Triumph Group - 10-K annual report 2014

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. (Check one)

This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 relating to our future operations and prospects, including statements that are based on current projections and expectations about the markets in which we operate, and management's beliefs concerning future performance and capital requirements based upon current available information. Actual results could differ materially from management's current expectations. Additional capital may be required and, if so, may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all, at the times and in the amounts we need. In addition to these factors and others described elsewhere in this report, other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include competitive and cyclical factors relating to the aerospace industry, dependence of some of our businesses on key customers, requirements of capital, product liabilities in excess of insurance, uncertainties relating to the integration of acquired businesses, general economic conditions affecting our business segment, technological developments, limited availability of raw materials or skilled personnel, changes in governmental regulation and oversight and international hostilities and terrorism. For a more detailed discussion of these and other factors affecting us, see the Risk Factors described in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We do not undertake any obligation to revise these forward-looking statements to reflect future events.

Triumph Group, Inc. ("Triumph", the "Company", "we", "us", or "our") was incorporated in 1993 in Delaware. Our companies design, engineer, manufacture, repair, overhaul and distribute a broad portfolio of aerostructures, aircraft components, accessories, subassemblies and systems. We serve a broad, worldwide spectrum of the aviation industry, including original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, of commercial, regional, business and military aircraft and aircraft components, as well as commercial and regional airlines and air cargo carriers.

Effective October 4, 2013, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of General Donlee Canada, Inc. ("General Donlee"). General Donlee is based in Toronto, Canada and is a leading manufacturer of precision machined products for the aerospace, nuclear and oil and gas industries. The acquired business now operates as Triumph Gear Systems-Toronto and its results are included in the Aerospace Systems Group.

Effective May 6, 2013, the Company acquired four related entities collectively comprising the Primus Composites business ("Primus") from Precision Castparts Corp. The acquired business, which includes two manufacturing facilities in Farnborough, England and Rayong, Thailand, operates as Triumph Structures - Farnborough and Triumph Structures - Thailand and is included in the Aerostructures segment from the date of acquisition. Together, Triumph Structures - Farnborough and Triumph Structures - Thailand constitute a global supplier of composite and metallic propulsion and structural composites and assemblies. In addition to its composite operations, the Thailand operation also machines and processes metal components.

Effective March 18, 2013, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, Triumph Engine Control Systems, LLC, acquired the assets of Goodrich Pump & Engine Control Systems, Inc. ("GPECS"), a leading independent aerospace fuel system supplier for the commercial, military, helicopter and business jet markets. The acquisition of GPECS provides new capabilities in a market where we did not previously participate and further diversifies our customer base in electronic engine controls, fuel metering units and main fuel pumps for both OEM and aftermarket/spares end markets. The results for Triumph Engine Control Systems, LLC are included in the Aerospace Systems Group segment from the date of acquisition.

In June 2010, we acquired Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. ("Vought") from The Carlyle Group. The acquisition of Vought established the Company as a leading global manufacturer of aerostructures for commercial, military and business jet aircraft.

We offer a variety of products and services to the aerospace industry through three operating segments: (i) Triumph Aerostructures Group, whose companies' revenues are derived from the design, manufacture, assembly and integration of metallic and composite aerostructures and structural components for the global aerospace original equipment manufacturers, or OEM, market; (ii) Triumph Aerospace Systems Group, whose companies design, engineer and manufacture a wide range of proprietary and build-to-print components, assemblies and systems also for the OEM market; and (iii) Triumph Aftermarket

Services Group, whose companies serve aircraft fleets, notably commercial airlines, the U.S. military and cargo carriers, through the maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft components and accessories manufactured by third parties.

The products that companies within this group design, manufacture, build and repair include:

The products that companies within this group design, engineer, build and repair include:

Certain financial information about our three segments can be found in Note 21 of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements."

We benefit from our proprietary rights relating to designs, engineering and manufacturing processes and repair and overhaul procedures. For some products, our unique manufacturing capabilities are required by the customer's specifications or designs, thereby necessitating reliance on us for the production of such specially designed products.

We view our name and mark, as well as the Vought and Embee tradenames, as significant to our business as a whole. Our products are protected by a portfolio of patents, trademarks, licenses or other forms of intellectual property that expire at various dates in the future. We continually develop and acquire new intellectual property and consider all of our intellectual property to be valuable. However, based on the broad scope of our product lines, management believes that the loss or expiration of any single intellectual property right would not have a material effect on our results of operations, our financial position or our business segments. Our policy is to file applications and obtain patents for our new products as appropriate, including product modifications and improvements. While patents generally expire 20 years after the patent application filing date, new patents are issued to us on a regular basis.

In our overhaul and repair businesses, OEMs of equipment that we maintain for our customers increasingly include language in repair manuals that relate to their equipment asserting broad claims of proprietary rights to the contents of the manuals used in our operations. There can be no assurance that OEMs will not try to enforce such claims including the possible use of legal proceedings. In the event of such legal proceedings, there can be no assurance that such actions against the Company will be unsuccessful. However, we believe that our use of manufacture and repair manuals is lawful.

We purchase raw materials, primarily consisting of extrusions, forgings, castings, aluminum and titanium sheets and shapes and stainless steel alloys, from various vendors. We also purchase replacement parts, which are utilized in our various repair and overhaul operations. We believe that the availability of raw materials to us is adequate to support our operations.

The two group-level marketing teams operate as the front-end of the selling process, establishing or maintaining relationships, identifying opportunities to leverage our brand, and providing service for our customers. Each individual operating company is responsible for its own technical support, pricing, manufacturing and product support. Also, within the Aerospace Systems Group, we have created a group engineering function to provide integrated solutions to meet our customer needs by designing systems that integrate the capabilities of our companies.

A significant portion of our government and defense contracts are awarded on a competitive bidding basis. We generally do not bid or act as the primary contractor, but will typically bid and act as a subcontractor on contracts on a fixed-price basis. We generally sell to our other customers on a fixed-price, negotiated contract or purchase order basis.

We have a number of long-term agreements with several of our customers. These agreements generally describe the terms under which the customer may issue purchase orders to buy our products and services during the term of the agreement. These terms typically include a list of the products or repair services customers may purchase, initial pricing, anticipated quantities and, to the extent known, delivery dates. In tracking and reporting our backlog, however, we only include amounts for which we have actual purchase orders with firm delivery dates or contract requirements generally within the next 24 months, which primarily relate to sales to our OEM customer base. Purchase orders issued by our aftermarket customers are usually completed within a short period of time. As a result, our backlog data relates primarily to the OEM customers. The backlog information set forth below does not include the sales that we expect to generate from long-term agreements for which we do not have actual purchase orders with firm delivery dates.

