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Significant Accounting Policies | 12 Months Ended
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Oct. 31, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Significant Accounting Policies | Note 1 — Significant accounting policies Consolidation — The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Nordson Corporation and its majority-owned and controlled subsidiaries. Investments in affiliates and joint ventures in which our ownership is 50 percent or less or in which we do not have control but have the ability to exercise significant influence, are accounted for under the equity method. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Use of estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and notes. Actual amounts could differ from these estimates. Fiscal year — Our fiscal year is November 1 through October 31. Revenue recognition — Most of our revenues are recognized upon shipment, provided that persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the sales price is fixed or determinable, collectibility is reasonably assured, and title and risk of loss have passed to the customer. Certain arrangements may include installation, installation supervision, training, and spare parts, which tend to be completed in a short period of time, at an insignificant cost, and utilizing skills not unique to us, therefore, are typically regarded as inconsequential or perfunctory. Revenue for undelivered items is deferred and included within accrued liabilities in the accompanying balance sheet. Revenues deferred in 2016, 2015 and 2014 were not material. Shipping and handling costs — Amounts billed to customers for shipping and handling are recorded as revenue. Shipping and handling expenses are included in cost of sales. Advertising costs — Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and were $11,095, $11,943 and $10,823 in 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Research and development — Research and development costs are expensed as incurred and were $46,247, $46,689 and $47,536 in 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Earnings per share — Basic earnings per share are computed based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during each year, while diluted earnings per share are based on the weighted-average number of common shares and common share equivalents outstanding. Common share equivalents consist of shares issuable upon exercise of stock options computed using the treasury stock method, as well as restricted stock and deferred stock-based compensation. Options whose exercise price is higher than the average market price are excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share because the effect would be anti-dilutive. Options for 396, 373 and 69 common shares were excluded from the diluted earnings per share calculation in 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively, because their effect would have been anti-dilutive. Under the 2012 Stock Incentive and Award Plan, executive officers and selected other key employees receive common share awards based on corporate performance measures over three-year performance periods. Awards for which performance measures have not been met were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share. Cash and cash equivalents — Highly liquid instruments with maturities of 90 days or less at date of purchase are considered to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents are carried at cost, which approximates fair value. Allowance for doubtful accounts — An allowance for doubtful accounts is maintained for estimated losses resulting from the inability of customers to make required payments. The amount of the allowance is determined principally on the basis of past collection experience and known factors regarding specific customers. Accounts are written off against the allowance when it becomes evident that collection will not occur. Inventories — Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market. Cost was determined using the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method for 20 percent of consolidated inventories at October 31, 2016 and 2015. The first-in, first-out (FIFO) method is used for all other inventories. Consolidated inventories would have been $7,400 and $7,638 higher than reported at October 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively, had the FIFO method, which approximates current cost, been used for valuation of all inventories. Property, plant and equipment and depreciation — Property, plant and equipment are carried at cost. Additions and improvements that extend the lives of assets are capitalized, while expenditures for repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Plant and equipment are depreciated for financial reporting purposes using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets or, in the case of property under capital leases, over the terms of the leases. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the lease term or their useful lives. Useful lives are as follows:
Land improvements | 15-25 years
Buildings | 20-40 years
Machinery and equipment | 3-18 years
Enterprise management systems | 5-13 years
Depreciation expense is included in cost of sales and selling and administrative expenses. Internal use software costs are expensed or capitalized depending on whether they are incurred in the preliminary project stage, application development stage or the post-implementation stage. Amounts capitalized are amortized over the estimated useful lives of the software beginning with the project’s completion. All re-engineering costs are expensed as incurred. Interest costs on significant capital projects are capitalized. No interest was capitalized in 2016, 2015 or 2014. Goodwill and intangible assets — Goodwill is the excess of cost of an acquired entity over the amounts assigned to assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination. Goodwill relates to and is assigned directly to specific reporting units. Goodwill is not amortized but is subject to annual impairment testing. Our annual impairment testing is performed as of August 1. Testing is done more frequently if an event occurs or circumstances change that would indicate the fair value of a reporting unit is less than the carrying amount of those assets. Other amortizable intangible assets, which consist primarily of patent/technology costs, customer relationships, noncompete agreements, and trade names, are amortized over their useful lives on a straight-line basis. At October 31, 2016, the weighted-average useful lives for each major category of amortizable intangible assets were:
Patent/technology costs | 13 years
Customer relationships | 14 years
Noncompete agreements | 3 years
Trade names | 16 years
Foreign currency translation — The financial statements of subsidiaries outside the United States are generally measured using the local currency as the functional currency. Assets and liabilities of these subsidiaries are translated at the rates of exchange at the balance sheet dates. Income and expense items are translated at average monthly rates of exchange. The resulting translation adjustments are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a separate component of shareholders’ equity. Generally, gains and losses from foreign currency transactions, including forward contracts, of these subsidiaries and the United States parent are included in net income. Gains and losses from intercompany foreign currency transactions of a long-term investment nature are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Accumulated other comprehensive loss — Accumulated other comprehensive loss at October 31, 2016 and 2015 consisted of:
|  | Cumulative |  |  | Pension and |  |  | Accumulated |
|  | translation |  |  | postretirement benefit |  |  | other comprehensive |
|  | adjustments |  |  | plan adjustments |  |  | loss |
Balance at October 31, 2015 |  | $ | (42,427 | ) |  | $ | (102,259 | ) |  | $ | (144,686 | )
Pension and postretirement plan changes, net of tax of $(8,416) |  |  | — |  |  |  | (14,868 | ) |  |  | (14,868 | )
Currency translation losses |  |  | (8,693 | ) |  |  | — |  |  |  | (8,693 | )
Balance at October 31, 2016 |  | $ | (51,120 | ) |  | $ | (117,127 | ) |  | $ | (168,247 | )
Warranties — We offer warranties to our customers depending on the specific product and terms of the customer purchase agreement. A typical warranty program requires that we repair or replace defective products within a specified time period (generally one year) measured from the date of delivery or first use. We record an estimate for future warranty-related costs based on actual historical return rates. Based on analysis of return rates and other factors, the adequacy of our warranty provisions are adjusted as necessary. The liability for warranty costs is included in accrued liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Following is a reconciliation of the product warranty liability for 2016 and 2015:
|  | 2016 |  |  | 2015 |
Balance at beginning of year |  | $ | 10,537 |  |  | $ | 9,918 |
Accruals for warranties |  |  | 14,487 |  |  |  | 12,531 |
Warranty assumed from acquisitions |  |  | — |  |  |  | 11 |
Warranty payments |  |  | (12,575 | ) |  |  | (11,487 | )
Currency adjustments |  |  | (679 | ) |  |  | (436 | )
Balance at end of year |  | $ | 11,770 |  |  | $ | 10,537 |

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