Inventories

Inventory is valued at the lower of cost, determined on the first-in, first-out method, or net realizable value. Finished goods and manufactured goods inventories include the costs of acquired raw materials and related factory labor and overhead charges required to convert raw materials to manufactured and finished goods.

Inventories as of July 1, 2023 and December 31, 2022 consisted of the following:


	July 1,		December 31,
	2023		2022
Raw materials and purchased parts	$	266,759	$	258,814
Work-in-process		46,848		44,453
Finished goods and manufactured goods		416,131		425,495
Total inventories	$	729,738	$	728,762

Pension Benefits

The Company incurs expenses in connection with the Delta Pension Plan (“DPP”). The DPP was acquired as part of the Delta PLC acquisition in fiscal 2010 and has no members that are active employees. In order to measure the expense and the related benefit obligation, various assumptions are made including discount rates used to value the obligation, expected return on plan assets used to fund these expenses, and estimated future inflation rates. These assumptions are based on historical experience as well as current facts and circumstances. An actuarial analysis is used to measure the expense and liability associated with pension benefits.

The components of the net periodic pension (benefit) expense for the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023 and June 25, 2022 were as follows:


	Thirteen weeks ended				Twenty-six weeks ended
	July 1,		June 25,		July 1,		June 25,
	2023		2022		2023		2022
Interest cost	$	5,414	$	3,157	$	10,670	$	6,522
Expected return on plan assets		(5,477)		(5,818)		(10,794)		(12,020)
Amortization of prior service cost		124		124		246		256
Net periodic (benefit) expense	$	61	$	(2,537)	$	122	$	(5,242)

Fair Value

The Company applies the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification 820, Fair Value Measurement (“ASC 820”), which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. The provisions of ASC 820 apply to other accounting pronouncements that require or permit fair value measurements. As defined in ASC 820, fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

ASC 820 establishes a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date. Inputs refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk. Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value will be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:

●

Level 1: Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

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Level 2: Observable market-based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data.

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Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data.

The categorization within the valuation hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for assets and liabilities measured at fair value.

Trading Securities: The Company’s trading securities represent the investments held in the Valmont Deferred Compensation Plan (the “DCP”). The assets of the DCP as of July 1, 2023 of $29,388 ($25,008 as of December 31, 2022) represent mutual funds, invested in debt and equity securities, classified as trading securities in accordance with ASC 320, Investments – Debt and Equity Securities, considering the employee’s ability to change investment allocation of their deferred compensation at any time.

Derivative Financial Instruments: The fair value of foreign currency and commodity forward contracts and cross currency swap contracts is based on a valuation model that discounts cash flows resulting from the differential between the contract price and the market-based forward rate.

Mutual Funds: The Company has short-term investments in various mutual funds.

Marketable Securities: The Company has short-term investments in various certificates of deposit.


	Carrying Value		Fair Value Measurement Using:
	July 1, 2023		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Trading securities	$	29,388	$	29,388	$	—	$	—
Derivative financial instruments, net		437		—		437		—
Cash and cash equivalents - mutual funds		2,869		2,869		—		—
Cash and cash equivalents - marketable securities		143		—		143		—


	Carrying Value		Fair Value Measurement Using:
	December 31, 2022		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Trading securities	$	25,008	$	25,008	$	—	$	—
Derivative financial instruments, net		1,404		—		1,404		—
Cash and cash equivalents - mutual funds		7,205		7,205		—		—
Cash and cash equivalents - marketable securities		136		—		136		—

Leases

The Company’s operating lease right-of-use assets are included in “Other non-current assets” and the corresponding lease obligations are included in “Other accrued expenses” and “Operating lease liabilities” in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Revenue Recognition

The Company determines the appropriate revenue recognition model for contracts by analyzing the type, terms, and conditions of each contract or arrangement with a customer. Contracts with customers for all businesses are fixed-price with sales tax excluded from revenue and do not include variable consideration. Discounts included in contracts with customers, typically early pay discounts, are recorded as a reduction of net sales in the period in which the sale is recognized. Contract revenues are classified as “Product sales” when the performance obligation is related to the manufacturing and sale of goods. Contract revenues are classified as “Service sales” when the performance obligation is the performance of a service. Service revenue is primarily related to the Coatings and Technology Products and Services product lines.

