XML 49 R22.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v2.4.0.8

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 9 Months Ended
--- | ---
Sep. 30, 2013
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | NOTE 16 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Environmental Compliance and Remediation Liabilities The Company’s operations and products are subject to a variety of environmental laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which the Company operates and sells products governing, among other things, air emissions, wastewater discharges, the use, handling and disposal of hazardous materials, soil and groundwater contamination, employee health and safety, and product content, performance and packaging. Certain environmental laws can impose the entire cost or a portion of the cost of investigating and cleaning up a contaminated site, regardless of fault, upon any one or more of a number of parties, including the current or previous owners or operators of the site. These environmental laws can also impose liability on any person who arranges for the disposal or treatment of hazardous substances at a contaminated site. Third parties may also make claims against owners, operators and/or users of disposal sites for personal injuries and property damage associated with releases of hazardous substances from those sites. In connection with the Company’s ongoing restructuring initiatives, during the third quarter of 2012, the Company identified a $352 liability associated with the planned sale of the Cicero Avenue Facility. The liability is associated with environmental remediation costs that were identified while preparing the site for sale. During the third quarter, the Company applied for entry into the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency voluntary site remediation program. The Company intends to submit its environmental sampling data, as well as its remedial objectives plan, during the fourth quarter. The Company will continue to reevaluate its reserve balance associated with this matter as it gathers additional information. As of September 30, 2013, the accrual balance remaining is $242. Warranty Liability The Company provides warranty terms that range from one to seven years for various products and services supplied by the Company. In certain contracts, the Company has recourse provisions for items that would enable recovery from third parties for amounts paid to customers under warranty provisions. As of September 30, 2013 and 2012, estimated product warranty liability was $675 and $751, respectively, and is recorded within accrued liabilities in the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets. The changes in the carrying amount of the Company’s total product warranty liability for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 were as follows:
|  | For the Nine Months Ended September 30, |
|  | 2013 |  | 2012 |
Balance, beginning of period |  | $ | 707 |  | $ | 983 |
Reduction of warranty reserve |  | (25 | ) | (133 | )
Warranty claims |  | (7 | ) | (99 | )
Balance, end of period |  | $ | 675 |  | $ | 751 |
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Based upon past experience and judgment, the Company establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts with respect to accounts receivable. The Company’s standard allowance estimation methodology considers a number of factors that, based on its collections experience, the Company believes will have an impact on its credit risk and the collectability of its accounts receivable. These factors include individual customer circumstances, history with the Company, the length of the time period during which the account receivable has been past due and other relevant criteria. The Company monitors its collections and write-off experience to assess whether or not adjustments to its allowance estimates are necessary. Changes in trends in any of the factors that the Company believes may impact the collectability of its accounts receivable, as noted above, or modifications to its credit standards, collection practices and other related policies may impact the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts and its financial results. The activity in the accounts receivable allowance liability for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 consists of the following:
|  | For the Nine Months Ended September 30, |
|  | 2013 |  | 2012 |
Balance at beginning of period |  | $ | 453 |  | $ | 438 |
Bad debt expense |  | (38 | ) | 200 |
Write-offs |  | (236 | ) | (123 | )
Balance at end of period |  | $ | 179 |  | $ | 515 |
Collateral In select instances, the Company has pledged specific inventory and machinery and equipment assets to serve as collateral on related payable or financing obligations. Liquidated Damages In certain customer contracts, the Company has agreed to pay liquidated damages in the event of qualifying delivery or production delays. These damages are typically limited to a specific percentage of the value of the product in question and dependent on actual losses sustained by the customer. The Company does not believe that potential exposure will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations. There was no reserve for liquidated damages as of September 30, 2013. Workers’ Compensation Reserves At the beginning of the third quarter of 2013, the Company began to self-insure for its workers’ compensation liabilities, including reserves for self-retained losses. Historical loss experience combined with actuarial evaluation methods and the application of risk transfer programs are used to determine required workers’ compensation reserves. The Company takes into account claims incurred but not reported when determining its workers’ compensation reserves. Although the ultimate outcome of these matters may exceed the amounts recorded and additional losses may be incurred, the Company does not believe that any additional potential exposure will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations. Other As of September 30, 2013, approximately 19% of the Company’s employees were covered by two collective bargaining agreements with United Steelworkers local unions in Cicero, Illinois and Neville Island, Pennsylvania, which are scheduled to remain in effect through February 2014 and October 2017, respectively. On July 20, 2011, the Company executed a strategic financing transaction (the “NMTC Transaction”) involving the following third parties: AMCREF Fund VII, LLC (“AMCREF”), a registered community development entity; COCRF Investor VIII, LLC (“COCRF”); and Capital One, National Association (“Capital One”). The NMTC Transaction allows the Company to receive below market interest rate funds through the federal New Markets Tax Credit (“NMTC”) program; see Note 17, “New Markets Tax Credit Transaction” of these condensed consolidated financial statements. Pursuant to the NMTC Transaction, the gross loan and investment in the Gearbox Facility of $10,000 will generate $3,900 in tax credits over a period of seven years, which the NMTC Transaction makes available to Capital One. The Gearbox Facility must operate and be in compliance with the terms and conditions of the NMTC Transaction during the seven year compliance period, or the Company may be liable for the recapture of $3,900 in tax credits to which Capital One is otherwise entitled. The Company does not anticipate any tax credit recaptures will be required in connection with the NMTC Transaction.

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_CommitmentsAndContingenciesDisclosureAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The entire disclosure for commitments and contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name FASB Interpretation (FIN) -Number 14 -Paragraph 3 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.25) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6449706&loc=d3e16207-108621 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 460 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 8 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6398077&loc=d3e12565-110249 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6952336&loc=d3e14435-108349 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 440 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6394976&loc=d3e25287-109308 Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 5 -Paragraph 9, 10, 11, 12 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_CommitmentsAndContingenciesDisclosureTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration