ITT (NYSE:ITT) CEO and President Luca Savi outlined the company’s growth priorities, market conditions and integration plans for SPX FLOW during an investor discussion hosted by D.A. Davidson Senior Research Analyst Matt Summerville.
Savi described ITT as a diversified engineering company that designs and manufactures components for demanding applications across rail, automotive, aerospace and defense, oil and gas, energy transition, chemical processing, mining and general industrial markets. Following the SPX FLOW acquisition, ITT’s revenue exceeds $5 billion, he said.
Flow Technologies Sees Mixed Regional Demand
Savi said market conditions have begun to improve in certain Flow Technologies end markets. Chemical-market trends have turned more positive in North America over the past two quarters, though European chemicals remain weak, he said.
In oil and gas, ITT’s Middle East revenue grew substantially in the first six to nine months of the year as the company fulfilled a strong backlog built through prior order wins. However, Savi said orders in the region have shifted to the right, creating a near-term headwind. Saudi Aramco has begun placing orders with engineering, procurement and construction firms, including for the Jafurah 4 project, and ITT is negotiating pump orders with an EPC contractor, he said.
Savi also cited demand opportunities in North America, Latin America and Venezuela. ITT’s Bornemann Pumps business has a large installed base in Venezuela, where the company has retained employees despite years of limited activity. He said ITT has received orders since October 2025 from Chevron, PDVSA and other permitted participants for refurbishment and spare-parts work.
Svanehøj, ITT’s cryogenic marine-pump business acquired in January 2024, recorded 30% growth and a 1.3 book-to-bill ratio, Savi said. He attributed its performance to both favorable market conditions and market-share gains.
While Savi called Flow Technologies’ 21% second-quarter organic growth “exceptional,” he said the company expects continued year-over-year growth at a lower level. ITT expects 2026 growth to be supported by a book-to-bill ratio above one and year-end backlog higher than at the end of December 2025.
SPX FLOW Integration Ahead on Cost Synergies
SPX FLOW has posted high-single-digit revenue and order growth year to date, with book-to-bill above one, according to Savi. He said this performance reflects backlog and commercial opportunities already present in the acquired business rather than changes made by ITT.
Savi said nutrition and health, which represents about 50% to 60% of SPX FLOW, could support future growth as customers including Danone, Nestlé and Unilever increase capital expenditures over the next four to five years. He also pointed to investment in protein and medical-food applications.
ITT expects to exceed its target of $80 million in run-rate cost synergies by the end of the third year following the acquisition, Savi said. The company is ahead of plan in the first year due primarily to general and administrative savings. Purchasing synergies are expected to contribute more in years two and three, while footprint-related synergies account for about 10% of the $80 million target.
Commercial synergies have begun to emerge. Savi said Waukesha Cherry-Burrell, SPX FLOW’s hygienic-pump business, has sold nearly $500,000 of ITT twin-screw pumps in North America and has quoted roughly $4 million to $5 million of potential orders. ITT is also pursuing localized assembly initiatives for SPX FLOW products in Latin America, the Middle East and China.
Motion, Aerospace and Defense Trends
Within Motion Technologies, Savi said ITT expects to continue outgrowing global automotive production through 2027 and 2028. He credited the friction business’s execution, quality performance and research and development investments. The company spends more than 5% of Motion Technologies revenue on R&D, he said.
Electric and hybrid vehicles require larger brake pads because of their greater weight, increasing dollar content per vehicle, according to Savi. Higher-performance vehicles also carry higher-value brake-pad content, though at lower volume.
In rail, Savi cited the long life of rail platforms, aftermarket exposure and favorable demand in Europe, Asia and China. He said ITT is currently the only company certified for a high-speed train designed to operate at 450 kilometers per hour, though he expects another supplier to be qualified eventually.
Commercial aerospace growth is being driven principally by Boeing production increases, Savi said. ITT renegotiated a fixed-price Boeing contract that had been signed in 2014, with price increases effective Jan. 1, 2026. He said the changes returned affected components to profitability and are intended to cover inflation for the next three to four years.
Defense demand has also strengthened, with second-quarter revenue up 16% and orders up nearly 60%, Savi said. ITT supplies connectors, cable assemblies and controls across aircraft, submarines, naval applications, vehicles, soldier modernization and missile platforms. In kSARIA, ITT retained and doubled its content on the next F-35 production round after winning business from a competitor, according to Savi.
Investment and CFO Search
Savi said ITT prioritizes organic investment because it produces the highest returns, noting Motion Technologies’ return on invested capital is above 35%. Current investments include added capacity and machines for Custom Controls Technologies, product development at SPX FLOW and a larger North American distribution center to support faster delivery.
He also said ITT expects to appoint a new chief financial officer by the end of the year. The company is seeking an operational finance leader who can work closely with businesses and fit ITT’s decentralized, high-performance culture.
About ITT (NYSE:ITT)
ITT Inc is a diversified industrial manufacturer that develops and produces highly engineered components and systems for transportation, energy, industrial, aerospace and defense, and other specialized markets. The company serves original equipment manufacturers, distributors and aftermarket customers through a portfolio of mission-critical products designed to support safety, efficiency and reliability.
ITT operates through three primary business segments. Motion Technologies supplies brake pads, friction materials, shock absorbers, dampers and related components for automotive and rail applications.
