Item 1A. Risk Factors

Our business and operations are subject to numerous risks, many of which are described below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. If any of the events described below or elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K occur, our business and results of operations could be harmed. Additional risks and uncertainties that are not presently known to us, or which we currently deem to be immaterial, could also harm our business and results of operations.

Risks Related to the Impacts of Macroeconomic Events

Our business, financial condition and results of operations have been and may continue to be adversely affected by global public health issues, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations have been and may continue to be adversely affected if the COVID-19 pandemic, or another global health crisis, impacts our employees, suppliers, customers, financing sources or others’ ability to conduct business or negatively affects consumer and business confidence or the global economy. The COVID-19 health crisis has affected large segments of the global economy, including the markets we operate in, disrupted global supply chains, resulted in significant travel and transport restrictions, and created significant disruption of the financial markets. Economic uncertainty as a result of any global health crisis could negatively affect our business, suppliers, distribution channels, and customers, including as a result of business shutdowns or disruptions for an indefinite period of time, reduced operations, restrictions on shipping, fabricating or installing products, reduced consumer demand or customers’ ability to make payments. We have and may continue to experience additional operating costs due to increased challenges with our workforce (including as a result of illness, absenteeism or government orders), implementing further precautionary measures to protect the health of our workforce, increased project cancellations or projects put on hold, access to supplies, capital, and fundamental support services (such as shipping and transportation). Any resulting financial impact cannot be fully estimated at this time, but may materially affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Due to a potential COVID-19 reduction in throughput capacity, certain contracts in our backlog may experience delayed shipment. We accept contracts that contain provisions for a buyer to recover liquidated damages if our delivery is past contractual delivery dates, and such liquidated damages claimed by a customer could adversely affect financial performance.

In addition, we operate and compete globally and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic by domestic and foreign governments has been and may continue to be varied and those differences may impact our competitiveness. Our operating subsidiaries are located in China and India, and those countries’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have varied from the United States’ response. There are uncertain political climates in the regions where our subsidiaries operate, and governmental action in those regions may result in the temporary closure or limited operations of our subsidiaries. Government assistance during a pandemic may also differ between private and public companies, which may provide an advantage to one compared with another. This may affect our competitive position and could disrupt the market access and success of our business compared with other current or new competitors which could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operation.

The extent to which our operations may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic or any global health situation will depend largely on future developments which are highly uncertain and we are unable to predict the ultimate impact that it may have on our business, future results of operations, financial position or cash flows. Even while government restrictions and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have lessened, we may experience materially adverse impacts to our business due to any resulting supply chain disruptions, economic recession or depression. Furthermore, the impacts of a potential worsening of global economic conditions and the continued disruptions to and volatility in the financial markets remain unknown. Our management team has, and will likely continue to, spend significant time, attention and resources monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and seeking to manage its effects on our business and workforce.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may also exacerbate other risks discussed in this section, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us. This pandemic is still ongoing and additional impacts may arise that we are not aware of currently.

Disruptions or delays in our supply chains could adversely affect our results of operations and financial performance.

The raw materials that we source come from a wide variety of domestic and international suppliers. Global sourcing of many of the products we sell is an important factor in our financial results. Disruptions in our supply chain, especially for an extended period of time, could impact our ability to meet customer requirements and our financial performance could be materially and adversely impacted.

Rising inflation may result in increased costs of operations and negatively impact the credit and securities markets generally, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the market price of our common stock.

Inflation has accelerated in the U.S. and globally due in part to global supply chain issues, the Ukraine-Russia war, a rise in energy prices, and strong consumer demand as economies continue to reopen from restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. An inflationary environment can increase our cost of labor, as well as our other operating costs, which may have a material adverse impact on our financial results. In addition, economic conditions could impact and reduce the number of customers who purchase our products

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or services as credit becomes more expensive or unavailable. Although interest rates have increased and are expected to increase further, inflation may continue. Further, increased interest rates could have a negative effect on the securities markets generally which may, in turn, have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

Risks Related to our Business

We may experience customer concentration risk related to strategic growth for U.S. Navy projects.

The acquisition of BN has changed the composition of the Company’s end market mix. For fiscal 2022, sales to the defense industry were 51% of our business compared with just 25% of sales to the defense industry in fiscal 2021. While these projects are spread across multiple contractors for the U.S. Navy, the end customer for these projects is the same. This concentration of business could add additional risk to us should there be a disruption, short or long term, in the funding for these projects or our participation in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Propulsion program.

The size of our contracts with the U.S. Navy may produce volatility in short term financial results.

We believe our strategy to increase the penetration of U.S. Navy related opportunities, which are often much larger contracts than our commercial contracts, can, on occasion, be delayed before or during the revenue recognition cycle. If we are unable to reallocate resources to other projects, we may see an increase in volatility in our near-term financial results and may impact our ability to effectively provide accurate investor guidance.