Customer acceptance provisions exist only in the design stage of our products (on a limited basis, the Company may agree to other acceptance terms), and acceptance of the design by the customer is required before the project is manufactured and delivered to the customer. The Company is not entitled to any compensation solely based on design of the product and does not recognize this service as a separate performance obligation and, therefore, no revenue is recognized with the design stage. No general rights of return exist for customers once the product has been delivered and the Company establishes provisions for estimated warranties.

Shipping and handling costs associated with sales are recorded as cost of goods sold. The Company elected to use the practical expedient of treating freight as a fulfillment obligation instead of a separate performance obligation and ratably recognize freight expense as the structure is being manufactured when the revenue from the associated customer contract is being recognized over time. With the exception of the Transmission, Distribution, and Substation ("TD&S") product line, the Solar product line, and the Telecommunications product line, the Company’s inventory is interchangeable for a variety of each segment’s customers. The Company has elected to not disclose the partially satisfied performance obligation at the end of the period when the contract has an original expected duration of one year or less. In addition, the Company does not adjust the amount of consideration to be received in a contract for any significant financing component if payment is expected within twelve months of transfer of control of goods or services.

The Company’s contract assets as of July 1, 2023 and December 31, 2022 totaled $154,410 and $174,539, respectively.

While most of the Infrastructure segment customers are generally invoiced upon shipment or delivery of the goods to the customer’s specified location, certain customers are also invoiced by advanced billings or progress billings. As of July 1, 2023 and December 31, 2022, total contract liabilities were $124,380 and $178,531, respectively. As of July 1, 2023, $124,230 was recorded as “Contract liabilities” and $150 was recorded as “Other non-current liabilities” in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. Additional details are as follows:

●

During the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023, the Company recognized $41,217 and $100,157 of revenue that was included in the total contract liability as of December 31, 2022, respectively. The revenue recognized was due to applying advance payments received for performance obligations completed during the period.

●

During the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 25, 2022, the Company recognized $31,149 and $59,171 of revenue that was included in the total contract liability as of December 25, 2021, respectively. The revenue recognized was due to applying advance payments received for performance obligations completed during the period.

●

As of July 1, 2023, the Company had $150 of remaining performance obligations on contracts with an original expected duration of one year or more and expects to complete the remaining performance obligations on these contracts within the next 12 to 24 months.

Segment and Product Line Revenue Recognition

Infrastructure Segment

Steel and concrete utility structures within the TD&S product line are engineered to customer specifications resulting in limited ability to sell the structure to a different customer if an order is canceled after production commences. The continuous transfer of control to the customer is evidenced either by contractual termination clauses or by rights to payment for work performed to-date plus a reasonable profit as the products do not have an alternative use to the Company. Since control is transferring over time, revenue is recognized based on the extent of progress towards completion of the performance obligation. The selection of the method to measure progress towards completion requires judgment. For the TD&S and Telecommunications product lines, the Company generally recognizes revenue on an input basis, using total production hours incurred to-date for each order as a percentage of total hours estimated to produce the order. The completion percentage is applied to the order’s total revenue and total estimated costs to determine reported revenue, cost of goods sold, and gross profit. Production of an order, once started, is typically completed within three months. Depending on the product sold, revenue from the Solar product line is recognized both upon shipment or delivery of goods to the customer depending on contract terms, or by using an inputs method, based on the ratio of costs incurred to-date to the total estimated costs at completion of the performance obligation. External sales agents are used in certain TD&S sales and the Company has chosen to expense estimated commissions owed to third parties by recognizing them proportionately as the goods are manufactured.

For the structures sold for Lighting and Transportation and for the majority of Telecommunications products, revenue is recognized upon shipment or delivery of goods to the customer depending on contract terms, which is the same point in time that the customer is billed. There are also large regional customers who have unique product specifications for telecommunication structures. When the customer contract includes a cancellation clause that would require them to pay for work completed plus a reasonable margin if an order was canceled, revenue is recognized over time based on hours worked as a percent of total estimated hours to complete production.

The Coatings product line revenues are derived by providing coating services to customers’ products, which include galvanizing, anodizing, and powder coating. Revenue is recognized once the coating service has been performed and the goods are ready to be picked up or delivered to the customer, which is the same time that the customer is billed.

Agriculture Segment

Revenue recognition from the manufacture of irrigation equipment and related parts and services (including tubular products for industrial customers) is generally upon shipment of the goods to the customer which is the same point in time that the customer is billed. The remote monitoring subscription services recognized as part of Technology Products and Services product line are primarily billed annually and revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the subsequent twelve months.

Disaggregation of revenue by product line is disclosed in the “Business Segments & Related Revenue Information” footnote.