Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2018

The accompanying financial statements present the consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the Company in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires the use of estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. The Company considers many factors in selecting appropriate operational and financial accounting policies and controls, and in developing the estimates and assumptions that are used in the preparation of these financial statements. The Company continually evaluates its estimates, including those related to bad debt reserves, inventory obsolescence reserves, self-insurance reserves, product warranty reserves, impairment of long-lived assets and deferred income tax assets. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different conditions or assumptions.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original or remaining maturity at the time of purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents. At September 30, 2018 cash and cash equivalents included $7.3 million held by the Company’s foreign subsidiaries and branch offices. If the Company were to repatriate the cash held by its foreign subsidiaries, it would be required to accrue and pay taxes on any amount repatriated under rated enacted by The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“2017 Tax Act’).

Short-term Investments

The Company classifies its short-term investments consisting of corporate bonds, government bonds and other such similar investments as available-for-sale securities. Available-for-sale securities are carried at fair market value with net unrealized holding gains and losses reported each period as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss in stockholders’ equity. See Note 2 to these consolidated financial statements for additional information.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

The Company maintains its cash in bank deposit accounts that, at times, exceed federally insured limits. Management of the Company believes that the financial strength of the financial institutions holding such deposits minimizes the credit risk of such deposits.

The Company sells products to customers throughout the United States and various foreign countries. The Company’s normal credit terms for trade receivables are 30 days. In certain situations, credit terms may be extended to 60 days or longer. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and generally does not require collateral for its trade receivables. Additionally, the Company provides long-term financing in the form of promissory notes and sales-type leases when competitive conditions require such financing. In such cases, the Company may require collateral. Allowances are recognized for potential credit losses. One customer comprised 10.4% of the Company’s revenue during fiscal year 2018. At September 30, 2018, the Company had a combined trade account and financing receivable due from this customer of $9.0 million. One customer comprised 17.8% of the Company’s revenue during fiscal year 2017. At September 30, 2017, the Company had a financing receivable from this customer of $8.1 million. One customer comprised 18.5% of the Company’s revenues during fiscal year 2016. At September 30, 2016, the Company had an account receivable from this customer of $9.1 million.

Inventories

The Company records a write-down of its inventories when the cost basis of any manufactured product, including any estimated future costs to complete the manufacturing process, exceeds its net realizable value. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined on the first-in, first-out method, except that certain of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries use an average cost method to value their inventories.

The Company periodically reviews the composition of its inventories to determine if market demand, product modifications, technology changes, excessive quantities on-hand and other factors hinder our ability to recover its investment in such inventories. The Company’s assessment is based upon historical product demand, estimated future product demand and various other judgments and estimates. Inventory obsolescence reserves are recorded when such assessments reveal that portions or components of the Company’s inventory investment will not be realized in its operating activities.

The Company reviews it inventories for classification purposes. The value of inventories not expected to be realized in cash, sold or consumed during its next operating cycle are classified as noncurrent assets.

Property, Plant and Equipment and Rental Equipment

Property, plant and equipment and rental equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation expense is calculated using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:

		Years
Rental equipment		2-5
Property, plant and equipment:
Machinery and equipment		3-15
Buildings and building improvements		10-50
Other		5-10

Expenditures for renewals and betterments are capitalized. Repairs and maintenance expenditures are charged to expense as incurred. The cost and accumulated depreciation of assets sold or otherwise disposed of are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss thereon is reflected in the statements of operations.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

The Company’s long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever an event or change in circumstances indicates the carrying amount of an asset or group of assets may not be recoverable. The impairment review, if necessary, includes a comparison of expected future cash flows (undiscounted and without interest charges) to be generated by an asset group with the associated carrying value of the related assets. If the carrying value of the asset group exceeds the expected future cash flows, an impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the carrying value of the asset group exceeds its fair value. Impairment charges are included as a component of cost of revenue in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

Goodwill

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, the Company followed the simplified procedures for analyzing goodwill impairment. The guidance on the testing of goodwill for impairment provides the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine if the annual two-step test of goodwill for impairment must be performed. If, based on the qualitative assessment of events or circumstances, an entity determines it is more likely than not that the goodwill fair value is more than its carrying amount then it is not necessary to perform the two-step impairment test. However, if an entity concludes otherwise, then the two-step impairment test must be performed to identify potential impairment and to measure the amount of goodwill impairment, if any. At September 30, 2018, the Company performed step-one of the two-step analysis and determined the fair value of its goodwill was more than its carrying amount.

