PART I

Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all references to the “Company,” “MRC Global,” “MRC,” “we,” “us,” “our” and the “registrant” refer to MRC Global Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

General

We are the largest distributor of pipe, valves and fittings ("PVF") and other infrastructure products and services to the energy industry, based on sales. We also sell our products and provide our services to industrial applications. We provide innovative supply chain solutions and technical product expertise to customers globally through our leading position across each of our diversified end-markets including the following sectors:

We offer over 200,000 SKUs, including an extensive array of PVF, oilfield supply, valve automation and modification, measurement, instrumentation and other general and specialty products from our global network of over 10,000 suppliers. With 100 years of history, our over 2,600 employees serve our approximately 12,000 customers through approximately 230 service locations including regional distribution centers, branches, corporate offices and third party pipe yards, where we often deploy pipe near customer locations.

Our customers use the PVF and other infrastructure products that we supply in mission critical process applications that require us to provide a high degree of product knowledge, technical expertise and comprehensive value-added services to our customers. We seek to provide best-in-class service and a one-stop shop for our customers by satisfying the most complex, multi-site needs of many of the largest companies in the energy sector as their primary PVF supplier. We believe the critical role we play in our customers’ supply chain, together with our extensive product and service offerings, broad global presence, customer-linked scalable information systems and efficient distribution capabilities, serve to solidify our long-standing customer relationships and drive our growth. As a result, we have an average relationship of over 25 years with our 25 largest customers.

The energy industry, and our business in turn, is cyclical in nature. In the short-term, customer spending is ordinarily sensitive to global oil and natural gas prices and general economic conditions. In addition to these normal trends, in recent years, our customers have demonstrated an increased focus on returns, which has affected the risk assessment related to new projects and resulted in a more disciplined approach to capital spending that has negatively impacted each of our business sectors, with the exception of gas utilities. We expect this trend to continue, particularly among our largest customers. These drivers can result in periods of volatility for our business. 

During 2020, demand for oil and natural gas declined sharply as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 disease ("COVID-19") pandemic. As various governments implemented COVID-19 isolation orders, transportation use declined, energy use declined, and manufacturing declined. As a result, oil consumption and commodity prices dropped dramatically. The expected level of oil demand in the near term is projected to be substantially lower than pre-pandemic levels. There remains significant uncertainty regarding the timing and extent of a recovery. As a result of these factors, based on an average of industry research estimates, there was a decrease in oil and gas industry spending in 2020 of 32% globally, including approximately 45% in the U.S. upstream production market. These reductions in spending directly impact the upstream production, midstream pipeline and downstream and industrial components of our business. These developments led to a sharp decline in sales beginning in the second quarter of 2020 and although we have recently seen some improvements in oil prices due to near-term production cuts from OPEC and other oil producing nations, we expect the market to remain challenged until there is a step-change improvement related to COVID-19 concerns, improving the outlook for global oil demand.

Notwithstanding these recent developments, we play a critical role in supporting our customers and the energy industry throughout the cycles. We believe that carbon-based energy will continue to play a critical role in supporting economic growth, particularly in developing countries, and that oil and gas demand will continue to be significant in the coming decades. The U.S. Energy Information Agency (the “EIA”) in its Reference Case published in the International Energy Outlook 2019 projects world energy consumption rising by 50% between 2018 and 2050. This Reference Case remains the latest EIA case for world energy markets; however, it was issued before the COVID-19 pandemic and may change to take into account energy use declines during the pandemic. Even so, we believe that oil and gas will continue to be in demand for some time. Even as the EIA projects in its Reference Case that renewables become the most used energy source by 2050, the EIA also projects petroleum and other liquids to rise more than 20% and natural gas to rise more than 40% in that timeframe. This would require an increase in oil and gas to meet the rise in demand from current levels, which would continue to provide a robust market for our existing goods and services. Furthermore, our largest customers are among the leading investors in renewable energy technology. As they further rebalance their capital investment from traditional, carbon-based energy to alternative sources, we expect to continue to supply them and enhance our product and service offering as needed to support their changing requirements.

MRC Global Inc. was incorporated in Delaware on November 20, 2006. Our principal executive office is located at 1301 McKinney Street, Suite 2300, Houston, Texas 77010. Our telephone number is (877) 294-7574. Our website address is www.mrcglobal.com. Information contained on our website is expressly not incorporated by reference into this document.

Business Strategy

As a distributor of PVF and other infrastructure products to the energy industry, our strategy is focused on growth, margin enhancement and the development of long-term customer relationships within the markets we serve. Our strategic objectives are to increase our market share by executing global preferred supplier contracts with new and existing customers, growing organically by maintaining a focus on our managed and targeted growth accounts, enhancing our product and service offerings, extending our global platform to major PVF energy and industrial markets through acquisitions and organic investments, investing in technology systems and distribution warehouse infrastructure to achieve improved operational excellence and customer service and optimizing our working capital.

We believe that global preferred supplier agreements allow us to better serve our customers’ needs and provide customers with a global platform in which to procure their products. The agreements vary by customer; however, in most cases, we are the preferred supplier, and while there are no minimum purchase requirements, we generally have a larger proportion of the customer’s spending in our product categories when we enter into these agreements. In addition, through digital system integration with our customers and suppliers, we believe transactions with our customers can be more streamlined.

We strive to add scope to these arrangements in various ways including adding geographies, product lines, inventory management and inventory logistics.

Our approach to expanding existing markets and accessing new markets is multifaceted. We seek to expand our geographic footprint, pursue strategic acquisitions and organic investments and cultivate relationships with our existing customer base. We work with our customers to develop innovative supply chain solutions that enable us to consistently deliver the high-quality products that our customers need when they need them. By being a consistent and reliable supplier, we are able to maintain and grow our market share with both new and existing customers.

We maintain a diverse universe of suppliers that allows us to strategically partner with the largest manufacturers of the products we distribute while simultaneously providing our customers access to alternative sources of supply and high-quality products across the entire spectrum of their PVF needs. We continually broaden our product and service offerings and supplier base. Product expansion opportunities include alloy, chrome, stainless products, gaskets, seals and other industrial supply products. We remain focused on products and value-added services such as valves, valve automation and modification, measurement and instrumentation, as well as, high alloy products that command higher margins.

We also target growth with our midsized customers and diversification of our upstream production and midstream pipeline customer bases. We do this through detailed account planning and by educating potential customers on the offerings and logistics services we provide.

Although we have not been active with acquisitions in recent years, our acquisition strategy includes focus on those businesses that will broaden our geographic footprint, in certain energy intensive regions, or those that expand our product and service offerings, particularly in valves, valve automation, instrumentation, stainless and alloy or within a particular sector, such as downstream and industrial. We also consider “bolt-on” acquisitions that supplement our existing offerings. We strive to capture more of the integrated oil companies’ spending and bring our value-added business proposition to their worldwide operations. We also believe that being able to serve our customers globally provides us an advantage in obtaining master service or framework agreements both internationally as well as in North America. International oil company customers, in particular, look for a “one-stop shop” provider for their PVF needs. We also have the ability to make acquisitions to serve new industries outside of the energy industry or to broaden the product lines that we offer. Where suitable acquisition opportunities are not available in the market, we may choose to grow through organic investment in the current markets we serve or consider expanding into markets that we do not currently serve in order to further diversify our revenue stream.

We invest in information technology (“IT”) systems and branch infrastructure to achieve improved operational excellence and customer service. Our concept of operational excellence leverages standardized business processes to deliver top tier safety performance, a consistent customer experience and a lower overall cost to serve. Our digital transformation strategy is a key component of operational excellence and is designed to add further differentiation to our product and service offerings with an objective to maintain and grow our business with new and existing customers. We continue to develop our digital commerce platform, MRCGO™. From this single portal, our customers have the ability to shop for material, track and expedite orders, research payment options, search for documents and receive support from MRC Global representatives. Through this platform we are able to enhance the customer experience through a broad array of customized digital services while simultaneously lowering our cost to serve by centralizing customer service resources, expanding customer self-service capabilities and routing a greater volume of our business through the regional distribution center (“RDC”) fulfillment model. We recently started migrating selected customers to MRCGO™. To facilitate this, we have expanded our centralized customer service group located at our Houston operations complex and have grouped these customers to facilitate a tailored service offering. Where practical and cost effective, we are delivering directly from our regional distribution centers to the customer delivery location, supporting our efforts to consolidate inventory and increase working capital efficiency. Globally, over the last twelve months, a third of our revenue was generated through e-commerce channels. We are accelerating our customer adoption efforts and expect that at least half of our global revenue will be transacted digitally within three years.

Operations

Our distribution network extends throughout the world with a presence in all major oil and natural gas providing regions in the U.S. and western Canada, as well as Europe, Asia, Australasia, and the Middle East and Caspian region. Our business is segregated into three geographical operating segments: U.S., Canada and International. These segments represent our business of providing PVF and other infrastructure products and services to the energy industry, across each of the gas utilities, downstream and industrial, upstream production and midstream pipeline sectors. Financial information regarding our reportable segments appears in “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Safety.  In our business, safety is of paramount importance to us and to our customers. Unsafe conditions can cause or contribute to injuries, deaths, property damage and pollution that, in turn, can create significant liabilities for which insurance may not always be sufficient. We are also subject to many safety regulatory standards such as those standards that the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (“OSHA”), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation or state or foreign agencies of a similar nature may impose and enforce upon us. Failure to meet those standards can result in fines, penalties or agency actions that can impose additional costs upon our business. For all of these reasons, we and our customers demand high safety standards and practices to prevent the occurrence of unsafe conditions and any resulting harm. Our operations, therefore, focus on the safety of our employees and those with whom we do business. Our safety programs are designed to focus on the highest likely safety risks in our business and to build a culture of safe practices and continuous safety improvement for our employees, our customers and others with whom we do business or otherwise come into contact.

Among other safety measures, we track our total recordable incident rate (“TRIR”) and our lost work-day rate (“LWDR”), both per 200,000 hours worked. Our TRIR was 0.49 in 2020. This compares favorably to the 2019 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”) average of 3.7 for wholesalers of metal products. Our LWDR was 0.17 in 2020. This also compares favorably to the BLS average of 1.2 for wholesalers of metal products. In addition, our recordable vehicle incident rate (“RVIR”) has also remained low at 0.38 compared to a peer group average of 2.47 based on the most recent survey that the National Association of Wholesaler Distributors compiled of its members with excess of $1 billion in annual revenue. In 2020, we recorded the lowest TRIR and LWDR in years for which we have records, including the past ten years.

Products:  We distribute a complete line of PVF products, primarily used in energy infrastructure applications. The products we distribute are used in the construction, maintenance, repair and overhaul of equipment used in extreme operating conditions such as high pressure, high/low temperatures and highly corrosive and abrasive environments. We are required to carry significant amounts of inventory to meet the rapid delivery, often same day, requirements of our customers. The breadth and depth of our product and service offerings and our extensive global presence allow us to provide high levels of service to our customers. Due to our broad inventory coverage, we are able to fulfill more orders more quickly, including those with lower volume and specialty items, than we would be able to if we operated on a smaller scale or only at a local or regional level. Key product types are described below:

Services: We provide our customers with a comprehensive array of services which we believe result in deeply integrated customer relationships, such as the following:

Our self-service portal and system interfaces facilitate digital transaction exchange between our customers’ and our proprietary IT systems. This allows us to interface with our customers’ IT systems with cross-referenced part numbers, customized pricing, customized business to business processes, streamlining the order to cash process making it easier and more efficient to purchase our products. Such services strengthen our position with customers as we become more integrated into their supply chain and we are able to market a “total transaction value” solution rather than individual products.

We continue to invest in and expand our comprehensive IT systems. In North America, we operate an enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system, enhanced with differentiating distribution and service functionality. In 2017, we completed the transition of our International business to a single ERP platform. These systems, which provide for customer and supplier digital integrations optimizing business to business processes, information exchange and e-commerce applications, including our MRCGO^TM platform, further strengthen our ability to provide high levels of service to our customers. Our highly specialized implementation group focuses on the integration of our information systems and implementation of improved business processes with customers during the initiation phase. By maintaining a specialized team, we are able to utilize best practices to implement our technology systems and processes, thereby providing solutions to customers in a more organized, efficient and effective manner. This approach is valuable to large, multi-location customers who have demanding service requirements.

As major integrated and large independent energy companies have implemented efficiency initiatives to focus on their core business, many of these companies have begun outsourcing certain of their procurement and inventory management requirements. In response to these initiatives and to satisfy customer service requirements, we offer integrated supply services to customers who wish to outsource all or a part of the administrative burden associated with sourcing and managing PVF and other related products, and we also often have MRC Global employees on-site full-time at many customer locations. Our integrated supply group offers procurement-related services, physical warehousing services, product quality assurance and inventory ownership and analysis services.