Efforts to reduce large U.S. federal budget deficits could result in government cutbacks or shifts in focus in defense spending or in reduced incentives to pursue alternative energy projects, resulting in reduced demand for our products, which could harm our business and results of operations.

Our business strategy calls for us to continue to pursue defense-related projects as well as projects for end users in the alternative energy markets in the U.S. In recent years, the U.S. federal government has incurred large budget deficits. In the event that U.S. federal government defense spending is reduced or alternative energy related incentives are reduced or eliminated in an effort to reduce federal budget deficits, projects related to defense or alternative energy may become less plentiful. The impact of such reductions could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations, as well as our growth opportunities.

U.S. Navy orders are subject to annual government funding. A disruption in funding could adversely impact our business.

One of our growth strategies is to increase our penetration of U.S. Navy-related opportunities. Projects for the U.S. Navy and its contractors generally have a much longer order-to-shipment time period than our commercial orders. The time between the awarding of an order to the completion of shipment can take three to seven years. Annual government funding is required to continue the production of this equipment. Disruption of government funding, short or long term, could impact the ability for us to continue our production activity on these orders. Since this business is expected to increase as a percentage of our overall business, such a disruption, should it occur, could adversely impact the sales and profitability of our business.

Changes in the competitive environment for U.S. Navy procurement could adversely impact our ability to grow this portion of our business.

Over the past few years, we have expanded our business and the opportunities where we bid related to U.S. Navy projects. This has increased our market share and caused an adverse share position for some of our competitors for these products. Competitor response to our market penetration is possible. Our customers may also raise concerns about their supplier concentration issues and the risk exposure related to this concentration. As the U.S. Navy is looking to expand its fleet, there is also a risk that their facilities, their supply chain or our supply chain for raw materials, may not be able to support this expansion. This could adversely impact our ability to grow this portion of our business. Further, the bidding process related to these U.S. Navy projects requires us to devote a certain amount of time and resources to prepare bids and proposals and there is no assurance that we will recoup those investments.

Contract liabilities for large U.S. Navy contracts may be beyond our normal insurance coverage and a claim could have an adverse impact on our financial results.

We are diligent at managing ongoing risks related to projects and the requirements of our customers. In addition, we secure business insurance coverage to minimize the impact of a major failure or liability related to our customers. Due to certain U.S. government procurement policies, we may take on the risk of a liability for large U.S. Navy projects in excess of our insurance coverage and at a level which is higher than our commercial projects. A claim related to one of these projects could have an adverse impact on our financial results.

New technology used by the ships for the U.S. Navy may delay projects and may impact our ability to grow this portion of our business.

Certain U.S. Navy vessels are implementing new technologies, unrelated to any of the equipment that we provide. If there is a complication or delay to any ship caused by this new technology, it may delay the procurement and fabrication of future vessels, which could have a negative impact on our business.

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Lapses in U.S. government appropriations have occurred, and any future lapses could disrupt U.S. export processing and related procedures and, as a result, may materially and adversely affect our revenue, results of operations and business.

The U.S. has previously experienced lapses in federal appropriations, which had, in the past, a short-term effect on our business. Any such future lapse (each, a "Government Shutdown") could negatively affect our ability to ship finished products to customers. We rely on federal government personnel, who are not able to perform their duties during a Government Shutdown, to conduct routine business processes related to the inspection and delivery of our products, process export licenses for us and perform other services for us that, when disrupted, may prevent us from timely shipping products outside the U.S. If we are unable to timely ship our products outside the U.S., there could be a material adverse impact on our results of operations and business. Moreover, our inability to ship products, or the perception by customers that we might not be able to timely ship our products in the future, may cause such customers to look to foreign competitors to fulfill their demand. If our customers look to foreign competitors to source equipment of the type we manufacture, there could be a material adverse impact on our results of operations and business.

Zero defect and other unfavorable provisions in government contracts, some of which are customary, may subject our business to material limitations, restrictions and uncertainties and may have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and operating results.

Government contracts contain provisions that provide the U.S. government with substantial rights and remedies, many of which are not typically found in commercial contracts, including provisions that allow the U.S. government to inspect our products and unilaterally determine whether additional work is required to be completed to remedy any deemed deficiencies; to terminate existing contracts, in whole or in part, for any reason or no reason; unilaterally reduce or modify the government’s obligations under such contracts without our consent; decline to exercise an option to continue a contract or exercise an option to purchase only the minimum amount, if any, specified in a contract; take actions that result in a longer development timeline than expected; and change the course of a program in a manner that differs from the contract’s original terms or from our desired plan.