We compete primarily with Tier 1 and Tier 2 aerostructures manufacturers, systems integrators and the manufacturers that supply them, some of which are divisions or subsidiaries of other large companies, in the manufacture of aircraft structures, systems components and subassemblies. OEMs are increasingly focusing on assembly and integration activities while outsourcing more manufacturing and, therefore, are less of a competitive force than in previous years.

Competition for the repair and overhaul of aviation components comes from three primary sources, some of whom possess greater financial and other resources than we have: OEMs, major commercial airlines, government support depots and other independent repair and overhaul companies. Some major commercial airlines continue to own and operate their own service centers, while others have begun to sell or outsource their repair and overhaul services to other aircraft operators or third parties. Large domestic and foreign airlines that provide repair and overhaul services typically provide these services not only for their own aircraft but for other airlines as well. OEMs also maintain service centers which provide repair and overhaul

services for the components they manufacture. Many governments maintain aircraft support depots in their military organizations that maintain and repair the aircraft they operate. Other independent service organizations also compete for the repair and overhaul business of other users of aircraft components.

Participants in the aerospace industry compete primarily on the basis of breadth of technical capabilities, quality, turnaround time, capacity and price.

The aerospace industry is highly regulated in the United States by the FAA and in other countries by similar agencies. We must be certified by the FAA and, in some cases, by individual OEMs, in order to engineer and service parts and components used in specific aircraft models. If material authorizations or approvals were revoked or suspended, our operations would be adversely affected. New and more stringent government regulations may be adopted, or industry oversight heightened, in the future and these new regulations, if enacted, or any industry oversight, if heightened, may have an adverse impact on us.

We must also satisfy the requirements of our customers, including OEMs, that are subject to FAA regulations, and provide these customers with products and repair services that comply with the government regulations applicable to aircraft components used in commercial flight operations. The FAA regulates commercial flight operations and requires that aircraft components meet its stringent standards. In addition, the FAA requires that various maintenance routines be performed on aircraft components, and we currently satisfy these maintenance standards in our repair and overhaul services. Several of our operating locations are FAA-approved repair stations.

Generally, the FAA only grants licenses for the manufacture or repair of a specific aircraft component, rather than the broader licenses that have been granted in the past. The FAA licensing process may be costly and time-consuming. In order to obtain an FAA license, an applicant must satisfy all applicable regulations of the FAA governing repair stations. These regulations require that an applicant have experienced personnel, inspection systems, suitable facilities and equipment. In addition, the applicant must demonstrate a need for the license. Because an applicant must procure manufacturing and repair manuals from third parties relating to each particular aircraft component in order to obtain a license with respect to that component, the application process may involve substantial cost.

The license approval processes for the European Aviation Safety Agency ("EASA"), which regulates this industry in the European Union, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities are similarly stringent, involving potentially lengthy audits. EASA was formed in 2002 and is handling most of the responsibilities of the national aviation authorities in Europe, such as the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority.

Our operations are also subject to a variety of worker and community safety laws. For example, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, or OSHA, mandates general requirements for safe workplaces for all employees in the United States. In addition, OSHA provides special procedures and measures for the handling of hazardous and toxic substances. Specific safety standards have been promulgated for workplaces engaged in the treatment, disposal or storage of hazardous waste. We believe that our operations are in material compliance with OSHA's health and safety requirements.

Our business, operations and facilities are subject to numerous stringent federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulation by government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, ("EPA"). Among other matters, these regulatory authorities impose requirements that regulate the emission, discharge, generation, management, transportation and disposal of hazardous materials, pollutants and contaminants, govern public and private response actions to hazardous or regulated substances which may be or have been released to the environment, and require us to obtain and maintain licenses and permits in connection with our operations. This extensive regulatory framework imposes significant compliance burdens and risks on us. Although management believes that our operations and our facilities are in material compliance with such laws and regulations, future changes in these laws, regulations or interpretations thereof or the nature of our operations or regulatory enforcement actions which may arise, may require us to make significant additional capital expenditures to ensure compliance in the future.

Certain of our facilities, including facilities acquired and operated by us or one of our subsidiaries have at one time or another been under active investigation for environmental contamination by federal or state agencies when acquired, and at least in some cases, continue to be under investigation or subject to remediation for potential environmental contamination. We are frequently indemnified by prior owners or operators and/or present owners of the facilities for liabilities which we incur as a result of these investigations and the environmental contamination found which pre-dates our acquisition of these facilities, subject to certain limitations. We also maintain a pollution liability policy that provides coverage for material liabilities associated with the clean-up of on-site pollution conditions, as well as defense and indemnity for certain third-party suits

We have not experienced any material labor-related work stoppage and consider our relations with our employees to be good.

For more information about us, visit our website at www.triumphgroup.com. The contents of the website are not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our electronic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, ("SEC") (including all Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, and any amendments to these reports) are available free of charge through our website immediately after we electronically file with or furnish them to the SEC. These filings may also be read and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room which is located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Information about the operation of the Public Reference Room can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers who file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.

Factors that have an adverse impact on the aerospace industry may adversely affect our results of operations and liquidity.

A substantial percentage of our gross profit and operating income derives from commercial aviation. Our operations have been focused on designing, engineering, manufacturing, repairing and overhauling a broad portfolio of aerostructures, aircraft components, accessories, subassemblies and systems. Therefore, our business is directly affected by economic factors and other trends that affect our customers in the aerospace industry, including a possible decrease in outsourcing by OEMs and aircraft operators or projected market growth that may not materialize or be sustainable. We are also significantly dependent on sales to the commercial aerospace market, which has been cyclical in nature with significant downturns in the past. When these economic and other factors adversely affect the aerospace industry, they tend to reduce the overall customer demand for our products and services, which decreases our operating income. Economic and other factors that might affect the aerospace industry may have an adverse impact on our results of operations and liquidity. We have credit exposure to a number of commercial airlines, some of which have encountered financial difficulties. In addition, an increase in energy costs and the price of fuel to the airlines could result in additional pressure on the operating costs of airlines. The market for jet fuel is inherently volatile and is subject to, among other things, changes in government policy on jet fuel production, fluctuations in the global supply of crude oil and disruptions in oil production or delivery caused by sudden hostility in oil-producing areas. Airlines are sometimes unable to pass on increases in fuel prices to customers by increasing fares due to the competitive nature of the airline industry, and this compounds the pressure on operating costs. Other events of general impact such as natural disasters, war, terrorist attacks against the industry or pandemic health crises may lead to declines in the worldwide aerospace industry that could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

In addition, demand for our maintenance, repair and overhaul services is strongly correlated with worldwide flying activity. A significant portion of the MRO activity required on commercial aircraft is mandated by government regulations that limit the total time or number of flights that may elapse between scheduled MRO events. As a result, although short-term deferrals are possible, MRO activity is ultimately required to continue to operate the aircraft in revenue-producing service. Therefore, over the intermediate and long-term, trends in the MRO market are closely related to the size and utilization level of the worldwide aircraft fleet, as reflected by the number of available seat miles, commonly referred to as ASMs, and cargo miles flown. Consequently, conditions or events which contribute to declines in worldwide ASMs and cargo miles flown, such as those mentioned above, could negatively impact our MRO business.