For years, in our valve engineering centers, we have designed and constructed assemblies that combine actuators with the valves we sell. In addition, in 2019 we opened a valve engineering and modification center in La Porte, Texas that provides services, primarily to our midstream pipeline customers. At this facility, we modify valves for customer requirements, weld segments of pipe to the intake/outtake openings of large pipeline valves, add extensions to the valve controls while installing actuators to the valve, hydrotest the valves, paint or coat the valves, x-ray the welds and deliver complete valve/actuation assemblies to our customers for field installations.

We have also recently introduced our ValidTorque™ service, whereby we utilize specialized test benches to provide customers with data on the operating characteristics of their valves and actuators. In addition, we have a FastTrack™ service that we provide customers, whereby we supply specified classes of actuated valves in short delivery windows.

Suppliers: We source the products we distribute from a global network of over 10,000 suppliers in over 40 countries. We have approximately 100 dedicated supply chain management employees that handle purchasing. Our suppliers benefit from access to our large, diversified customer base and by consolidating customer orders allowing for manufacturing efficiencies. We benefit from stronger purchasing power and preferred vendor programs. Our purchases from our 25 largest suppliers in 2020 approximated 42% of our total purchases, with our single largest supplier constituting approximately 5%. We are the largest customer for many of our suppliers, and we source the majority of the products we distribute directly from the manufacturer. The remainder of the products we distribute are sourced from manufacturer representatives, trading companies and, in some instances, other distributors.

We believe our customers and suppliers recognize us as an industry leader in part due to the quality of products we supply and for the formal processes we use to evaluate vendor performance. This vendor assessment process is referred to as the MRC Global Supplier Registration Process, which involves employing individuals who specialize in conducting on-site assessments of our manufacturers and their processes as well as monitoring and evaluating the quality of goods produced. These assessments are aimed at product quality assurance, including all aspects of the manufacturing processes, steel, alloy and material quality, ethical sourcing, product safety and ethical labor practices. The result of this process is the MRC Global approved manufacturer’s listing (“AML”). Products from the manufacturers on this list are supplied across many of the industries we support. Given that many of our largest customers, especially those in our downstream and industrial sector, maintain their own formal AML listing, we are recognized as an important source of information sharing with our key customers regarding the results of our on-site assessment. For this reason, together with our commitment to promote high quality products that bring the best overall value to our customers, we often become the preferred provider of AML products to these customers. Many of our customers regularly collaborate with us regarding specific manufacturer performance, our own experience with vendors’ products and the results of our on-site manufacturer assessments. The emphasis that both our customers and suppliers place on the MRC Global AML helps secure our central and critical position in the global PVF supply chain.

We utilize a variety of freight carriers in addition to our corporate truck fleet to ensure timely and efficient delivery of our products. With respect to deliveries of products from us to our customers, or our outbound needs, we utilize both our corporate fleet and third-party transportation providers. With respect to shipments of products from suppliers to us, or our inbound needs, we principally use third-party carriers.

Sales and Marketing: We distribute our products to a wide variety of end-users, and we have operations in 17 countries and direct sales into over 100 countries around the world. Our broad inventory offering and distribution network allows us to serve large global customers with consistent, high-quality service that is unrivaled in our industry. Local relationships, depth of inventory, responsive service and timely delivery are critical to the sales process in the PVF distribution industry. Our sales efforts are customer and product driven and provide a system that is more responsive to changing customer and product needs than a traditional, fully centralized structure.

Our sales model applies a two-pronged approach to address both regional and national markets. Regional sales teams are based in our core geographic regions and are complemented by a global accounts sales team organized by sector or product expertise and focused on large regional, national or global customers. These sales teams are then supported by groups with additional specific service or product expertise, including integrated supply, valves, valve automation and modification, corrosion resistant products, measurement equipment and implementation. Our overall sales force is then internally divided into outside and inside sales forces.

Our over 280 account managers and external sales representatives develop relationships with prospective and existing customers in an effort to better understand their needs and to increase the number of our products specified or approved by a given customer. Outside sales representatives may be branch outside sales representatives, focused on customer relationships in specific geographies, or technical outside sales representatives, who focus on specific products and provide detailed technical support to customers. Internationally, for valve sales, the majority of our sales force is comprised of qualified engineers who are able to meet complex customer requirements, select optimal solutions from a range of products to increase customers’ efficiency and lower total product lifecycle costs.

Our inside sales force of over 600 customer service representatives is responsible for processing orders generated by new and existing customers as well as by our outside sales force. The customer service representatives develop order packages based on specific customer needs, interface with manufacturers to determine product availability, ensure on-time delivery and establish pricing of materials and services based on guidelines and predetermined metrics that management establishes.

Seasonality: Our business normally experiences mild seasonal effects in the U.S. as demand for the products we distribute is generally higher during the months of August, September and October. Demand for the products we distribute during the months of November and December and early in the year generally tends to be lower due to a lower level of activity near the end of the calendar year in the industry sectors we serve and due to winter weather disruptions. In addition, certain exploration and production (“E&P”) activities, primarily in Canada, typically experience a springtime reduction due to seasonal thaws and regulatory restrictions, limiting the ability of drilling rigs to operate effectively during these periods.

Customers: Our principal customers are companies active in the gas utilities, downstream and industrial, upstream production and midstream pipeline sectors of the energy industry. Due to the demanding operating conditions in the energy industry, high costs and safety risks associated with equipment failure, customers prefer highly reliable products and vendors with established qualifications, reputation and experience. As our PVF products typically are mission critical and represent a fraction of the total cost of a given project, our customers often place a premium on service and high reliability given the high cost to them of maintenance or project delays. We strive to build long-term relationships with our customers by maintaining our reputation as a supplier of high-quality, reliable products and value-added services and solutions.

We have a diverse customer base of approximately 12,000 customers. We are not dependent on any one customer or group of customers. A majority of our customers are offered terms of net 30 days (payment is due within 30 days of the date of the invoice). Customers generally have the right to return products we have sold, subject to certain conditions and limitations, although returns have historically been immaterial to our sales. For the year ended December 31, 2020, our 25 largest customers represented approximately 56% of our total sales, with our single largest customer constituting approximately 7%. For many of our largest customers, we are often their primary PVF provider by sector or geography, their largest or second largest supplier in aggregate or, in certain instances, the sole provider for their gas utilities, downstream and industrial, upstream production and midstream pipeline procurement needs. We believe that many customers for which we are not the exclusive or comprehensive sole source PVF provider will continue to reduce their number of suppliers in an effort to reduce costs and administrative burdens and focus on their core operations. As such, we believe these customers will seek to select PVF distributors with the most extensive product and service offerings and broadest geographic presence. Furthermore, we believe our business will benefit as companies in the energy industry continue to consolidate and the larger, resulting companies look to larger distributors such as ourselves as their sole or primary source PVF provider.

Backlog: We determine backlog by the amount of unshipped customer orders, either specific or general in nature, which the customer may revise or cancel in certain instances. The table below details our backlog by segment (in millions):

There can be no assurance that the backlog amounts will ultimately be realized as revenue or that we will earn a profit on the backlog of orders, but we expect that substantially all of the sales in our backlog will be realized within 12 months.

Competition: We are the largest PVF distributor to the energy industry based on sales. The broad PVF distribution industry is fragmented and includes large, nationally recognized distributors, major regional distributors and many smaller local distributors. The principal methods of competition include offering prompt local service, fulfillment capability, breadth of product and service offerings, price and total costs to the customer. Our competitors include large PVF distributors, such as NOW Inc., Ferguson, plc, Van Leeuwen, FloWorks (including Sunbelt Supply Co.), Charbonneau Industries, Score Group plc, several regional or product-specific competitors and many local, family-owned and privately held PVF distributors. In addition, most of our suppliers also sell directly to end users.

Human Capital

Employees.  We are a global team in 17 countries dedicated to our customers, our communities and each other. MRC Global employees regularly go out of their way to support each other in times of need, provide excellent service to our customers and uplift the communities where they live and work. 

As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately 2,600 employees. Approximately 67% of our employees are in the U.S., 27% are in our International segment, and 6% are in Canada. In the U.S., Norway and Australia, as of December 31, 2020, we had 106 employees that belonged to a union and an additional 116 employees that are covered by union negotiated agreements. We consider our relationships with our employees to be good.

Compensation.  We believe that we provide our employees with a competitive compensation within our industry in the form of wage or salary, depending upon the position. In the U.S., we pay our hourly employees at least $15 per hour beginning in their first year of employment and in other countries we pay prevailing wages for our industry. In the U.S., Canada, and Australia, we offer a defined contribution retirement plan and in other countries we offer similar plans or participate in local government retirement schemes. Likewise in the U.S., we offer employees the opportunity to participate in health, dental and vision benefit plans and in other countries our employees either participate in similar plans or in government provided healthcare schemes. For those positions where short-term incentives, such as annual or quarterly bonuses are applicable, we align our incentives with overall financial results. For profit centers, financial incentives often include adjusted EBITDA and return on net asset metrics for the employee’s profit center that support our overall financial objectives. For sales personnel, incentives often include gross margin metrics for the employee’s location or unit that also support our overall financial objectives. While we align overall incentive payout with financial results, many employees are also incentivized on non-financial performance objectives and safety or operational efficiency goals or project objectives. An employee's objectives are usually set at the beginning of each year with the employee's supervisor.

Employee Development.  MRC Global provides its employees with educational tools and development opportunities to continually improve their talent and skills.

We maintain an organizational development and learning function with employees who develop and present training along with other subject matter experts inside and outside of the company. Because our workforce is distributed over 170 locations in 17 countries, we also maintain a strong internet-delivered learning management system ("LMS") that has many training modules that can be accessed throughout our company. Many of these training modules include interactive training, so that trainees are engaged as they learn. We require employees to take certain modules on anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, legal compliance, safety and computer security at regular intervals. We provide additional training covering the company’s proprietary procedures and systems, product knowledge, leadership and management, sales skills, Microsoft Office 365 applications and a wide variety of IT areas. As we are increasing our digital capabilities through our MRCGO^TM offering as well as other internal initiatives, we are increasing the development of employees to develop, implement, use and promote these digital platforms. In addition to modules on the Company’s LMS, we provide employees many opportunities to grow their product knowledge through targeted training that the Company, its suppliers or its customers present. We track all of our training, so that every employee has a training record and plan. Our on-boarding process for new employees provides a broad and accelerated understanding of MRC Global’s business and culture. Additionally, all employees establish development goals at the beginning of the year, and we track the progress of these goals through periodic individual development reviews. Finally, we periodically assess our employees’ satisfaction and engagement through regular individual development reviews as well as company-wide surveys that we undertake every few years.

MRC Global’s employee development process begins upon hire and at the start of each calendar year by documenting individual goals, both for performance and development. Goals are mutually agreed upon between employee and manager, then reviewed for progress throughout the year. A mid-year review is undertaken, enabling employees to receive individualized feedback regarding goals and development progress in support of year-end success. MRC Global also offers employees with more than six months of service the opportunity to participate in a tuition reimbursement plan for both graduate and undergraduate courses that align with their career objectives within the company up to $5,250 USD per year based on their successful completion of classes. In 2019, 28 U.S. employees used this benefit to grow their professional development through formal education. MRC Global also hosts internships and apprentice programs in some countries. Both of these initiatives focus on allowing young employees the opportunity to learn on the job training and gain experience in technical product roles.

Culture. We are proud of the role we play in providing safe, productive and fulfilling jobs to our employees. Our core values underpin our culture. They are:

All new hires are onboarded with training that covers our culture including mission, vision, and core values. Adherence to the core values are also evaluated for every employee as part of our employee development process. We maintain an independent process for confidential reporting of workplace concerns through our toll-free hotline, and the ability to bypass management and directly contact the Legal or HR Departments or the Company's Audit Committee regarding concerns.

Diversity.  As we operate in many countries and have an increasingly global and diverse customer base, we strive to have our team members reflect this diversity of cultures, backgrounds and approaches in our business. We are committed to maintaining a harassment and discrimination-free workplace where every employee feels safe, valued and encouraged regardless of age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, veteran status, disabilities or backgrounds. We want every one of our employees to have the opportunity to grow his or her career. While we do not maintain specific diversity quotas, our Human Resources Department actively monitors our hiring and promotion processes, so that diverse candidates are considered for open roles. In addition, as part of our succession planning process, we identify high potential employees that include diverse candidates that are considered for promotions and developmental assignments.

