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ITRON INC

For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Feb 26, 2024.

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A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.

FY2023 · Filed Feb 26, 2024

ITRI$98.44-1.0%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026
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Item 1. Business

Available Information

Documents we provide to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are available free of charge under the Investors section of our website atwww.itron.com as soon as practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the SEC. In addition, these documents are available at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). The information posted on or accessible through our website is not part of or incorporated by reference into this Annual Report.

General

Itron is a global leader in energy and water management, smart city applications, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and intelligent infrastructure and related services. For utilities and cities, we build innovative systems, create new efficiencies, connect communities, encourage conservation and increase resourcefulness by helping our customers make the most of the energy and water they manage. By safeguarding invaluable natural resources, we seek to improve the quality of life for people around the world.

Itron's proven platform enables smart networks, software, services, devices, and sensors to help our customers better manage their energy, water, and smart city operations. Our comprehensive offerings control, measure, monitor, and provide data analytics and services that enable utilities and municipalities to manage their critical resources responsibly and efficiently.

We have over 40 years of experience supporting utilities and cities in the management of their data and critical infrastructure needs, and we have continuously innovated to move the industry forward. Incorporated in 1977 with a focus on meter reading services and technology, we entered the electricity meter manufacturing business with the acquisition of Schlumberger Electricity Metering in 2004. In 2007, we expanded our presence in global meter manufacturing and systems with the acquisition of Actaris Metering Systems SA. In 2017, we completed our acquisition of Comverge, which enabled us to offer integrated cloud-based demand response, energy efficiency, and customer engagement solutions. In 2018, we strengthened our ability to deliver a broader set of solutions and to increase the pace of growth and innovation in the utility, smart city, and broader IIoT markets with the acquisition of Silver Spring Networks, Inc.

Through these acquisitions, organic growth, and our focus on innovation, Itron is leading the way to better decision making at the grid edge. By delivering more intelligence throughout the system, Itron helps utilities and cities operate more efficiently and with unparalleled flexibility, increase grid resilience and reliability, integrate renewables, and provide responsible energy and water management for the future.

As we move forward, we will continue to innovate and support open standards and interoperability with a flexible technology platform that enables our customers to meet their needs directly or via our ecosystem of partners. We support a worldwide network of connected devices and sensors, and we are focused on developing more applications, new opportunities, and value-added outcomes for our customers in the future.

The following is a discussion of our solutions, markets, and operating segments. Refer to Part II, Item 7: Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Part II, Item 8: Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for specific segment results.

Our Business

The way the world manages energy and water will impact the future. At Itron, we are committed to creating a more resourceful world—one where energy, water, and city resources are managed safely, securely, and reliably, to help improve day-to-day life and promote the well-being of people around the world. We invent new ways for cities and utilities to work together so they can use data captured by our intelligent endpoints, sensors, and systems to cost-effectively leverage their infrastructure to deliver multiple services and applications on a reliable, intelligent platform capable of serving all their customers.

Itron helps our customers adapt to a rapidly changing world and to address a number of macro trends, including:

Infrastructure –such as aging utility infrastructure, grid security, safety, asset monitoring and management, and incorporating the proliferation of distributed energy resources, such as electric vehicles, renewable energy, and storage, into the grid,

Environmental – such as extreme weather, resource scarcity, and demand for sustainability and decarbonization,

Social – such as enhanced customer experience, critical-need consumers, privacy, urbanization, population increase, and the management of "big data" and incorporating IIoT technology into their existing operations.

Our solutions include smart networks, software, services, devices, sensors, and data analytics upon a platform that allows our customers to not only address the changing macro trends listed above but also to address pressing industry challenges to better manage and control assets, intelligently benchmark, secure revenue, lower operational costs, improve customer service, develop new business models and revenue streams, improve safety, and enable efficient, sustainable management of valuable resources. Our comprehensive solutions and data analytics also help our customers address operational issues including increasing demand on resources, non-technical loss, leak detection, environmental and regulatory compliance, integrating renewable and distributed energy sources, and improving operational reliability.

Our solutions include technology, software, and services delivered as part of a standalone, one-time purchase or an end-to-end solution over multiple years. The portfolio includes hardware products used for:

measurement, control, or sensing

a combination of endpoints and network infrastructure with embedded intelligence that is designed and sold as a complete solution to acquire and transport application-specific data

distribution automation - intelligent communication for the modern grid allowing secure, low and medium-voltage distribution-system automation and control

distributed energy resource management (DERMs) to connect, analyze, and optimize distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar installations and electric vehicles, water operations and management, gas operations and safety applications

value-added services, software, and products that organize, analyze, and interpret data to gain insights, make decisions, and inform actions

We also offer managed services, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), technical support services, licensed hardware technology, and consulting services.