Demand for military and defense products is dependent upon government spending.

The military and defense market is largely dependent upon government budgets, particularly the U.S. defense budget, and an increase in defense spending may not be allocated to programs that would benefit our business. Moreover, the military aircraft programs in which we participate may not enter full-scale production as expected. A change in the levels of defense spending or levels of military flight operations could curtail or enhance our prospects in the military and defense market depending upon the programs affected.

A substantial portion of our net sales were derived from the military and defense market, which includes primarily indirect sales to the U.S. Government. As a result, our exposure to the military and defense market is significant.

Cancellations, reductions or delays in customer orders may adversely affect our results of operations.

Our overall operating results are affected by many factors, including the timing of orders from large customers and the timing of expenditures to manufacture parts and purchase inventory in anticipation of future sales of products and services. A large portion of our operating expenses are relatively fixed. Because several of our operating locations typically do not obtain long-term purchase orders or commitments from our customers, they must anticipate the future volume of orders based upon the historic purchasing patterns of customers and upon our discussions with customers as to their anticipated future requirements. These historic patterns may be disrupted by many factors, including changing economic conditions, inventory adjustments, or work stoppages or labor disruptions at our customers' locations. Cancellations, reductions or delays in orders by a customer or group of customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our acquisition strategy exposes us to risks, including the risk that we may not be able to successfully integrate acquired businesses.

We have a consistent strategy to grow, in part, through the acquisition of additional businesses in the aerospace industry and are continuously evaluating various acquisition opportunities, including those outside the United States and those that may have a material impact on our business. Our ability to grow by acquisition is dependent upon, among other factors, the availability of suitable acquisition candidates. Growth by acquisition involves risks that could adversely affect our operating results, including difficulties in integrating the operations and personnel of acquired companies, the risk of diverting the attention of senior management from our existing operations, the potential amortization of acquired intangible assets, the potential impairment of goodwill and the potential loss of key employees of acquired companies. We may not be able to consummate acquisitions on satisfactory terms or, if any acquisitions are consummated, successfully integrate these acquired businesses.

A significant decline in business with a key customer could have a material adverse effect on us.

Future volatility in the financial markets may impede our ability to successfully access capital markets and ensure adequate liquidity and may adversely affect our customers and suppliers.

Future turmoil in the capital markets may impede our ability to access the capital markets when we would like, or need, to raise capital or restrict our ability to borrow money on favorable terms. Such market conditions could have an adverse impact on our flexibility to react to changing economic and business conditions and on our ability to fund our operations and capital expenditures in the future. In addition, interest rate fluctuations, financial market volatility or credit market disruptions may also negatively affect our customers' and our suppliers' ability to obtain credit to finance their businesses on acceptable terms. As a result, our customers' need for and ability to purchase our products or services may decrease, and our suppliers may increase their prices, reduce their output or change their terms of sale. If our customers' or suppliers' operating and financial performance deteriorates, or if they are unable to make scheduled payments or obtain credit, our customers may not be able to pay, or may delay payment of, accounts receivable owed to us, and our suppliers may restrict credit or impose different payment terms. Any inability of customers to pay us for our products and services or any demands by suppliers for different payment terms may adversely affect our earnings and cash flow.

Our international sales and operations are subject to applicable laws relating to trade, export controls and foreign corrupt practices, the violation of which could adversely affect our operations.

We must comply with all applicable export control laws and regulations of the United States and other countries. United States laws and regulations applicable to us include the Arms Export Control Act, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations ("ITAR"), the Export Administration Regulations ("EAR") and the trade sanctions laws and regulations administered by the United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC"). EAR restricts the export of dual-use products and technical data to certain countries, while ITAR restricts the export of defense products, technical data and defense services. The U.S. Government agencies responsible for administering EAR and ITAR have significant discretion in the interpretation and enforcement of these regulations. We cannot provide services to certain countries subject to United States trade sanctions unless we first obtain the necessary authorizations from OFAC. In addition, we are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act which generally bars bribes or unreasonable gifts to foreign governments or officials.

Violations of these laws or regulations could result in significant additional sanctions, including fines, more onerous compliance requirements, more extensive debarments from export privileges, loss of authorizations needed to conduct aspects of our international business and criminal penalties and may harm our ability to enter into contracts with the U.S. Government. A future violation of ITAR or the other regulations enumerated above could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our expansion into international markets may increase credit, currency and other risks, and our current operations in international markets expose us to such risks.

As we pursue customers in Asia, South America and other less developed aerospace markets throughout the world, our inability to ensure the creditworthiness of our customers in these areas could adversely impact our overall profitability. In addition, with operations in Canada, China, France, Germany, Mexico, Thailand and the United Kingdom, and customers throughout the world, we will be subject to the legal, political, social and regulatory requirements and economic conditions of other jurisdictions. In the future, we may also make additional international capital investments, including further acquisitions of companies outside the United States or companies having operations outside the United States. Risks inherent to international operations include, but are not limited to, the following:

We may need additional financing for acquisitions and capital expenditures and additional financing may not be available on terms acceptable to us.

A key element of our strategy has been, and continues to be, internal growth supplemented by growth through the acquisition of additional aerospace companies and product lines. In order to grow internally, we may need to make significant capital expenditures, such as investing in facilities in low-cost countries, and may need additional capital to do so. Our ability to grow is dependent upon, and may be limited by, among other things, access to markets and conditions of markets, availability under the Credit Facility and the Securitization Facility (each as defined in Note 10 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements") and by particular restrictions contained in the Credit Facility and our other financing arrangements. In that case, additional funding sources may be needed, and we may not be able to obtain the additional capital necessary to pursue our internal growth and acquisition strategy or, if we can obtain additional financing, the additional financing may not be on financial terms that are satisfactory to us.

Competitive pressures may adversely affect us.

