Item 2 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
BUSINESS DESCRIPTION AND OVERVIEW
With more than a century of water technology innovation, Badger Meter is a global provider of industry leading water management solutions, with approximately 95% of net sales derived from water-related applications. The Badger Meter offerings, marketed as BlueEdgeTM, are comprised of a suite of tailorable solutions that connect water management technology, software, and support services to deliver insights enabling the proactive management of water across the water cycle. These tailorable solutions encompass measurement and control hardware, connectivity and communication, data visualization and software-delivered actionable insights as well as ongoing support and expertise essential to optimize customers' operations and contribute to the sustainable use and protection of the world’s most precious resource.
The Company’s measurement and control hardware, instruments and sensors are primarily comprised of the following product families:
•meters that measure the flow of water and other fluids and are known for accuracy, long-lasting durability and for providing valuable and timely flow measurement data.
•water quality monitoring solutions, including optical sensing and electrochemical instruments that provide real-time, on-demand data parameters.
•high frequency pressure and acoustic leak detection hardware that provides real-time monitoring data.
•remote sewer monitoring to aid in predicting, detecting and preventing sewer overflow spills and lift station control monitoring and hardware.
The Company’s broad range of communication solutions include the ORION® branded family of radio endpoints, along with remote telemetry units providing customers with a choice of industry-leading options for communicating data from hardware into use-specific software applications.
The Company’s hardware-enabled software provides the insights and analytics critical to the holistic management of our customers’ water systems. These digital solutions increase visibility, empowering customers to monitor system performance and make decisions aiding efficiency, resiliency, and sustainability.
The Company also provides training, project management, technical support and other collaborative services for customers. This support is becoming increasingly critical as customers strive to extract maximum value from their technology investments while managing through workforce demographic changes, among other operating challenges.
The Company’s solutions fall into two product lines: utility water product line, which includes sales of meters, water quality and sewer monitoring sensors and other hardware, communication, and software and related technologies, to water utilities and flow instrumentation, which includes sales of meters, other sensing instruments, valves, software and other solutions to commercial and industrial customers, including water related applications.
Utility Water Product Line (approximately 88% of Net Sales in 2024)
Utility water smart metering solutions are comprised of water meters along with the connected radio endpoints and software technologies and services used by water utilities as the basis for generating their water and wastewater revenues, enabling operating efficiencies and engaging with their end consumers. This product line further comprises other instruments and sensors used in the water distribution and collection systems to ensure the safe and efficient delivery and return of water. These sensors are used to detect leaks, monitor various water quality parameters throughout the distribution system and treatment process, and monitor, detect and prevent sewer overflow spills. The largest geographic market in which the Company operates is North America, primarily the United States.
Utility water meters (both residential and commercial sizes) are generally classified as either manually read meters or remotely read meters via radio technology. A manually read meter consists of a water meter and a register that provides a visual totalized meter reading. Meters equipped with radio technology (endpoints) receive flow measurement data from battery-powered encoder registers attached to the water meter, which is encrypted and transmitted via radio frequency to a receiver that collects and formats the data appropriately for water utility usage and billing systems. These remotely read systems are classified as either automatic meter reading (AMR) systems, where a vehicle equipped for meter reading purposes collects the data from the utilities’ meters, or advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems, where data is gathered utilizing a network (either fixed or cellular) of data collectors or gateway receivers that are able to receive radio data transmission from