10. Derivatives

The Company uses derivative instruments primarily to reduce its exposure to changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates. When the Company enters into a derivative contract, the Company makes a determination as to whether the transaction is deemed to be a hedge for accounting purposes. For a contract deemed to be a hedge, the Company formally documents the relationship between the derivative instrument and the risk being hedged. In this documentation, the Company specifically identifies the asset, liability, forecasted transaction, cash flow, or net investment that has been designated as the hedged item, and evaluates whether the derivative instrument is expected to reduce the risks associated with the hedged item. To the extent these criteria are not met, the Company does not use hedge accounting for the derivative. The changes in the fair value of a derivative not deemed to be a hedge are recorded currently in earnings. The Company does not hold or engage in transactions involving derivative instruments for purposes other than risk management.

ASC 815, "Derivatives and Hedging," requires that all derivatives be recognized on the balance sheet at fair value. For derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, the related gains or losses on these contracts are deferred as a component of accumulated other comprehensive items. These deferred gains and losses are recognized in the period in which the underlying anticipated transaction occurs. For derivatives designated as fair value hedges, the unrealized gains and losses resulting from the impact of currency exchange rate movements are recognized in earnings in the period in which the exchange rates change and offset the currency gains and losses on the underlying exposures being hedged. The Company performs an evaluation of the effectiveness of the hedge both at inception and on an ongoing basis. The ineffective portion of a hedge, if any, and changes in the fair value of a derivative not deemed to be a hedge are recorded in the condensed consolidated statement of income.

Interest Rate Swaps

The Company entered into a swap agreement in 2006 (the 2006 Swap Agreement) to convert a portion of the Company's outstanding variable rate term loan from a floating to a fixed rate of interest. The swap agreement matures in 2016, has the same terms and quarterly payment dates as the corresponding debt, and reduces proportionately in line with the amortization of the debt. Under the 2006 Swap Agreement, the Company receives a three-month LIBOR rate and pays a fixed rate of interest of 5.63% plus an applicable margin. The fair value for this instrument as of September 27, 2014, is included in other long-term liabilities, with an offset to accumulated other comprehensive items (net of tax) in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet. The Company has structured the interest rate swap agreement to be 100% effective and as a result, there is no current impact to earnings resulting from hedge ineffectiveness. Management believes that any credit risk associated with the outstanding swap agreement is remote based on the Company's financial position and the creditworthiness of the financial institution issuing the swap agreement.

The counterparty to the swap agreement could demand an early termination of the swap agreement if the Company is in default under the 2012 Credit Agreement, or any agreement that amends or replaces the 2012 Credit Agreement in which the counterparty is a member, and the Company is unable to cure the default. An event of default under the 2012 Credit Agreement includes customary events of default and failure to comply with financial covenants, including a maximum consolidated leverage ratio of 3.5 to 1, and a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio of 3 to 1. As of September 27, 2014, the Company was in compliance with these covenants. The unrealized loss of $532,000 as of September 27, 2014, represents the estimated amount that the Company would pay to the counterparty in the event of an early termination.

Forward Currency-Exchange Contracts

The Company uses forward currency-exchange contracts primarily to hedge exposures resulting from fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Such exposures result primarily from portions of the Company's operations and assets and liabilities that are denominated in currencies other than the functional currencies of the businesses conducting the operations or holding the assets and liabilities. The Company typically manages its level of exposure to the risk of currency-exchange fluctuations by hedging a portion of its currency exposures anticipated over the ensuing 24-month period, using forward currency-exchange contracts that have maturities of 24 months or less.

Forward currency-exchange contracts that hedge forecasted foreign currency exposures are designated as cash flow hedges. The fair values for these instruments are included in other current assets for unrecognized gains and in other current liabilities and other long-term liabilities for unrecognized losses, with an offset in accumulated other comprehensive items (net of tax). For forward currency-exchange contracts that are designated as fair value hedges, the gain or loss on the derivative, as well as the offsetting loss or gain on the hedged item are recognized currently in earnings. The fair values of forward currency-exchange contracts that are not designated as hedges are recorded currently in earnings.

The Company recognized a loss of $2,000 and a gain of $37,000 in the third quarters of 2014 and 2013, respectively, and gains of $34,000 and $50,000 in the first nine months of 2014 and 2013, respectively, included in selling, general, and administrative expenses, associated with forward currency-exchange contracts that were not designated as hedges. Management believes that any credit risk associated with forward currency-exchange contracts is remote based on the Company's financial position and the creditworthiness of the financial institutions issuing the contracts.

The following table summarizes the fair values of the Company's derivative instruments designated and not designated as hedging instruments, the notional values of the associated derivative contracts, and the location of these instruments in the condensed consolidated balance sheet:



		September 27, 2014					December 28, 2013
	Balance Sheet Location	Asset (Liability) (a)			Notional Amount (b)		Asset (Liability) (a)			Notional Amount
(In thousands)	Balance Sheet Location	Asset (Liability) (a)			Notional Amount (b)		Asset (Liability) (a)			Notional Amount
Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments:
Derivatives in an Asset Position:
Forward currency-exchange contracts	Other Long-Term Assets	$	169		$	17,811	$	—		$	—
Derivatives in a Liability Position:
Forward currency-exchange contracts	Other Current Liabilities	$	—		$	—	$	(22	)	$	1,340
Interest rate swap agreement	Other Long-Term Liabilities	$	(532	)	$	6,000	$	(773	)	$	6,375

Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments:
Derivatives in an Asset Position:
Forward currency-exchange contracts	Other Current Assets	$	—		$	—	$	97		$	1,419
Derivatives in a Liability Position:
Forward currency-exchange contracts	Other Current Liabilities	$	(2	)	$	716	$	(1	)	$	288


(a)	See Note 11 for the fair value measurements related to these financial instruments.


(b)	The total notional amount is indicative of the level of the Company's derivative activity during the first nine months of 2014.

The following table summarizes the activity in accumulated other comprehensive items (OCI) associated with the Company's derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges as of and for the period ended September 27, 2014:



(In thousands)	Interest Rate Swap Agreement			Forward Currency- Exchange Contracts			Total
Unrealized loss, net of tax, at December 28, 2013	$	(618	)	$	(15	)	$	(633	)
Loss (gain) reclassified to earnings	161			(387		)	(226		)
(Loss) gain recognized in OCI	(6		)	159			153
Unrealized loss, net of tax, at September 27, 2014	$	(463	)	$	(243	)	$	(706	)

As of September 27, 2014, $286,000 of the net unrealized loss included in OCI is expected to be reclassified to earnings over the next twelve months.