Generally, government contracts, including our contracts with the U.S. Navy, contain provisions permitting unilateral termination or modification, in whole or in part, at the U.S. government’s convenience. Under general principles of government contracting law, if the U.S. government terminates a contract for convenience, the government contractor may recover only its incurred or committed costs, settlement expenses and profit on work completed prior to the termination. If the U.S. government terminates a contract for default, the government contractor is entitled to recover costs incurred and associated profits on accepted items only and may be liable for excess costs incurred by the government in procuring undelivered items from another source. In addition, government contracts normally contain additional requirements that may increase our costs of doing business, reduce our profits, and expose us to liability for failure to comply with these terms and conditions. These requirements include, for example, unilateral inspection rights and the requirement that we complete additional work to remedy any deemed deficiency; specialized accounting systems unique to government contracts; mandatory financial audits and potential liability for price adjustments or recoupment of government funds after such funds have been spent; mandatory internal control systems and policies; and mandatory socioeconomic compliance requirements, including labor standards, non-discrimination and affirmative action programs and environmental compliance requirements. If we fail to maintain compliance with these requirements, we may be subject to potential contract liability and to termination of our government contracts.

Furthermore, any agreements and subcontracts with third parties, including suppliers, consultants and other third-party contractors that we enter into in order to satisfy our contractual obligations pursuant to our agreements with the U.S. government must also be compliant with the terms of our government contract. Negotiating and entering into such arrangements can be time-consuming and we may not be able to reach agreement with such third parties. Any delay or inability to enter into such arrangements or entering into such arrangements in a manner that is non-compliant with the terms of our government contract, may result in violations of our contract.

The markets we serve include the petroleum refining and petrochemical industries. These industries are both highly cyclical in nature and dependent on the prices of crude oil and natural gas. As a result, volatility in the prices of oil and natural gas may negatively impact our operating results.

A portion of our revenue is derived from the sale of our products to companies in the chemical, petrochemical, and petroleum refining industries, or to firms that design and construct facilities for these industries. These industries are highly cyclical, and are subject to the prices of crude oil and natural gas. The prices of crude oil and natural gas have historically had periods when they have been very volatile, as evidenced by the extreme volatility in oil prices over the past few years such as the volatility related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia war. During times of significant volatility in the market for crude oil or natural gas, our customers often refrain from placing orders until the market stabilizes and future demand projections are clearer. If our customers refrain from placing orders with us, our revenue would decline and there could be a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

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As a result of recent adverse supply-side and demand-side disruptions, our commercial customers in these markets confront competing budget priorities and may have more limited resources for the types of products and services we provide. As a result, there may be fewer projects available for us to compete for and the pricing environment is anticipated to remain challenging.

We believe that over the long-term, demand for our products will expand in the petrochemical, petroleum refining and power generating industries. A sustained deterioration in any of the industries we serve would materially harm our business and operating results because our customers would not likely have the resources necessary to purchase our products, nor would they likely have the need to build additional facilities or improve existing facilities.

The relative costs of oil, natural gas, nuclear power, hydropower and numerous forms of alternative energy production, and transitions in consumer demand toward different types of energy, may have a material adverse impact on our business and operating results.

Global and regional energy supply comes from many sources, including oil, natural gas, coal, hydro, nuclear, solar, wind, geothermal and biomass, among others. A cost or supply shift among these sources could negatively impact our business opportunities. A demand shift, where technological advances or consumer preferences favor the utilization of one or a few sources of energy may also impact the demand for our products. Changes in consumer demand, including some driven by governmental and political preferences, toward electric, compressed natural gas, hydrogen vehicles and other alternative energy may impact our business. We have products which can support certain technologies, while other technologies will not require our equipment. If demand shifts in a manner that increases energy utilization outside of our traditional customer base or expertise, our business and financial results could be materially adversely affected. In addition, governmental policy can affect the relative importance of various forms of energy sources. For example, non-fossil based sources may receive government tax incentives to foster investment. If these incentives become more prominent, our business and results of operations could suffer.

Climate change and greenhouse gas regulations may affect our customers’ investment decisions.

Due to concern over the risk of climate change, a number of countries have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, regulatory frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These restrictions may affect our customers' abilities and willingness to invest in new facilities or to re-invest in current operations. These requirements could impact the cost of our customers’ products, lengthen project implementation times, and reduce demand for hydrocarbons, as well as shift hydrocarbon demand toward lower-carbon sources. Any of the foregoing could adversely impact the demand for our products, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our future success may be affected by our current and future indebtedness.

