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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this "Report") should be read in conjunction with the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. Unless the context otherwise requires, references in these notes to interim consolidated financial statements - unaudited to "Kaiser Aluminum Corporation," "we," "us," "our," "the Company" and "our Company" refer collectively to Kaiser Aluminum Corporation and its subsidiaries. Organization and Nature of Operations. Kaiser Aluminum Corporation specializes in the production of semi-fabricated specialty aluminum mill products, such as aluminum plate and sheet and extruded and drawn products, for the following end market applications: aerospace and high strength ("Aero/HS products"), automotive applications ("Automotive Extrusions"), general engineering ("GE products") and other industrial ("Other products"). Our business is organized into one operating segment, Fabricated Products. See Note 11 for additional information regarding our reportable segment and business unit. Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of our wholly owned subsidiaries and are prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") applicable for interim periods and, therefore, do not include all information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In management's opinion, all adjustments (which include normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. The results of operations for our interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that may be achieved for the entire 2017 fiscal year. The financial information as of December 31, 2016 is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and footnotes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements. The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires the use of estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities known to exist as of the date the financial statements are published and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Uncertainties with respect to such estimates and assumptions are inherent in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements; accordingly, it is possible that the actual results could differ from these estimates and assumptions, which could have a material effect on the reported amounts of our consolidated financial position and results of operations. Inventories. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market value. On March 31, 2016, we recorded a lower of cost or market inventory write-down of $4.9 million as a result of a decrease in our net realizable value of inventory. The net realizable value reflected commitments as of that date from customers to purchase our inventory at prices that exceeded the Midwest Transaction Price ("Midwest Price"), which reflects the primary aluminum supply/demand dynamics in North America, reduced by an approximate normal profit margin. There were no additional lower of cost or market inventory adjustments since the quarter ended March 31, 2016. Finished products, work-in-process and raw material inventories are stated on the last-in, first-out ("LIFO") basis. At September 30, 2017, the current cost of inventory exceeded its stated LIFO value by $12.5 million. At December 31, 2016, the stated LIFO value of our inventory represented its net realizable value (less a normal profit margin) and exceeded the current cost of our inventory by $8.5 million. Other inventories are stated on the first-in, first-out basis and consist of operating supplies, which are materials and supplies to be consumed during the production process. Inventory costs consist of material, labor and manufacturing overhead, including depreciation. Abnormal costs, such as idle facility expenses, freight, handling costs and spoilage, are accounted for as current period charges. All of our inventories at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 were included in the Fabricated Products segment (see Note 2 for the components of inventories). Replacement Parts. Replacement parts consist of preventative maintenance and capital spare parts, which are stated on the first-in, first-out basis. Replacement parts are recorded within Prepaid expenses and other current assets or Other assets depending on whether or not the expected utilization of the replacement parts is to occur within the current operating cycle. Property, Plant and Equipment, Net. Property, plant and equipment, net is recorded at cost and includes construction in progress (see Note 2). Interest related to the construction of qualifying assets is capitalized as part of the construction costs. The amount of interest expense capitalized as construction in progress was $0.7 million and $0.6 million during the quarters ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively. The amount of interest expense capitalized as construction in progress was $1.9 million and $2.4 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method at rates based on the estimated useful lives of the various classes of assets. Capital lease assets and leasehold improvements are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the lease term. Depreciation expense is not included in Cost of products sold, excluding depreciation and amortization and other items, but is included in Depreciation and amortization. We classify assets as held for sale only when an asset is being actively marketed and expected to sell within 12 months. Assets held for sale are initially measured at the lesser of the assets' carrying amount and the fair value less costs to sell. Self Insurance of Workers' Compensation and Employee Healthcare Liabilities. We self-insure the majority of the costs of workers' compensation benefits and employee healthcare benefits and rely on insurance coverage to protect us from large losses on individual claims. Workers' compensation liabilities are based on a combination of estimates for: (i) incurred-but-not-reported claims and (ii) the ultimate expense of incurred claims. Such estimates are based on judgment, using