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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2012
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | NOTE 1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES NATURE OF BUSINESS We create dispensing solutions that enhance the convenience, safety and security of consumers around the globe and allow our customers to differentiate their products in the market. The Company focuses on providing value-added packaging delivery systems to a variety of global consumer product marketers in the beauty, personal care, home care, pharmaceutical, food and beverage industries. The Company has manufacturing facilities located throughout the world including North America, Europe, Asia and South America. BASIS OF PRESENTATION The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of AptarGroup, Inc. and its subsidiaries. The terms "AptarGroup" or "Company" as used herein refer to AptarGroup, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. Certain previously reported amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. AptarGroup's organizational structure consists of three market-focused lines of business which are Beauty + Home, Pharma and Food + Beverage. This is a strategic structure which allows us to be more closely aligned with our customers and the markets in which they operate. On November 1, 2012, the Company initiated our European Operations Optimization ("EOO") plan (see Note 19 Restructuring Initiatives for further details). During the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company recognized approximately $4.9 million of expense related to the plan, of which $1.6 million was accelerated depreciation. For presentation purposes, the accelerated depreciation related to this plan is reported in Depreciation and Amortization within the Consolidated Statements of Income. ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES The financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). This process requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. CASH MANAGEMENT The Company considers all investments which are readily convertible to known amounts of cash with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. INVENTORIES Inventories are stated at cost, which is lower than market. Costs included in inventories are raw materials, direct labor and manufacturing overhead. The costs of certain domestic and foreign inventories are determined by using the last-in, first-out ("LIFO") method, while the remaining inventories are valued using the first-in, first-out ("FIFO") method. INVESTMENTS IN AFFILIATED COMPANIES The Company accounts for its investments in 20% to 50% owned affiliated companies using the equity method. There were no dividends received from affiliated companies in 2012, 2011 and 2010. PROPERTY AND DEPRECIATION Properties are stated at cost. Depreciation is determined on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives for financial reporting purposes and accelerated methods for income tax reporting. Generally, the estimated useful lives are 25 to 40 years for buildings and improvements, 3 to 10 years for machinery and equipment, and 3 to 7 years for software. FINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS Finite-lived intangibles, consisting of patents, non-compete agreements and license agreements acquired in purchase transactions, are capitalized and amortized over their useful lives which range from 3 to 20 years. GOODWILL AND INDEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS Management believes the excess purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired ("Goodwill") in purchase transactions has continuing value. Goodwill must be tested annually, or more frequently as circumstances dictate, for impairment. Management has performed an analysis of the fair values of its reporting units at December 31, 2012. The fair values of the reporting units exceeded the carrying values in 2012, 2011 and 2010 and, therefore, no impairment of goodwill was recorded in the three years. IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS Long-lived assets, such as property, plant and equipment and finite-lived intangibles, are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset plus net proceeds expected from disposition of the asset (if any) are less than the carrying value of the asset. When impairment is identified, the carrying amount of the asset is reduced to its fair value. There were no such triggering events identified during 2012. DERIVATIVES INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES Derivative financial instruments are recorded in the consolidated balance sheets at fair value as either assets or liabilities. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recorded in each period in earnings or accumulated other comprehensive income, depending on whether a derivative is designated and effective as part of a hedge transaction. RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES Research and development costs, net of any customer funded research and development or government research and development credits, are expensed as incurred. These costs amounted to $65.4 million, $67.0 million and $51.4 million in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. INCOME TAXES The Company computes taxes on income in accordance with the tax rules and regulations of the many taxing authorities where the income is earned. The income tax rates imposed by these taxing authorities may vary substantially. Taxable income may differ from pretax income for financial accounting purposes. To the extent that these differences create differences between the tax basis of an asset or liability and its reported amount in the financial statements, an appropriate provision for deferred income taxes is made. In its determination of which foreign earnings are permanently reinvested in foreign operations, the Company considers numerous factors, including the financial requirements of the U.S. parent company and those of its foreign subsidiaries, the U.S. funding needs for dividend payments and stock repurchases, and the tax consequences of remitting earnings to the U.S. From this analysis, current year repatriation decisions are made in an attempt to provide a proper mix of debt and shareholder capital both within the U.S. and for non-U.S. operations. The Company's policy is to permanently reinvest its accumulated foreign earnings and only will make a distribution out of current year earnings to meet the cash needs at the parent company. As such, the Company does not provide taxes on earnings that are deemed to be permanently reinvested. The Company provides a liability for the amount of tax benefits realized from uncertain tax positions. This liability is provided whenever the Company determines that a tax benefit will not meet a more-likely-than-not threshold for recognition. See Note 5 for more information. TRANSLATION OF FOREIGN CURRENCIES The functional currencies of all the Company's foreign operations are the local currencies. Assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange on the balance sheet date. Sales and expenses are translated at the average rates of exchange prevailing during the year. The related translation adjustments are accumulated in a separate section of Stockholders' Equity. Realized and unrealized foreign currency transaction gains and losses are reflected in income, as a component of miscellaneous income and expense, and represented a gain of $1.6 million in 2012, a loss of $1.5 million in 2011, and a loss of $0.6 million in 2010. STOCK BASED COMPENSATION Accounting standards require the application of the non-substantive vesting approach which means that an award is fully vested when the employee's retention of the award is no longer contingent on providing subsequent service. Under this approach, compensation costs are recognized over the requisite service period of the award instead of ratably over the vesting period stated in the grant. As such, costs are recognized immediately if the employee is retirement eligible on the date of grant or over the period from the date of grant until retirement eligibility if retirement eligibility is reached before the end of the vesting period stated in the grant. See Note 13 for more information. REVENUE RECOGNITION Product Sales. The Company's policy is to recognize revenue from product sales when the title and risk of loss has transferred to the customer, when the Company has no remaining obligations regarding the transaction and when collection is reasonably assured. The majority of the Company's products shipped from the U.S. transfers title and risk of loss when the goods leave the Company's shipping location. The majority of the Company's products shipped from non-U.S. operations transfer title and risk of loss when the goods reach their destination. Tooling revenue is also recognized when the title and risk of loss transfers to the customer. Services and Other. The Company occasionally invoices customers for certain services. The Company also receives revenue from other sources such as license or royalty agreements. Revenue is recognized when services are rendered or rights to use assets can be reliably measured and when collection is reasonably assured. Service and other revenue is not material to the Company's results of operations for any of the years presented. ADOPTION OF RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS In May 2011, the FASB amended the guidance on fair value measurement and disclosure requirements. The amended guidance results in a consistent definition of fair value and common requirements for measurement of and disclosure about fair value between GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). The adoption of this standard in 2012 had no impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements other than disclosure. In June 2011, the FASB amended the guidance for the presentation of comprehensive income. The objective of this update is to improve the comparability, consistency, and transparency of financial reporting by increasing the prominence of items reported in other comprehensive income. This update requires that all non-owner changes in stockholders' equity be presented in either a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. The adoption of this standard resulted in the presentation of a new statement of comprehensive income. The Company adopted the new guidance beginning January 2012. Other accounting standards that have been issued by the FASB or other standards-setting bodies that do not require adoption until a future date are not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the general note to the financial statements for the reporting entity which may include, descriptions of the basis of presentation, business description, significant accounting policies, consolidations, reclassifications, new pronouncements not yet adopted and changes in accounting principles. + References No definition available. + Details
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