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Basis of Presentation (Policies)
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9 Months Ended |
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Sep. 27, 2014
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| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
| Operating Results |
Operating Results The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. Operating results for the three and nine month periods ended September 27, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2014. The balance sheet at December 31, 2013 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date, but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. For further information, refer to the financial statements and footnotes thereto included in Astronics Corporation’s 2013 annual report on Form 10-K. |
| Description of the Business |
Description of the Business Astronics is a leading supplier of products to the aerospace and defense industries. Our products include advanced, high-performance lighting and safety systems, electrical power generation, distribution and motion systems, avionics and structure and other products for the global aerospace industry as well as test, training and simulation systems for the military, semi-conductor and consumer electronics markets. The Company has two reportable segments, Aerospace and Test Systems. The Aerospace segment designs and manufactures products for the global aerospace industry. The Test Systems segment designs, manufactures and maintains communications and weapons test systems and training and simulation devices for military applications as well as automatic test systems, subsystems and instruments for semi-conductor and consumer electronics products. We have twelve primary locations, ten in the United States, one in Canada, and one in France. We design and build our products through our wholly owned subsidiaries Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems Corp. (“AES”); Astronics AeroSat Corporation (“AeroSat”); Astronics Test Systems, Inc. (“ATS”); Ballard Technology, Inc. (“Ballard”); DME Corporation (“DME”); Luminescent Systems, Inc. (“LSI”); Luminescent Systems Canada, Inc. (“LSI Canada”); Max-Viz, Inc. (“Max-Viz”); Peco, Inc. (“Peco”) and PGA Electronic s.a. (“PGA”). On February 28, 2014, Astronics acquired, through a wholly owned subsidiary ATS, certain assets and liabilities of EADS North America’s Test and Services division, located in Irvine, California. ATS is a leading provider of highly engineered automatic test systems, subsystems and instruments for semi-conductor and consumer electronics products to both the commercial and defense industries. ATS is included in our Test Systems segment. |
| Principles of Consolidation |
Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. Acquisitions are accounted for under the purchase method and, accordingly, the operating results for the acquired companies are included in the consolidated statements of earnings from the respective dates of acquisition. |
| Revenue and Expense Recognition |
Revenue and Expense Recognition In the Aerospace segment, segment revenue is recognized on the accrual basis at the time of shipment of goods and transfer of title. There are no significant contracts allowing for right of return.
In the Test Systems segment, revenue of approximately 1% and 62% for the three months ending September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, respectively, and approximately 1% and 40% for the nine months ending September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013 respectively, is recognized from long-term, fixed-price contracts using the percentage-of-completion method of accounting, measured by multiplying the estimated total contract value by the ratio of actual contract costs incurred to date to the estimated total contract costs. Substantially all long-term contracts are with U.S. government agencies and contractors thereto. The Company makes significant estimates involving its usage of percentage-of-completion accounting to recognize contract revenues. The Company periodically reviews contracts in process for estimates-to-completion, and revises estimated gross profit accordingly. While the Company believes its estimated gross profit on contracts in process is reasonable, unforeseen events and changes in circumstances can take place in a subsequent accounting period that may cause the Company to revise its estimated gross profit on one or more of its contracts in process. Accordingly, the ultimate gross profit realized upon completion of such contracts can vary significantly from estimated amounts between accounting periods. Revenue not recognized using the percentage-of-completion method is recognized at the time of shipment of goods and transfer of title. With the acquisition of ATS, a portion of our Test Systems segment sales are recognized as multiple element arrangements, whereby revenue is allocated to the equipment and post installation maintenance service components based upon vendor specific objective evidence, typically pricing established in the contracts for the post installation services. If vendor-specific objective evidence of selling price is not available, we allocate revenue to the elements of the bundled arrangement using the estimated selling price method in order to qualify the components as separate units of accounting. Revenue on the equipment component is recognized when the equipment is accepted by the customers and title passes. Revenue on the post installation maintenance service component is recognized over the contractual life of the service to be provided, typically 24 months from installation. |
| Cost of Products Sold, Engineering and Development and Selling, General and Administrative Expenses |
Cost of Products Sold, Engineering and Development and Selling, General and Administrative Expenses Cost of products sold includes the costs to manufacture products such as direct materials and labor and manufacturing overhead as well as all engineering and developmental costs. The Company is engaged in a variety of engineering and design activities as well as basic research and development activities directed to the substantial improvement or new application of the Company’s existing technologies. These costs are expensed when incurred and included in cost of products sold. Research and development, design and related engineering amounted to $19.1 million and $12.4 million for the three months ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, respectively, and $57.1 million and $38.6 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, respectively. Selling, general and administrative expenses include costs primarily related to our sales and marketing departments and administrative departments. Interest expense is shown net of interest income. Interest income was insignificant for the three and nine months ended for both September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013. |