our historical claims data and information and analysis provided by actuarial and claims advisors, our insurance carriers and other professionals. Our undiscounted workers' compensation liabilities were estimated at $26.6 million and $26.8 million for the periods ended September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. However, we account for our workers' compensation accrued liability on a discounted basis, using a discount rate of 2.00% at both September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016. Accrued liabilities for employee healthcare benefits, which are estimates of unpaid incurred medical and prescription drug costs as provided by our healthcare administrators, were $3.3 million and $3.6 million as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. Derivative Financial Instruments. Consistent with guidelines established by management and approved by our Board of Directors, we use derivative financial instruments to mitigate our exposure to changes in the market price of aluminum, alloying metals and energy and, to a lesser extent, foreign currency exchange rates. We do not use derivative financial instruments for trading or other speculative purposes. Hedging transactions are executed centrally on behalf of all of our operations to minimize transaction costs, monitor consolidated net exposures and allow for increased responsiveness to changes in market factors. We reflect the fair value of all of our derivative instruments on our Consolidated Balance Sheets (see Note 9). The carrying values of hedges settling within one year are included in Prepaid expenses and other current assets or Other accrued liabilities. Carrying values for hedges settling beyond one year are included in Other assets or Long-term liabilities. We do not meet the documentation requirements for hedge (deferral) accounting related to aluminum and energy derivatives. Accordingly, we record unrealized gain or loss associated with these hedges in the Statements of Consolidated Income within Unrealized gain on derivative instruments. As such derivatives settle, we reverse any previously recorded unrealized gain or loss associated with these hedges and record the realized gain or loss within Cost of products sold, excluding depreciation and amortization and other items. Forward swap contracts for zinc and copper ("Alloy Hedges") used in our fabrication operations are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges. Unrealized gain and loss associated with the Alloy Hedges are deferred in Other comprehensive income, net of tax. As Alloy Hedges settle, we reverse any unrealized gain or loss previously recorded within Other comprehensive income, net of tax associated with settling Alloy Hedges and record the realized gain or loss within Cost of products sold, excluding depreciation and amortization and other items. From time to time, we enter into foreign currency forward contracts to protect the value of anticipated foreign currency expenses associated with cash commitments for equipment purchases. Some of these derivative contracts qualify for cash flow hedge accounting and are designated as cash flow hedges. The remainder are non-designated hedges. Both realized and unrealized gains and losses of foreign currency forward contracts designated as cash flow hedges are deferred in Accumulated other comprehensive loss and, over the period that the underlying equipment is depreciated, realized gains and losses are recorded as an adjustment to depreciation expense. For non-designated foreign currency forward contracts, gains and losses (both unrealized and realized) are reflected as an increase or reduction in Other income (expense), net. Fair Value Measurements. We apply the fair value hierarchy established by GAAP for the recognition and measurement of certain financial assets and liabilities. An asset or liability's fair value classification within the hierarchy is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. In determining fair value, we utilize valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible and consider counterparty risk in our assessment of fair value. The fair values of financial assets and liabilities are evaluated and measured on a recurring basis. As part of that evaluation process, we review the underlying inputs that are significant to the fair value measurement of financial instruments to determine if a transfer among hierarchy levels is appropriate. We historically have not had significant transfers into or out of each hierarchy level. Financial assets and liabilities that we measure at fair value each period include our derivative instruments and available for sale securities, consisting of debt investment securities and investments related to our deferred compensation plan (see Note 6). Additionally, we measure at fair value once each year at December 31 the plan assets of the Salaried VEBA (defined in Note 6) and our Canadian defined benefit pension plan. We record our remaining financial assets and liabilities at carrying value. For a majority of our non-financial assets and liabilities, which include goodwill, intangible assets, inventories and property, plant and equipment, we are not required to measure their fair value on a recurring basis. However, if certain triggering events occur (or at least annually for goodwill), an evaluation of the affected non-financial asset or liability will be required, which could result in a reduction to the carrying amount of such asset or liability. See Note 4 for a discussion of the goodwill impairment charge recorded during the three months ended June 30, 2017 related to the operations at our Chandler, Arizona (Extrusion) facility. We concluded that none of our other non-financial assets and liabilities subject to fair value assessments on a non-recurring basis required a material adjustment to the carrying amount of such assets and liabilities for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2017. New Accounting Pronouncements. Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) ("ASU 2014-09"), was issued in May 2014 and requires an entity to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, ASU 2014-09 was amended by ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, which defers the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year for all entities and permits early adoption on a limited basis. ASU 2014-09 was subsequently amended by four additional pronouncements: (i) ASU No. 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing; (ii) ASU No. 2016-11, Revenue Recognition (Topic 605) and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Rescission of SEC Guidance Because of Accounting Standards Updates 2014-09 and 2014-16 Pursuant to Staff Announcements at the March 3, 2016 EITF Meeting; (iii) ASU No. 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients; and (iv) ASU No. 2016-20, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606. We have evaluated the impacts on our financial reporting of adopting ASU 2014-09, including its subsequent amendments discussed above (together "ASC 606"), and have regularly reported our findings and implementation readiness to the Audit Committee and internal stakeholders. We plan to adopt ASC 606 using the modified retrospective transition approach for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018, with the cumulative-effect adjustment recognized in beginning Retained earnings. In calculating the cumulative-effect adjustment, we will only apply the guidance to contracts not completed at the date of adoption. The primary change to our accounting policies upon adopting ASC 606 will relate to the timing of when revenue is recognized. While revenue from sales of certain contracts will continue to be recognized at a point in time, revenue from other contracts will be required to be recognized over time. Upon adoption, a majority of our Aero/HS products and a substantial portion of our Automotive Extrusions will convert to over time recognition. For these products, we will accelerate revenue recognition throughout the production process whereas previously we did not recognize revenue until the product shipped or reached its destination, based on the transfer of risks and title. We are still finalizing our assessment of the specific dollar impact that over-time recognition will have on our consolidated financial statements. After the cumulative-effect adjustment, however, we do not believe it will have a material effect on revenue recognized compared to current accounting during any given period. We do not believe the adoption of ASC 606 will result in: (i) a change in the number of distinct performance obligations within our contractual arrangements; (ii) a change in our current capitalization and deferral policies; (iii) a change in our accounting for contract acquisition and fulfillment costs; (iv) the addition of any contract liability balances; or (v) the adjustment of the amount of promised consideration from our customers for the effects of significant financing components. Additionally, we plan to account for shipping and handling activities that occur after the customer has obtained control of a product as fulfillment activities (i.e., an expense) rather than as a promised service (i.e., a revenue element). As of September 30, 2017, we have: (i) finalized our review of most of our customer contracts; (ii) completed most of the system updates to track information needed to apply ASC 606; and (iii) trained internal stakeholders on the pending changes to revenue recognition policies and work procedures. We expect to complete our implementation work in time to adopt ASC 606 for periods starting after December 31, 2017. ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842): Amendments to the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification ("ASU 2016-02"), was issued in February 2016. Under ASU 2016-02, lessees will need to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for virtually all of their leases (other than leases that meet the definition of a short-term lease). For income statement purposes, a dual model was retained, requiring leases to be classified as either operating or finance. Operating leases will result in straight-line expense (similar to current operating leases) while finance leases will result in a front-loaded expense pattern (similar to current capital leases). ASU 2016-02 becomes effective for us in the first quarter of 2019. We are currently assessing the impact and expect the adoption of this ASU in 2019 to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. ASU No. 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities ("ASU 2017-12"), was issued in August 2017. The amendments under ASU 2017-12 refine and expand hedge accounting requirements for both financial (e.g., interest rate) and commodity risks. Its provisions create more transparency around how economic results are presented, both on the face of the financial statements and in the footnotes. It also makes certain targeted improvements to simplify the application of hedge accounting guidance. ASU 2017-12 becomes effective for us in the first quarter of 2019. We are currently assessing the impact the adoption of this ASU will have on our consolidated financial statements. We do not anticipate any material impact on our consolidated financial statements upon the adoption of the following accounting pronouncements: (i) ASU No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities; (ii) ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments; (iii) ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation - Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost; and (iv) ASU No. 2017-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting. There were no material impacts on our consolidated financial statements resulting from our early adoption in the first quarter of 2017 of the following accounting pronouncements: (i) ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments; (ii) ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash; and (iii) ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment.

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