Industry Drivers

Utilities and municipalities are experiencing rapid change related to affordability, reliability and sustainability, which is impacting how they operate critical infrastructure, manage scarce resources, address impacts of climate disruption, and interact with their customers. Efficiently managing resources within energy, water, and cities is a global priority, as increasing populations and resource consumption, along with extreme weather events, increase the stress on aging infrastructure. The growing demand for energy, water, and municipal services coupled with the proliferation of renewable energy sources, smart communicating devices, sensors, and multiple data-producing technologies, as well as the growing need to manage distributed energy resources, is forcing providers to rethink how they operate and service their cities. This evolution comes at a time when utilities and municipalities are challenged by cost constraints, regulatory requirements, environmental concerns, safety, and resource scarcity.

To address these challenges, utilities and cities are interested in technological innovations across a networked platform, utilizing grid edge intelligence as a key enabler to build and maintain critical infrastructure that can:

efficiently and effectively operate energy and water systems that are safe, reliable, and resilient

reduce the risk and impact of natural disasters

independently identify if repairs or maintenance are needed, and identify potential problems before they occur

deliver enhanced, more customized services

accommodate next-generation services through shared infrastructure between utilities and cities/municipalities

provide actionable insights for asset management

Our Operating Segments

We operate under the Itron brand worldwide and manage and report under three operating segments: Device Solutions, Networked Solutions, and Outcomes. The following is a description of each of the three segments:

Device Solutions –This segment primarily includes hardware products used for measurement, control, or sensing. These products generally do not have communications capability or may be designed for use with non-Itron systems. Examples from the Device Solutions portfolio include: standard endpoints that are shipped without Itron communications, such as our standard gas, electricity, and water meters for a variety of global markets and adhering to regulations and standards within those markets, as well as our heat and allocation products; communicating meters that are not a part of an Itron end-to-end solution and designed to meet market requirements; and the implementation and installation of said hardware products.

Networked Solutions –This segment primarily includes a combination of communicating devices (e.g., smart meters, modules, endpoints, and sensors), network infrastructure, and associated head-end management and application software designed and sold as a complete solution for acquiring and transporting robust application-specific data. Networked Solutions includes products and software for the implementation, installation, and management of communicating devices and data networks. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions supported by this segment include automated meter reading (AMR); advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) for electricity, water and gas; distributed energy resource management (DERMs); smart grid and distribution automation; smart street lighting; and leak detection and applications for both gas and water systems. Our IIoT platform allows utility and smart city applications to be run and managed on a flexible multi-purpose network.

Outcomes –This segment primarily includes our value-added, enhanced software and services, artificial intelligence, and machine learning in which we enable grid edge intelligence and manage, organize, analyze, and interpret raw, anonymized data to improve decision making, maximize operational profitability, enhance resource efficiency, improve grid analytics, and deliver results for consumers, utilities, and smart cities. Outcomes supports high-value use cases, such as data management, grid operations, distributed intelligence, AMI operations, gas distribution and safety, water operations management, revenue assurance, DERMs, energy forecasting, consumer engagement, smart payment, and fleet energy resource management. Utilities leverage these outcomes to unlock the capabilities of their networks and devices, improve the productivity of their workforce, increase the reliability of their operations, manage and optimize the proliferation of distributed energy resources (DERs), address grid complexity, and enhance the customer experience. Revenue from these offerings are primarily recurring in nature and would include any direct management of Device Solutions, Networked Solutions, and other third-parties' products on behalf of our end customers.

Bookings and Backlog of Orders

Bookings for a reported period represent customer contracts and purchase orders received during the period for hardware, software, and services that have met certain conditions, such as regulatory and/or contractual approval. Total backlog represents committed but undelivered products and services for contracts and purchase orders at period-end. Twelve-month backlog represents the portion of total backlog that reflects our understanding of customer's desired deployment over the next

12 months. The actual revenue recognized and timing of revenue earned from backlog may vary based on actual currency rates at the time of shipment, availability of critical supply components, and adjusted customer project timing. Backlog is not a complete measure of our future revenues as we also receive book-and-ship orders and frame contracts. Bookings and backlog vary from period to period primarily due to the timing of large project awards. In addition, annual or multi-year contracts are subject to rescheduling due to the long-term nature of the contracts. Certain of our customers have the right to cancel contracts, but we do not have a history of any significant cancellations. Beginning total backlog, plus bookings, minus revenues, will not equal ending total backlog due to miscellaneous contract adjustments, foreign currency fluctuations, and other factors. Total bookings and backlog include certain contracts with a termination for convenience clause, which will not agree to the total transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligations disclosed in Part II, Item 8: Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 17: Revenues.

