Summary of Significant Accounting Policies |
12 Months Ended |
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Dec. 31, 2025 | |
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
| Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Organization, operations, and basis of consolidation The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of L.B. Foster Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint ventures, and partnerships in which a controlling interest is held. Inter-company transactions and accounts have been eliminated. The Company utilizes the equity method of accounting for companies where its ownership is less than or equal to 50% and significant influence exists. L.B. Foster Company (together with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) is a global technology solutions provider of engineered, manufactured products and services that builds and supports infrastructure. The Company’s innovative engineering and product development solutions address the safety, reliability, and performance needs of its customers’ most challenging requirements. The Company maintains locations in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The Company is organized and operated in two reporting segments: Rail, Technologies, and Services (“Rail”) and Infrastructure Solutions (“Infrastructure”). The Rail segment is comprised of several manufacturing and distribution businesses that provide a variety of products and services for freight and passenger railroads and industrial companies throughout the world. The Infrastructure segment is composed of ten operating facilities across the US providing engineered precast concrete solutions, as well as fabricated bridge, protective pipe coating, and pipe threading offerings across North America. On August 30, 2023, the Company announced the discontinuation of its Bridge Products grid deck product line and completed its remaining customer obligations in 2025. The grid deck product line is reported in the Bridge Products division within the Infrastructure segment. During 2025, the Company announced the discontinuation of the Automation and Materials Handling (“AMH”) product line and substantially completed its remaining customer obligations in 2025. AMH was reported in the Technology Services and Solutions business unit within the Rail segment. Use of estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US generally accepted accounting principles (“US GAAP”) requires management to make estimates, judgments, and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates and changes in these estimates are recorded when known. Significant accounting policies Cash and cash equivalents The Company considers cash and other instruments with maturities of three months or less when purchased to be cash and cash equivalents. The Company invests available funds in a manner to preserve investment principal and maintain liquidity. Cash and cash equivalents held in non-domestic accounts were $4,029 and $1,882 as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Accounts Receivable Trade receivables are carried at their estimated collectible amounts. Trade credit is generally extended on a short-term basis; thus trade receivables do not bear interest. Credit is extended based upon an evaluation of the customer’s financial condition and, while collateral is not required, the Company periodically receives surety bonds that guarantee payment. Credit terms are consistent with industry standards and practices. Allowance for credit losses The Company established the allowance for credit losses by calculating the amount to reserve based on the age of a given trade receivable and considering historical collection patterns, bad debt expense experience, expected future trends of collections, current and expected market conditions, and any other relevant subjective adjustments as needed. Management maintains high-quality credit review practices and positive customer relationships that we believe mitigates credit risks. The Company’s reserves are regularly reviewed and revised as necessary. Reserves for uncollectible accounts are recorded as part of “Selling and administrative expenses” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company has also established policies regarding allowance for credit losses associated with contract assets, which includes standalone reserve assessments for its long-term, complex contracts, as needed, as well as detailed regular review and updates to contract margins, progress, and value. A standard reserve threshold is applied to contract assets related to short-term, less complex contracts. Management also regularly reviews collection patterns and future expected collections and makes necessary revisions to allowance for credit losses related to contract assets. Inventory Inventory is valued at the lower of average cost or net realizable value. Slow-moving inventory is reviewed and adjusted regularly, based upon product knowledge, physical inventory observation, inventory turnover, and the age of the inventory. Inventory costs include materials, direct labor, manufacturing overhead, and other direct costs. Property, plant, and equipment Depreciation and amortization are recorded on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of 10 to 40 years for buildings and 2 to 50 years for machinery and equipment. Leasehold improvements are amortized over 3 to 19 years, which represent the lives of the respective leases or the lives of the improvements, whichever is shorter. Depreciation expense is recorded within “Cost of goods sold,” “Cost of services sold,” and “Selling and administrative expenses” on the Consolidated Statements of Operations based upon the particular asset’s use. The Company reviews a long-lived asset for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. The Company recognizes an impairment loss if the carrying amount of a long-lived asset is not recoverable and exceeds its fair value. Maintenance, repairs, and minor renewals are charged to operations as incurred. Major renewals and betterments that substantially extend the useful life of the property are capitalized at cost. Upon the sale or other disposition of assets, the costs and related accumulated depreciation and amortization are removed from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss, if any, is reflected in “Cost of goods sold,” “Cost of services sold,” and “Selling and administrative expenses” on the Consolidated Statements of Operations based upon the particular asset’s use. Goodwill and other intangible assets Goodwill is the cost of an acquisition less the fair value of the identifiable net assets of the acquired business. Goodwill is tested annually for impairment or more often if there are indicators of impairment within a reporting unit. A reporting unit is an operating segment or a component of an operating segment for which discrete financial information is available and reviewed by management on a regular basis. The goodwill impairment test involves comparing the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. When evaluating for impairment the Company may first consider qualitative factors to assess whether there are indicators that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit may not exceed its carrying amount. If we do not perform a qualitative assessment, or if we determine that it is more like than not that the fair value of the reporting unit does not exceed its carrying value, we perform a quantitative assessment by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss equal to the excess amount up to the goodwill balance is recorded as a component of operations. The Company's quantitative analysis uses a discounted cash flow method within the income approach to determine the fair values of the reporting units. The Company performs its annual impairment tests in the fourth quarter. The Company’s fourth quarter 2025 annual test included the assessment of a quantitative analysis to determine whether it was more likely than not that the fair value of each reporting unit is less than its carrying value. The quantitative assessment considers fair value as 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. The quantitative assessment primarily relied on the discounted cash flow method within the income approach to value the reporting units. Any impairment charges are based on both historic and future expected business results that no longer support the carrying value of the reporting unit. The Company also monitors the recoverability of the long-lived assets associated with certain reporting units of the Company and the long-term financial