We have numerous competitors in the aerospace industry. We compete primarily with the top-tier systems integrators and the manufacturers that supply them, some of which are divisions or subsidiaries of OEMs and other large companies that manufacture aircraft components and subassemblies. Our OEM competitors, which include Boeing, Airbus, Bell Helicopter, Bombardier, Cessna, General Electric, Gulfstream, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Rolls Royce and Sikorsky, may choose not to outsource production of aerostructures or other components due to, among other things, their own direct labor and overhead considerations, capacity utilization at their own facilities and desire to retain critical or core skills. Consequently, traditional factors affecting competition, such as price and quality of service, may not be significant determinants when OEMs decide whether to produce a part in-house or to outsource. We also face competition from non-OEM component manufacturers, including Alenia Aeronautica, Fuji Heavy Industries, GKN Westland Aerospace (U.K.), UTC Aerospace Systems, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Spirit AeroSystems and Fokker Technologies. Competition for the repair and overhaul of aviation components comes from three primary sources: OEMs, major commercial airlines and other independent repair and overhaul companies.

We may need to expend significant capital to keep pace with technological developments in our industry.

The aerospace industry is constantly undergoing development and change and it is likely that new products, equipment and methods of repair and overhaul service will be introduced in the future. In order to keep pace with any new developments, we may need to expend significant capital to purchase new equipment and machines or to train our employees in the new methods of production and service.

The construction of aircraft is heavily regulated and failure to comply with applicable laws could reduce our sales or require us to incur additional costs to achieve compliance, and we may incur significant expenses to comply with new or more stringent governmental regulation.

The aerospace industry is highly regulated in the United States by the FAA and in other countries by similar agencies. We must be certified by the FAA and, in some cases, by individual OEMs in order to engineer and service parts, components and aerostructures used in specific aircraft models. If any of our material authorizations or approvals were revoked or suspended, our operations would be adversely affected. New or more stringent governmental regulations may be adopted, or industry oversight heightened in the future, and we may incur significant expenses to comply with any new regulations or any heightened industry oversight.

Some contractual arrangements with customers may cause us to bear significant up-front costs that we may not be able to recover.

Many new aircraft programs require that major suppliers bear the cost of design, development and engineering work associated with the development of the aircraft usually in exchange for a long-term agreement to supply critical parts once the aircraft is in production. If the aircraft fails to reach the full production stage or we fail to win the long-term contract, the outlays we have made in research and development and other start-up costs may not generate our anticipated return on investment.

We may not realize our anticipated return on capital commitments made to expand our capabilities.

We continually make significant capital expenditures to implement new processes and to increase both efficiency and capacity. Some of these projects require additional training for our employees and not all projects may be implemented as anticipated. If any of these projects do not achieve the anticipated increase in efficiency or capacity, our returns on these capital expenditures may be lower than expected.

Any product liability claims in excess of insurance may adversely affect our financial condition.

Our operations expose us to potential liability for personal injury or death as a result of the failure of an aircraft component that has been serviced by us or the failure of an aircraft component designed or manufactured by us. While we believe that our liability insurance is adequate to protect us from these liabilities, our insurance may not cover all liabilities. Additionally, as the number of insurance companies providing general aviation product liability insurance coverage has decreased in recent years, insurance coverage may not be available in the future at a cost acceptable to us. Any material liability not covered by insurance or for which third-party indemnification is not available could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

The lack of available skilled personnel may have an adverse effect on our operations.

From time to time, some of our operating locations have experienced difficulties in attracting and retaining skilled personnel to design, engineer, manufacture, repair and overhaul sophisticated aircraft components. Our ability to operate successfully could be jeopardized if we are unable to attract and retain a sufficient number of skilled personnel to conduct our business.

Our fixed-price contracts may commit us to unfavorable terms.

A significant portion of our net sales are derived from fixed-price contracts under which we have agreed to provide components or aerostructures for a price determined on the date we entered into the contract. Several factors may cause the costs we incur in fulfilling these contracts to vary substantially from our original estimates, and we bear the risk that increased or unexpected costs may reduce our profit or cause us to sustain losses on these contracts. In a fixed-price contract, we must fully absorb cost overruns, notwithstanding the difficulty of estimating all of the costs we will incur in performing these contracts. Because our ability to terminate contracts is generally limited, we may not be able to terminate our performance requirements under these contracts at all or without substantial liability and, therefore, in the event we are sustaining reduced profits or losses, we could continue to sustain these reduced profits or losses for the duration of the contract term. Our failure to anticipate technical problems, estimate delivery reductions, estimate costs accurately or control costs during performance of a fixed-price contract may reduce our profitability or cause significant losses on programs such as Boeing 747-8 ("747-8").

Due to the size and long-term nature of many of our contracts, we are required by GAAP to estimate sales and expenses relating to these contracts in our financial statements, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated under different assumptions or conditions.

Our financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP"). These principles require our management to make estimates and assumptions regarding our contracts that affect the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Contract accounting requires judgment relative to assessing risks, estimating contract sales and costs, and making assumptions for schedule and technical issues. Due to the size and nature of many of our contracts, the estimation of total sales and cost at completion is complicated and subject to many variables. While we base our estimates on historical experience and on various assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances at the time made, actual results may differ materially from those estimated.

Any exposure to environmental liabilities may adversely affect us.

Our business, operations and facilities are subject to numerous stringent federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations, and we are subject to potentially significant fines or penalties, including criminal sanctions, if we fail to comply with these requirements. In addition, we could be affected by future laws and regulations, including those imposed in response to climate change concerns and other actions commonly referred to as "green initiatives." Compliance with current and future environmental laws and regulations currently requires and is expected to continue to require significant operating and capital costs.

Pursuant to certain environmental laws, a current or previous owner or operator of a contaminated site may be held liable for the entire cost of investigation, removal or remediation of hazardous materials at such property, whether or not the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of any hazardous materials. Although management believes that our operations and facilities are in material compliance with such laws and regulations, future changes in such laws, regulations or interpretations thereof or the nature of our operations or regulatory enforcement actions which may arise, may require us to make significant additional capital expenditures to ensure compliance in the future. Certain of our facilities, including facilities acquired and operated by us or one of our subsidiaries, have at one time or another been under active investigation for environmental contamination by federal or state agencies when acquired and, at least in some cases, continue to be under investigation or subject to remediation for potential or identified environmental contamination. Lawsuits, claims and costs involving environmental matters are likely to continue to arise in the future. Individual facilities of ours have also been subject to investigation on occasion for possible past waste disposal practices which might have contributed to contamination at or from remote third-party waste disposal sites. In some instances, we are indemnified by prior owners or operators and/or present owners of the facilities for liabilities which we incur as a result of these investigations and the environmental contamination found which pre-dates our acquisition of these facilities, subject to certain limitations, including but not limited to specified exclusions, deductibles and limitations on the survival period of the indemnity. We also maintain a pollution liability policy that provides coverage, subject to specified limitations, for specified material liabilities associated with the clean-up of certain on-site pollution conditions, as well as defense and indemnity for certain third-party suits (including Superfund liabilities at third-party sites), in each case, to the extent not otherwise indemnified. However, if we are required to

pay the expenses related to environmental liabilities because neither indemnification nor insurance coverage is available, these expenses could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

We are currently involved in intellectual property litigation, which could have a material and adverse impact on our profitability, and we could become so involved again in the future.