Monitoring for Success.  We monitor our workforce to determine its overall effectiveness by reviewing metrics related to headcount, composition, performance per employee (such as revenue per employee or adjusted EBTIDA per employee) and selling, general and administrative expense as a percentage of sales. In 2020, we implemented a new human capital management system that is global in nature to help us manage our employee initiatives and development. We expect in 2021 to continue to develop the capabilities in this system to further improve our ability to manage our human resources.

Sustainability

We believe that oil and gas demand will continue to be significant in the coming decades. The EIA in its Reference Case projects world energy consumption of petroleum and other liquids to rise more than 20% and natural gas to rise more than 40% between 2018 and 2050. This Reference Case remains the latest EIA case for world energy markets; however, it was issued before the COVID-19 pandemic and may change to take into account energy use declines during the pandemic. Even so, we believe that oil and gas will continue to be in demand for some time. We believe these increases would require an increase in oil and gas to meet the rise in demand from current levels, which would continue to provide a robust market for our goods and services. As our customers address their sustainability and energy transitions, we strive to operate our business in a sustainable manner to support our customers’ needs and provide them products that protect the environment.

Our Sustainable Business Model.  Our distribution capabilities can flex with the needs of customers and service new customers in new end markets. Although the primary customers for our PVF products are gas utility and energy companies, we also distribute PVF to other end users as well. For instance, in our downstream and industrial sector, we distribute PVF to companies engaged in metals and mining, fabrication, power generation, chemical production and other general industrial uses. Our distribution platform is capable of supplying PVF product lines to support transitioning energy uses (for instance, carbon capture or hydrogen production,) as well as the existing needs of oil and gas and industrial customers. Our distribution platform can also supply new product lines to existing customers and new end markets.

MRC Global’s Sustainability Initiatives.  The primary way that we can reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases in our operations is to create an efficient supply chain. An efficient supply chain reduces the carbon footprint of deliveries to our distribution centers and branches and, ultimately to our customers. Use of our distribution centers and hub and spoke delivery model allow us to aggregate product across multiple suppliers and customers, which, in turn, prevents each customer from separately creating duplicative supply chains that require fuel for deliveries and resources to manage.

As a distributor, we are engaged in a relatively low amount of manufacturing and assembly, mostly through the actuation and valve modification services that we offer our customers. We do not utilize large amounts of water. Our energy inputs are primarily electricity for lighting, heating and office and warehouse equipment, natural gas for heating and gasoline for company sales and delivery vehicles. We are reviewing this usage and seeking efficiencies to reduce use of these resources and resulting emissions. We have recycling programs to minimize waste from used pallets, cardboard, office paper and other recyclables. 

Market Opportunities.  As a distributor of PVF, we sell products to existing and new customers that control the flow of liquids and gases in a sustainable manner. Most of the products we provide are used to prevent and minimize accidental leaks of hydrocarbons into the air and spills. In addition, integrated oil and other energy companies, many of which are our customers, have requirements to reduce their methane and other emissions and consider these targets when designing, constructing, upgrading, maintaining and operating their facilities. We sell a number of products that reduce the emissions of gases. In particular, in 2020, 94% of our sales of valves were low-emission valves that control methane and other emissions. Many of the other valves that we sold were sold into applications such as the transfer of water that do not emit greenhouse gases or environmentally dangerous substances.

Environmental Matters

We are subject to a variety of federal, state, local, foreign and provincial environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and permitting requirements (collectively, “environmental laws”), including those governing the following:

Historically, the costs to comply with environmental laws have not been material to our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. We are not aware of any pending environmental compliance or remediation matters that, in the opinion of management, are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our business, financial position or results of operations or cash flows. However, our failure to comply with applicable environmental laws could result in fines, penalties, enforcement actions, employee, neighbor or other third-party claims for property damage and personal injury, requirements to clean up property or to pay for the costs of cleanup or regulatory or judicial orders requiring corrective measures, including the installation of pollution control equipment or remedial actions.

Certain environmental laws, such as the U.S. federal Superfund law or its state or foreign equivalents, may impose the obligation to investigate, remediate, monitor and clean up contamination at a facility on current and former owners, lessees or operators or on persons who may have sent waste to that facility for disposal. These environmental laws may impose liability without regard to fault or to the legality of the activities giving rise to the contamination. Although we are not aware of any active litigation against us under the U.S. federal Superfund law or its state or foreign equivalents, we have identified contamination at several of our current and former facilities, and we have incurred and will continue to incur costs to investigate, remediate, monitor and clean up these conditions. Moreover, we may incur liabilities in connection with environmental conditions currently unknown to us relating to our prior, existing or future owned or leased sites or operations or those of predecessor companies whose liabilities we may have assumed or acquired. We believe that indemnities contained in certain of our acquisition agreements may cover certain environmental conditions existing at the time of the acquisition subject to certain terms, limitations and conditions. However, if these indemnification provisions terminate or if the indemnifying parties do not fulfill their indemnification obligations, we may be subject to liability with respect to the environmental matters that those indemnification provisions address.

Certain governments at the international, national, regional and state level are at various stages of considering or implementing treaties and environmental laws that could limit emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, associated with the burning of fossil fuels. For instance, in September 2016, 175 countries ratified the Paris Agreement, which requires member countries to review and determine their respective goals towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While the U.S. initially chose to pull out of the Paris Agreement, the new administration has implemented executive orders for the U.S. to rejoin the agreement, which presumably will require the U.S. to set greenhouse gas reduction goals and enact policies to meet those goals. Certain states, regions and cities have also adopted or are considering environmental laws that impose overall caps or taxes on greenhouse gas emissions from certain sectors or facility categories or mandate the increased use of electricity from renewable energy sources. It is not possible to predict how new environmental laws to address greenhouse gas emissions, including new laws or programs implemented by the new administration, would impact our business or that of our customers, but these laws and regulations could impose costs on us or create a shift in the market for the products that we distribute and hence affect our business. The U.S. EIA in its International Energy Outlook 2020 report continues to project, based on the agency's 2019 reference case, increases in world energy consumption for oil and gas through 2050, although this projection could change depending on regulatory developments, technological changes and changes in energy mix.

In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has previously implemented regulations that require permits for and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions for certain categories of emission sources, including (among others) New Source Performance Standards for new power plants and emission guidelines for existing power plants (commonly known as the “Clean Power Plan”). In anticipation of and in response to these regulations, United States electric producers have been switching from coal to natural gas as a cleaner burning fuel source. This replacement of natural gas for coal has benefitted our business as our customers include natural gas producers. There have been various court challenges and regulatory changes to these EPA regulations, such as the EPA’s June 2019 repeal of the Clean Power Plan and finalization of a replacement rule (known as the Affordable Clean Energy Rule) and, in January 2021, a D.C. Circuit vacatur of the Affordable Clean Energy Rule. Even so, switching from coal to natural gas has continued, in part, driven by low natural gas prices as well as continued regulatory uncertainty regarding coal emissions. Under the new presidential administration, it is likely that the EPA will promulgate new rules to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including rules concerning oil and gas production, but it is currently not possible to predict how new regulations would impact our business or that of our customers.

Federal, state, local, foreign and provincial governments have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, environmental laws that could impose more stringent permitting; disclosure; wastewater and other waste disposal; greenhouse gas, ethane or volatile organic compound control, leak detection and repair requirements; and well construction and testing requirements on our customers’ hydraulic fracturing. 

Environmental laws applicable to our business and the business of our customers, including environmental laws regulating the energy industry, and the interpretation or enforcement of these environmental laws, are constantly evolving; it is impossible to predict accurately the effect that changes in these environmental laws, or their interpretation or enforcement, may have upon our business, financial condition or results of operations. Should environmental laws, or their interpretation or enforcement, become more stringent, our costs, or the costs of our customers, could increase, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Exchange Rate Information

In this report, unless otherwise indicated, foreign currency amounts are converted into U.S. dollar amounts at the exchange rates in effect on December 31, 2020 and 2019 for balance sheet figures. Income statement figures are converted on a monthly basis, using each month’s average conversion rate.

Available Information

Our website is located at www.mrcglobal.com. We make available free of charge on or through our internet website our annual report on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file this material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. The information contained on the websites referenced in this Form 10-K is not incorporated by reference into this filing. Further, the Company’s references to website URLs are intended to be inactive textual references only. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.

You should carefully consider the following risk factors as well as the other risks and uncertainties contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in our other SEC filings. The occurrence of one or more of these risks or uncertainties could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, unless the context expressly requires a different reading, when we state that a factor could “adversely affect us,” have a “material adverse effect,” “adversely affect our business” and similar expressions, we mean that the factor could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows. Information contained in this section may be considered “forward-looking statements.” See “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” for a discussion of certain qualifications regarding forward looking statements.

Risks Related to Our Business

Decreased capital and other expenditures in the energy industry, which can result from decreased oil and natural gas prices, among other things, can adversely impact our customers’ demand for our products and our revenue.

A large portion of our revenue depends upon the level of capital and operating expenditures in the oil and natural gas industry. Demand for the products we distribute and services we provide is particularly sensitive to the level of exploration, development, production  and refining activity of, and the corresponding capital and other expenditures by, oil and natural gas companies. If our customers’ expenditures decline, our business will suffer.

Volatile oil and gas prices affect demand for our products.

As evidenced by the decline of oil prices from late 2014 through 2016 and again in 2020, prices for oil and natural gas are cyclical and subject to large fluctuations in response to relatively minor changes in the supply of and demand for oil and natural gas, market uncertainty and a variety of other factors that are beyond our control. Any sustained decrease in capital expenditures in the oil and natural gas industry could have a material adverse effect on us.

Many factors affect the supply of and demand for energy and, therefore, influence oil and natural gas prices, including:

General economic conditions may adversely affect our business.

U.S. and global general economic conditions affect many aspects of our business, including demand for the products we distribute and the pricing and availability of supplies. General economic conditions and predictions regarding future economic conditions also affect our forecasts. A decrease in demand for the products we distribute or other adverse effects resulting from an economic downturn may cause us to fail to achieve our anticipated financial results. General economic factors beyond our control that affect our business and customers include interest rates, recession, inflation, deflation, customer credit availability, consumer credit availability, consumer debt levels, performance of housing markets, energy costs, tax rates and policy, unemployment rates, commencement or escalation of war or hostilities, the threat or possibility of war, terrorism or other global or national unrest, political or financial instability and other matters that influence our customers’ spending. In addition, worldwide economic conditions could have an adverse effect on our business.

We may be unable to compete successfully with other companies in our industry.

We sell products and services in very competitive markets. In some cases, we compete with large companies with substantial resources. In other cases, we compete with smaller regional players that may increasingly be willing to provide similar products and services at lower prices. Competitive actions, such as price reductions, consolidation in the industry, improved delivery and other actions, could adversely affect our revenue and earnings. We could experience a material adverse effect to the extent that our competitors are successful in reducing our customers’ purchases of products and services from us. Competition could also cause us to lower our prices, which could reduce our margins and profitability. Furthermore, consolidation of our customers' businesses could heighten the impacts of the competition on our business. Our results of operations could also be impacted, particularly if consolidation results in competitors with stronger financial and strategic resources, which could also result in increases to the prices we are required to pay for acquisitions we may make in the future.

Demand for the products we distribute could decrease if the manufacturers of those products were to sell a substantial amount of goods directly to end users in the sectors we serve.

Historically, users of PVF and related products have purchased certain amounts of these products through distributors and not directly from manufacturers. If customers were to purchase the products that we sell directly from manufacturers, or if manufacturers sought to increase their efforts to sell directly to end users, we could experience a significant decrease in profitability. These or other developments that remove us from, or limit our role in, the distribution chain, may harm our competitive position in the marketplace, reduce our sales and earnings and adversely affect our business.

We may experience unexpected supply shortages.

We distribute products from a wide variety of manufacturers and suppliers. Nevertheless, in the future we may have difficulty obtaining the products we need from suppliers and manufacturers as a result of unexpected demand or production difficulties that might extend lead times. Also, products may not be available to us in quantities sufficient to meet our customer demand. Our inability to obtain products from suppliers and manufacturers in sufficient quantities, or at all, could adversely affect our product and service offerings and our business.

We may experience cost increases from suppliers, which we may be unable to pass on to our customers.

In the future, we may face supply cost increases due to, among other things, unexpected increases in demand for supplies, decreases in production of supplies, increases in the cost of raw materials, transportation, changes in exchange rates or the imposition of import taxes or tariff on imported products. Any inability to pass supply price increases on to our customers could have a material adverse effect on us. For example, we may be unable to pass increased supply costs on to our customers because significant amounts of our sales are derived from stocking program arrangements, contracts and maintenance and repair arrangements, which provide our customers time limited price protection, which may obligate us to sell products at a set price for a specific period. In addition, if supply costs increase, our customers may elect to purchase smaller amounts of products or may purchase products from other distributors. While we may be able to work with our customers to reduce the effects of unforeseen price increases because of our relationships with them, we may not be able to reduce the effects of the cost increases. In addition, to the extent that competition leads to reduced purchases of products or services from us or a reduction of our prices, and these reductions occur concurrently with increases in the prices for selected commodities which we use in our operations, including steel, nickel and molybdenum, the adverse effects described above would likely be exacerbated and could result in a prolonged downturn in profitability.