Total Bookings (a)Total Backlog12-Month Backlog
In millions
December 31, 2023$2,155$4,511$2,032
September 30, 2023 (b)4134,2412,022
June 30, 2023 (b)4754,3972,008
March 31, 2023 (b)4284,4621,897
December 31, 2022 (b)2,5054,5232,052
December 31, 2021 (b) (c)2,7553,9211,539

(a)Total bookings reflect a year to date value for December periods, and a quarter to date value for September, June, and March periods.

(b)The ending total backlog balances for September 30, 2023, June 30, 2023, March 31, 2023, December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021 have been adjusted from previously reported amounts. During the fourth quarter of 2023, we determined that $96 million related to a portion of one customer contract had been improperly included within our backlog balance since the third quarter of 2020. This adjustment did not impact amounts reported for 12-month backlog in 2023, 2022, or 2021, as the related revenue was not expected within that time frame.

(c) Our total backlog, as of December 31, 2021, included $64.7 million of backlog related to the sale of certain Gas product lines from our Device Solutions manufacturing and business operations in Europe and North America to Dresser Utility Solutions (Dresser). At transaction close on February 28, 2022, $55.7 million of this backlog was transferred to Dresser. For more information on the transaction refer to Part II, Item 8: Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 18: Sale of Businesses.

Sales and Distribution

We use a combination of direct and indirect sales channels to serve our customers. A direct sales force is utilized for larger utility customers, with which we have long-established relationships. This direct sales force is focused on solution selling, solving problems and business challenges, and delivering valuable outcomes to our utility and smart city customers. For smaller utilities and most municipalities, we typically use an indirect sales channel that extends the reach of Itron's solutions by providing trusted partners with the right tools, training, and technology to grow their business, deliver results, and help these customers better manage energy and water. These channels consist of distributors, agents, partners, and meter manufacturer representatives.

No single customer represented more than 10% of total revenues for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021. Our 10 largest customers in each of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, accounted for approximately 36%, 32%, and 25% of total revenues.

Manufacturing

Our products require a wide variety of components and materials, which are subject to price and supply fluctuations. We enter into typical contracts in the ordinary course of business, which can include purchase orders for specific quantities based on market prices, as well as open-ended agreements that provide for estimated quantities over an extended shipment period, typically up to one year at an established unit cost. Although we have multiple sources of supply for many of our material requirements, certain components and raw materials are supplied by limited or sole-source vendors, and our ability to perform certain contracts depends on the availability of these materials. Refer to Item 1A: Risk Factors for further discussion related to manufacturing and supply risks.

Our manufacturing facilities are located throughout the world, an overview of which is presented in Item 2: Properties. While we manufacture and assemble a portion of our products, we outsource the manufacturing of many products and sub-assemblies to various manufacturing partners and strive to create an efficient and cost-effective structure. This approach allows us to reduce the costs related to our manufacturing overhead and inventory and allows us to adjust more quickly to changing customer demand. These manufacturing partners produce our sub-assemblies and products using design specifications, quality assurance programs, and standards that we establish and procure components and assemble our products based on demand forecasts. These forecasts represent our estimates of future demand for our products based upon historical trends and analysis from our sales and product management functions, as adjusted for overall market conditions.

Partners

In connection with delivering solutions and systems to our customers, we frequently partner with third-party vendors to provide hardware, software, or services, e.g., meter installation and communication network equipment and infrastructure. Due to the interoperable, open-standards based nature of our platform, we have also cultivated a highly diverse and growing ecosystem of partners and third-party developers who can create complementary solutions for our customers that run on the same network and within the same platform framework.

Our ability to perform on our contractual obligations with our customers is dependent on these partners meeting their obligations to us. Refer to Item 1A: Risk Factors for further discussion related to third-party vendors and strategic partners.

