Item 1. BUSINESS

GENERAL

Pentair plc is a focused diversified industrial manufacturing company comprising four reporting segments: Valves & Controls, Flow & Filtration Solutions, Water Quality Systems and Technical Solutions. Valves & Controls designs, manufactures, markets and services valves, fittings, automation and controls and actuators. Flow & Filtration Solutions designs, manufactures, markets and services solutions for the toughest filtration, separation, flow and fluid management challenges in agriculture, food and beverage processing, water supply and disposal and a variety of industrial applications. Water Quality Systems designs, manufactures, markets and services innovative water system products and solutions to meet filtration and fluid management challenges in food and beverage, water, swimming pools and aquaculture applications. Technical Solutions designs, manufactures, markets and services products that guard and protect some of the world’s most sensitive electrical and electronic equipment, as well as heat management solutions designed to provide thermal protection to temperature sensitive fluid applications and engineered electrical and fastening products for electrical, mechanical and civil applications.

Pentair strategy

Our strategy is to drive sustainable, profitable growth and return on invested capital improvements through:

•	building operational excellence through the Pentair Integrated Management System ("PIMS") consisting of lean enterprise, growth and talent management;

•	driving long-term growth in sales, operating income and cash flows, through growth and productivity initiatives along with acquisitions;

•	developing new products and enhancing existing products;

•	penetrating attractive growth markets, particularly outside of the United States;

•	expanding multi-channel distribution; and

•	proactively managing our business portfolio for optimal value creation, including consideration of new business platforms.

Unless the context otherwise indicates, references herein to "Pentair," the "Company," and such words as "we," "us," and "our" include Pentair plc and its consolidated subsidiaries. We are an Irish corporation limited by shares that was formed in 2014. We are the successor to Pentair Ltd., a Swiss corporation formed in 2012, and Pentair, Inc., a Minnesota corporation formed in 1966 and our wholly-owned subsidiary, under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act").

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT

In December 2013, the Company's Board of Directors approved changing the Company's jurisdiction of organization from Switzerland to Ireland. At an extraordinary meeting of shareholders on May 20, 2014, Pentair Ltd. shareholders voted in favor of a reorganization proposal pursuant to which Pentair Ltd. would merge into Pentair plc and all Pentair Ltd. common shares would be cancelled and all holders of such shares would receive ordinary shares of Pentair plc on a one-to-one basis. The reorganization transaction was completed on June 3, 2014, at which time Pentair plc replaced Pentair Ltd. as the ultimate parent company (the "Redomicile"). Shares of Pentair plc began trading on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") on June 3, 2014 under the symbol "PNR," the same symbol under which Pentair Ltd. shares were previously traded.

Although our jurisdiction of organization is Ireland, we manage our affairs so that we are centrally managed and controlled in the United Kingdom (the "U.K.") and therefore have our tax residency in the U.K.

Our former parent company, Pentair Ltd., took its form on September 28, 2012 as a result of a reverse acquisition (the "Merger") involving Pentair, Inc. and an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Flow Control (defined below), with Pentair, Inc. surviving as an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of ours. "Flow Control" refers to Pentair Ltd. prior to the Merger. Prior to the Merger, Tyco International Ltd. ("Tyco") engaged in an internal restructuring whereby it transferred to Flow Control certain assets related to the flow control business of Tyco, and Flow Control assumed from Tyco certain liabilities related to the flow control business of Tyco. On September 28, 2012 prior to the Merger, Tyco effected a spin-off of Flow Control through the pro-rata distribution of 100% of the outstanding ordinary shares of Flow Control to Tyco’s shareholders (the "Distribution"), resulting in the distribution of approximately 110.9 million of our ordinary shares to Tyco’s shareholders. The Merger was accounted for as a reverse acquisition under the purchase method of accounting with Pentair, Inc. treated as the acquirer.