We do not have contracts with most of our suppliers. The loss of a significant supplier would require us to rely more heavily on our other existing suppliers or to develop relationships with new suppliers. Such a loss may have an adverse effect on our product and service offerings and our business.

Given the nature of our business, and consistent with industry practice, we do not have contracts with most of our suppliers. We generally make our purchases through purchase orders. Therefore, most of our suppliers have the ability to terminate their relationships with us at any time. Approximately 42% of our total purchases during the year ended December 31, 2020 were from our 25 largest suppliers. Although we believe there are numerous manufacturers with the capacity to supply the products we distribute, the loss of one or more of our major suppliers could have an adverse effect on our product and service offerings and our business.

Price reductions by suppliers of products that we sell could cause the value of our inventory to decline. Also, these price reductions could cause our customers to demand lower sales prices for these products, possibly decreasing our margins and profitability on sales to the extent that we purchased our inventory of these products at the higher prices prior to supplier price reductions.

The value of our inventory could decline as a result of manufacturer price reductions with respect to products that we sell. A substantial decline in product prices may result in a write-down of our inventory value. Such a write-down could have an adverse effect on our financial condition.

Also, decreases in the market prices of products that we sell could cause customers to demand lower sales prices from us. These price reductions could reduce our margins and profitability on sales with respect to the lower-priced products. Reductions in our margins and profitability on sales could have a material adverse effect on us.

A substantial decrease in the price of steel could significantly lower our gross profit or cash flow.

We distribute many products manufactured from steel. As a result, the price and supply of steel can affect our business and, in particular, our carbon steel line pipe product category. When steel prices are lower, the prices that we charge customers for products may decline, which affects our gross profit and cash flow. At times pricing and availability of steel can be volatile due to numerous factors beyond our control, including general domestic and international economic conditions, labor costs, sales levels, competition, consolidation of steel producers, fluctuations in and the costs of raw materials necessary to produce steel, steel manufacturers’ plant utilization levels and capacities, import duties and tariffs and currency exchange rates. Increases in manufacturing capacity for the carbon steel line pipe products could put pressure on the prices we receive for our carbon steel line pipe products. When steel prices decline, customer demands for lower prices and our competitors’ responses to those demands could result in lower sales prices and, consequently, lower gross profit and cash flow.

If steel prices rise, we may be unable to pass along the cost increases to our customers.

We maintain inventories of steel products to accommodate the lead time requirements of our customers. Accordingly, we purchase steel products in an effort to maintain our inventory at levels that we believe to be appropriate to satisfy the anticipated needs of our customers based upon historic buying practices, contracts with customers and market conditions. Our commitments to purchase steel products are generally at prevailing market prices in effect at the time we place our orders. If steel prices increase between the time we order steel products and the time of delivery of the products to us, our suppliers may impose surcharges that require us to pay for increases in steel prices during the period. Demand for the products we distribute, the actions of our competitors and other factors will influence whether we will be able to pass on steel cost increases and surcharges to our customers, and we may be unsuccessful in doing so.

We do not have long-term contracts or agreements with many of our customers. The contracts and agreements that we do have generally do not commit our customers to any minimum purchase volume. The loss of a significant customer may have a material adverse effect on us.

Given the nature of our business, and consistent with industry practice, we do not have long-term contracts with many of our customers. In addition, our contracts, including our maintenance, repair and operations (“MRO”) contracts, generally do not commit our customers to any minimum purchase volume. Therefore, a significant number of our customers, including our MRO customers, may terminate their relationships with us or reduce their purchasing volume at any time. Furthermore, the customer contracts that we do have are generally terminable without cause on short notice. Our 25 largest customers represented approximately 56% of our sales for the year ended December 31, 2020. The products that we may sell to any particular customer depend in large part on the size of that customer’s capital expenditure budget in a particular year and on the results of competitive bids for major projects. Consequently, a customer that accounts for a significant portion of our sales in one fiscal year may represent an immaterial portion of our sales in subsequent fiscal years. The loss of a significant customer, or a substantial decrease in a significant customer’s orders, may have an adverse effect on our sales and revenue. In addition, we are subject to customer audit clauses in many of our multi-year contracts. If we are not able to provide the proper documentation or support for invoices per the contract terms, we may be subject to negotiated settlements with our major customers.

Changes in our customer and product mix could cause our gross profit percentage to fluctuate.

From time to time, we may experience changes in our customer mix or in our product mix. If customers require more lower-margin products from us and fewer higher-margin products, our business, results of operations and financial condition may suffer.

Customer credit risks could result in losses.

The concentration of our customers in the energy industry may impact our overall exposure to credit risk as customers may be similarly affected by prolonged changes in economic and industry conditions. Further, laws in some jurisdictions in which we operate could make collection difficult or time consuming. In addition, in times when commodity prices are low, our customers with higher debt levels may not have the ability to pay their debts. Other customers may have specific issues regarding their ability to pay their indebtedness. We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers and do not generally require collateral in support of our trade receivables. While we maintain reserves for expected credit losses, these reserves may not be sufficient to meet write-offs of uncollectible receivables or that our losses from such receivables will be consistent with our expectations.

We may be unable to successfully execute or effectively integrate acquisitions.

From time to time, we may selectively pursue acquisitions, including large scale acquisitions, to continue to grow and increase profitability. However, acquisitions, particularly of a significant scale, involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including intense competition for suitable acquisition targets, the potential unavailability of financial resources necessary to consummate acquisitions in the future, increased leverage due to additional debt financing that may be required to complete an acquisition, dilution of our stockholders’ net current book value per share if we issue additional equity securities to finance an acquisition, difficulties in identifying suitable acquisition targets or in completing any transactions identified on sufficiently favorable terms, assumption of undisclosed or unknown liabilities and the need to obtain regulatory or other governmental approvals that may be necessary to complete acquisitions. In addition, any future acquisitions may entail significant transaction costs and risks associated with entry into new markets.

Even when acquisitions are completed, integration of acquired entities can involve significant difficulties, such as:

Failure to manage these acquisition risks could have an adverse effect on us.

Our indebtedness may affect our ability to operate our business, and this could have a material adverse effect on us.

We have now and will likely continue to have indebtedness. As of December 31, 2020, we had total debt outstanding of $383 million and excess availability of $432 million under our credit facilities. We may incur significant additional indebtedness in the future. If new indebtedness is added to our current indebtedness, the risks described below could increase. Our significant level of indebtedness could have important consequences, such as:

In addition, borrowings under our credit facilities bear interest at variable rates. If market interest rates increase, the variable-rate debt will create higher debt service requirements, which could adversely affect our cash flow. In March 2018, we entered into a five-year $250 million interest rate swap to fix a portion of our variable interest rate exposure. Our interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $28 million.

Our ability to make scheduled debt payments, to refinance our obligations with respect to our indebtedness and to fund capital and non-capital expenditures necessary to maintain the condition of our operating assets, properties and systems software, as well as to provide capacity for the growth of our business, depends on our financial and operating performance, which, in turn, is subject to prevailing economic conditions and financial, business, competitive, legal and other factors. Our business may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations, and future borrowings may not be available to us under our credit facilities in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay our indebtedness or to fund our other liquidity needs. We may seek to sell assets to fund our liquidity needs but may not be able to do so. We may also need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness on or before maturity. We may not be able to refinance any of our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

In addition, we are and will be subject to covenants contained in agreements governing our present and future indebtedness. These covenants include and will likely include restrictions on:

In addition, any defaults under our credit facilities, including our global asset-based lending facility (“Global ABL Facility”), our senior secured term loan B (“Term Loan”) or our other debt could trigger cross defaults under other or future credit agreements and may permit acceleration of our other indebtedness. If our indebtedness is accelerated, we cannot be certain that we will have sufficient funds available to pay the accelerated indebtedness or that we will have the ability to refinance the accelerated indebtedness on terms favorable to us or at all. For a description of our credit facilities and indebtedness, see “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources”.

We are a holding company and depend upon our subsidiaries for our cash flow.

We are a holding company. Our subsidiaries conduct all of our operations and own substantially all of our assets. Consequently, our cash flow and our ability to meet our obligations or to pay dividends or make other distributions in the future will depend upon the cash flow of our subsidiaries and our subsidiaries’ payment of funds to us in the form of dividends, tax sharing payments or otherwise.

The ability of our subsidiaries to make any payments to us will depend on their earnings, the terms of their current and future indebtedness, tax considerations and legal and contractual restrictions on the ability to make distributions. In particular, our subsidiaries’ credit facilities currently impose limitations on the ability of our subsidiaries to make distributions to us and consequently our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders. Subject to limitations in our credit facilities, our subsidiaries may also enter into additional agreements that contain covenants prohibiting them from distributing or advancing funds or transferring assets to us under certain circumstances, including to pay dividends.

Our subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities. Any right that we have to receive any assets of or distributions from any of our subsidiaries upon the bankruptcy, dissolution, liquidation or reorganization, or to realize proceeds from the sale of their assets, will be junior to the claims of that subsidiary’s creditors, including trade creditors and holders of debt that the subsidiary issued.

Changes in our credit profile may affect our relationship with our suppliers, which could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity.

Changes in our credit profile may affect the way our suppliers view our ability to make payments and may induce them to shorten the payment terms of their invoices if they perceive our indebtedness to be high. Given the large dollar amounts and volume of our purchases from suppliers, a change in payment terms may have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and our ability to make payments to our suppliers and, consequently, may have a material adverse effect on us.

If tariffs, quotas and duties on imports into the U.S. of certain of the products that we sell are lifted or imposed, we could have too many of these products in inventory competing against less expensive imports or conversely pay higher prices for products that we sell.

U.S. law currently imposes tariffs and duties on imports from certain foreign countries of line pipe and certain other products that we sell. If these tariffs and duties are lifted or reduced or if the level of these imported products otherwise increase, and our U.S. customers accept these imported products, we could be materially and adversely affected to the extent that we would then have higher-cost products in our inventory or experience lower prices and margins due to increased supplies of these products that could drive down prices and margins. If prices of these products were to decrease significantly, we might not be able to profitably sell these products, and the value of our inventory would decline. In addition, significant price decreases could result in a significantly longer holding period for some of our inventory. Conversely, if tariffs and duties are imposed on imports from certain foreign countries of products that we sell, we could be required to pay higher prices for our products. Demand for the products we distribute, the actions of our competitors and other factors will influence whether we will be able to pass on additional cost increases to our customers, and we may be unsuccessful in doing so.

A transition to alternative forms of energy could adversely impact our customers, result in lower sales and adversely impact our results and financial condition.

If through legislation, treaty or consumer preference demand for oil and gas is substantially reduced through the use of alternative forms of energy, we could experience a reduction in sales to our existing customers, which could adversely impact our results and financial condition.

We are subject to strict environmental, health and safety laws and regulations that may lead to significant liabilities and negatively impact the demand for our products.

We are subject to a variety of federal, state, local, foreign and provincial environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and permitting requirements (collectively, “environmental laws”), including those governing the following:

Our failure to comply with applicable environmental laws could result in fines, penalties, enforcement actions, employee, neighbor or other third-party claims for property damage and personal injury, requirements to clean up property or to pay for the costs of cleanup or regulatory or judicial orders requiring corrective measures, including the installation of pollution control equipment or remedial actions.

Certain environmental laws, such as the U.S. federal Superfund law or its state or foreign equivalents, may impose the obligation to investigate, remediate, monitor and clean up contamination at a facility on current and former owners, lessees or operators or on persons who may have sent waste to that facility for disposal. These environmental laws may impose liability without regard to fault or to the legality of the activities giving rise to the contamination. Although our responsibility for the clean-up of contamination or pollution to date has not been material, were there to be a significant release of contamination or pollution related to our past or current operations, our obligation to clean up that contamination or pollution could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Certain governments at the international, national, regional and state level are at various stages of considering or implementing treaties and environmental laws that could limit emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, associated with the burning of fossil fuels. It is not possible to predict how new environmental laws to address greenhouse gas emissions would impact our business or that of our customers, but these laws and regulations could impose costs on us or negatively impact the market for the products we distribute and, consequently, our business.

In addition, federal, state, local, foreign and provincial governments have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, environmental laws that could impose more stringent permitting; disclosure; wastewater and other waste disposal; greenhouse gas, ethane or volatile organic compound control, leak detection and repair requirements; and well construction and testing requirements on our customers’ hydraulic fracturing.