Under our loan agreements, as of March 31, 2022, we had $18,500 outstanding under our term loan with Bank of America, N.A ("Bank of America"). We may borrow additional funds in the future to support our growth and working capital needs. Pursuant to our loan agreements with Bank of America, we are required to provide financial information and reports while complying with other financial covenants. At December 31, 2021, we were out of compliance with our bank agreement covenants and were granted a waiver for noncompliance by Bank of America. Additionally, on March 31, 2022 and June 7, 2022, we entered into amendment agreements with Bank of America. These agreements placed additional restrictive covenants on the Company and increased our borrowing costs. In the future, should we again be out of compliance with our bank agreement, there can be no assurance that we would be able to obtain additional waivers or renegotiate our credit facilities in a timely manner, on acceptable terms or at all. If we were not able to obtain a covenant waiver under our debt facilities or renegotiate such facilities, we could be in default of such agreements, and in the event of such default our lender could demand immediate repayment of amounts outstanding. There can be no assurance that we would have sufficient cash, or be able to raise sufficient debt or equity capital, or divest assets, to refinance or repay such facility or facilities in the event of such demand. As a result, the failure to obtain covenant waivers or renegotiate our facilities as described above would have a material adverse effect on us and our ability to service our debt obligations.

Our business is highly competitive. If we are unable to successfully implement our business strategy and compete against entities with greater resources than us or against competitors who have a relative cost advantage, we risk losing market share to current and future competitors.

We encounter intense competition in all of our markets. Some of our present and potential competitors may have substantially greater financial, marketing, technical or manufacturing resources. Our competitors may also be able to respond more quickly to new technologies or processes and changes in customer demands and they may be able to devote greater resources towards the development, promotion and sale of their products. Certain competitors may also have a cost advantage compared to us due to their geography or changes in relative currency values and may compete against us based on price. This may affect our ability to secure new business and maintain our level of profitability. As our markets continue to grow, and new market opportunities expand, we could see a shift in pricing as a result of facing competitors with lower production costs, which may have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and financial results. In addition, our current and potential competitors may make strategic acquisitions or establish cooperative relationships among themselves or with third parties that increase their ability to address the needs of our customers.

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Moreover, customer buying patterns can change if customers become more price sensitive and accepting of lower cost suppliers. If we cannot compete successfully against current or future competitors, our business will be materially adversely affected.

Customer focus on short-term costs versus prioritizing quality and brand recognition, could harm our business and negatively impact our financial results.

Although we have long-term relationships with many of our end use customers and with many engineering, procurement and construction companies, the project management requirements, pricing levels and costs to support each customer and customer type are often different. Our customers have historically focused on the quality of the engineering and product solutions which we have provided to them, which may come at a higher cost. Because our customers are unable to predict the length of the time period for the economic viability of their plants, there has been more of a focus on relative importance of cost versus quality which looks at short-term costs instead of total long-term cost of operations.

In addition, customers in emerging markets which are driving global demand growth may also place less emphasis on our high quality and brand name than do customers in the U.S. and certain other industrialized countries where we compete. If we are forced to compete for business with customers that place less emphasis on quality and brand recognition than our current customers, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

A change in the structure of our markets, including through consolidation, could harm our business and negatively impact our financial results.

There are strong and long-standing relationships throughout the supply chain between the many parties involved in serving the end user of our products. A change in the landscape between engineering and procurement companies, original equipment suppliers, others in the supply chain, and/or with the end users could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. These changes, or others, might occur through industry consolidations such as mergers, acquisitions or other business partnerships, and could have a material impact on our business and negatively impact our financial results.

The loss of, or significant reduction or delay in, purchases by our largest customers could reduce our revenue and adversely affect our results of operations.

While we may have only one or two customers that represent over 10% of revenue in any one year, a small number of customers have accounted for a substantial portion of our historical net sales. For example, sales to our top ten customers, who can vary each year, accounted for 42%, 63% and 48% of consolidated net sales in fiscal 2022, fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2020, respectively. We expect that a limited number of customers will continue to represent a substantial portion of our sales for the foreseeable future. The loss of any of our major customers, a decrease or delay in orders or anticipated spending by such customers, or a delay in the production of existing orders could materially adversely affect our revenues and results of operations.

Our acquisition strategy may not be successful or may increase business risk.

The success of our acquisition strategy will depend, in part, on our ability to identify suitable companies or businesses to purchase and then successfully negotiate and close acquisition transactions. In addition, our success depends in part on our ability to integrate acquisitions and realize the anticipated benefits from combining the acquisition with our historical business, operations and management. We cannot provide any assurances that we will be able to complete any acquisitions and then successfully integrate the business and operations of those acquisitions without encountering difficulties, including unanticipated costs, issues or liabilities, difficulty in retaining customers and supplier or other relationships, failure to retain key employees, diversion of our management’s attention, failure to integrate information and accounting systems or establish and maintain proper internal control over financial reporting. Moreover, as part of the integration process, we must incorporate an acquisition’s existing business culture and compensation structure with our existing business. We also need to utilize key personnel who may be distracted from the core business. If we are not able to efficiently integrate an acquisition’s business and operations into our organization in a timely and efficient manner, or at all, the anticipated benefits of the acquisition may not be realized, or it may take longer to realize these benefits than we currently expect, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

We may not achieve all the intended benefits of the acquisition of BN and could subject us to unknown and unforeseen liabilities.

