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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Guarantees
The Company provides indemnifications and other guarantees in the ordinary course of business, the terms of which range in duration and often are not explicitly defined. Specifically, the Company is occasionally required to provide letters of credit and bid and performance bonds to various customers, principally to act as security for retention levels related to casualty insurance policies and to guarantee the performance of subsidiaries that engage in export and domestic transactions. At December 31, 2014, the Company had outstanding performance and financial standby letters of credit, as well as outstanding bid and performance bonds, aggregating $47.2 million. If any such letters of credit or bonds are called, the Company would be obligated to reimburse the issuer of the letter of credit or bond. The Company believes the likelihood of any currently outstanding letter of credit or bond being called is remote.
The Company issues product performance warranties to customers with the sale of its products. The specific terms and conditions of these warranties vary depending upon the product sold and country in which the Company does business, with warranty periods generally ranging from one to five years. The Company estimates the costs that may be incurred under its basic limited warranty and records a liability in the amount of such costs at the time the sale of the related product is recognized. Factors that affect the Company’s warranty liability include (i) the number of units under warranty from time to time, (ii) historical and anticipated rates of warranty claims and (iii) costs per claim. The Company periodically assesses the adequacy of its recorded warranty liabilities and adjusts the amounts as necessary.
The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s warranty liabilities:
(in millions)
2014
 
2013
Balance at January 1
$
8.4

 
$
6.8

Provisions to expense
8.8

 
10.1

Actual costs incurred
(8.1
)
 
(8.5
)
Balance at December 31
$
9.1

 
$
8.4


At December 31, 2014 and 2013, an accrual of $1.3 million and $0.8 million, respectively, was recorded in our Environmental Solutions Group in connection with a specific warranty matter. The accrual recorded represents management’s best estimate of the probable liability. The Company’s estimate may change as more information becomes available; however, the costs are not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial position or cash flow.
Environmental Liabilities
Reserves of $1.3 million and $1.4 million related to the environmental remediation of the Pearland, Texas facility are included in liabilities of discontinued operations on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The facility was previously used by the Company’s discontinued Pauluhn business and manufactured marine, offshore and industrial lighting products. The Company sold the facility in May 2012 and while the Company has not finalized its plans, it is probable that the site will require remediation. The recorded reserves are based on an undiscounted estimate of the range of costs to remediate the site, depending upon the remediation approach and other factors. The Company’s estimate may change in the near term as more information becomes available; however, the costs are not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial position or cash flow.