Environmental laws applicable to our business and the business of our customers, including environmental laws regulating the energy industry, and the interpretation or enforcement of these environmental laws, are constantly evolving; it is impossible to predict accurately the effect that changes in these environmental laws, or their interpretation or enforcement, may have upon our business, financial condition or results of operations. Should environmental laws, or their interpretation or enforcement, become more stringent, our costs, or the costs of our customers, could increase, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We may not have adequate insurance for potential liabilities, including liabilities arising from litigation.

In the ordinary course of business, we have, and in the future, may become the subject of various claims, lawsuits and administrative proceedings seeking damages or other remedies concerning our commercial operations, the products we distribute, employees and other matters, including potential claims by individuals alleging exposure to hazardous materials as a result of the products we distribute or our operations. Some of these claims may relate to the activities of businesses that we have acquired, even though these activities may have occurred prior to our acquisition of the businesses. The products we distribute are sold primarily for use in the energy industry, which is subject to inherent risks that could result in death, personal injury, property damage, pollution, release of hazardous substances or loss of production. In addition, defects in the products we distribute could result in death, personal injury, property damage, pollution, release of hazardous substances or damage to equipment and facilities. Actual or claimed defects in the products we distribute may give rise to claims against us for losses and expose us to claims for damages.

We maintain insurance to cover certain of our potential losses, and we are subject to various self-insured retentions, deductibles and caps under our insurance. It is possible, however, that judgments could be rendered against us in cases in which we would be uninsured and beyond the amounts of insurance we have or beyond the amounts that we currently have reserved or anticipate incurring for these matters. Even a partially uninsured claim, if successful and of significant size, could have a material adverse effect on us. Furthermore, we may not be able to continue to obtain insurance on commercially reasonable terms in the future, and we may incur losses from interruption of our business that exceed our insurance coverage. Even in cases where we maintain insurance coverage, our insurers may raise various objections and exceptions to coverage that could make uncertain the timing and amount of any possible insurance recovery. Finally, while we may have insurance coverage, we cannot guarantee that the insurance carrier will have the financial wherewithal to pay a claim otherwise covered by insurance, and as a result we may be responsible for any such claims.

Due to our position as a distributor, we are subject to personal injury, product liability and environmental claims involving allegedly defective products.

Our customers use certain of the products we distribute in potentially hazardous applications that can result in personal injury, product liability and environmental claims. A catastrophic occurrence at a location where end users use the products we distribute may result in us being named as a defendant in lawsuits asserting potentially large claims, even though we did not manufacture the products. Applicable law may render us liable for damages without regard to negligence or fault. In particular, certain environmental laws provide for joint and several and strict liability for remediation of spills and releases of hazardous substances. Certain of these risks are reduced by the fact that we are a distributor of products that third-party manufacturers produce, and, thus, in certain circumstances, we may have third-party warranty or other claims against the manufacturer of products alleged to have been defective. However, there is no assurance that these claims could fully protect us or that the manufacturer would be able financially to provide protection. There is no assurance that our insurance coverage will cover or be adequate to cover the underlying claims. Our insurance does not provide coverage for all liabilities (including but not limited to liability for certain events involving pollution or other environmental claims). Our insurance does not cover damages from breach of contract by us or based on alleged fraud or deceptive trade practices.

We are a defendant in asbestos-related lawsuits. Exposure to these and any future lawsuits could have a material adverse effect on us.

We are a defendant in lawsuits involving approximately 1,153 claims, arising from exposure to asbestos-containing materials included in products that we are alleged to have distributed. Each claim involves allegations of exposure to asbestos-containing materials by a single individual, his or her spouse or family members. The complaints in these lawsuits typically name many other defendants. In the majority of these lawsuits, little or no information is known regarding the nature of the plaintiffs’ alleged injuries or their connection with the products we distributed. The potential liability associated with asbestos claims is subject to many uncertainties, including negative trends with respect to settlement payments, dismissal rates and the types of medical conditions alleged in pending or future claims, negative developments in the claims pending against us, the current or future insolvency of co-defendants, adverse changes in relevant laws or the interpretation of those laws and the extent to which insurance will be available to pay for defense costs, judgments or settlements. In addition, applicable insurance policies are subject to overall caps on limits, which coverage may exhaust the amount available from insurers under those limits. In those cases, the Company is seeking indemnity payments from responsive excess insurance policies, but other insurers may not be solvent or may not make payments under the policies without contesting their liability. Further, while we anticipate that additional claims will be filed against us in the future, we are unable to predict with any certainty the number, timing and magnitude of future claims. Therefore, pending or future asbestos litigation may ultimately have a material adverse effect on us. See “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies—Legal Proceedings” and “Item 3—Legal Proceedings” for more information.

If we lose any of our key personnel, we may be unable to effectively manage our business or continue our growth.

Our future performance depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of our management team and our ability to attract, hire, train and retain qualified managerial, sales and marketing personnel. In particular, we rely on our sales and marketing teams to create innovative ways to generate demand for the products we distribute. The loss or unavailability to us of any member of our management team or a key sales or marketing employee could have a material adverse effect on us to the extent we are unable to timely find adequate replacements. We face competition for these professionals from our competitors, our customers and other companies operating in our industry. We may be unsuccessful in attracting, hiring, training and retaining qualified personnel.

Adverse health events, such as a pandemic, could adversely impact our business.

From time to time, various diseases have spread across the globe such as COVID-19, SARS and the avian flu. If a disease spreads sufficiently to cause an epidemic or a pandemic, the ability to operate our business or the businesses of our suppliers, contractors or customers could be reduced. In addition, our supply chain that spans over 40 countries could be negatively impacted. Such an adverse health event could adversely impact our business.

Interruptions in the proper functioning of our information systems could disrupt operations and cause increases in costs or decreases in revenue.

The proper functioning of our information systems is critical to the successful operation of our business. However, our information systems are vulnerable to natural disasters, power losses, telecommunication failures, cyber incidents and other problems. If critical information systems fail or are otherwise unavailable, our ability to operate our business could be adversely affected. In addition, the cost to repair, modify or replace all or part of our information systems or consolidate one or more systems onto one information technology platform, whether by necessity or choice, would require a significant cash investment on the part of the Company. Our ability to integrate our systems with our customers’ systems would also be significantly affected. We maintain information systems controls designed to protect against, among other things, unauthorized program changes and unauthorized access to data on our information systems. If our information systems controls do not function properly, we face increased risks of unexpected errors and unreliable financial data or theft of proprietary Company information.

The occurrence of cyber incidents, or a deficiency in our cybersecurity, could negatively impact our business by causing a disruption to our operations, a compromise or corruption of our confidential information or damage to our Company’s image or reputation, all of which could negatively impact our financial results.

A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity or availability of our information resources. More specifically, a cyber incident is an intentional attack or an unintentional event that can include gaining unauthorized access to systems to disrupt operations, corrupt data or steal confidential information. As our reliance on technology has increased, so have the risks posed to our systems, both internal and those we have outsourced. Our three primary risks that could directly result from the occurrence of a cyber incident include operational interruption, damage to our Company’s reputation and image and private data exposure. We have implemented hardware and software solutions, processes, training and procedures to help mitigate this risk, but these measures, as well as our organization’s increased awareness of our risk of a cyber incident, such measures may fail and do not guarantee that our financial results and operations will not be negatively impacted by such an incident. While we also have some insurance to protect against the financial damage that a cyber incident could cause, the insurance may not be adequate for every type of incident to protect against the financial damages that could occur. In some incidents, the Company may be required to shut off its computer systems, reboot them and reestablish its information from back up sources. In other incidents, the Company may be required under various laws to notify any third parties whose data has been compromised. These incidents can adversely affect us.

Among others, cyber incidents could include the following:

The loss of third-party transportation providers upon whom we depend, or conditions negatively affecting the transportation industry, could increase our costs or cause a disruption in our operations.

We depend upon third-party transportation providers for delivery of products to our customers. Strikes, slowdowns, transportation disruptions or other conditions in the transportation industry, including, among others, shortages of truck drivers, disruptions in rail service, increases in fuel prices and adverse weather conditions, could increase our costs and disrupt our operations and our ability to service our customers on a timely basis. We cannot predict whether or to what extent increases or anticipated increases in fuel prices may impact our costs or cause a disruption in our operations going forward.

We may need additional capital in the future, and it may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all.

We may require more capital in the future to:

Additional financing may not be available on terms favorable to us, or at all. The terms of available financing may place limits on our financial and operating flexibility. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be forced to reduce our operations or delay, limit or abandon expansion opportunities. Moreover, even if we are able to continue our operations, the failure to obtain additional financing could reduce our competitiveness.

Adverse weather events or natural disasters could negatively affect our local economies or disrupt our operations.

Certain areas in which we operate have been susceptible to more frequent and more severe weather events, such as hurricanes, tornadoes and floods and to natural disasters such as earthquakes and fires. These events can disrupt our operations, result in damage to our properties and negatively affect the local economies in which we operate. Additionally, we may experience communication disruptions with our customers, vendors and employees. These events can cause physical damage to our branches and require us to close branches. Additionally, our sales order backlog and shipments can experience a temporary decline immediately following these events.

We cannot predict whether or to what extent damage caused by these events will affect our operations or the economies in regions where we operate. These adverse events could result in disruption of our purchasing or distribution capabilities, interruption of our business that exceeds our insurance coverage, our inability to collect from customers and increased operating costs. Our business or results of operations may be adversely affected by these and other negative effects of these events.

We have a substantial amount of goodwill and other intangible assets recorded on our balance sheet, partly because of acquisitions and business combination transactions. The amortization of acquired intangible assets will reduce our future reported earnings. Furthermore, if our goodwill or other intangible assets become impaired, we may be required to recognize non-cash charges that would reduce our income.

As of December 31, 2020, we had $493 million of goodwill and other intangibles recorded on our consolidated balance sheet. A substantial portion of these intangible assets results from our use of purchase accounting in connection with the acquisitions we have made over the past several years. In accordance with the purchase accounting method, the excess of the cost of an acquisition over the fair value of identifiable tangible and intangible assets is assigned to goodwill. The amortization expense associated with our identifiable intangible assets will have a negative effect on our future reported earnings. Many other companies, including many of our competitors, may not have the significant acquired intangible assets that we have because they may not have participated in recent acquisitions and business combination transactions similar to ours. Thus, the amortization of identifiable intangible assets may not negatively affect their reported earnings to the same degree as ours.

Additionally, under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, goodwill and certain other indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized, but must be reviewed for possible impairment annually, or more often in certain circumstances where events indicate that the asset values are not recoverable. These reviews could result in an earnings charge for impairment, which would reduce our net income even though there would be no impact on our underlying cash flow. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized impairment charges of $217 million for goodwill and $25 million for our indefinite-lived intangible asset.

We face risks associated with conducting business in markets outside of North America.

We currently conduct substantial business in countries outside of North America. We could be materially and adversely affected by economic, legal, political and regulatory developments in the countries in which we do business in the future or in which we expand our business, particularly those countries which have historically experienced a high degree of political or economic instability. Examples of risks inherent in such non-North American activities include:

If we begin doing business in a foreign country in which we do not presently operate, we may also face difficulties in operations and diversion of management time in connection with establishing our business there.

We are subject to U.S. and other anti-corruption laws, trade controls, economic sanctions, and similar laws and regulations, including those in the jurisdictions where we operate. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject us to civil, criminal and administrative penalties and harm our reputation.

Doing business on a worldwide basis requires us to comply with the laws and regulations of the U.S. government and various foreign jurisdictions. These laws and regulations place restrictions on our operations, trade practices, partners and investment decisions. In particular, our operations are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption and trade control laws and regulations, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), export controls and economic sanctions programs, including those administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). As a result of doing business in foreign countries and with foreign partners, we are exposed to a heightened risk of violating anti-corruption and trade control laws and sanctions regulations.

The FCPA prohibits us from providing anything of value to foreign officials for the purposes of obtaining or retaining business or securing any improper business advantage. It also requires us to keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect the Company’s transactions. As part of our business, we may deal with state-owned business enterprises, the employees of which are considered foreign officials for purposes of the FCPA. In addition, the provisions of the United Kingdom Bribery Act (the “Bribery Act”) extend beyond bribery of foreign public officials and also apply to transactions with individuals that a government does not employ. The provisions of the Bribery Act are also more onerous than the FCPA in a number of other respects, including jurisdiction, non-exemption of facilitation payments and penalties. Some of the international locations in which we operate lack a developed legal system and have higher than normal levels of corruption. Our continued expansion outside the U.S., including in developing countries, and our development of new partnerships and joint venture relationships worldwide, could increase the risk of FCPA, OFAC or Bribery Act violations in the future.