We completed the acquisition of BN in June 2021 and have already begun experiencing many of the benefits from the acquisition. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to realize every intended benefit of the transaction. There are many challenges associated with integrating an acquisition such as BN, including those associated with the integration of operations, retention of key management and other employees with historically different cultures and priorities, the diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business concerns while addressing integration matters, retaining existing business and operational relationships including customers, suppliers and others, unanticipated issues in integrating information technology, communications and other systems, as well as unforeseen expenses associated with the integration.

In addition, BN may have unknown liabilities, including, but not limited to, product liability, workers’ compensation liability, tax liability and liability for improper business practices. Although we are entitled to indemnification from the sellers of BN for these

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and other matters, we could experience difficulty enforcing those obligations or we could incur material liabilities for the past activities of BN. Such liabilities and related legal or other costs could harm our business or results of operations.

We have foreign operations and a percentage of our sales occur outside of the U.S. As a result, we are subject to the economic, political, regulatory and other risks of international operations.

For fiscal 2022, 20% of our revenue was from customers located outside of the U.S. Moreover, through our subsidiaries, we maintain a sales office in China and a sales and market development office in India. We intend to continue to expand our international operations to the extent that suitable opportunities become available. Our foreign operations and sales could be adversely affected as a result of:

The impact of potential changes in customs and trade policies and tariffs imposed by the U.S. and those imposed in response by other countries, including China, as well as rapidly changing trade relations, could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The U.S. government has made proposals that are intended to address trade imbalances, which include encouraging increased production in the United States. These proposals could result in increased customs duties and the renegotiation of some U.S. trade agreements. Changes in U.S. and foreign governments’ trade policies have resulted and may continue to result in tariffs on imports into, and exports from, the U.S. Over the past few years, the U.S. imposed tariffs on imports from several countries, including China, Canada, the European Union and Mexico. In response, China, Canada and the European Union have proposed or implemented their own tariffs on certain exports from the U.S. into those countries. Tariffs affecting our products and product components, including raw materials we use, particularly high-end steel and steel related products, may add significant costs to us and make our products more expensive. Potential future changes in trade policies could result in customers changing their behavior in project procurement, due to uncertainty related to timely execution and/or import and export restrictions. As a result, our products could become less attractive to customers outside the U.S. due to U.S. import tariffs on our raw materials and our profit margins would be negatively impacted. Accordingly, continued tariffs may weaken relationships with certain trading partners and may adversely affect our financial performance and results of operations. When beneficial to us, we may consider alternate sourcing options, including offshore subcontracting, in order to minimize the impact of the tariffs. Because we conduct aspects of our business in China through our subsidiary, potential reductions in trade with China and diminished relationships between China and the U.S., as well as the continued escalation of tariffs, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

The operations of our Chinese subsidiary may be adversely affected by China’s evolving economic, political and social conditions.

We conduct our business in China primarily through our wholly-owned Chinese subsidiary. The results of operations and future prospects of our Chinese subsidiary may be adversely affected by, among other things, changes in China's political, economic and social conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in the relationship between China and its western trade partners, changes in policies of the Chinese government, changes in laws and regulations or in the interpretation of existing laws and

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regulations, changes in foreign exchange regulations, measures that may be introduced to control inflation, such as interest rate increases and changes in the rates or methods of taxation. In addition, changes in demand could result from increased competition from local Chinese manufacturers who have cost advantages or who may be preferred suppliers for Chinese end users. Also, Chinese commercial laws, regulations and interpretations applicable to non-Chinese owned market participants, such as us, are continually changing. These laws, regulations and interpretations could impose restrictions on our ownership or the operation of our interests in China and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Intellectual property rights are difficult to enforce in China and India, which could harm our business.

Chinese commercial law is relatively undeveloped compared with the commercial law in many of our other major markets and limited protection of intellectual property is available in China as a practical matter. Similarly, proprietary information may not be afforded the same protection in India as it is in our other major markets with more comprehensive intellectual property laws. Although we take precautions in the operations of our subsidiaries to protect our intellectual property, any local design or manufacture of products that we undertake could subject us to an increased risk that unauthorized parties will be able to copy or otherwise obtain or use our intellectual property, which could harm our business. We may also have limited legal recourse in the event we encounter patent or trademark infringers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Uncertainties with respect to the Chinese legal system may adversely affect the operations of our Chinese subsidiary.

