CONTINGENCIES AND COMMITMENTS

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

CONTINGENCIES AND COMMITMENTS

CONTINGENCIES AND COMMITMENTS

In the ordinary course of business, the Corporation and its subsidiaries are subject to various pending claims, lawsuits, and contingent liabilities. The Corporation does not believe that the disposition of any of these matters, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Legal Proceedings

The Corporation has been named in a number of lawsuits that allege injury from exposure to asbestos.  To date, the Corporation has not been found liable for or paid any material sum of money in settlement in any asbestos-related case.  The Corporation believes its minimal use of asbestos in its past operations as well as its acquired businesses’ operations and the relatively non-friable condition of asbestos in its historical products makes it unlikely that it will face material liability in any asbestos litigation, whether individually or in the aggregate.  The Corporation maintains insurance coverage and indemnification agreements for these potential liabilities and believes adequate coverage exists to cover any unanticipated asbestos liability.

Letters of Credit and Other Financial Arrangements

The Corporation enters into standby letters of credit agreements and guarantees with financial institutions and customers primarily relating to guarantees of repayment, future performance on certain contracts to provide products and services, and to secure advance payments from certain international customers. As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, there were $21.9 million and $32.6 million of stand-by letters of credit outstanding, respectively, and $6.6 million and $10.8 million of bank guarantees outstanding, respectively. In addition, the Corporation is required to provide the Nuclear Regulatory Commission financial assurance demonstrating its ability to cover the cost of decommissioning its Cheswick, Pennsylvania facility upon closure, though the Corporation does not intend to close this facility.  The Corporation has provided this financial assurance in the form of a $45.6 million surety bond.

AP1000 ProgramThe Electro-Mechanical Division, which is within the Corporation’s Power segment, is the reactor coolant pump (RCP) supplier for the Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plants under construction in China and the United States.  The terms of the AP1000 China and United States contracts include liquidated damage penalty provisions for failure to meet contractual delivery dates if the Corporation caused the delay and the delay was not excusable. On October 10, 2013, the Corporation received a letter from Westinghouse stating entitlements to the maximum amount of liquidated damages allowable under the AP1000 China contract from Westinghouse of approximately $25 million. The Corporation would be liable for liquidated damages under the contract if certain contractual delivery dates were not met and if the Corporation was deemed responsible for the delay. As of September 30, 2020, the Corporation has not met certain contractual delivery dates under its AP1000 China and U.S. contracts; however there are significant uncertainties as to which parties are responsible for the delays. The Corporation believes it has adequate legal defenses and intends to vigorously defend this matter. Given the uncertainties surrounding the responsibility for the delays, no accrual has been made for this matter as of September 30, 2020.  As of September 30, 2020, the range of possible loss is $0 to $31 million for the AP1000 U.S. contract, for a total range of possible loss of $0 to $55.5 million.