On September 18, 2015, we acquired, as part of Technical Solutions, all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of ERICO Global Company ("ERICO") for approximately $1.8 billion (the "ERICO Acquisition"). ERICO is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of engineered electrical and fastening products for electrical, mechanical and civil applications. ERICO has employees in 30 countries across the world with recognized brands including CADDY fixing, fastening and support products; ERICO electrical grounding, bonding and connectivity products and LENTON engineered systems.

Our registered principal office is located at P.O. Box 471, Sharp Street, Walkden, Manchester, M28 8BU United Kingdom. Our management office in the United States ("U.S.") is located at 5500 Wayzata Boulevard, Suite 600, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

BUSINESS AND PRODUCTS

Reporting segment and geographical financial information is contained in ITEM 8, Note 16 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in this Form 10-K. The following is a brief description of each of the Company’s reportable segments and business activities.

VALVES & CONTROLS

The Valves & Controls segment designs, manufactures, markets and services valves, fittings, automation and controls and actuators for the energy and industrial verticals.

Valve products include a broad range of industrial valves, including on-off valves, safety relief valves and other specialty valves. Actuation products include pneumatic, hydraulic and electric actuators. Control products include limit switches, valve positioners, network systems and accessories.

Valves & Controls products are used in many applications including oil and gas, power, chemical and pharmaceutical, mining, marine and food and beverage. Valves & Controls also provides engineering, design, inspection, maintenance and repair services for its valves and related products. The product line is sold under many trade names, including Anderson Greenwood, Biffi, Crosby, Keystone and Vanessa, globally via its internal sales force and in some cases through independent distributors.

Customers

Valves & Controls customers include businesses engaged in a wide range of applications within the energy and industrial verticals. Customers include end-users as well as engineering, procurement and construction companies, contractors, original equipment manufacturers and distributors.

Seasonality

Valves & Controls is not significantly affected by seasonal demand fluctuations.

Competition

The flow control industry is highly fragmented, consisting of many local and regional companies and a few global competitors. We compete against a number of international, national and local manufacturers of industrial valves, as well as against specialized manufacturers on the basis of product capability, product quality, breadth of product line, delivery, service capability and price. Our major competitors vary by region and by industry.

FLOW & FILTRATION SOLUTIONS

The Flow & Filtration Solutions segment designs, manufactures, markets and services solutions for the toughest filtration, separation, flow and fluid management challenges in agriculture, food and beverage processing, water supply and disposal and a variety of industrial applications.

Flow & Filtration Solutions is involved in the entire fluid management system, from advanced filtration, desalination and water supply to water disposal, process and control. From product selection to installation, maintenance and servicing, Flow & Filtration Solutions supports a broad range of products and services specifically tailored to address customers' needs for reliable and efficient movement and control of fluids. Solutions include light duty diaphragm pumps and pressure boosters, high-flow turbine pumps and solid handling pumps, as well as advanced filtration, oil & gas separation, membrane technology, energy recovery and quality control and instrumentation.

Applications for Flow and Filtration Solutions’ products include precision agriculture, water supply and disposal, fire applications and food and beverage processing. Brand names for Flow & Filtration Solutions products include Aurora, Berkeley, Fairbanks-Nijhuis, Haffmans, Hydromatic, Hypro, Sta-Rite, Südmo and X-Flow.

Customers

Flow & Filtration Solutions customers include businesses engaged in wholesale distribution and retail across the residential, commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and food and beverage verticals. Customers also include end-users as well as engineering procurement contractors, original equipment manufacturers and residential retail consumers.

Seasonality

We experience demand for residential water supply products, infrastructure and agricultural products following warm weather trends, which are at seasonal highs from April to August. The magnitude of the sales increase is partially mitigated by employing some advance sale "early buy" programs (generally including extended payment terms and/or additional discounts). Seasonal effects may vary from year to year and are impacted by weather patterns, particularly by temperatures, heavy flooding and droughts.

