NOTE 15 — 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. Also, 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 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 or operators of sites and users of disposal sites for personal injuries and property damage associated with releases of hazardous substances from those sites. Refer to Note 12, “Legal Proceedings” of these consolidated financial statements for further discussion of environmental compliance and remediation liabilities.

In connection with the Company’s ongoing restructuring initiatives, during the third quarter of 2012, the Company identified a liability associated with the Cicero Avenue Facility. The liability is associated with environmental remediation costs that were identified while preparing the site for sale. During 2013, the Company applied for and was accepted into the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (“IEPA”) voluntary site remediation program. In the first quarter of 2014, the Company completed a comprehensive review of remedial options for the Cicero Avenue Facility and selected a preferred remediation technology. As part of the voluntary site remediation program, the Company plans to submit a request to the IEPA for approval to conduct a pilot study to test the effectiveness of the selected remediation technology. The Company will continue to reevaluate its reserve balance associated with this matter as it gathers additional information. As of March 31, 2014, the accrual balance associated with this matter totaled $500.

Warranty Liability

The Company provides warranty terms that range from one to five 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 March 31, 2014 and 2013, estimated product warranty liability was $370 and $693, 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 three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:

	For the Three Months Ended March 31,
	2014			2013

Balance, beginning of period	$	457		$	707
Reduction of warranty reserve	(70		)	(6		)
Warranty claims	(17		)	(8		)
Balance, end of period	$	370		$	693

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 three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 consisted of the following:

	For the Three Months Ended March 31,
	2014			2013

Balance at beginning of period	$	17		$	453
Bad debt expense	54			99
Write-offs	(12		)	(254		)
Balance at end of period	$	59		$	298

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/or dependent on actual losses sustained by the customer. The Company does not believe that this 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 March 31, 2014.

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 for such liabilities will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations. As of March 31, 2014, the Company had $1,018 accrued for self-insured workers’ compensation claims.

Other

As of December 31, 2013, approximately 18% of the Company’s employees were covered by two collective bargaining agreements with local unions in Cicero, Illinois and Neville Island, Pennsylvania. The collective bargaining agreement with the Cicero union subsequently expired in February 2014, and the parties are currently negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. The collective bargaining agreement with the Neville Island union is expected to remain in effect through October 2017.

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 16, “New Markets Tax Credit Transaction” of these 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 credit recaptures will be required in connection with the NMTC Transaction.