Business information Business information (Notes)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2018

Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]

Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment [Table Text Block]

Business information

Perma-Pipe International Holdings, Inc. ("PPIH", the "Company", or the "Registrant") was incorporated in Delaware on October 12, 1993. As of January 31, 2016, PPIH is engaged in the manufacture and sale of products in one distinct segment: Piping Systems. As described below, prior to January 29, 2016, the Company was also engaged in the manufacture and sale of products in the Filtration Products segment.

Fiscal year. The Company's fiscal year ends on January 31. Years and balances described as 2017 and 2016 are the fiscal years ended January 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Nature of business. The Company engineers, designs, manufactures and sells specialty piping and leak detection and location systems. Specialty piping systems include (i) industrial and secondary containment piping systems for transporting chemicals, hazardous fluids and petroleum products, (ii) insulated and jacketed piping systems for district heating and cooling, Municipal Freeze Protection, Oil & Gas, Mining and Industrial applications, and (iii) the coating and/or insulation of oil and gas gathering flow and long lines for oil and mineral transportation. The Company's leak detection and location systems are sold with its piping systems and on a stand-alone basis, to monitor areas where fluid intrusion may contaminate the environment, endanger personal safety, cause a fire hazard, impair essential services or damage equipment or property.

Prior to January 29, 2016, the Company had a Filtration Products segment. This business is reported as discontinued operations in the consolidated financial statements, and the notes to consolidated financial statements have been restated to conform to the current year reporting of this business. For further information, see Note 5 - Discontinued operations, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Geographic information. Net sales attributed to a geographic area are based on the destination of the product shipment. Sales to foreign customers was 59.5% in 2017 compared to 57.0% in 2016. Long-lived assets are based on the physical location of the assets and consist of property, plant and equipment used in the generation of revenues in the geographic area.

(In thousands)	2017	2016
Net sales
United States	$42,648	$42,048
Canada	31,206	25,915
Middle East	26,322	28,009
India	1,317	2,360
Other	3,755	513
Total net sales	$105,248	$98,845
Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation
United States	$11,307	$11,747
Canada	13,868	13,276
Middle East	9,119	10,987
India	215	265
Total	$34,509	$36,275