Jim Lines
Analyst · Sidoti. Please proceed with your question
We’ve talked on the last couple calls, Joe, about the nuclear market and what is experiencing as a whole. The market is looking to contract its supply chain and reduce its procurement costs, that’s called the nuclear promise which is an endeavor to lower the cost of procurement by 15% across the supply chain. We've also seen because of the uncertainty about the direction of natural gas and the use of that for power generation, the willingness of the utilities to best as they had previously. So there is a slowing down we’ve seen. I don't necessarily assigned what you witnessed as a decline in our backlog to a change in our competitiveness, we're changing our ability to win. I think the market is always tightened its per strings, and is trying to reallocate and shorten its supply chain down to two or three suppliers per different commodities as a way to reduce costs. And I think that's what we're experiencing, longer-term and I don’t want speak more broadly, because we spend a lot of time -- truly we spend a lot of time talking about our energy markets, which already -- very significant percentage of our sales, historically and we go forward and we will always be important, but I want to make sure it's understood that we are here waiting for the energy markets to recover. We know that they will. We are taking action within the energy markets to be prepared to capitalize when I do begin spending. Our sales force, Alan, General Manager of our business, [indiscernible] sales force spending much more time being plant centric plant focused as opposed to EPC focused because that's where we believe the money will be spent first. Also we're looking to reposition our brand and how we drive value into that market. So we are focused on some leading activities. We're also developing strategies on how we participate more broadly and more fully and increase our success capabilities in the international markets, with some initiatives that we've embarked on to change how we execute those orders to shift our costs lower and to expand our expand the participation Again laying the groundwork during this downturn to be different coming out of the downturn in that regard. As Jeff said, Chris Johnston our Director of Business development is building a very robust M&A pipeline that we are very excited about. Let's keeping us more active than those discussions that we have been in our past. I mentioned, Joe, we're diversifying. What we're going after with the Navy, which will be helpful. And now for your question, the nuclear market we do see that long-term as a great place to be of value drivers and how we provide value two a owner. A user, it fits us extremely well, high quality, specialized manufacturing, long sales cycle, engineered engineer, that’s in our wheelhouse. So while they are in a contraction, if you will, we’re looking at how do we take action during the downturn to reposition that business to come out stronger. I did want to -- I know you, maybe commented that I was projecting a more dire outlook, and [indiscernible] my comments or works actually came out, we’re very excited about the actions were taking during this downturn to reposition this business to grow more steeply and to be ready when growth is available across our different markets. So we're not sitting on our hands and if that was a projection that was my fault.