Description of Business

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Description of Business

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

FARO Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively “FARO,” the “Company,” “us,” “we” or “our”) design, develop, manufacture, market and support software driven, three-dimensional (“3D”) measurement and imaging solutions. This technology permits high-precision 3D measurement, imaging and comparison of parts and complex structures within production and quality assurance processes. Our devices are used for inspection of components and assemblies, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering, documenting large volume or structures in 3D, surveying and construction, as well as for investigation and reconstruction of accident sites or crime scenes. We sell the majority of our products through a direct sales force across a broad number of customers in a range of manufacturing, industrial, architecture, surveying, building information modeling, construction, public safety forensics, cultural heritage, dental, and other applications. Our FaroArm^®, FARO ScanArm^®, FARO Laser Tracker^TM, FARO Laser Projector, and their companion CAM2^®, BuildIT, and BuildIT Projector software solutions, provide for Computer-Aided Design (“CAD”) based inspection, factory-level statistical process control, high-density surveying and laser-guided assembly and production. Together, these products integrate the measurement, quality inspection, and reverse engineering functions with CAD and 3D software to improve productivity, enhance product quality, and decrease rework and scrap in the manufacturing process, mainly supporting applications in our 3D Manufacturing vertical. Our FARO Focus, FARO ScanPlan and FARO Scanner Freestyle^3D X laser scanners, and their companion FARO SCENE, BuildIT, FARO As-Built^TM, and FARO Zone public safety forensics software offerings, are utilized for a wide variety of 3D modeling, documentation and high-density surveying applications in our Construction Building Information Modeling (“Construction BIM”) and Public Safety Forensics verticals. Our FARO ScanArm^®, FARO Scanner Freestyle^3D X laser scanners and their companion SCENE software, and other 3D-structured light scanning solutions specific to the dental industry also enable a fully digital workflow used to capture real world geometry for the purpose of empowering design, enabling innovation, and speeding up the design cycle, supporting our 3D Design vertical. Our line of galvanometer-based scan heads and laser scan controllers are used in a variety of laser applications and are integrated into larger components and systems, supporting our Photonics vertical.

We report our segment information in accordance with the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 280, Segment Reporting (“FASB ASC Topic 280”). We evaluate business performance based upon several metrics, using revenue growth and segment profit as the primary financial measures.

Since the end of the second quarter of 2018, the following changes were made to our verticals and reporting segments:

• In the third quarter of 2018, we merged the historical Factory Metrology and 3D Machine Vision verticals into one vertical named “3D Factory” for greater consistency with our realigned reporting segments.

• In the third quarter of 2018, we segregated the operations of our acquisitions of Laser Control Systems Limited (“Laser Control Systems”) and Lanmark Controls, Inc. (“Lanmark”), along with the operations resulting from our acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Instrument Associates, LLC d/b/a Nutfield Technology, into a vertical that we named “Photonics.” The creation of this vertical enables us to better focus on our product range directed at laser steering. These operations were historically reported in the 3D Factory reporting segment in the first six months of 2018 and are now included in the Emerging Verticals (formerly known as “Other”) reporting segment.

• In the third quarter of 2018, we renamed our Product Design vertical “3D Design.”

• In the fourth quarter of 2018, we renamed our 3D Factory vertical and reporting segment “3D Manufacturing.”

There has been no change in our total consolidated financial condition or results of operations previously reported as a result of these changes in our verticals and reportable segments. The amounts related to our reporting segment information for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 have been restated throughout this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to reflect the changes in our reporting segments. Each of our reporting segments continues to employ consistent accounting policies.

We now report our activities in the following three reportable segments:

• The 3D Manufacturing reporting segment contains solely our 3D Manufacturing vertical and provides both standardized and customized solutions for 3D measurement and inspection in an industrial or manufacturing environment. Applications include alignment, part inspection, dimensional analysis, first article inspection, incoming and in-process inspection, machine calibration, non-contact inspection, robot calibration, tool building and set-up, and assembly guidance.

• The Construction BIM reporting segment contains solely our Construction BIM vertical and provides solutions for as-built data capturing and 3D visualization in building information modeling applications, allowing our customers in the architecture, engineering and construction markets to quickly and accurately extract two-dimensional (“2D”) and 3D measurement points. Applications include as-built documentation, construction monitoring, surveying, asset and facility management, and heritage preservation.

• The Emerging Verticals reporting segment includes our 3D Design, Public Safety Forensics, and Photonics verticals. Our 3D Design vertical provides advanced 3D solutions to capture and edit 3D shapes of products, people and/or environments for design purposes in product development, computer graphics and dental and medical applications. Our Public Safety Forensics vertical provides solutions to public safety officials and professionals to capture environmental or situational scenes in 2D and 3D for crime, crash and fire scene investigations and environmental safety evaluations. Our Photonics vertical develops and markets galvanometer-based laser measurement products and solutions.

All operating segments that do not meet the criteria to be reportable segments are aggregated in the Emerging Verticals reporting segment and have been combined based on the aggregation criteria and quantitative thresholds in accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC Topic 280. Our reporting segments have been determined in accordance with our internal management structure, which is based on operating activities. Each segment is responsible for its own product management, sales, strategy and profitability. See Note 15 – Segment Reporting for further information.