Competition

Flow & Filtration Solutions faces numerous domestic and international competitors, some of which have substantially greater resources directed to the verticals in which we compete. Competition in Flow & Filtration Solutions focuses on brand names, product performance (including energy-efficient offerings and required specifications), quality, service and price. We compete by offering a wide variety of innovative and high-quality products, which are competitively priced.

WATER QUALITY SYSTEMS

The Water Quality Systems segment designs, manufactures, markets and services innovative water system products and solutions to meet filtration and fluid management challenges in food and beverage, water, swimming pools and aquaculture applications.

Water Quality Systems offers a comprehensive product suite that includes a full range of recreational water treatment equipment including energy-efficient pumps, point-of-entry / point-of-use filtration for residential and commercial applications including foodservice, valves, UV sanitization and automation controls. We offer design and consulting services and our advanced water technologies are used across a wide number of industries including industrial, residential, commercial, municipal, foodservice, aquaculture, aquaponics, aquatic life support systems, irrigation and flood control, wastewater and more. Our equipment and solutions are found in swimming pools and spas, aquaculture farms, laboratories, water purification and sanitation systems, foodservice operations, and in other applications across the globe.

Brand names for Water Quality Systems include Everpure, Pentair and Sta-Rite.

Customers

Water Quality Systems customers include businesses engaged in wholesale and retail distribution in the residential & commercial, food & beverage and infrastructure verticals. Customers in the residential & commercial vertical also include end-users and consumers.

Seasonality

We experience seasonal demand with several end customers and end-users within Water Quality Systems. End-user demand for pool equipment follows warm weather trends and is at seasonal highs from April to August. The magnitude of the sales increase is partially mitigated by employing some advance sale "early buy" programs (generally including extended payment terms and/or additional discounts).

Competition

Water Quality Systems faces numerous domestic and international competitors, some of which have substantially greater resources directed to the verticals in which we compete. Competition focuses on brand names, product performance (including energy-efficient offerings), quality and price. We compete by offering a wide variety of innovative and high-quality products, which are competitively priced. We believe our distribution channels and reputation for quality also provide us a competitive advantage.

TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS

The Technical Solutions segment designs, manufactures, markets and services products that guard and protect some of the world’s most sensitive electrical and electronic equipment, as well as heat management solutions designed to provide thermal protection to temperature sensitive fluid applications and engineered electrical and fastening products for electrical, mechanical and civil applications.

Technical Solutions products include mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum and non-metallic enclosures, cabinets, cases, subracks, backplanes, engineered fastening solutions across a wide range of industries and verticals and thermal management systems including heat tracing, floor heating, fire-rated and specialty wiring, sensing, and snow melting and de-icing solutions for industrial, commercial and residential use.

The portfolio of products serves a range of industries, including use in industrial, energy, residential & commercial and infrastructure verticals. Brand names for Technical Solutions offerings include CADDY, ERICO, Hoffman, LENTON, Raychem, Schroff and Tracer. Technical Solutions products are highly engineered and are sold largely through independent distributors and on a project basis, via a network of sales and service professionals.

Customers

Technical Solutions customers include electrical distributors, data center contractors, original equipment manufacturers, contractors mainly of greenfield developments and maintenance contractors. Technical Solutions has a global installed base of customers.

Seasonality

Technical Solutions generally experiences increased demand for thermal protection products and services during the fall and winter months in the Northern Hemisphere and increased demand for electrical fastening products during the spring and summer months in the Northern Hemisphere.

Competition

Within Technical Solutions, the equipment protection business faces significant competition in the verticals it serves, particularly within the communications industry, where product design, prototyping, global supply, price competition and customer service are significant factors. The industries and verticals served by the thermal management business are highly fragmented, comprising local markets and niches.

