Amending our revolving credit facility to modify certain covenants and to establish a borrowing base related to our accounts receivable, which we believe provides us with enhanced financial flexibility (as described in more detail in “Note 9. Debt” in our consolidated financial statements).

 

38


 

NCS continues to evaluate market conditions and will continue to take necessary actions to further reduce our cost structure and enhance liquidity should there be a further reduction in the demand for our products and services.

In connection with the reductions in force described above, NCS recorded severance expense of $5.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, with no significant severance or termination benefits incurred during the year ended December 31, 2021. For additional information, see “Note 11. Severance and Other Termination Benefits” of our consolidated financial statements.

As a result of the decrease in crude oil pricing, customer capital spending plans and activity as a result of the decline in market conditions primarily related to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the resulting decline in the quoted price of our common stock, we assessed the recoverability of the carrying value of our property and equipment and identifiable intangible assets as of March 31, 2020 and determined that a triggering event had occurred. As a result of the analysis, we recorded impairment charges of $9.7 million in property and equipment and $40.5 million related to identifiable intangible assets, which we recorded during the first quarter of 2020. There were no impairment charges recorded on our property and equipment or identifiable intangible assets during the remainder of 2020 or for the year ended December 31, 2021. For additional information, see “Note 6. Property and Equipment” and “Note 7. Goodwill and Identifiable Intangibles” of our consolidated financial statements.

On August 6, 2020, we entered into an amendment to our Senior Secured Credit Facility which, among other changes, reduced the lender commitments in the United States under our Senior Secured Credit Facility to $25.0 million and further limited the amount we may borrow subject to a borrowing base calculated on eligible receivables, which does not include receivables at Repeat Precision. See —"Liquidity and Capital Resources—Financing Arrangements” for a description of the amendment. Our borrowing base under the Senior Secured Credit Facility as of December 31, 2021 was $15.4 million. The amount available to be drawn under the Senior Secured Credit Facility may decline from current levels due to reductions in our borrowing base or a springing financial covenant, if our business were to be further adversely impacted by a decline in market conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

See Item 1A. Risk Factors for a discussion of additional actual or potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and operations.

Market Conditions

Oil and Natural Gas Drilling and Completion Activity

Oil and natural gas prices remain volatile, with WTI crude oil pricing at approximately $61/BBL at the end of December 2019, falling to approximately $48/BBL at the end of December 2020 before increasing to approximately $75/BBL at the end of December 2021, with crude oil pricing continuing to be supported by voluntary oil production reductions by members of OPEC+ as discussed above. WTI crude oil pricing has continued to rise in 2022 reaching approximately $90 per barrel by mid-February before rising to over $100 per barrel following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The improvement in oil demand from 2020 lows, combined with OPEC+ production curtailments has led to global oil and refined products storage levels being below long-term averages, which has also supported oil pricing.

Natural gas pricing was at an average level of $2.56 per MMBtu during the year ended 2019 as supply growth exceeded demand growth. Natural gas pricing fell even further to an average level of $2.03 per MMBtu during the year ended 2020 as it was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting market conditions. Natural gas pricing increased to an average level of $3.89 per MMBtu during 2021 but was volatile during the year. Realized natural gas prices for Canadian E&P customers are typically at a discount to U.S. Henry Hub pricing. Spot pricing for Canadian natural gas at the AECO hub has been volatile since mid-2017, with discounts to Henry Hub pricing narrowing over time as infrastructure bottlenecks have been partially alleviated. Natural gas pricing in the United States has been supported by increased demand for exports of liquified natural gas (“LNG”) in late 2021 and early 2022, especially for power generation in Europe and Asia.

Sustained declines in commodity prices, or sustained periods when the local pricing received in regional markets is below benchmark pricing, known in the industry as high differentials, would be expected to lead North American E&P companies to reduce drilling and completion activity, which could negatively impact our business.

 

39


Listed and depicted below are recent crude oil and natural gas pricing trends, as provided by the Energy Information Administration (“EIA”) of the U.S. Department of Energy:

Average Price

Quarter Ended

WTI Crude

(per Bbl)

Brent Crude
(per Bbl)

Henry Hub Natural Gas
(per MMBtu)

3/31/2019

54.82

63.10

2.92

6/30/2019

59.88

69.04

2.57

9/30/2019

56.34

61.95

2.38

12/31/2019

56.82

63.17

2.40

3/31/2020

45.54

50.45

1.90

6/30/2020

27.96

29.70

1.70

9/30/2020

40.89

42.91

2.00

12/31/2020

42.52

44.32

2.52

3/31/2021

58.09

61.04

3.50

6/30/2021

66.19

68.98

2.95

9/30/2021

70.58

73.51

4.35

12/31/2021

77.33

79.61

4.75

Picture 2

Picture 1

 

40


Listed and depicted below are the average number of operating onshore rigs in the United States and in Canada per quarter since the first quarter of 2019, as provided by Baker Hughes. The quarterly changes in the Canadian land rig count can be partially attributed to seasonality of activity in that market:

Average Drilling Rig Count

Quarter Ended

U.S. Land

Canada Land

North America Land

3/31/2019

1,023

181

1,204

6/30/2019

967

79

1,046

9/30/2019

894

130

1,024

12/31/2019

797

136

933

3/31/2020

764

194

958

6/30/2020

378

23

401

9/30/2020

241

46

287

12/31/2020

297

88

385

3/31/2021

378

144

522

6/30/2021

437

71

508

9/30/2021

484

150

634

12/31/2021