Other Intangible Assets

Intangible assets are carried at cost, net of accumulated amortization. The estimated useful life of the Company’s other intangible assets are evaluated each reporting period to determine whether events or circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining amortization period. If the estimate of an intangible asset’s remaining useful life is changed, the amortization period should be changed prospectively. Amortization expense is calculated using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:

	Years
Developed technology		18
Trade names		5
Customer relationships		4
Non-compete agreements		4

Revenue Recognition - Products and Services

Revenue Recognition – Products and Services

The Company primarily derives revenue from the sale of its manufactured products, including revenue derived from the sale of its manufactured rental equipment. In addition, the Company generates revenue from the short-term rental under operating leases of its manufactured products. The Company recognizes revenue from product sales, including the sale of used rental equipment, when all of the following have occurred: (i) title passes to the customer, (ii) the customer assumes the risks and rewards of ownership, (iii) the product sales price has been determined, (iv) collectability of the sales price is reasonably assured, and (v) product delivery occurs as directed by the customer. Although infrequent, in cases where collectability is not reasonably assured, the installment or cost recovery method is used. Except for certain of the Company’s reservoir characterization products, the Company’s products are generally sold without any customer acceptance provisions, and the Company’s standard terms of sale do not allow customers to return products for credit. The Company recognizes rental revenue as earned over the rental period. Rentals of the Company’s equipment generally range from daily rentals to rental periods of up to six months or longer. Revenue from engineering services is recognized as services are rendered over the duration of a project, or as billed on a per hour basis. Field service revenue is recognized when services are rendered and is generally priced on a per day rate.

Deferred Revenue

The Company records deferred revenue when customer funds are billed or received prior to the recognition of the associated revenue.

Contingent Earn-out Liability

The Company established an earn-out liability in connection with a business acquisition in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2018. The Company engaged the services of a valuation firm to measure the fair value of the liability. The valuation technique used to measure the fair value of the liability was derived from models utilizing market observable inputs. The Company reviews and accesses the value of the liability on a quarterly basis. Adjustments to the liability, if any, will be included as a component of earnings in the consolidated statements of operations.

Research and Development Costs

The Company expenses research and development costs as incurred. Research and development costs include salaries, employee benefit costs, department supplies, direct project costs and other related costs.

Product Warranties

Most of the Company’s products do not require installation assistance or sophisticated instructions. The Company offers a standard product warranty obligating it to repair or replace equipment with manufacturing defects. The Company maintains a reserve for future warranty costs based on historical experience or, in the absence of historical product experience, management’s estimates. Reserves for future warranty costs are included within accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

Changes in the product warranty reserve are reflected in the following table (in thousands):

Balance at October 1, 2015	$	2,326
Accruals for warranties issued during the year		595
Settlements made (in cash or in kind) during the year		(2,529	)
Balance at September 30, 2016		392
Accruals for warranties issued during the year		770
Settlements made (in cash or in kind) during the year		(654	)
Balance at September 30, 2017		508
Accruals for warranties issued during the year		1,074
Settlements made (in cash or in kind) during the year		(894	)
Balance at September 30, 2018	$	688

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation, including grants of restricted awards and unqualified stock options in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, which requires that all share-based payments (to the extent that they are compensatory) be recognized as an expense in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations based on their fair values on the award date and the estimated number of shares it ultimately expects to vest.

The Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award. The Company’s stock-based compensation plan and awards are more fully described in Note 15 to these consolidated financial statements.

Foreign Currency Gains and Losses

The assets and liabilities of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries that have a foreign currency as their functional currency have been translated into U.S. dollars using the exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. Results of operations have been translated using the average exchange rates during the year. Resulting translation adjustments have been recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss in stockholders’ equity. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in the statements of operations as they occur. Transaction gains and losses on intra-entity foreign currency transactions and balances including advances and demand notes payable, on which settlement is not planned or anticipated in the foreseeable future, are recorded in “accumulated other comprehensive loss” on our consolidated balance sheets.