Economic sanctions programs restrict our business dealings with certain sanctioned countries, persons and entities. In addition, because we act as a distributor, we face the risk that our customers might further distribute our products to a sanctioned person or entity, or an ultimate end-user in a sanctioned country, which might subject us to an investigation concerning compliance with OFAC or other sanctions regulations.

Violations of anti-corruption and trade control laws and sanctions regulations are punishable by civil penalties, including fines, denial of export privileges, injunctions, asset seizures, debarment from government contracts and revocations or restrictions of licenses, as well as criminal fines and imprisonment. Such a violation could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, various state and municipal governments, universities and other investors maintain prohibitions or restrictions on investments in companies that do business with sanctioned countries, persons and entities, which could adversely affect the market for our common stock and other securities.

We face risks associated with international instability and geopolitical developments.

In some countries, there is an increased chance for economic, legal or political changes that may adversely affect the performance of our services, sale of our products or repatriation of our profits. We do not know the impact that these regulatory, geopolitical and other factors may have on our business in the future and any of these factors could adversely affect us. In addition, war, terrorist acts, civil wars or armed hostilities, or the public anticipation of these events, could negatively impact our business.

We are exposed to risks relating to evaluations of controls required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”).

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires us to annually evaluate our internal controls systems over financial reporting. This is not a static process as we may change our processes each year or acquire new companies that have different controls than our existing controls. Upon completion of this process each year, we may identify control deficiencies of varying degrees of severity under applicable U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) rules and regulations that remain unremediated. We are required to report, among other things, control deficiencies that constitute a “material weakness” or changes in internal controls that, or that are reasonably likely to, materially affect internal controls over financial reporting. A “material weakness” is a significant deficiency or combination of significant deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting that results in a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis.

We could suffer a loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements if we or our independent registered public accounting firm reports a material weakness in our internal controls, if we do not develop and maintain effective controls and procedures or if we are otherwise unable to deliver timely and reliable financial information. Any loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements or other negative reaction to our failure to develop timely or adequate disclosure controls and procedures or internal controls could result in a decline in the price of our common stock. In addition, if we fail to remedy any material weakness, our financial statements may be inaccurate, we may face restricted access to the capital markets and our stock price may be adversely affected.

We do not currently intend to pay dividends to our common stockholders in the foreseeable future.

It is uncertain when, if ever, we will declare dividends to our common stockholders. We do not currently intend to pay dividends to our common stockholders in the foreseeable future. Our ability to pay dividends to our common stockholders is constrained by our holding company structure under which we are dependent on our subsidiaries for payments. Additionally, we and our subsidiaries are parties to credit agreements which restrict our ability and their ability to pay dividends. See “Item 5—Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities” and “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources”.

Compliance with and changes in laws and regulations in the countries in which we operate could have a significant financial impact and affect how and where we conduct our operations.

We have operations in the U.S. and in 16 other countries. Expected and unexpected changes in the business and legal environments in the countries in which we operate can impact us. Compliance with and changes in laws, regulations and other legal and business issues could impact our ability to manage our costs and to meet our earnings goals. Compliance related matters could also limit our ability to do business in certain countries. Changes that could have a significant cost to us include new legislation, new regulations, or a differing interpretation of existing laws and regulations, changes in tax law or tax rates, the unfavorable resolution of tax assessments or audits by various taxing authorities, changes in trade and other treaties that lead to differing tariffs and trade rules, the expansion of currency exchange controls, export controls or additional restrictions on doing business in countries subject to sanctions in which we operate or intend to operate.

Not applicable.

In North America, we operate a hub and spoke model that is centered around our seven distribution centers in the U.S. and Canada with 94 branch locations which have inventory and local employees and house 13 valve and engineering service centers. Our U.S. network is comprised of 85 branch locations and six distribution centers. In Canada, we have 9 branch locations and one distribution center. We own less than 5% of our branch locations as we primarily lease these facilities. All of our distribution centers are leased.

Outside North America, we operate through a network of 22 branch locations located throughout Europe, Asia, Australasia, the Middle East and Caspian, including six distribution centers in the United Kingdom, Norway, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and Australia. Twelve valve and engineering service centers are housed within our distribution centers and branch locations. We own our Brussels, Belgium location, and the remainder of our locations are leased.

Our Company maintains its principal executive office at 1301 McKinney Street, Suite 2300, Houston, Texas, 77010 and also maintains corporate offices in Charleston, West Virginia and La Porte, Texas. These locations have corporate functions such as executive management, accounting, human resources, legal, marketing, supply chain management, business development and information technology.

From time to time, we have been subject to various claims and involved in legal proceedings incidental to the nature of our businesses. We maintain insurance coverage to reduce financial risk associated with certain of these claims and proceedings. It is not possible to predict the outcome of these claims and proceedings. However, in our opinion, there are no pending legal proceedings that upon resolution are likely to have a material effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Also, from time to time, in the ordinary course of our business, our customers may claim that the products that we distribute are either defective or require repair or replacement under warranties that either we or the manufacturer may provide to the customer. These proceedings are, in the opinion of management, ordinary and routine matters incidental to our normal business. Our purchase orders with our suppliers generally require the manufacturer to indemnify us against any product liability claims, leaving the manufacturer ultimately responsible for these claims. In many cases, state, provincial or foreign law provides protection to distributors for these sorts of claims, shifting the responsibility to the manufacturer. In some cases, we could be required to repair or replace the products for the benefit of our customer and seek our recovery from the manufacturer for our expense. In the opinion of management, the ultimate disposition of these claims and proceedings are not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

For information regarding asbestos cases in which we are a defendant and other claims and proceedings, see “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies—Legal Proceedings” and “Note 17—Commitments and Contingencies” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.

Not applicable.  

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

The name, age, period of service and the title of each of our executive officers as of February 12, 2021 are listed below.

Andrew R. Lane, age 61, has served as our president and chief executive officer (“CEO”) since September 2008. He has also served as a director of MRC Global Inc. since September 2008 and was chairman of the board from December 2009 to April 2016. From December 2004 to December 2007, he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Halliburton Company, a global oilfield services company. Prior to that, he held a variety of leadership roles within Halliburton. Mr. Lane received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Southern Methodist University in 1981 (cum laude). He also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2000. Mr. Lane has announced his intent to retire on December 31, 2021, and the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) is undertaking a process to name his successor.

Kelly Youngblood, age 55, has served as our executive vice president and chief financial officer since March 1, 2020 and executive vice president since November 2019. Mr. Youngblood brings more than 30 years of extensive energy and finance expertise to MRC Global. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Youngblood served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of BJ Services, a leading pressure pumping services provider in North America, from December 2017 to November 2019 and prior to that was the senior vice president and chief financial officer at Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. from 2016 to 2017. He has also held a variety of finance and accounting positions of increasing responsibility at Halliburton, including vice president of investor relations. Mr. Youngblood is a CPA and received a B.A. in Accounting from Cameron University.

Daniel J. Churay, age 58, has served as our executive vice president – corporate affairs, general counsel, chief human resources officer and corporate secretary since May 2012. In his current role, Mr. Churay manages the Company’s human resources, legal, risk and compliance, cyber security, external and government affairs and certain shared services functions. He also acts as corporate secretary to the Board. Prior to May 2012, Mr. Churay served as executive vice president and general counsel since August 2011 and as our corporate secretary since November 2011. From 2010 to 2011, he served as president and CEO of Rex Energy Corporation, an independent oil and gas company. From 2002 to 2010, Mr. Churay served as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of YRC Worldwide Inc., a transportation and logistics company. From 1985, he served in various legal roles with increasing responsibility with Baker Hughes Company. Mr. Churay received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Texas and a juris doctorate from the University of Houston Law Center, where he was a member of the Law Review.

Grant Bates, age 49, is our senior vice president of strategy, corporate development and e-commerce since April 2020. In this role, he leads the implementation of our long-term business strategy, mergers and acquisitions and e-commerce initiatives. Prior to that he served as senior vice president of operations, International and Canada, and operational excellence. Prior to January 2019, Mr. Bates was our senior vice president and chief information officer led our information systems and operational excellence functions since April 2016. Mr. Bates previously led our Canada region since March 2014 and prior to that served as regional vice president of the Australasian region since March 2012. Mr. Bates holds a B.E. in mechanical engineering from the University of Newcastle, a graduate diploma in management and a Master of Business Administration from Deakin University.

John L. Bowhay, age 55, is our senior vice president of international operations and global valves, automation, measurement and instrumentation ("VAMI"). Prior to that he served as senior vice president of supply chain management, valve and technical product sales since August 2015. He previously served as senior vice president of Asia Pacific and Middle East operations since August 2014. Before that, Mr. Bowhay served as vice president of European operations since August 2013. Prior to this role, Mr. Bowhay served as the managing director for our United Kingdom operations and prior to that role, he was the vice president of sales in the U.K. He brings more than 31 years of industry experience and valve expertise to the MRC Global team. Mr. Bowhay attended the London Business School.

Rance Long, age 52, serves as our senior vice president of business development responsible for our business development efforts globally. Most recently he served as our vice president business development, midstream pipeline & gas utilities since 2013. Prior to this role, he served as vice president of line pipe and was responsible for all line pipe sales in the US. He joined MRC Global as part of the acquisition of LaBarge Pipe and Steel in 2008. Rance holds a bachelor’s degree in construction from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Jack McCarthy, age 55, currently serves as our senior vice president of supply chain. Most recently, he served as our vice president of supply chain and technical sales. Prior to that role, Jack serviced as vice president of carbon steel pipe, fittings, flanges and VAMI supply chain management where he led our line pipe team since 2011 with responsibilities for our carbon steel fittings and flanges being added in 2016. Prior to joining MRC Global with the acquisition of LaBarge Pipe and Steel in 2005, he held roles in business development, sales and sales management in the industrial distribution industry for 17 years. Jack is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a former vice president and board member of the National Association of Steel Pipe Distributors.

Karl W. Witt, age 60, is our senior vice president of North America operations since April 2020 having previously been responsible for U.S. operations since 2016. Prior to that, he served in a variety of roles including seven years as regional vice president of the Eastern and Gulf Coast regions since 2013 and seven years as regional vice president of the Midwest sub-region as well as warehouse manager, outside sales representative, branch manager and vice president of operations with Joliet Valves, which was acquired by the Company in 2001. Mr. Witt attended South Suburban College in Chicago.

Elton Bond, age 45, has served as our senior vice president and chief accounting officer since May 2011. From September 2009 to May 2011, he served as senior vice president and treasurer. Prior to that, he served as vice president of finance and compliance. Before that, Mr. Bond was the director of finance and compliance. He started his career with MRC Global as the acquisition development manager in April 2006. Prior to joining MRC Global, Mr. Bond was employed with Ernst & Young LLP from 1997 to 2006, serving in a variety of roles, including senior manager of assurance and advisory business services. Mr. Bond received a B.B.A. from Marshall University in 1997. He is a C.P.A., a chartered global management accountant and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the West Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

PART II

As of February 5, 2021, there were 135 holders of record of the Company’s common stock.

The Company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “MRC”.

Our board of directors has not declared any dividends on common stock during 2020 or 2019 and currently has no intention to declare any dividends on common stock.

The Company’s Global ABL Facility, Term Loan and our 6.5% Series A Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock restrict our ability to declare cash dividends under certain circumstances. Any future dividends declared would be at the discretion of our board of directors and would depend on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, contractual obligations, the terms of our financing agreements at the time a dividend is considered, and other relevant factors.

Issuer Purchases of Securities

None.

PERFORMANCE GRAPH

The graph below compares the cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock to the S&P 500 Index and the Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index. The total shareholder return assumes $100 invested on December 31, 2015, in MRC Global Inc., the S&P 500 Index and the Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index. It also assumes reinvestment of all dividends. The results shown in the graph below are not necessarily indicative of future performance.

Comparison of Cumulative Total Return

  

This information shall not be deemed to be ‘‘soliciting material’’ or to be ‘‘filed’’ with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A (17 CFR 240.14a-1-240.14a-104), other than as provided in Item 201(e) of Regulation S-K, or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78r).

The selected financial data presented below have been derived from the consolidated financial statements of MRC Global Inc. that have been prepared using accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Ernst & Young LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, has audited these statements. This data should be read in conjunction with “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements, related notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this report.  