Our Chinese subsidiary is subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China. There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of laws, rules and policies in China. The Chinese legal system is based on written statutes, and prior court decisions have limited precedential value. Because many laws and regulations are relatively new and the Chinese legal system is still evolving, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform. Moreover, the relative inexperience of China's judiciary in many cases creates additional uncertainty as to the outcome of any litigation, and the interpretation of statutes and regulations may be subject to government policies reflecting domestic political agendas. Finally, enforcement of existing laws or contracts based on existing law may be uncertain and sporadic. For the preceding reasons, it may be difficult for us to obtain timely or equitable enforcement of laws ostensibly designed to protect companies like ours, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Regulation of foreign investment in India may adversely affect the operations of our Indian subsidiary.

Our subsidiary in India is subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investment in India. India regulates ownership of Indian companies by foreign entities. These regulations may apply to our funding of our Indian operating subsidiary. For example, the government of India has set out criteria for foreign investments in India, including requirements with respect to downstream investments by Indian companies owned or controlled by foreign entities and the transfer of ownership or control of Indian companies in certain industries. These requirements may adversely affect our ability to operate our Indian subsidiary. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain any required approvals for future acquisitions, investments or operations in India, or that we will be able to obtain such approvals on satisfactory terms.

Changes in U.S. and foreign energy policy regulations could adversely affect our business.

Energy policy in the U.S. and other countries where we sell our products is evolving rapidly and we anticipate that energy policy will continue to be an important legislative priority in the jurisdictions where we sell our products. It is difficult, if not impossible, to predict the changes in energy policy that could occur, as they may be related to changes in political administration, public policy or other factors. The elimination of, or a change in, any of the current rules and regulations in any of our markets could create a regulatory environment that makes our end users less likely to purchase our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Government subsidies or taxes, which favor or disfavor certain energy sources compared with others, could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.

Near-term income statement impact from competitive contracts could adversely affect our operating results.

During weaker market periods, we may choose to be more aggressive in pricing certain competitive projects to protect or gain market share or to increase the utilization of our facilities. In these situations, it is possible that an incrementally profitable order, while increasing contribution, may be unprofitable from an accounting perspective when including fixed manufacturing costs. In these situations, we are required to recognize the financial loss at the time of order acceptance, or as soon as our cost estimates are updated, whichever occurs first. It is possible we may accumulate losses either on a large project or more than one project such that, in a short time period, for example a reporting quarter, these losses may have a meaningful impact on the earnings for that period.

Our operating results could be adversely affected by customer contract cancellations and delays.

Adverse economic or specific project conditions can lead to a project being placed on hold or cancelled by our customers. We had no projects cancelled in fiscal 2022 or in fiscal 2021. Similarly, we had no projects on hold at March 31, 2022. We attempt to mitigate the risk of cancellation by structuring contracts with our customers to maximize the likelihood that progress payments made to us for individual projects cover the costs we have incurred. As a result, we do not believe we have a significant cash exposure to projects which may be cancelled. Open orders are reviewed continuously through communications with customers. If it becomes evident to us

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that a project is delayed well beyond its original shipment date, management will move the project into "placed on hold" (i.e., suspended) category. Furthermore, if a project is cancelled by our customer, it is removed from our backlog.

The value of our backlog as of March 31, 2022 was $256,536. Our backlog can be significantly affected by the timing of large orders. The amount of our backlog at March 31, 2022 is not necessarily indicative of future backlog levels or the rate at which our backlog will be recognized as sales. Although historically the amount of modifications and terminations of our orders has not been material compared with our total contract volume, customers can, and sometimes do, terminate or modify their orders. This generally occurs more often in times of end market or capital market turmoil. We cannot predict whether cancellations will occur or accelerate in the future. Although certain of our contracts in backlog may contain provisions allowing for us to assess cancellation charges to our customers to compensate us for costs incurred on cancelled contracts, cancellations of purchase orders or modifications made to existing contracts could substantially and materially reduce our backlog and, consequently, our future sales and results of operations. Moreover, delay of contract execution by our customers can result in volatility in our operating results.

Our current backlog contains a number of large orders from the U.S. Navy. In addition, we are continuing to pursue business in this end market which offers large multi-year projects which have an added risk profile beyond that of our historic customer base. A delay, long-term extension or cancellation of any of these projects could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Further, certain defense contracts we secure may be designated a program of highest national priority requiring production preference over commercial orders which could impact our commercial backlog and result in production delays. As a result, commercial customers could seek damages, including liquidated damages, as performance penalties and there may be a negative impact to the willingness of customers to place future orders with us due to a concern that orders may be subordinated to such contracts.

Our customers’ ability and willingness to make progress payments may be impacted by any extended downturn in their markets which could adversely impact their financial stability and increase the risk to us of uncollectable accounts receivables.

The financial strength of our customers can be impacted by a severe or lengthy downturn in their markets which could lead to additional risk in our ability to collect outstanding accounts receivables. We attempt to mitigate this risk with the utilization of progress payments for many projects, but certain industries, end markets and geographies are not as willing to make progress payments. Certain projects require a small portion of the total payments to be held until the customer's facility is fully operational, which can be in excess of one year beyond our delivery of equipment to them. This additional time may add risk to our ability to collect on the outstanding accounts receivables.