We and other companies in our industry possess certain proprietary rights relating to designs, engineering, manufacturing processes and repair and overhaul procedures. In the event that we believe that a third party is infringing upon our proprietary rights, we may bring an action to enforce such rights. In addition, third parties may claim infringement by us with respect to their proprietary rights and may initiate legal proceedings against us in the future. The expense and time of bringing an action to enforce such rights or defending against infringement claims can be significant. Intellectual property litigation involves complex legal and factual questions which makes the outcome of any such proceedings subject to considerable uncertainty. Not only can such litigation divert management's attention, but it can also expose the Company to damages and potential injunctive relief which, if granted, may preclude the Company from making, using or selling particular products or technology. The expense and time associated with such litigation may have a material and adverse impact on our profitability.

We do not own certain intellectual property and tooling that is important to our business.

In our overhaul and repair businesses, OEMs of equipment that we maintain for our customers include language in repair manuals relating to their equipment asserting broad claims of proprietary rights to the contents of the manuals used in our operations. Although we believe that our use of manufacture and repair manuals is lawful, there can be no assurance that OEMs will not try to enforce such claims, including through the possible use of legal proceedings, or that any such actions will be unsuccessful.

Our business also depends on using certain intellectual property and tooling that we have rights to use pursuant to license grants under our contracts with our OEM customers. These contracts contain restrictions on our use of the intellectual property and tooling and may be terminated if we violate certain of these restrictions. Our loss of a contract with an OEM customer and the related license rights to use an OEM's intellectual property or tooling would materially adversely affect our business.

Any significant disruption from key suppliers of raw materials and key components could delay production and decrease revenue.

We are highly dependent on the availability of essential raw materials such as carbon fiber, aluminum and titanium, and purchased engineered component parts from our suppliers, many of which are available only from single customer-approved sources. Moreover, we are dependent upon the ability of our suppliers to provide raw materials and components that meet our specifications, quality standards and delivery schedules. Our suppliers' failure to provide expected raw materials or component parts could require us to identify and enter into contracts with alternate suppliers that are acceptable to both us and our customers, which could result in significant delays, expenses, increased costs and management distraction and adversely affect production schedules and contract profitability.

We have from time to time experienced limited interruptions of supply, and we may experience a significant interruption in the future. Our continued supply of raw materials and component parts are subject to a number of risks including:

In addition, some contracts with our suppliers for raw materials, component parts and other goods are short-term contracts, which are subject to termination on a relatively short-term basis. The prices of our raw materials and component parts fluctuate depending on market conditions, and substantial increases in prices could increase our operating costs, which, as a result of our fixed-price contracts, we may not be able to recoup through increases in the prices of our products.

Due to economic difficulty, we may face pressure to renegotiate agreements resulting in lower margins. Our suppliers may discontinue provision of products to us at attractive prices or at all, and we may not be able to obtain such products in the future from these or other providers on the scale and within the time periods we require. Furthermore, substitute raw materials or component parts may not meet the strict specifications and quality standards we and our customers demand, or that the U.S. Government requires. If we are not able to obtain key products on a timely basis and at an affordable cost, or we experience significant delays or interruptions of their supply, revenues from sales of products that use these supplies will decrease.

Our operations depend on our manufacturing facilities, which are subject to physical and other risks that could disrupt production.

Our manufacturing facilities could be damaged or disrupted by a natural disaster, war, or terrorist activity. We maintain property damage and business interruption insurance at the levels typical in our industry, however, a major catastrophe, such as an earthquake, hurricane, fire, flood, tornado or other natural disaster at any of our sites, or war or terrorist activities in any of the areas where we conduct operations could result in a prolonged interruption of our business. Any disruption resulting from these events could cause significant delays in shipments of products and the loss of sales and customers and we may not have insurance to adequately compensate us for any of these events.

If we are unable to protect our information technology infrastructure against service interruptions, data corruption, cyber-based attacks or network security breaches, our operations could be disrupted.

We rely on information technology networks and systems to manage and support a variety of business activities, including procurement and supply chain, engineering support, and manufacturing. Our information technology systems, some of which are managed by third-parties, may be susceptible to damage, disruptions or shutdown due to failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases or components thereof, power outages, hardware failures, computer viruses, attacks by computer hackers, telecommunications failures, user errors or catastrophic events. In addition, security breaches could result in unauthorized disclosures of confidential information. If our information technology systems suffer severe damage, disruption or shutdown and our business continuity plans do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, our manufacturing process could be disrupted resulting in late deliveries or even no deliveries if there is a total shutdown.

Significant consolidation by aerospace industry suppliers could adversely affect our business.

The aerospace industry has recently experienced consolidation among suppliers. Suppliers have consolidated and formed alliances to broaden their product and integrated system offerings and achieve critical mass. This supplier consolidation is in part attributable to aircraft manufacturers more frequently awarding long-term sole-source or preferred supplier contracts to the most capable suppliers, thus reducing the total number of suppliers. This consolidation could cause us to compete against certain competitors with greater financial resources, market penetration and purchasing power. When we purchase component parts and services from suppliers to manufacture our products, consolidation reduces price competition between our suppliers, which could diminish incentives for our suppliers to reduce prices. If this consolidation continues, our operating costs could increase and it may become more difficult for us to be successful in obtaining new customers.

We may be subject to work stoppages at our facilities or those of our principal customers and suppliers, which could seriously impact the profitability of our business.

Many aircraft manufacturers, airlines and aerospace suppliers have unionized workforces. Strikes, work stoppages or slowdowns experienced by aircraft manufacturers, airlines or aerospace suppliers could reduce our customers' demand for our products or prevent us from completing production. In turn, this may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Financial market conditions may adversely affect the benefit plan assets for our defined benefit plans, increase funding requirements and materially impact our statements of financial position and cash flows.

The U.S. Government is a significant customer of our largest customers, and we and they are subject to specific U.S. Government contracting rules and regulations.