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including, but not limited to, those set forth under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Item 1A—Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (as well as other sections of this Annual Report on Form 10-K) contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements include those preceded by, followed by or including the words “will,” “expect,” “intended,” “anticipated,” “believe,” “project,” “forecast,” “propose,” “plan,” “estimate,” “enable,” and similar expressions, including, for example, statements about our business strategy, our industry, our future profitability, growth in the industry sectors we serve, our expectations, beliefs, plans, strategies, objectives, prospects and assumptions, and estimates and projections of future activity and trends in the oil and natural gas industry. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. These statements are based on management’s expectations that involve a number of business risks and uncertainties, any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control, including the factors described under “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” that may cause our actual results and performance to be materially different from any future results or performance expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among other things:

Undue reliance should not be placed on our forward-looking statements. Although forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs, reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, except to the extent law requires.

Overview

We are the largest distributor of pipe, valves, and fittings ("PVF") and other infrastructure products and services to the energy industry, based on sales. We also sell our products and provide our services to industrial applications. We provide innovative supply chain solutions and technical product expertise to customers globally through our leading position across each of our diversified end-markets including the following sectors:

We offer over 200,000 SKUs, including an extensive array of PVF, oilfield supply, valve automation and modification, measurement, instrumentation and other general and specialty products from our global network of over 10,000 suppliers. With 100 years of history, our over 2,600 employees serve approximately 12,000 customers through approximately 230 service locations including regional distribution centers, branches, corporate offices and third party pipe yards, where we often deploy pipe near customer locations.

Our customers use the PVF and other infrastructure products that we supply in mission critical process applications that require us to provide a high degree of product knowledge, technical expertise and comprehensive value-added services to our customers. We seek to provide best-in-class service and a one-stop shop for customers by satisfying the most complex, multi- site needs of many of the largest companies in the energy sector as their primary PVF supplier. We believe the critical role we play in our customers' supply chain, together with our extensive product and service offerings, broad global presence, customer-linked scalable information systems and efficient distribution capabilities, serve to solidify our long-standing customer relationships and drive our growth. As a result, we have an average relationship of over 25 years with our 25 largest customers.

Key Drivers of Our Business

Our revenue is predominantly derived from the sale of PVF and other oilfield and industrial supplies to the energy sector globally. In addition to general economic conditions, our business is, therefore, dependent upon both the current conditions and future prospects in the energy industry and, in particular, maintenance and expansionary operating and capital expenditures by our customers in the gas utilities, downstream and industrial, upstream production and midstream pipeline sectors of the industry. Long-term growth in spending has been driven by several factors, including demand growth for petroleum and petroleum derived products, underinvestment in global energy infrastructure, growth in shale and unconventional exploration and production (“E&P”) activity, and anticipated strength in the oil, natural gas, refined products and petrochemical sectors. The outlook for future oil, natural gas, refined products and petrochemical PVF spending is influenced by numerous factors, including the following:

Recent Trends and Outlook

During 2020, the average oil price of West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”) decreased to $39.16 per barrel from $56.98 per barrel in 2019. Natural gas prices decreased to an average price of $2.03/Mcf (Henry Hub) for 2020 compared to $2.56/Mcf (Henry Hub) for 2019. North American drilling rig activity decreased 52% in 2020 compared to 2019. U.S. well completions were down 49% in 2020 as compared to 2019.

The energy industry, and our business in turn, is cyclical in nature. In 2019, our customers demonstrated an increased focus on returns, which has affected the risk assessment related to new projects and resulted in a more disciplined approach to spending that continues to impact each of our business sectors with the exception of gas utilities. In the first half of 2020, demand for oil and natural gas declined sharply as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As various governments implemented COVID-19 isolation orders, transportation use declined, energy use declined and manufacturing declined. As a result, oil consumption dropped dramatically. At the same time, OPEC and other oil producing nations were initially unable to reach an agreement on oil production levels. This lack of agreement, between Saudi Arabia and Russia in particular, escalated concerns over the potential for oversupply of oil during a period of weakened demand thereby causing a significant, sustained decline in commodity prices. Although major oil-producing nations subsequently responded by reducing oil production, the expected level of oil demand in the near term is projected to be substantially lower than pre-pandemic levels. Oil prices have recently improved due to near-term OPEC production cuts, but there remains significant uncertainty regarding the timing and extent of a recovery. The pace of demand recovery could still possibly slow or pause as a result of additional waves of pandemic outbreak or heightened pandemic control measures. The possibility of a global recession or depression still exists and, over the longer term, we could experience a structural shift in the global economy and its demand for oil and natural gas as a result of changes in the way people work, travel and interact. As a result of these factors, based on an average of industry research estimates, there was a decrease in oil and gas industry spending in 2020 of 32% globally, including approximately 45% in the U.S. upstream production market. These reductions in spending directly impact both the upstream production and midstream pipeline components of our business. In addition, we have seen our customers in the downstream and industrial sector seek to defer turnarounds and routine maintenance as well as idle facilities in order to preserve liquidity and comply with COVID-19 related limitations on employee activities. Furthermore, 79% of our business is concentrated in the U.S. where the majority of industry spending reductions occurred. Given these developments, the risk of resurgence of the COVID-19 virus and the continuing focus on capital discipline by oil and gas exploration and production operators, we experienced a sharp decline in sales beginning in the second quarter of 2020 and expect the market to remain challenged until there is a step-change improvement related to COVID-19 concerns, improving the outlook for global oil demand.

Notwithstanding the ongoing uncertainty, recent spending plan estimates by sell-side research analysts indicate possible outcomes ranging from a modest, single-digit improvement in U.S. upstream spending to a potential decline of up to 10% in 2021. While the mid-point of this range suggests a possible year-over-year decline in activity, it would represent an increase in activity as compared to recent pandemic-impacted quarters.

We play a critical role in supporting our customers and the energy industry throughout the cycles. We believe that carbon-based energy will continue to play a critical role in supporting economic growth, particularly in developing countries, and that oil and gas demand will continue to be significant in the coming decades. The U.S. EIA in its Reference Case published in the International Energy Outlook 2019 projects world energy consumption rising by 50% between 2018 and 2050. This Reference Case remains the latest EIA case for world energy markets; however, it was issued before the COVID-19 pandemic and may change to take into account energy use declines during the pandemic. Even so, we believe that oil and gas will continue to be in demand for some time. Even as the EIA projects in its Reference Case that renewables become the most used energy source by 2050, the EIA also projects petroleum and other liquids to rise more than 20% and natural gas to rise more than 40% in that timeframe. This would require an increase in oil and gas to meet the rise in demand from current levels, which would continue to provide a robust market for our existing goods and services. Furthermore, our largest customers are among the leading investors in renewable energy technology. As they further rebalance their capital investment from traditional, carbon-based energy to alternative sources, we expect to continue to supply them and enhance our product and service offering as needed to support their changing requirements.

The gas utility sector of our business which is independent of oil and gas commodity prices was also initially impacted by certain customer activity delays due to COVID-19 concerns but has not experienced any material budget cuts or project cancellations. In the second half of the year we saw a modest rebound in sales for this sector and expect this business to continue to grow in 2021 due to recent market share gains and higher activity levels as COVID-19 concerns begin to diminish.

Because of the challenging environment in 2020, we took a number of actions to further reduce our operating costs. These steps included the following:

In addition to these efforts, we have and continue actively managing our investment in working capital which allows us to generate cash and reduce our indebtedness. In the fourth quarter, we completed the sale leaseback of four facilities which generated $29 million of net proceeds which we also used to reduce our indebtedness. For the year, we generated $261 million of cash from operations and reduced our net debt by almost half to $264 million.

During 2020, we closed 27 facilities and took other actions to reduce our costs associated with leased branches. As a result of these actions, we incurred charges totaling $14 million related to impairment of right of use assets, lease abandonment and charges associated with contractual obligations under lease agreements. Through these facility closures and other reductions in force, we have reduced headcount by approximately 600 employees. In connection with these reductions, we have incurred severance costs of $14 million.

During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, we have continued to operate our business. Our video and audio conferencing and enterprise resource planning and other operational systems have enabled our office employees to work from home, performing their job functions with minimal disruption or impact on our internal control environment. We required our employees to work from home as a result of governmental isolation orders and, in many cases, in advance of those orders for the health and safety of our employees. We have limited employee travel, with few exceptions, to local deliveries of our products. Our warehouses and regional distribution centers have remained open. Under various isolation orders by national, state, provincial and local governments, we have been exempted as an "essential' business as the products we sell are necessary for the maintenance and functioning of the energy infrastructure. We have taken measures to safeguard the health and welfare of our employees, including (among other things) social distancing measures while at work, certain screening, providing personal protection equipment such as face masks and hand sanitizer and providing "deep" cleaning services at Company facilities. As of February 2, 2021, of our approximate 2,600 employees, we had 10 employees with current cases of COVID-19. If we were to develop a COVID-19 outbreak at one of our facilities, we have plans to isolate those in contact with the impacted employees and to either staff the facility with employees from other facilities or supply product to customers from other facilities. We monitor guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control ("CDC") and other authorities on an ongoing basis, and as various governmental isolation orders evolve, we continue to review our operational plans to continue operating our business while addressing the health and safety of our employees and those with whom our business comes into contact.

As a distribution business, we have also closely monitored the ability of our suppliers and transportation providers to continue the functioning of our supply chain, particularly in cases where there are limited alternative sources of supply. While there were initially some temporary interruptions of manufacturing for some of our products in the Spring of 2020, especially those who manufacture product or components in China, South Korea and Italy, many of these manufacturers have now resumed production. We have not experienced significant delays by transportation providers. Our inventory position for most products has allowed us to continue supply to most customers with little interruption. In those instances where there is interruption, we are working with our customers to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 delay. We continue to monitor the situation and have ongoing dialogue with our customers regarding the status of impacted orders.

In recent years, the United States imposed tariffs on imports of some products that we distribute. Although these actions generally cause the price we pay for products to increase, we are generally able to leverage long-standing relationships with our suppliers and the volume of our purchases to receive market competitive pricing. In addition, our contracts with customers generally allow us to react quickly to price increases through mechanisms that enable us to pass those increases along to customers as they occur. Of course, the price increases that tariffs and quotas engender may be offset by the pricing impacts of lower demand that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused. These issues are dynamic and continue to evolve. To the extent our products are further impacted by pricing fluctuations caused by tariffs and quotas, the ultimate impact on our revenue and cost of sales, which is determined using the last-in, first-out ("LIFO") inventory costing methodology, remains subject to uncertainty and volatility.

In January 2021, a new U.S. President took office and new U.S. Congress was seated.  They have publicly made statements regarding the desire to support alternative energy sources such as solar, wind and “green” hydrogen, reduce U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases and generally address climate change. To that end, the new administration has implemented executive orders for the U.S. to rejoin the Paris Agreement, which presumably will require the U.S. to set greenhouse gas reduction goals and enact policies to meet those goals. It has also announced an aggressive policy agenda to change the tax system, increase corporate and other income taxes, modify the relationships between the United States and other countries and make changes that reverse actions taken by the prior President. While at first impression these policies could impact demand for our oil and gas customers’ product and further regulate the industry, it is not clear that these actions will actually have that impact.  For instance, the new President has signed an executive order placing a moratorium on the leasing of U.S. federal lands for oil and gas exploration and production. However, given the current supply and demand for oil and gas, there does not appear to be a robust market for any such new leasing by our customers. Until specific laws are passed, executive actions are taken or federal regulatory action is enacted, it is unclear what impact these policies will have on our business.

Effective January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom formally exited the European Union (“EU”). Following the exit, there was a transition period until December 31, 2020. During the transition period, the UK's trading relationship with the EU remained the same while the two sides negotiated a free trade deal. The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement was signed on December 30, 2020 between the EU and the United Kingdom. Although this agreement is still awaiting ratification by the European Parliament, it has been applied provisionally since January 1, 2021 when the transition period ended. Although we don't expect these developments to have a meaningful impact on our business, we continue to maintain a physical presence in both the U.K. and EU member states that allow us to operate and to serve our customers as needed. In 2020, 3.0% of our revenue was derived from our U.K. business.

We determine backlog by the amount of unshipped customer orders, either specific or general in nature, which the customer may revise or cancel in certain instances. The table below details our backlog by segment (in millions):

There can be no assurance that the backlog amounts will ultimately be realized as revenue or that we will earn a profit on the backlog of orders, but we expect that substantially all of the sales in our backlog will be realized within twelve months.

The following table sets forth key industry indicators for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018:

Results of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018

The breakdown of our sales by sector for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 was as follows (in millions):

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2019

For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the following table summarizes our results of operations (in millions):

Sales. Sales reflect consideration we are entitled to for goods and services when control of those goods and services is transferred to our customers. Our sales were $2,560 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to $3,662 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The $1,102 million, or 30%, decrease included a $6 million unfavorable impact from the weakening of foreign currencies in areas where we operate relative to the U.S. dollar.