Shipping and Handling Costs

Amounts billed to a customer in a sales transaction related to reimbursable shipping and handling costs are included in revenue and the associated costs incurred by the Company for reimbursable shipping and handling expenses are reported in cost of sales. The Company had shipping and handling expenses of $0.5 million, $0.3 million and $0.4 million for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Fair Value

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or the amount paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants (an exit price) at the measurement date. U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) has established a fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs to the valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three levels. These levels are determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Level 1 represents unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. Level 2 represents quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets (other than those included in Level 1) which are observable, either directly or indirectly. Level 3 represents valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are presented in accordance with the Accounting Standards Codification Topic 740 (“Topic 740”) guidance for accounting for income taxes. The estimated future tax effects of temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and amounts reported in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, as well as operating loss and tax credit carrybacks and carryforwards are recorded. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities (temporary differences) and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The Company periodically reviews the recoverability of tax assets recorded on the balance sheet and provides valuation allowances if it is more likely than not that such assets will not be realized.

The Company follows the guidance of Topic 740 to analyze all tax positions that are less than certain. Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. In accordance with Topic 740, the Company recognizes in its financial statements the impact of a tax position if that position is “more likely than not” to be sustained on audit, based on the technical merits of the position. The Company’s estimate of the potential outcome of any uncertain tax issue is subject to management’s assessment of relevant risks, facts, and circumstances existing at that time.

The Company classifies interest and penalties associated with the payment of income taxes in the Other Income (Expense) section of its consolidated statements of operations.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In October 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance which eliminates the exception of recognizing, at the time of transfer, current and deferred income taxes for intercompany profits on intra-entity asset transfers other than inventory. The Company adopted this guidance in its first quarter of its fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 using the modified retrospective approach. The adoption resulted in a cumulative-effect charge to opening retained earnings of $0.4 million. Under prior guidance, the Company maintained a non-current prepaid income tax asset on its consolidated balance sheets representing income taxes paid in the U.S. on profits realized from the sale of rental equipment to its foreign subsidiaries. As this rental equipment was depreciated, the prepaid tax was recognized as a current income tax expense in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations. Under the new guidance, the Company is required to recognize a deferred tax asset related to the intercompany profits realized on the sale of non-inventory assets to its subsidiaries; however, profits realized from the intercompany sale of inventories will continue to be accounted for as a prepaid income tax asset in accordance with the prior guidance. Under the new guidance, the deferred tax asset resulting from the sale of non-inventory assets is recognized at the jurisdictional tax rate of the subsidiary which purchased the asset. Any differences between the subsidiary’s jurisdictional tax rate and the seller’s tax rate pertaining to the intercompany profit are charged to seller’s current income tax expense at the time of the sale. With the recent reduction in the U.S. income tax rate to 21%, and assuming that a majority of the Company’s future intercompany equipment sales will continue to be made to its Canadian subsidiary having a higher statutory tax rate, the new guidance is expected to have a favorable impact on the Company’s provision for income taxes in future periods. Due to the fact the Company has a valuation allowance against most of its net deferred tax assets, the adoption of this guidance had no impact upon the Company’s income tax expense for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

In March 2016, the FASB issued guidance to simplify key components of employee share-based payment accounting. The new guidance simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including: (a) income tax consequences; (b) classification of awards as either equity or liabilities; and (c) classification of excess tax benefits from share-based payments on the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted this guidance in the first quarter of its fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. No cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings was needed upon adoption since the Company had no unrecorded excess tax benefits residing in its additional paid-in-capital account. Under the prior standard, the Company was required to track and record as a component of additional paid-in capital the tax impact of cumulative windfalls, net of any shortfalls, which resulted from excess tax benefits from share-based payments. As a result, the impact of net windfalls has not historically affected the Company’s provision for income taxes or its effective income tax rate. Under the new guidance, the Company will no longer track windfalls or shortfalls resulting from share-based payments since all future windfalls and shortfalls will be recorded as a component of the Company’s current provision for income taxes. Depending on the magnitude of future windfalls or shortfalls, this change could significantly affect the Company’s provision for income taxes in a positive or negative direction. Since the Company had a valuation allowance against the value of its cumulative U.S. net operating losses, the adoption of this guidance had no impact upon the Company’s income tax expense for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