As a result of the acquisition of Vought, we have become a more significant provider of aerostructures to military aircraft manufacturers. The military aircraft manufacturers' business, and by extension, our business, is affected by the U.S. Government's continued commitment to programs under contract with our customers. The terms of defense contracts with the U.S. Government generally permit the government to terminate contracts partially or completely, either for its convenience or if we default by failing to perform under the contract. Termination for convenience provisions provide only for our recovery of unrecovered costs incurred or committed, settlement expenses and profit on the work completed prior to termination. Termination for default provisions provide for the contractor to be liable for excess costs incurred by the U.S. Government in procuring undelivered items from another source. On contracts where the price is based on cost, the U.S. Government may review our costs and performance, as well as our accounting and general business practices. Based on the results of such audits, the U.S. Government may adjust our contract-related costs and fees, including allocated indirect costs. In addition, under U.S. Government purchasing regulations, some of our costs, including most financing costs, portions of research and development costs, and certain marketing expenses may not be subject to reimbursement.

We bear the potential risk that the U.S. Government may unilaterally suspend our customers or us from new contracts pending the resolution of alleged violations of procurement laws or regulations. Sales to the U.S. Government are also subject to changes in the government's procurement policies in advance of design completion. An unexpected termination of, or suspension from, a significant government contract, a reduction in expenditures by the U.S. Government for aircraft using our products, lower margins resulting from increasingly competitive procurement policies, a reduction in the volume of contracts awarded to us, or substantial cost overruns could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We are subject to the requirements of the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual for facility security clearance, which is a prerequisite for our ability to perform on classified contracts for the U.S. Government.

U.S. DoD, facility security clearance is required in order to be awarded and perform on classified contracts for the DoD and certain other agencies of the U.S. Government, which is a significant part of our business. We have obtained clearance at appropriate levels that require stringent qualifications, and we may be required to seek higher level clearances in the future. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our security clearance. If for some reason our security clearance is invalidated or terminated, we may not be able to continue to perform our present classified contracts or be able to enter into new classified contracts, which could affect our ability to compete for and capture new business.

New regulations related to conflict minerals have and will continue to force us to incur additional expenses, may make our supply chain more complex, and could adversely impact our business.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 contains provisions to improve transparency and accountability concerning the supply of certain minerals and metals, known as conflict minerals, originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo (the "DRC") and adjoining countries. As a result, in August 2012, the SEC adopted annual investigation, disclosure and reporting requirements for those companies that manufacture or contract to manufacture products that contain conflict minerals that originated from the DRC and adjoining countries. As initial disclosure requirements commence in May 2014 (with respect to 2013), we have and will continue to incur compliance costs, including costs related to determining the sources of conflict minerals used in our products and other potential changes to processes or sources of supply as a consequence of such verification activities. The implementation of these rules could adversely affect the sourcing, supply and pricing of materials used in certain of our products. As there may be only a limited number of suppliers offering "conflict

free" minerals, we cannot be sure that we will be able to obtain necessary conflict-free minerals from such suppliers in sufficient quantities or at competitive prices. Also, we may face reputational challenges if we determine that certain of our products contain minerals not determined to be conflict free.

None.

Not applicable.

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "TGI." The following table sets forth the range of high and low prices for our common stock for the periods indicated:

Dividend Policy

Repurchases of Stock

COMPARISON OF 5-YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*

* $100 invested on March 31, 2009 in stock or index, including reinvestment of dividends.

** During fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, we moved from the Russell 2000 index to the Russell 1000 index.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto contained elsewhere herein.

We are a major supplier to the aerospace industry and have three operating segments: (i) Triumph Aerostructures Group, whose companies' revenues are derived from the design, manufacture, assembly and integration of metallic and composite aerostructures and structural components for the global aerospace original equipment manufacturers, or OEM, market; (ii) Triumph Aerospace Systems Group, whose companies design, engineer and manufacture a wide range of proprietary and build-to-print components, assemblies and systems also for the OEM market; and (iii) Triumph Aftermarket Services Group, whose companies serve aircraft fleets, notably commercial airlines, the U.S. military and cargo carriers, through the maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft components and accessories manufactured by third parties.

Effective October 4, 2013, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of General Donlee. General Donlee is based in Toronto, Canada and is a leading manufacturer of precision machined products for the aerospace, nuclear and oil and gas industries. The acquired business now operates as Triumph Gear Systems-Toronto and its results are included in the Aerospace Systems Group.

Effective May 6, 2013, the Company acquired four related entities collectively comprising Primus from Precision Castparts Corp. The acquired business, which includes two manufacturing facilities in Farnborough, England and Rayong, Thailand, operates as Triumph Structures - Farnborough and Triumph Structures - Thailand and is included in the Aerostructures segement from the date of acquisition. Together, Triumph Structures - Farnborough and Triumph Structures - Thailand constitute a global supplier of composite and metallic propulsion and structural composites and assemblies. In addition to its composite operations, the Thailand operation also machines and processes metal components.

In August 2011, the Budget Control Act (the "Act") reduced the United States defense top-line budget by approximately $490 billion through 2021. The Act further reduced the defense top-line budget by an additional $500 billion through 2021 if Congress did not enact $1.2 trillion in further budget reductions by January 15, 2012. Should Congress in future years provide funding above the yearly spending limits of the Act, sequestration will automatically take effect and cancel any excess amount above the limits. The annual spending limits of the Act will remain unless and until the current law is changed.

On March 1, 2013, sequestration was implemented for the U.S. Government fiscal year 2013. The lack of agreement between Congress and the Administration to end sequestration, certain Office of Management and Budget reports and

In fiscal 2012, we began efforts to establish a new facility in Red Oak, Texas to expand our manufacturing capacity, particularly under the Bombardier Global 7000/8000 program. In fiscal 2013, we started construction on a second facility in association with our relocation from our Jefferson Street facilities. As of March 31, 2014, we have incurred approximately $86.6 million in capital expenditures and $111.9 million in inventory costs associated with the Bombardier Global 7000/8000 program, for which we have not yet begun to deliver. The move was substantially completed during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014.

As disclosed during fiscal 2014, we identified additional program costs in the current year of approximately $85.0 million, primarily related to the 747-8 program which we expected to record during fiscal 2014. These changes in program cost estimates were largely due to production rate changes, continued inefficiency, rework, high overtime levels, increased costs from suppliers and expedited delivery charges. While we have experienced improvements in performance metrics since the issues were identified, we have not yet recovered to the levels previously expected or as quickly as expected. These amounts have resulted primarily from reductions to the profitability estimates of our recent 747-8 production lots. Both the current and future production lots are expected to be profitable and not result in loss reserves.

While we are currently projecting the recurring production contracts to be profitable, there is still a substantial amount of risk similar to what we have experienced on these programs (particularly the 747-8). Particularly, our ability to manage risks related to supplier performance, execution of cost reduction strategies, hiring and retaining skilled production and management personnel, quality and manufacturing execution, program schedule delays and many other risks, will determine the ultimate performance of these programs.