Our exposure to fixed-price contracts and the timely completion of such contracts could negatively impact our results of operations.

A substantial portion of our sales is derived from fixed-price contracts, which may involve long-term fixed price commitments by us to our customers. While we believe our contract management processes are strong, we nevertheless could experience difficulties in executing large contracts, including but not limited to, estimating errors, cost overruns, supplier failures and customer disputes. For example, in fiscal 2022, we experienced material cost overruns related to defense contracts at our Batavia, NY facility. To the extent that any of our fixed-price contracts are delayed, our subcontractors fail to perform, contract counterparties successfully assert claims against us, the original cost estimates in these or other contracts prove to be inaccurate or the contracts do not permit us to pass increased costs on to our customers, our profitability may decrease or losses may be incurred which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. For our U.S. Navy projects, these fixed priced contracts have order to shipment periods which can exceed five years. This additional time-based risk, which we believe is manageable, nevertheless increases the likelihood of cost fluctuation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operation.

Given our size and specialization of our business, if we lose any member of our management team and we experience difficulty in finding a qualified replacement, our business could be harmed.

Competition for qualified management and key technical and sales personnel in our industry is intense. Moreover, our technology is highly specialized, and it may be difficult to replace the loss of any of our key technical and sales personnel. Many of the companies with which we compete for management and key technical and sales personnel have greater financial and other resources than we do or are located in geographic areas which may be considered by some to be more desirable places to live. If we are not able to retain any of our key management, technical or sales personnel, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

During certain high demand periods, there can be a shortage of skilled production workers, especially those with high-end welding capabilities. We could experience difficulty hiring or replacing those individuals, which could adversely affect our business.

Our fabrication processes require highly skilled production workers, especially welders. Welding has not been an educational field that has been popular over the past few decades as manufacturing has moved overseas. While we have an in-house weld training program, if we are unable to retain, hire or train an adequate number of individuals with high-end welding capability, this could adversely impact our ability to achieve our financial objectives. In addition, if demand for highly skilled production workers were to significantly

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outstrip supply, wages for these skilled workers could dramatically increase in our and related industries and that could affect our financial performance. Furthermore, should we not be able to expand our production workforce, we would expect to increase the amount of outsourced fabrication which is likely to result in higher costs and lower margins.

If we become subject to product liability, warranty or other claims, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

The manufacture and sale of our products exposes us to potential product liability claims, including those that may arise from failure to meet product specifications, misuse or malfunction of our products, design flaws in our products, or use of our products with systems not manufactured or sold by us. For example, our equipment is installed in facilities that operate dangerous processes and the misapplication, improper installation or failure of our equipment may result in exposure to potentially hazardous substances, personal injury or property damage. In addition, BN produces certain products in large quantities which could also expose us to potential product liability claims.

Provisions contained in our contracts with customers that attempt to limit our damages may not be enforceable or may fail to protect us from liability for damages and we may not negotiate such contractual limitations of liability in certain circumstances. Our insurance may not cover all liabilities and our historical experience may not reflect liabilities we may face in the future. Our risk of liability may increase as we manufacture more complex or larger projects. We also may not be able to continue to maintain such insurance at a reasonable cost or on reasonable terms, or at all. Any material liability not covered by provisions in our contracts or by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Furthermore, if a customer suffers damage as a result of an event related to one of our products, even if we are not at fault, they may reduce their business with us. We may also incur significant warranty claims which are not covered by insurance. In the event a customer ceases doing business with us as a result of a product malfunction or defect, perceived or actual, or if we incur significant warranty costs in the future, there could be a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

If third parties infringe upon our intellectual property or if we were to infringe upon the intellectual property of third parties, we may expend significant resources enforcing or defending our rights or suffer competitive injury.

Our success depends in part on our proprietary technology. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret laws and confidentiality provisions to establish and protect our proprietary rights. If we fail to successfully enforce our intellectual property rights, our competitive position could suffer. We may also be required to spend significant resources to monitor and police our intellectual property rights. Similarly, if we were found to have infringed upon the intellectual property rights of others, our competitive position could suffer. Furthermore, other companies may develop technologies that are similar or superior to our technologies, duplicate or reverse engineer our technologies or design around our proprietary technologies. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

In some instances, litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights and protect our proprietary information, or to defend against claims by third parties that our products infringe upon their intellectual property rights. Any litigation or claims brought by or against us, whether with or without merit, could result in substantial costs to us and divert the attention of our management, which could materially harm our business and results of operations. In addition, any intellectual property litigation or claims against us could result in the loss or compromise of our intellectual property and proprietary rights, subject us to significant liabilities, require us to seek licenses on unfavorable terms, prevent us from manufacturing or selling certain products or require us to redesign certain products, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We are subject to foreign currency fluctuations which may adversely affect our operating results.