Research and Development

Our research and development is focused on both improving existing technology and developing innovative new technology for critical infrastructure in electricity, natural gas, water, heat, smart city, and DERMs verticals. This includes endpoints, sensing and control devices, data collection software, communication technologies, data warehousing, software applications, and the IIoT. We invested approximately $209 million, $185 million, and $197 million in research and development in 2023, 2022 and 2021, which represented 10% of total revenues for 2023, 2022, and 2021. Refer to Item 1A: Risk Factors for further discussion related to costs of developing competitive products and services.

Human Capital

As of December 31, 2023, we had 5,859 people in our workforce, including 5,081 permanent employees. We have not experienced significant employee work stoppages and our employee relations are deemed to be good.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we promote a culture of inclusion and diversity. We monitor our progress through various programs and policies. We offer wages and a range of company-paid benefits we believe are competitive with other companies in our industry and in the markets we serve.

The table below provides the breakdown of our employees by region and self-identified gender:

RegionMaleFemaleNot DisclosedTotal Number of EmployeesPercentage of Total Employees
Americas1,822824—2,64652%
Europe, Middle East and Africa89950231,40428%
Asia Pacific & Other76826121,03120%
Total (1)3,4891,58755,081

(1)These numbers do not include contingent workers (778 as of December 31, 2023).

Competition

We enable utilities and cities to safely, securely, and reliably deliver critical infrastructure services to communities around the world. Our portfolio of smart networks, software, services, meters, and sensors help our customers better manage energy, water, and city infrastructure resources for the people they serve. Consequently, we operate within a large and complex competitive landscape, and our competitors range from small companies to large global entities. Some of our competitors have diversified product portfolios and participate in multiple geographic markets, while others focus on specific regional markets and/or certain types of products, including some low-cost suppliers of devices based in Asia. Our primary competitors include LM Ericsson Telephone Company, Landis+Gyr, Mueller Water Products, and Xylem, Inc.

We believe that our competitive advantage is based on our in-depth knowledge of the industries we serve, our capacity to innovate, and our ability to provide complete end-to-end integrated solutions at scale. We also differentiate ourselves with an intelligent IIoT platform that is solution, device, and transport agnostic—a platform that can be backwards compatible, able to run a multitude of applications and solutions, is highly secure, fully integrated into our portfolio, highly interoperable, captures relays, and leverages high-resolution data for near real-time decision making. The platform involves an ever-growing, diverse ecosystem of partners and third-party developers who can create and deploy specific point solutions creating greater value for our customers.

Refer to Item 1A: Risk Factors for a discussion of the competitive pressures we face.

Strategic Alliances

We pursue strategic alliances with other companies in areas where collaboration can produce product advancement and acceleration of entry into new markets. The objectives and goals of a strategic alliance can include one or more of the following: technology exchange, research and development, joint sales and marketing, or access to new geographic markets. Refer to Item 1A: Risk Factors for a discussion of risks associated with strategic alliances.

Intellectual Property

Our patents and patent applications cover a range of technologies that relate to standard metering, smart metering solutions and technology, meter data management software, knowledge application solutions, and IIoT. We also rely on a combination of copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets to protect our products and technologies. Disputes over the ownership, registration, and enforcement of intellectual property rights arise in the ordinary course of our business. While we believe patents and trademarks are important to our operations and, in aggregate, constitute valuable assets, no single patent or trademark, or group of patents or trademarks, is critical to the success of our business. We license some of our technology to other companies, some of which are our competitors.

Governmental Regulations

In the ordinary course of our business, we are impacted by many governmental regulations, including environmental regulations. We believe that we are materially in compliance with all federal, state, and local governmental laws, rules, and regulations applicable to the operation of our business. There are no known regulations pending that will have a substantial adverse impact on our business, revenue, earnings, or cash flows. However, if new or amended laws or regulations impose significant operational restrictions and compliance requirements upon the Company or its products, the Company's business, capital expenditures, results of operations, financial condition and competitive position could be altered.

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Set forth below are the names, ages, and titles of our executive officers as of February 26, 2024.

NameAgePosition
Thomas L. Deitrich57President and Chief Executive Officer
Joan S. Hooper66Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Laurie A. Hahn56Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Justin K. Patrick51Senior Vice President, Device Solutions
John F. Marcolini51Senior Vice President, Networked Solutions
Donald L. Reeves56Senior Vice President, Outcomes
Christopher E. Ware55Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Thomas L. Deitrich is President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board of Directors. Mr. Deitrich was appointed to his current position and to the Board of Directors in August 2019. Mr. Deitrich joined Itron in October 2015, serving as Itron's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer until his promotion to CEO. From 2012 to September 2015, Mr. Deitrich was Senior Vice President and General Manager for Digital Networking at Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (Freescale), and he served as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Freescale's RF, Analog, Sensor, and Cellular Products Group from 2009 to 2012. Mr. Deitrich had other roles of increasing responsibility at Freescale from 2006 to 2009. Prior to Freescale, Mr. Deitrich worked for Flextronics, Sony-Ericsson/Ericsson, and GE. Mr. Deitrich is a director of ON Semiconductor Corporation, a NASDAQ listed company.