The next twelve months will be a critical time for these programs as we attempt to return to baseline performance for the recurring cost structure. Recognition of forward-losses in the future periods continues to be a significant risk and will depend upon several factors including our market forecast, possible airplane program delays, our ability to successfully perform under revised design and manufacturing plans, achievement of forecasted cost reductions as we continue production and our ability to successfully resolve claims and assertions with our customers and suppliers.

Our union contract with Local 848 of the United Auto Workers with employees at our Dallas and Grand Prairie, Texas, facilities expired in October 2013. The employees are currently working without a contract. If we are unable to negotiate a new contract with that workforce, our operations may be disrupted and we may be prevented from completing production and delivery of products from those facilities, which would negatively impact our results. A contingency plan has been developed that would allow production to continue in the event of a strike.

As previously announced by Boeing in September 2013 and then subsequently revised in March 2014 to curtail production by an additional three months, the decision has been made to cease production of the C-17 during calendar year 2015. Major production related to this program is expected to cease by the end of fiscal 2015 We have received inquiries regarding proposal for spares which could extend production through the end of fiscal 2016, as we believe the United States Air Force will want to have continued contractor support for the C-17 program.

Effective March 18, 2013, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, Triumph Engine Control Systems, LLC, acquired the assets of GPECS, a leading independent aerospace fuel system supplier for the commercial, military, helicopter and business jet markets. The acquisition of GPECS provides new capabilities in a market where we did not previously participate and further diversifies our customer base in electronic engine controls, fuel metering units and main fuel pumps for both OEM and aftermarket/spares end markets. The results for Triumph Engine Control Systems, LLC are included in the Aerospace Systems Group segment from the date of acquisition.

Effective December 19, 2012, the Company acquired all of the outstanding shares of Embee, renamed Triumph Processing - Embee Division, Inc., which is a leading commercial metal finishing provider offering more than seventy metal finishing, inspecting and testing processes primarily for the aerospace industry. The acquisition of Embee expands our current capabilities to provide comprehensive processing services on precision engineered parts for hydraulics, landing gear, spare parts and electronic actuation systems. The results for Triumph Processing - Embee Division, Inc. are included in the Aerospace Systems Group segment from the date of acquisition. The acquisitions of GPECS and Embee are collectively referred to hereafter as the "fiscal 2013 acquisitions."

The following includes a discussion of our consolidated and business segment results of operations. The Company's diverse structure and customer base do not provide for precise comparisons of the impact of price and volume changes to our results. However, we have disclosed the significant variances between the respective periods.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We prepare and publicly release quarterly unaudited financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. In accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") guidance on Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations, we also disclose and discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures in our public releases. Currently, the non-GAAP financial measure that we disclose is Adjusted EBITDA, which is our income from continuing operations before interest, income taxes, amortization of acquired contract liabilities, curtailments, settlements and early retirement incentives and depreciation and amortization. We disclose Adjusted EBITDA on a consolidated and a reportable segment basis in our earnings releases, investor conference calls and filings with the SEC. The non-GAAP financial measures that we use may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Also, in the future, we may disclose different non-GAAP financial measures in order to help our investors more meaningfully evaluate and compare our future results of operations to our previously reported results of operations.

We view Adjusted EBITDA as an operating performance measure and, as such, we believe that the GAAP financial measure most directly comparable to it is income from continuing operations. In calculating Adjusted EBITDA, we exclude from income from continuing operations the financial items that we believe should be separately identified to provide additional analysis of the financial components of the day-to-day operation of our business. We have outlined below the type and scope of these exclusions and the material limitations on the use of these non-GAAP financial measures as a result of these exclusions. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as a measure of liquidity, as an alternative to net income (loss), income from continuing operations, or as an indicator of any other measure of performance derived in accordance with GAAP. Investors and potential investors in our securities should not rely on Adjusted EBITDA as a substitute for any GAAP financial measure, including net income (loss) or income from continuing operations. In addition, we urge investors and potential investors in our securities to carefully review the reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to income from continuing operations set forth below, in our earnings releases and in other filings with the SEC and to carefully review the GAAP financial information included as part of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Annual Reports on Form 10-K that are filed with the SEC, as well as our quarterly earnings releases, and compare the GAAP financial information with our Adjusted EBITDA.

Adjusted EBITDA is used by management to internally measure our operating and management performance and by investors as a supplemental financial measure to evaluate the performance of our business that, when viewed with our GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliation, we believe provides additional information that is useful to gain an understanding of the factors and trends affecting our business. We have spent more than 15 years expanding our product and service capabilities partially through acquisitions of complementary businesses. Due to the expansion of our operations, which included acquisitions, our income from continuing operations has included significant charges for depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA excludes these charges and provides meaningful information about the operating performance of our business, apart from charges for depreciation and amortization. We believe the disclosure of Adjusted EBITDA helps investors meaningfully evaluate and compare our performance from quarter to quarter and from year to year. We also believe Adjusted EBITDA is a measure of our ongoing operating performance because the isolation of non-cash charges, such as depreciation and amortization, and non-operating items, such as interest and income taxes, provides additional information about our cost structure, and, over time, helps track our operating progress. In addition, investors, securities analysts and others have regularly relied on Adjusted EBITDA to provide a financial measure by which to compare our operating performance against that of other companies in our industry.

Set forth below are descriptions of the financial items that have been excluded from our income from continuing operations to calculate Adjusted EBITDA and the material limitations associated with using this non-GAAP financial measure as compared to income from continuing operations:

Management compensates for the above-described limitations of using non-GAAP measures by using a non-GAAP measure only to supplement our GAAP results and to provide additional information that is useful to gain an understanding of the factors and trends affecting our business.

The following table shows our Adjusted EBITDA reconciled to our income from continuing operations for the indicated periods (in thousands):

   

The following tables show our Adjusted EBITDA by reportable segment reconciled to our operating income for the indicated periods (in thousands):

 

 

The fluctuations from period to period within the amounts of the components of the reconciliations above are discussed further below within Results of Operations.

In January 2014, the Company sold all of its shares of Triumph Aerospace Systems-Wichita, Inc. for total cash proceeds of $23.0 million, which resulted in no gain or loss from the sale.

In April 2013, the Company sold the assets and liabilities of Triumph Instruments-Burbank and Triumph Instruments-Ft. Lauderdale for total proceeds of $11.2 million, resulting in a loss of $1.5 million.

The Company expects to have significant continuing involvement in the businesses and markets of the disposed entities and therefore, the disposal groups did not meet the criteria to be classified as discontinued operations.

Net sales increased by $294.8 million, or 8.6%, to $3.7 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 from $3.4 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. The results for fiscal 2013 included an increase in organic sales of $272.6 million, or 8.0%, due to the expected increase in commercial production rates of various customer programs. The fiscal 2013 acquisitions contributed $22.2 million in increased net sales.