We are exposed to the risk of currency fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the currencies of the countries in which we sell our products to the extent that such sales are not based in U.S. dollars. Currency movements can affect sales in several ways, the foremost being our ability to compete for orders against foreign competitors that base their prices on relatively weaker currencies. Strength of the U.S. dollar compared with the Euro or Asian currencies may put us in a less competitive position. Business lost due to competition for orders against competitors using a relatively weaker currency cannot be quantified. In addition, cash can be adversely impacted by the conversion of sales made by us in a foreign currency to U.S. dollars. While we may enter into currency exchange rate hedges from time to time to mitigate these types of fluctuations, we cannot remove all fluctuations or hedge all exposures and our earnings are impacted by changes in currency exchange rates. In addition, if the counter-parties to such exchange contracts do not fulfill their obligations to deliver the contractual foreign currencies, we could be at risk for fluctuations, if any, required to settle the obligation. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our business and results of operations. At March 31, 2022, we held no forward foreign currency exchange contracts.

Security threats and other sophisticated computer intrusions could harm our information systems, which in turn could harm our business and financial results.

We utilize information systems and computer technology throughout our business. We store sensitive data, proprietary information and perform engineering designs and calculations on these systems. Threats to these systems, and the laws and regulations

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governing security of data, including personal data, on information systems and otherwise held by companies is evolving and adding layers of complexity in the form of new requirements and increasing costs of attempting to protect information systems and data and complying with new cybersecurity regulations. Information systems are subject to numerous and evolving cybersecurity threats and sophisticated computer crimes, which pose a risk to the stability and security of our information systems, computer technology, and business. Global cybersecurity threats can range from uncoordinated individual attempts to gain unauthorized access to our information systems and computer technology to sophisticated and targeted measures known as advanced persistent threats and ransomware. The techniques used in these attacks change frequently and may be difficult to detect for periods of time and we may face difficulties in anticipating and implementing adequate preventative measures. A failure or breach in security could expose our company as well as our customers and suppliers to risks of misuse of information, compromising confidential information and technology, destruction of data, production disruptions, ransom payments, and other business risks which could damage our reputation, competitive position and financial results of our operations. Further, our technology resources may be strained due to an increase in the number of remote users. In addition, defending ourselves against these threats may increase costs or slow operational efficiencies of our business. If any of the foregoing were to occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We face potential liability from asbestos exposure and similar claims that could result in substantial costs to us as well as divert attention of our management, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We are a defendant in a number of lawsuits alleging illnesses from exposure to asbestos or asbestos-containing products and seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. We cannot predict with certainty the outcome of these lawsuits or whether we could become subject to any similar, related or additional lawsuits in the future. In addition, because some of our products are used in systems that handle toxic or hazardous substances, any failure or alleged failure of our products in the future could result in litigation against us. For example, a claim could be made under various regulations for the adverse consequences of environmental contamination. Any litigation brought against us, whether with or without merit, could result in substantial costs to us as well as divert the attention of our management, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Many of our large international customers are nationalized or state-owned businesses. Any failure to comply with the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could adversely impact our competitive position and subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences, which could harm our business and results of operations.

We are subject to the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which generally prohibits U.S. companies from engaging in bribery or making other prohibited payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Many foreign companies, including some of our competitors, are not subject to these prohibitions. Corruption, extortion, bribery, pay-offs, theft and other fraudulent practices occur from time-to-time in certain of the jurisdictions in which we may operate or sell our products. While we strictly prohibit our employees and agents from engaging in such conduct and have established procedures, controls and training to prevent such conduct from occurring, it is possible that our employees or agents will engage in such conduct and that we might be held responsible. If our employees or other agents are alleged or are found to have engaged in such practices, we could incur significant costs and suffer severe penalties or other consequences that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We presently have no intention to declare or pay a dividend, the terms of our indebtedness restrict our ability to pay dividends, and we may not be able to pay dividends in the future.

In fiscal 2022, we suspended the dividend and presently have no intention to declare or pay a dividend. In addition, our loan agreement with Bank of America contains terms that restrict our ability to declare or pay dividends. Any determination by our Board of Directors regarding dividends will depend on a variety of factors, including our future financial performance, organic growth opportunities, general economic conditions and financial, competitive, regulatory, and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. There can be no guarantee that we will pay dividends in the future.

Provisions contained in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could impair or delay stockholders' ability to change our management and could discourage takeover transactions that some stockholders might consider to be in their best interests.

Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could impede attempts by our stockholders to remove or replace our management and could discourage others from initiating a potential merger, takeover or other change of control transaction, including a potential transaction at a premium over the market price of our common stock, that our stockholders might consider to be in their best interests. Such provisions include:

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