INFORMATION REGARDING ALL REPORTABLE SEGMENTS

Backlog of orders by segment

	December 31
In millions	2015			2014			$ change			% change
Valves & Controls	$	1,127.6		$	1,233.7		$	(106.1	)	(8.6	)%
Flow & Filtration Solutions	289.6			361.2			(71.6		)	(19.8	)
Water Quality Systems	141.4			121.0			20.4			16.9
Technical Solutions	319.0			281.0			38.0			13.5
Total	$	1,877.6		$	1,996.9		$	(119.3	)	(6.0	)%

Backlog from Valves & Controls consists of business in the energy and industrial verticals. Generally, backlog from Valves & Controls has a longer manufacturing cycle and products typically ship within six to twelve months of the date on which a customer places an order. Backlog from Flow & Filtration Solutions, Water Quality Systems and Technical Solutions typically has a shorter manufacturing cycle and products generally ship within 90 days of the date on which a customer places an order. A substantial portion of our revenues, however, result from orders received and product delivered in the same month. We record as part of our backlog all orders from external customers, which represent firm commitments, and are supported by a purchase order or other legitimate contract. We expect the majority of our backlog from all segments at December 31, 2015 will be filled in 2016.

Research and development

We conduct research and development activities primarily in our own facilities. These efforts consist primarily of the development of new products, product applications and manufacturing processes. Research and development expenditures during 2015, 2014 and 2013 were $119.6 million, $117.3 million and $122.8 million, respectively.

Environmental

Environmental matters are discussed in ITEM 3, ITEM 7 and ITEM 8, Note 17 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in this Form 10-K.

Raw materials

The principal materials we use in manufacturing our products are electric motors, mild steel, stainless steel, electronic components, plastics (resins, fiberglass, epoxies), copper and paint (powder and liquid). In addition to the purchase of raw materials, we purchase some finished goods for distribution through our sales channels.

We purchase the materials we use in various manufacturing processes on the open market and the majority is available through multiple sources which are in adequate supply. We have not experienced any significant work stoppages to date due to shortages of materials. We have certain long-term commitments, principally price commitments, for the purchase of various component parts and raw materials and believe that it is unlikely that any of these agreements would be terminated prematurely. Alternate sources of supply at competitive prices are available for most materials for which long-term commitments exist and we believe that the termination of any of these commitments would not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Certain commodities, such as metals and resin, are subject to market and duty-driven price fluctuations. We manage these fluctuations through several mechanisms, including long-term agreements with price adjustment clauses for significant commodity market movements in certain circumstances. Prices for raw materials, such as metals and resins, may trend higher in the future.

Intellectual property

Patents, non-compete agreements, proprietary technologies, customer relationships, trademarks, trade names and brand names are important to our business. However, we do not regard our business as being materially dependent upon any single patent, non-compete agreement, proprietary technology, customer relationship, trademark, trade name or brand name.

Patents, patent applications and license agreements will expire or terminate over time by operation of law, in accordance with their terms or otherwise. We do not expect the termination of patents, patent applications or license agreements to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Employees

As of December 31, 2015, we employed 27,600 people worldwide, of which 9,600 were in the U.S. and 10,200 were covered by collective bargaining agreements or works councils. We believe that our relations with the labor unions have generally been good.

Captive insurance subsidiary

We insure certain general and product liability, property, workers’ compensation and automobile liability risks through our regulated wholly-owned captive insurance subsidiary, Penwald Insurance Company ("Penwald"). Reserves for policy claims are established based on actuarial projections of ultimate losses. Accruals with respect to liabilities insured by third parties, such as liabilities arising from acquired businesses, pre-Penwald liabilities and those of certain non-U.S. operations are established.

Matters pertaining to Penwald are discussed in ITEM 3 and ITEM 8, Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – Insurance subsidiary, included in this Form 10-K.

Available information

We make available free of charge (other than an investor’s own Internet access charges) through our Internet website (http://www.pentair.com) our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and if applicable, amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Reports of beneficial ownership filed by our directors and executive officers pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act are also available on our website. We are not including the information contained on our website as part of or incorporating it by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.