projections of the businesses to assess for asset impairment. No impairment was recorded during 2025. The Company has no indefinite-lived intangible assets. The Company reviews a long-lived intangible asset for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. All intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives. Environmental remediation and compliance Environmental remediation costs are accrued when a liability is probable and costs are estimable. Environmental compliance costs, which principally include the disposal of waste generated by routine operations, are expensed as incurred. Reserves are not reduced by potential claims for recovery and are not discounted. Claims for recovery are recognized as agreements are reached with third parties or as amounts are received. Reserves are periodically reviewed throughout the year and adjusted to reflect current remediation progress, prospective estimates of required activity, and other factors that may be relevant, including changes in technology or regulations. Revenue recognition The Company’s revenues are comprised of product and service sales, including products and services provided under long-term agreements with its customers. All revenue is recognized when the Company satisfies its performance obligations under the respective contract, either implicit or explicit, by transferring the promised product or rendering a service to its customer either when or as its customer obtains control of the product or the service is rendered. Deferred revenue consists of customer billings or payments received for which the revenue recognition criteria have not yet been met as well as contract liabilities (billings in excess of costs) on over time contracts. Advance payments from customers typically relate to contracts for which the Company has significantly fulfilled its obligations, but due to the Company’s continuing involvement with the project, revenue is precluded from being recognized until the performance obligation is met for the customer. Product warranty The Company maintains a current warranty liability for the repair or replacement of defective products. For certain manufactured products, an accrual is made on a monthly basis as a percentage of cost of sales based upon historical experience. For long-lived construction products, a warranty is established when the claim is known and quantifiable. The product warranty accrual is periodically adjusted based on the identification or resolution of known individual product warranty claims or due to changes in the Company’s historical warranty experience. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the product warranty reserve was $652 and $602, respectively. Income taxes Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred taxes are measured using enacted tax laws and rates expected to be in effect when such differences are recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred taxes is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date of the change. The Company has also elected to record income taxes associated with global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) as period costs if and when incurred. The Company makes judgments regarding the recognition of deferred tax assets and the future realization of these assets. As prescribed by the FASB’s ASC 740, “Income Taxes” and applicable guidance, valuation allowances must be provided for those deferred tax assets for which it is more likely than not (a likelihood of more than 50%) that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The guidance requires the Company to evaluate positive and negative evidence regarding the recoverability of deferred tax assets. The determination of whether the positive evidence outweighs the negative evidence and quantification of the valuation allowance requires the Company to make estimates and judgments of future financial results. The Company has concluded that for purposes of quantifying valuation allowances, it would be appropriate to consider the reversal of taxable temporary differences related to indefinite-lived intangible assets when assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets that upon reversal, would give rise to operating losses that do not expire. The Company evaluates all tax positions taken on its federal, state, and foreign tax filings to determine if the position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination. For positions that meet the more likely than not to be sustained criteria, the largest amount of benefit to be realized upon ultimate settlement is determined on a cumulative probability basis. A previously recognized tax position is derecognized when it is subsequently determined that a tax position no longer meets the more likely than not threshold to be sustained. The evaluation of the sustainability of a tax position and the expected tax benefit is based on judgment, historical experience, and various other assumptions. Actual results could differ from those estimates upon subsequent resolution of identified matters. The Company accrues interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in its provision for income taxes. Foreign currency translation The assets and liabilities of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are measured using the local currency as the functional currency and are translated into US dollars at exchange rates as of the balance sheet date. Income statement amounts are translated at the weighted-average rates of exchange during the year. The translation adjustment is accumulated as a separate component of “Accumulated other comprehensive loss” within the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in “Other income or expense.” Research and development The Company expenses research and development costs as costs are incurred. For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, research and development expenses were $3,643 and $2,831, respectively, and were principally related to the Company’s friction management and railroad monitoring system products within the Rail segment. Recently issued accounting guidance In December 2023, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures (“ASU 2023-09”). ASU 2023-09 requires entities to disclose additional information with respect to the effective tax rate reconciliation and disaggregation of income tax expense and income taxes paid by jurisdiction. The Company adopted this guidance for the year ended December 31, 2025 and applied to the guidance retrospectively to all periods presented in the financial statements. The expanded disclosures of the provision of ASU 2023-09 are included in Note 13. ASU 2023-09 affects only disclosures with no impacts to the Company's financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. In November 2024, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2024-03, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income - Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40) (“ASU 2024-03”), which requires entities to provide more detailed disaggregation of expenses in the income statement, focusing on the nature of the expenses rather than their function. The new disclosures will require public business entities to disclose in the notes to the financial statements, at each interim and annual reporting period, specific information about certain costs and expenses, including purchases of inventory, employee compensation, depreciation, and intangible asset amortization included in each expense caption presented on the face of the income statement, and the total amount of an entity's selling expenses. The amendments are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026, and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2027, and may be applied either prospectively or retrospectively. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on the consolidated financial statements. In September 2025, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2025-06, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40) (“ASU 2025-06”), which provides targeted improvements related to the accounting for costs incurred in the development of internal-use software. The amendment replaces the previous stage-based model with clearer guidance on capitalization thresholds and implementation costs. The amendments are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2027, and interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an annual reporting period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on the consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
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