U.S. Segment—Our U.S. sales decreased $933 million to $2,023 million for 2020 from $2,956 million for 2019. This 32% decrease reflected a $20 million decrease in the gas utilities sector, a $288 million decrease in the downstream and industrial sector, a $394 million decrease in the upstream production sector and a $231 million decrease in the midstream pipeline sector. The decline in gas utilities was primarily due to pandemic restrictions as customers paused or slowed spending during the second quarter. The decline in the upstream production sector is a result of reduced customer spending and lower activity levels, including a 49% reduction in well completions. The decline in the midstream pipeline sector is attributable to lower production levels and reduced demand for infrastructure, as well as the timing of project activity. Downstream and industrial sales declined due to delayed or reduced maintenance spending from lower demand as well as non-recurring turnarounds. All sectors were negatively impacted by the economic slowdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic which started in March 2020.

Canadian Segment—Our Canadian sales decreased $98 million to $128 million for 2020 from $226 million for 2019. This 43% decrease was across all sectors including a $73 million decrease in the upstream production sector, which was adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated reduced demand. In addition, the midstream pipeline sector declined $13 million as a result of non-recurring project work. The weakening of the Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar unfavorably impacted sales by $1 million, or 1%.

International Segment—Our International sales decreased $71 million to $409 million for 2020 from $480 million for 2019. The 15% decrease is attributable to reduced spending in the upstream production sector followed by the downstream and industrial sector due to lower activity levels associated with reduced demand. Upstream production sales also declined, in part, due to the 2019 completion of a multi-year project in Kazakhstan. In addition, the weakening of foreign currencies in areas where we operate relative to the U.S. dollar unfavorably impacted sales by $5 million, or 1%.

Gross Profit. Our gross profit was $431 million (16.8% of sales) for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to $653 million (17.8% of sales) for the year ended December 31, 2019. The $222 million decrease was primarily attributable to the decrease in sales volumes. As compared to average cost, our last-in first-out (“LIFO”) inventory costing methodology reduced cost of sales by $19 million in 2020 compared to $2 million in 2019. In addition, gross profit for 2020 was negatively impacted by $46 million of inventory-related charges to reduce the carrying value of certain excess and obsolete inventory items to their realizable value compared to $5 million of similar charges in 2019.

Adjusted Gross Profit. Adjusted Gross Profit decreased to $504 million (19.7% of sales) for 2020 from $719 million (19.6% of sales) for 2019, a decrease of $215 million. Adjusted Gross Profit is a non-GAAP financial measure. We define Adjusted Gross Profit as sales, less cost of sales, plus depreciation and amortization, plus amortization of intangibles, plus inventory-related charges and plus or minus the impact of our LIFO inventory costing methodology. We present Adjusted Gross Profit because we believe it is a useful indicator of our operating performance without regard to items, such as amortization of intangibles that can vary substantially from company to company depending upon the nature and extent of acquisitions. Similarly, the impact of the LIFO inventory costing method can cause results to vary substantially from company to company depending upon whether they elect to utilize LIFO and depending upon which method they may elect. We use Adjusted Gross Profit as a key performance indicator in managing our business. We believe that gross profit is the financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles that is most directly comparable to Adjusted Gross Profit.

The following table reconciles gross profit, as derived from our consolidated financial statements, with Adjusted Gross Profit, a non-GAAP financial measure (in millions):

*Does not foot due to rounding

**2019 adjustment revised to conform with current year presentation

Selling, General and Administrative (“SG&A”) Expenses. Costs such as salaries, wages, employee benefits, rent, utilities, communications, insurance, fuel and taxes (other than state and federal income taxes) that are necessary to operate our branch and corporate operations are included in SG&A. Also contained in this category are certain items that are non-operational in nature, including certain costs of acquiring and integrating other businesses. Our SG&A expenses were $449 million (17.5% of sales) for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to $550 million (15.0% of sales) for the year ended December 31, 2019. The $101 million decrease in SG&A was driven by lower employee-related costs, including incentives and benefits, resulting from the decline in business activity. These lower personnel costs were partially offset by $14 million of expenses associated with facilities closures and $14 million of severance and restructuring charges in 2020 as compared to $9 million of severance and restructuring charges in 2019. 2020 SG&A was reduced by the $2 million recovery of supplier bad debt. 2019 SG&A included a $5 million charge associated with the doubtful collection of a product claim against a foreign supplier. Excluding the impact of these charges, SG&A decreased $113 million. The weakening of foreign currencies in areas where we operate relative to the U.S. dollar favorably impacted SG&A by $3 million.

Operating (Loss) Income. Operating loss was $260 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to operating income of $103 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, a decline of $363 million.

U.S. Segment—Our U.S. segment had an operating loss of $207 million for 2020 as compared to operating income of $104 million for 2019. The $311 million decrease was impacted by $202 million of goodwill and intangible asset impairments, $28 million of inventory-related charges, $8 million of severance costs, and $3 million of costs associated with facility closures. Excluding these charges, the decline in operating income was driven by lower sales offset by a reduction in SG&A.

Canadian Segment—Our Canadian segment had an operating loss of $6 million for 2020 as compared to $1 million for 2019. The $5 million decline was primarily a result of $2 million of inventory-related charges, $1 million of severance costs, and $1 million of costs associated with facility closures. The impact of the decline in sales was largely offset by reductions in SG&A expenses resulting from cost reduction measures.

International Segment—Our International segment had operating loss of $47 million for 2020 as compared to $0 million in 2019. The $47 million decline in operating income was primarily attributable to certain unusual charges. These included $40 million of goodwill impairment charges, $16 million of inventory-related charges, $5 million of severance and $10 million of cost associated with facility closures. Excluding these charges, operating income would have increased which was primarily attributable to cost reductions that occurred in the fourth quarter of 2019 as well as the $2 million reduction in 2020 SG&A expense resulting from the recovery of a supplier bad debt.

Interest Expense. Our interest expense was $28 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to $40 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease in interest expense was attributable to lower average debt levels and lower interest rates in 2020 as compared to 2019.

Other Income. Our other income was $5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to $3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Other income for 2020 included a $5 million gain from a sale leaseback transaction.

Income Tax (Benefit) Expense. Our income tax benefit was $9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to expense of $27 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Our effective tax rates were 3% and 41% for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Our rates generally differ from the U.S. federal statutory rates of 21% as a result of state income taxes and differing foreign income tax rates. The effective tax rate for the 2020 was lower primarily due to a non-tax deductible goodwill impairment charge during the second quarter.

Net (Loss) Income. Our net loss was $274 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to net income of $39 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, a decrease of $313 million reflecting a decline in income before taxes for the reasons noted above.

Adjusted EBITDA.  Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $97 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to $201 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Our Adjusted EBITDA decreased $104 million over that period primarily as a result of the factors noted above.

We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income plus interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, amortization of intangibles and certain other expenses, including non-cash expenses (such as equity-based compensation, severance and restructuring, changes in the fair value of derivative instruments and asset impairments, including inventory) and plus or minus the impact of our LIFO inventory costing methodology.

We believe Adjusted EBITDA provides investors a helpful measure for comparing our operating performance with the performance of other companies that have different financing and capital structures or tax rates. We believe that net income is the financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles that is most directly comparable to Adjusted EBITDA.

The following table reconciles net income, as derived from our consolidated financial statements, with Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure (in millions):

Year Ended December 31, 2019 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2018

For discussion and analysis of fiscal year 2019 compared to fiscal year 2018, please refer to Item 7 of Part II, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 14, 2020 and is incorporated herein by reference.

Financial Condition and Cash Flows

Cash Flows

The following table sets forth our cash flows for the periods indicated below (in millions):

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities was $261 million in 2020 compared to $242 million provided by operating activities in 2019. The change in operating cash flows was primarily the result of lower working capital requirements due to declining sales in 2020 as compared to 2019. A reduction in working capital provided cash of $220 million in 2020 compared to $118 million provided by working capital in 2019. The decline in accounts receivable generated $141 million of cash in 2020 as compared to $127 million in accounts receivable in 2019. In addition, because of the decline in sales, we have reduced inventory resulting in $173 million of cash provided from inventory in 2020 as compared to $95 million in 2019. These reductions in the use of cash were offset by $98 million of cash utilized from a reduction in accounts payable in 2020 as compared to $79 million in 2019.

Investing Activities

Net cash provided by investing activities was $19 million in 2020 compared to $16 million used in 2019. In 2020, we completed sale leaseback transactions involving four of our locations which generated net proceeds of $29 million. Purchases of property, plant and equipment utilized cash of $11 million and $18 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities was $195 million in 2020, compared to net cash used in financing activities of $238 million in 2019. Net payments on our Global ABL Facility totaled $161 million in 2020 compared to $129 million in 2019. In 2019, we used $75 million to fund purchases of our common stock. We used $24 million to fund dividends on our preferred stock in each of 2020 and 2019. 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary credit facilities consist of a Term Loan maturing in September 2024 with an original principal amount of $400 million and an $800 million Global ABL Facility. As of December 31, 2020, the outstanding balance on our Term Loan, net of original issue discount and issuance costs, was $383 million. On an annual basis, we are required to repay an amount equal to 50% of excess cash flow, as defined in the Term Loan agreement, reducing to 25% if the Company’s senior secured leverage ratio is no more than 2.75 to 1.00. No payment of excess cash flow is required if the Company’s senior secured leverage ratio is less than or equal to 2.50 to 1.00. Under the terms of the Term Loan, the amount of cash used in the determination of the senior secured leverage ratio is limited to $75 million. For the current year, as a result of declining profitability and the generation of positive cash flow from working capital contraction, we would be required to make a repayment by April 2021 pursuant to this provision unless we obtain an amendment to the Term Loan. We are exploring the possibility of entering into such an amendment with representatives of our Term Loan lenders. If we make this payment, which we currently estimate will be approximately $105 million, we expect to source it from availability on our Global ABL Facility. As such, the payment would reduce overall liquidity and result in lower interest expense going forward.

The Global ABL Facility matures in September 2022 and provides $675 million in revolver commitments in the United States, $65 million in Canada, $18 million in Norway, $15 million in Australia, $13 million in the Netherlands, $7 million in the United Kingdom and $7 million in Belgium. The Global ABL Facility contains an accordion feature that allows us to increase the principal amount of the facility by up to $200 million, subject to securing additional lender commitments. Availability is dependent on a borrowing base comprised of a percentage of eligible accounts receivable and inventory which is subject to redetermination from time to time. As of December 31, 2020, we had no borrowings outstanding and $432 million of Excess Availability, as defined under our Global ABL Facility.

Our primary sources of liquidity consist of cash generated from our operating activities, existing cash balances and borrowings under our existing Global ABL Facility. At December 31, 2020, our total liquidity, consisting of cash on hand and amounts available under our Global ABL Facility, was $551 million. Our ability to generate sufficient cash flows from our operating activities is primarily dependent on our sales of products to our customers at profits sufficient to cover our fixed and variable expenses. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, we had cash and cash equivalents of $119 million and $32 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, $57 million and $32 million of our cash and cash equivalents were maintained in the accounts of our various foreign subsidiaries and, if those amounts were transferred among countries or repatriated to the U.S., those amounts may be subject to additional tax liabilities, which would be recognized in our financial statements in the period during which the transfer decision was made. During 2020, we repatriated $29 million of cash from our Canadian subsidiaries.

Our credit ratings are below “investment grade” and, as such, could impact both our ability to raise new funds as well as the interest rates on our future borrowings. In the second quarter of 2020, Moody’s Investor Services and S&P Global Ratings downgraded our credit ratings, from B1 to B2 and B to B-, respectively, largely due to softening demand for our products due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the reduction in our customer’s spending outlook from unusually low oil and gas prices. Our existing obligations restrict our ability to incur additional debt. We were in compliance with the covenants contained in our various credit facilities as of and during the year ended December 31, 2020. Our credit facilities contain provisions that address the forthcoming need to transition away from LIBOR when it is discontinued or replaced.

We believe our sources of liquidity will be sufficient to satisfy the anticipated cash requirements associated with our existing operations for at least the next twelve months. However, our future cash requirements could be higher than we currently expect as a result of various factors. Additionally, our ability to generate sufficient cash from our operating activities depends on our future performance, which is subject to general economic, political, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. We may, from time to time, seek to raise additional debt or equity financing or re-price or refinance existing debt in the public or private markets, based on market conditions. Any such capital markets activities would be subject to market conditions, reaching final agreement with lenders or investors, and other factors, and there can be no assurance that we would successfully consummate any such transactions.

Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies

Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes our minimum payment obligations as of December 31, 2020 relating to long-term debt, interest payments, capital leases, operating leases, purchase obligations and other long-term liabilities for the periods indicated (in millions):