Cost of sales increased by $198.5 million, or 7.7%, to $2.8 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 from $2.6 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. This increase in cost of sales resulted from the increase in sales. Gross margin for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 was 25.4% compared with 24.7% for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. Gross margin was favorably impacted by decreased pension and other postretirement benefit expense ($14.6 million), changes in the overall sales mix, as well as the margin on nonrecurring customer settlements ($9.5 million). These favorable items were partially offset by the net unfavorable cumulative catch-up adjustments on long-term contracts discussed further below.

Segment operating income increased by $93.1 million, or 17.7%, to $618.4 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 from $525.3 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. The segment operating income increase was a direct result of the sales volume increases and contribution from the fiscal 2013 acquisitions ($5.0 million). These improvements were partially offset by net unfavorable cumulative catch-up adjustments ($14.6 million), increased legal fees ($1.5 million) and production delay and related costs due to Hurricane Sandy ($1.6 million). The unfavorable cumulative catch-up adjustments to operating income included gross favorable adjustments of $15.9 million and gross unfavorable adjustments of $30.5 million. The cumulative catch-up adjustments were principally due to provisions for technical problems on production lots on early-stage programs and revisions in our mix of various material and labor costs related to our efforts to gain efficiencies through expansion of our in-sourcing capabilities. Segment operating income for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012 included net favorable cumulative catch-up adjustments of $18.3 million.

Corporate expenses increased by $76.6 million, or 723.4% (almost entirely attributed to net curtailment increases of $74.9 million) to $87.2 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 from $10.6 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. Corporate expenses increased primarily due to pension curtailment losses and early retirement incentives ($34.5 million) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, as compared to a curtailment gain, net of special termination benefits associated with amendments made to certain defined benefit plans of $40.4 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. Corporate expenses also included $4.1 million in acquisition-related transaction costs associated with the fiscal 2013 acquisitions.

Interest expense and other decreased by $9.0 million, or 11.6%, to $68.2 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 compared to $77.1 million for the prior year. This decrease was due to lower average debt outstanding during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 due to the net decrease of the Credit Facility, along with lower interest rates. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, interest expense and other included the write-off of $7.7 million of unamortized discounts and deferred financing fees associated with the extinguishment of the Term Loan and an additional $2.5 million amortization of discount on the Convertible Notes offset by a $2.9 million favorable fair value adjustment due to the reduction of the fair value of a contingent earnout liability associated with a prior acquisition due to reductions in the projected earnings over the respective earnout periods. The discount on the Convertible Notes was fully amortized as of September 30, 2011.

The effective income tax rate was 35.8% for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 and 35.6% for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. The effective income tax rate for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 reflects the retroactive reinstatement

of the research and development tax credit back to January 2012. The income tax provision for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 included $2.2 million of tax expense due to the recapture of domestic production deductions taken in earlier years associated with a refund claim of $25.2 million filed in the second quarter. The refund claim receivable is included in "Other, net" in the consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2013. The income tax provision for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012 included $1.6 million of tax expense due to the recapture of domestic production deductions taken in prior carryback periods, offset by a $1.2 million net tax benefit related to provision to return adjustments upon filing our fiscal 2011 tax return. The effective income tax rate for fiscal 2012 was impacted by the expiration of the research and development tax credit as of December 31, 2011 and the absence of the domestic production deduction due to the Company's net operating loss position for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012.

In July 2011, the Company completed the sale of Triumph Precision Castings Co. for proceeds of $3.9 million, resulting in no gain or loss on the disposition. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, there was no gain or loss from discontinued operations.

Business Segment Performance

We report our financial performance based on the following three reportable segments: the Aerostructures Group, the Aerospace Systems Group and the Aftermarket Services Group. The Company's Chief Operating Decision Maker ("CODM") utilizes Adjusted EBITDA as a primary measure of profitability to evaluate performance of its segments and allocate resources.

The results of operations among our reportable segments vary due to differences in competitors, customers, extent of proprietary deliverables and performance. For example, our Aerostructures segment generally includes long-term sole-source or preferred supplier contracts and the success of these programs provides a strong foundation for our business and positions us well for future growth on new programs and new derivatives. This compares to our Aerospace Systems segment which generally includes proprietary products and/or arrangements where we become the primary source or one of a few primary sources to our customers, where our unique manufacturing capabilities command a higher margin. Also, OEMs are increasingly focusing on assembly activities while outsourcing more manufacturing and repair to third parties, and as a result, are less of a competitive force than in previous years. In contrast, our Aftermarket Services segment provides MRO services on components and accessories manufactured by third parties, with more diverse competition, including airlines, OEMs and other third-party service providers. In addition, variability in the timing and extent of customer requests performed in the Aftermarket Services segment can provide for greater volatility and less predictability in revenue and earnings than that experienced in the Aerostructures and Aerospace Systems segments.

The Aerostructures segment consists of the Company's operations that manufacture products primarily for the aerospace OEM market. The Aerostructures segment's revenues are derived from the design, manufacture, assembly and integration of both build-to-print and proprietary metallic and composite aerostructures and structural components, including aircraft wings, fuselage sections, tail assemblies, engine nacelles, flight control surfaces as well as helicopter cabins. Further, the segment's operations also design and manufacture composite assemblies for floor panels and environmental control system ducts. These products are sold to various aerospace OEMs on a global basis.

The Aerospace Systems segment consists of the Company's operations that also manufacture products primarily for the aerospace OEM market. The segment's operations design a wide range of proprietary and build-to-print components and engineer mechanical and electromechanical controls, such as hydraulic systems, main engine gearbox assemblies, engine control systems, accumulators, mechanical control cables, non-structural cockpit components and metal processing. These products are sold to various aerospace OEMs on a global basis.

The Aftermarket Services segment consists of the Company's operations that provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services to both commercial and military markets on components and accessories manufactured by third parties. Maintenance, repair and overhaul revenues are derived from services on auxiliary power units, airframe and engine accessories, including constant-speed drives, cabin compressors, starters and generators, and pneumatic drive units. In addition, the segment's operations repair and overhaul thrust reversers, nacelle components and flight control surfaces. The segment's operations also perform repair and overhaul services and supply spare parts for various types of gauges for a broad range of commercial airlines on a worldwide basis.

We currently generate a majority of our revenue from clients in the commercial aerospace industry, the military, the business jet industry and the regional airline industry. Our growth and financial results are largely dependent on continued demand for our products and services from clients in these industries. If any of these industries experiences a downturn, our clients in these sectors may conduct less business with us. The following table summarizes our net sales by end market by business segment. The loss of one or more of our major customers or an economic downturn in the commercial airline or the military and defense markets could have a material adverse effect on our business.