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Description of Business
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Description of Business

Description of Business

Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Corporation”) manufacture and sell highly engineered, high-performance specialty metal products and customized equipment utilized by industry throughout the world. It operates in two business segments, the Forged and Cast Engineered Products (“FCEP”) segment and the Air and Liquid Processing (“ALP”) segment. This segment presentation is consistent with how the Corporation’s chief operating decision-maker evaluates financial performance and makes resource allocation and strategic decisions about the business.

The Segments

The FCEP segment produces forged hardened steel rolls, cast rolls and forged engineered products (“FEP”). Forged hardened steel rolls are used primarily in hot and cold rolling mills by producers of steel, aluminum and other metals. Cast rolls, which are produced in a variety of iron and steel qualities, are used mainly in hot strip mills, medium/heavy section mills, roughing mills, and plate mills. FEP principally are sold to customers in the steel distribution market, oil and gas industry and the aluminum and plastic extrusion industries. The segment has operations in the United States, England, Sweden, and Slovenia and equity interests in three joint venture companies in China. Collectively, the segment primarily competes with European, Asian and North American and South American companies in both domestic and foreign markets and operates several sales offices located throughout the world.

The ALP segment includes Aerofin, Buffalo Air Handling and Buffalo Pumps, all divisions of Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (“Air & Liquid”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Corporation. Aerofin produces custom-engineered finned tube heat exchange coils and related heat transfer products for a variety of industries including OEM/commercial, nuclear power generation and industrial manufacturing. Buffalo Air Handling produces large custom-designed air handling systems for institutional (e.g., hospital, university), pharmaceutical and general industrial building markets. Buffalo Pumps manufactures centrifugal pumps for the fossil-fueled power generation, marine defense and industrial refrigeration industries. The segment has operations in Virginia and New York with headquarters in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. The segment utilizes an independent group of sales offices located throughout the United States and Canada.

While the Corporation currently is operating at more normal levels, when compared to the operating levels during the pandemic and immediately thereafter, it continues to be challenged by lingering global economic effects of a post-pandemic environment and repercussions from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, among other events, including:

Periodic disruptions to the global supply chain for the Corporation, its vendors and its customers;
Global inflationary pressures;
Depressed business activity in Europe and Asia (specifically China); and
Global economic uncertainty.

The Corporation is actively monitoring, and will continue to actively monitor, the geopolitical and economic consequence of these events and the potential impact on its operations, financial condition, liquidity, suppliers, industry, and workforce.