| Financial Instruments |
Financial Instruments The Company’s financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, notes payable, long-term debt and interest rate swaps. The Company performs periodic credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and generally does not require collateral. The Company does not hold or issue financial instruments for trading purposes. Due to their short-term nature, the carrying values of cash and equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and notes payable, if any, approximate fair value. The carrying value of the Company’s variable rate long-term debt also approximates fair value due to the variable rate feature of these instruments. The Company’s interest rate swaps are recorded at fair value as described under Note 16 – Fair Value and Note 17 – Derivative Financial Instruments. |
| Derivatives |
Derivatives The accounting for changes in the fair value of derivatives depends on the intended use and resulting designation. The Company’s use of derivative instruments is limited to cash flow hedges for interest rate risk associated with long-term debt. Interest rate swaps are used to adjust the proportion of total debt that is subject to variable and fixed interest rates. The interest rate swaps are designated as hedges of the amount of future cash flows related to interest payments on variable-rate debt that, in combination with the interest payments on the debt, convert a portion of the variable-rate debt to fixed-rate debt. The Company records all derivatives on the balance sheet at fair value as described under Note 16 – Fair Value and Note 17 – Derivative Financial Instruments. The related gains or losses, to the extent the derivatives are effective as a hedge, are deferred in shareholders’ equity as a component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (AOCI) and reclassified into earnings at the time interest expense is recognized on the associated long-term debt. Any ineffectiveness is immediately recorded in the statement of operations. |
| Foreign Currency Translation |
Foreign Currency Translation The Company accounts for its foreign currency translation in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 830, Foreign Currency Translation. The aggregate transaction gain or loss included in operations was insignificant for the periods ending September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013. |
| Loss Contingencies |
Loss contingencies Loss contingencies may from time to time arise from situations such as claims and other legal actions. Loss contingencies are recorded as liabilities when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss is reasonably estimable. Disclosure is required when there is a reasonable possibility that the ultimate loss will exceed the recorded provision. Contingent liabilities are often resolved over long time periods. In recording liabilities for probable losses, management is required to make estimates and judgments regarding the amount or range of the probable loss. Management continually assesses the adequacy of estimated loss contingencies and, if necessary, adjusts the amounts recorded as better information becomes known. |
| Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in 2014 |
Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in 2014 On January 1, 2014, the Company adopted the new provisions of Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2013-11, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists. The ASU requires the netting of unrecognized tax benefits against a deferred tax asset for a loss or other carryforward that would apply in settlement of the uncertain tax positions. Unrecognized tax benefits are required to be netted against all available same-jurisdiction loss or other tax carryforwards, rather than only against carryforwards that are created by the unrecognized tax benefits. This ASU did not have an impact on the Company’s financial statements. On January 1, 2014, the Company adopted the new provisions of Accounting Standards Update ASU 2013-12, Definition of a Public Business Entity – An Addition to the Master Glossary. The ASU amends the Master Glossary of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification to include one definition of public business entity for future use in U.S. GAAP and identifies the types of business entities that are excluded from the scope of the Private Company Decision-Making Framework: A Guide for Evaluating Financial Accounting and Reporting for Private Companies. This ASU did not have an impact on the Company’s financial statements. |
| Income Taxes Policy |
ASC Topic 740-10 Overall – Uncertainty in Income Taxes (“ASC Topic 740-10”) clarifies the accounting and disclosure for uncertainty in tax positions. ASC Topic 740-10 seeks to reduce the diversity in practice associated with certain aspects of the recognition and measurement related to accounting for income taxes. The Company is subject to the provisions of ASC Topic 740-10 and has analyzed filing positions in all of the federal and state jurisdictions where it is required to file income tax returns, as well as all open tax years in these jurisdictions. Should the Company need to accrue a liability for uncertain tax benefits, any interest associated with that liability will be recorded as interest expense. Penalties, if any, would be recognized as operating expenses. There were no penalties or interest liability accrued as of September 27, 2014 or December 31, 2013, nor were any penalties or interest costs included in expense for the three and nine month periods ending September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013. The years under which we conducted our evaluation coincided with the tax years currently still subject to examination by major federal and state tax jurisdictions, those being 2012 through 2013 for federal purposes and 2011 through 2013 for state purposes.
The effective tax rates were approximately 27.2% and 33.4% for the three months and 31.0% and 28.8% for the nine months ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, respectively. The effective tax rate for the third quarter and first nine months of 2014 was lower than the federal statutory rate, due to the domestic production activity deduction, lower effective tax rates on foreign income and the recognition of $0.9 million in domestic Research and Development (“R&D”) tax credits related to prior years that was recognized in the third quarter of 2014. The effective tax rate for the nine months of 2013 was impacted primarily by the domestic production activity deduction, the recognition of approximately $1.1 million in domestic 2012 R&D tax credits and $0.6 million in domestic 2013 R&D tax credits. The effective tax rate for the three months ended September 28, 2013 was impacted primarily by the recognition of approximately $0.2 million in domestic 2013 R&D tax credits. |