We regularly review our global portfolio of business activities. These reviews focus on evaluating changes in the outlook for our served markets and customer priorities, while identifying opportunities for value-creating options in our portfolio, and placing investment emphasis in markets where we generate strong returns and where we see greater long-term viability and stability.

We initiated a review of strategic alternatives for the long-term positioning of the Fluids Systems division in June 2023, and in September 2023, we launched a formal sale process for substantially all the Fluids Systems business as part of this strategic review. While the sale process is ongoing, we considered fourth quarter 2023 developments in the sale process to be a potential indicator of impairment that required us to complete an impairment evaluation. The ongoing Fluids sale process did not meet the held for sale accounting criteria as of December 31, 2023, and as such, continued to be accounted for as held for use. Accordingly, we completed the impairment evaluation for the geographic asset groups of the Fluids Systems business and determined that the carrying value exceeded the estimated undiscounted future net cash flows for only the U.S. Land asset group.

We estimated the fair value for the U.S. Land asset group as of December 31, 2023 based on the expected cash flows to be generated from the anticipated use and eventual disposition of such asset group. We estimated the fair value of the long-lived assets of the U.S. Land asset group, requiring us to recognize a $2.5 million impairment charge in the fourth quarter of 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the U.S. Land asset group had approximately $62 million of net assets, including $58 million of net working capital and $11 million of long-lived assets, as well as $3 million of debt.

In 2023, we made the decision to exit the stimulation chemicals product line. The Fluids Systems segment operating results for 2023 includes $1.6 million of total charges (included in impairments and other charges) for inventory write-downs to reduce the carrying values of certain inventory related to the exit of our stimulation chemicals product line to their net realizable value. As of December 31, 2023, we had $2.1 million of inventory remaining related to the stimulation chemicals product line.

In 2023, we made the decision to exit our offshore Australia operations. The Fluids Systems segment operating results for 2023 includes $1.5 million of total charges (included in impairments and other charges) for inventory write-downs to reduce the carrying values of certain inventory related to the exit of our offshore Australia operations to their net realizable value as well as impairments related to the long-lived assets previously used in the now exited business.

In 2023, we completed our customer contract in Chile, and during the fourth quarter of 2023, we completed the substantial liquidation of our Chile subsidiary and recognized an $0.8 million non-cash charge (included in impairments and other charges) for the reclassification of cumulative foreign currency translation losses related to our subsidiary in Chile.

In the first quarter of 2022, in consideration of broader strategic priorities and the timeline and efforts required to further develop the industrial blending business, we exited our Industrial Blending operations. In November 2022, we completed the sale of the industrial blending and warehouse facility and related equipment located in Conroe, Texas to a global chemical provider, for cash proceeds of approximately $14 million. In connection with this divestiture, we recognized a $7.9 million impairment charge related to these long-lived assets in the second quarter of 2022, and subsequently recognized a gain of $2.6 million upon the eventual sale in the fourth quarter of 2022.

In November 2022, we completed the sale of substantially all the long-lived assets, inventory, and operations of our Excalibar U.S. mineral grinding business (“Excalibar”), which was reported within our Fluids Systems segment, to Cimbar Resources, INC. (“Cimbar”), and received cash proceeds (after purchase price adjustments) of approximately $51 million and recognized a gain of $1.0 million. The Company retained certain assets and liabilities, including accounts receivable and accounts payable. Such working capital provided approximately $10 million of cash generation in the fourth quarter of 2022 and approximately $6 million of additional cash generation in the first quarter of 2023. In connection with the sale, the Company and Cimbar entered into a long-term barite supply agreement for certain regions of our U.S. drilling fluids business, with an initial term of four years following the closing of the transaction.

In the third quarter of 2022, our Board of Directors approved management’s plan to exit our Fluids Systems Gulf of Mexico operations, including the potential sale of related assets. In December 2022, we completed the sale of substantially all assets associated with our Gulf of Mexico completion fluids operations. Separately, we also entered a seven-year arrangement to sublease our Fourchon, Louisiana drilling fluids shorebase and blending facility to a leading global energy services provider. As part of this arrangement, substantially all of our Gulf of Mexico drilling fluids inventory has been sold to the lessee as consumed. These transactions provided cash generation of approximately $6 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 and approximately $28 million in 2023. Fluids Systems segment operating income for 2023 includes $4.8 million in charges related to the exit of our Gulf of Mexico operations, which was substantially completed during the second quarter of 2023.

As a result of the plan to exit the Gulf of Mexico operations as described above, we considered the third quarter 2022 developments to be a potential indicator of impairment that required us to complete an impairment evaluation. Accordingly, we estimated the fair value for our Gulf of Mexico assets as of September 30, 2022 based on the expected cash flows to be generated from the anticipated transactions and determined that a $21.5 million impairment charge was required related to the long-lived assets. We also recognized an $8.0 million charge to reduce the carrying value of inventory to their net realizable value primarily based on the anticipated transactions. The total charges of $29.4 million were recorded to impairments and other charges in the third quarter of 2022.


	Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)	2023		2022
Fluids U.S. Land - Long-lived assets impairment	2,485		—
Stimulation chemicals product line - Inventory write-downs	1,576		—
Australia - Inventory write-downs	1,058		—
Australia - Long-lived assets impairment	439		—
Chile exit - Recognition of cumulative foreign currency translation losses	798		—
Industrial Blending - Long-lived assets impairment	—		7,905
Gulf of Mexico - Long-lived assets impairment	—		21,461
Gulf of Mexico - Inventory write-downs	—		7,956
Total impairments and other charges	$	6,356	$	37,322


	Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)	2023		2022		2021
Revenues
Industrial Blending	$	—	$	—	$	8,821
Excalibar	—		55,990		36,396
Gulf of Mexico	—		26,708		25,366
	$	—	$	82,698	$	70,583

Operating income (loss)
Industrial Blending	$	—	$	(8,002)	$	(2,384)
Excalibar	—		3,665		(277)
Gulf of Mexico	(4,776)		(43,215)		(6,753)
	$	(4,776)	$	(47,552)	$	(9,414)

The net assets remaining as of December 31, 2022 related to the retained working capital from the Excalibar sale and the remaining Gulf of Mexico net assets. During 2023, we substantially settled the above net assets related to the now exited Excalibar business and Gulf of Mexico operations.