In July 2015, the FASB issued guidance requiring management to measure inventory at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Under the new guidance, net realizable value is defined as the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. Since the Company is a manufacturer and the nature of its inventory is generally unique to its designs and applications thus preventing the gathering of relevant external market data, its existing practice for calculating net realizable value under the current standard is consistent with the practice prescribed by the new guidance. The Company adopted this standard in the first quarter of its fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The adoption of this guidance had no impact upon the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2018, the FASB issued guidance which requires certain existing disclosure requirements in Topic 820 to be modified or removed, and certain new disclosure requirements to be added to the Topic. In addition, the guidance allows entities to exercise more discretion when considering fair value measurement disclosures. The guidance will be effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2020 with early adoption permitted. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance which simplifies the current two-step goodwill impairment test by eliminating Step 2 of the test. The guidance requires a one-step impairment test in which an entity compares the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount and recognizes an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value, if any. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those fiscal years, and should be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted for the interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued guidance which requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. This guidance will be adopted by the Company in its first quarter of fiscal year 2019 and should be applied on a retrospective transition basis. The Company has historically not held restricted cash balances and, therefore, does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements. However, upon adoption of this guidance, the Company will make any necessary changes to present restricted cash balances in accordance with the guidance.

In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance surrounding credit losses for financial instruments that replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in GAAP. The new impairment model requires immediate recognition of estimated credit losses expected to occur for most financial assets and certain other financial instruments. For available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, credit losses will be recognized as allowances rather than reductions in the amortized cost of the securities. The standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption for a fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2018 is permitted. Entities will apply the standard’s provisions as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first effective reporting period. The Company expects to adopt this standard during the first quarter of its fiscal year ending September 30, 2021 and is currently evaluating the impact of this new guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance requiring a lessee to recognize assets and liabilities for leases with lease terms of more than 12 months. Consistent with current GAAP, the recognition, measurement and presentation of expense and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee primarily will depend on its classification of the lease as a finance or operating lease. However, unlike current GAAP, which requires only capital leases to be recognized on the balance sheet, the new guidance will also require operating leases of the lessee to be recognized on the balance sheet if the operating lease term is more than 12 months. The guidance also requires disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users to better understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. These disclosures include qualitative and quantitative requirements, providing additional information about the amounts recorded in the financial statements. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim reporting periods therein, beginning after December 15, 2018 and is to be applied using the modified retrospective approach. The Company expects to adopt this standard in its first quarter of its fiscal year ending September 30, 2020. The Company currently is not a lessee under any lease agreements with a term longer than one year. The Company is routinely a lessor in its rental contracts with customers. The term of these rental contracts is generally short-term in nature, and the Company believes these rentals would be treated as operating leases under the new guidance; however, the Company has not completed a detailed review of its various lease and rental arrangements, and these conclusions are subject to change.

In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance requiring entities to recognize revenue from contracts with customers by applying a five-step model in accordance with the core principle to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In addition, this guidance specifies the accounting for some costs to obtain or fulfill a contract with a customer and expands disclosure requirements for revenue recognition. In August 2015, the FASB issued guidance deferring the effective date of this guidance to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods therein. Entities have the option to adopt this guidance either retrospectively or through a modified retrospective transition method. This new standard will supersede existing revenue guidance and affect the Company's revenue recognition process and the presentations or disclosures of the Company's consolidated financial statements and footnotes. The Company recognizes revenue through three primary transactions types: (i) the immediate recognition of revenue through the routine delivery of products to its customers, (ii) the rental of equipment to its customers through short-term operating leases, and (iii) the recognition of revenue utilizing the percentage of completion method for the delivery of complex products requiring long manufacturing times and substantial engineering resources. The Company will adopt this standard in the first quarter of its fiscal year ending September 30, 2019 using the modified retrospective method. The Company’s evaluation of the standard is complete and the Company has not identified any transaction that will have a material effect on revenues recorded in its consolidated financial statements.