Joan S. Hooper is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Hooper was appointed to this role in June 2017. Prior to joining Itron, Ms. Hooper was Chief Financial Officer of CHC Helicopter from 2011 to July 2015. Following Ms. Hooper's departure from CHC, CHC filed a voluntary petition of relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in May 2016, and CHC emerged from bankruptcy in March 2017. Prior to CHC, she held several executive finance positions at Dell, Inc. from 2003 to 2010, including Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for its Global Public and Americas business units, Vice President of Corporate Finance and Chief Accounting Officer.

Laurie A. Hahn is Senior Vice President, Human Resources. Ms. Hahn has more than 30 years of experience as a senior human resource professional. Ms. Hahn was promoted to this role in April 2023. In this role, Ms. Hahn is responsible for Itron's HR operations, in-business HR, talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, inclusion and diversity, learning and development, and health, safety, and environment functions. Ms. Hahn joined Itron in February 2016 and has served in several in-business HR positions. Prior to joining Itron, Ms. Hahn held multiple global HR leadership positions with Motorola and Freescale Semiconductor. Ms. Hahn holds a BA in English and a Masters in Instructional Design, both from The University of Texas. Ms. Hahn is a member of the Chancellor's Counsel at the University of Texas, which advocates for higher education and health care.

Justin K. Patrick is Senior Vice President, Device Solutions, where he is responsible for Itron's strategy to become a leading global provider of measurement, safety, and operational devices for utilities and cities. Mr. Patrick joined Itron in January 2020. From 2018 to 2020, Mr. Patrick was Vice President & General Manager, Residential Products at Johnson Controls International (JCI). Before that role, he was Vice President & General Manager, Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems and Ductless from 2014 to 2017, and Director, Channel Strategy and Marketing from 2010 to 2014 at JCI. Prior to his time at JCI, Mr. Patrick held a sales leadership role at the Auer Steel and Heating Supply Company, and at Carrier Corporation he had roles of increasing responsibility culminating in general management. Prior to his civilian career, Mr. Patrick served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy.

John F. Marcolini is Senior Vice President, Networked Solutions, where he is responsible for product development, marketing, and overall strategy for Itron's global networking platforms and smart cities strategy and solutions. Mr. Marcolini was appointed to this role in July 2020. Mr. Marcolini joined Itron in January 2018 as part of Itron's acquisition of SSNI as the Vice President of product management, responsible for product strategy and lifecycle management across Itron's smart energy, smart city and IIoT portfolios. He has more than 20 years of product management, business development, and customer delivery experience with deep technical knowledge of networking, radio frequency technologies, and IIoT. Mr. Marcolini has also spent many years working with utility customers to deliver and implement complex product deployments.

Donald L. Reevesis Senior Vice President, Outcomes, where he is responsible for Itron's software and services offerings, delivery teams, managed services operations, and customer support. Mr. Reeves was appointed to this role in September 2019. Mr. Reeves joined Itron in January 2018 as part of Itron's acquisition of SSNI, and, from 2016 to 2018, he was SSNI's Chief

Technology Officer. From 2005 to 2016, Mr. Reeves held several managed services and engineering positions at SSNI. Prior to joining SSNI, Mr. Reeves served as Vice President of Engineering at Black Pearl from 2003 to 2004 and was Vice President of Engineering at Commerce One from 2001 to 2003, and prior to that held leadership positions at several startup technology companies.

Christopher E. Wareis Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Mr. Ware has more than 25 years of experience as a senior legal advisor and business executive. He joined Itron in March 2021 as Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. In March 2022, he was promoted to Vice President, Legal and Corporate Secretary and then to Senior Vice President in March 2023. He is responsible for Itron's corporate governance, business legal solutions, compliance and litigation and intellectual property development and protection. Before joining Itron, Mr. Ware served as Executive Director and General Manager - Parts at Johnson Controls International (JCI) from 2018 to 2021. Before that position, Mr. Ware occupied numerous senior legal roles within JCI from 2011 to 2018. He also held roles in the U.S. Attorney's Office, Department of Justice, and several private law firms.

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