Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Basis of Presentation (Policies)

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Basis of Presentation (Policies)
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2012
Basis of Presentation [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 six month periods ended June 30, 2012 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2012.

The balance sheet at December 31, 2011 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 2011 annual report on Form 10-K.

Description of the Business

Description of the Business

Astronics is a leading supplier of advanced, high-performance lighting systems, electrical power generation and distribution systems, avionics databus solutions, enhanced vision systems, aircraft safety systems for the global aerospace industry as well as test, training and simulation systems primarily for the military. We sell our products to airframe manufacturers (OEMs) in the commercial transport, business jet and military markets as well as FAA/Airport, OEM suppliers and aircraft operators around the world. The Company provides its products through its wholly owned subsidiaries Luminescent Systems, Inc. (“LSI”), Luminescent Systems Canada, Inc. (“LSI Canada”), DME Corporation (“DME”), Ballard Technology, Inc. (“Ballard”), Max-Viz Inc. (“Max-Viz”) and Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems Corp. (“AES”). On November 30, 2011, Astronics acquired 100% of the stock of Ballard. Ballard designs and produces avionics databus solutions for defense and commercial aerospace applications. Ballard is part of our Aerospace segment. On July 30, 2012 Astronics acquired 100% of the stock of Max-Viz, Inc. Max-Viz is a manufacturer of industry‑leading Enhanced Vision Systems for defense and commercial aerospace applications for the purpose of improving situational awareness.

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.

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, 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 39% and 68% for the three months ending June 30, 2012 and July 2, 2011 respectively and approximately 39% and 83% for the six months ending June 30, 2012 and July 2, 2011 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.

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 sales. Research and development, design and related engineering amounted to $11.1 million and $8.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2012 and July, 2, 2011 respectively and $21.1 million and $17.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2012 and July 2, 2011, 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 each of the three and six months ended for both June 30, 2012 and July 2, 2011.

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 and the Company does not hold or issue financial instruments for trading purposes. Due to their short-term nature the carrying value 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). 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 ASC Topic 830, Foreign Currency Translation. The aggregate transaction gain or loss included in operations was insignificant for the periods ending June 30, 2012 and July 2, 2011.

Loss contingencies

Loss contingencies

Loss contingencies may from time to time arise from situations such as warranty 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 2012

Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in 2012

On January 1, 2012, the Company adopted the new provisions of Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220). The amendments in this Update require an entity to report all non-owner changes in stockholders’ equity either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. The ASU prohibits the presentation of the components of comprehensive income in the statement of stockholder’s equity. The amendments are effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2011 and should be applied retrospectively. In December 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU No. 2011-12, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Deferral of the Effective Date for Amendments to the Presentation of Reclassifications of Items Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income in Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05). The amendments in this Update defer the effective date pertaining only to reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive income in Accounting Standards Update 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income, until the Financial Accounting Standards Board is able to reconsider those presentation requirements. Other than requiring an additional statement and disclosures, the impact on the Company’s financial statements was not significant.

On January 1, 2012, the Company adopted the new provisions of ASU No. 2011-04, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) – Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRS.” The amendments provide a consistent definition of fair value and ensure that the fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are similar between U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. The amendments also change certain fair value measurement principles and enhance the disclosure requirements, particularly for Level 3 fair value measurements. The amendments are effective during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011 and should be applied prospectively. Other than requiring additional disclosures, the adoption of this amendment did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

On January 1, 2012, the Company adopted the new provisions of ASU No. 2011-08, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350). The amendments in this Update will allow an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. Under these amendments, an entity would not be required to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit unless the entity determines, based on a qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that its fair value is less than its carrying amount. The amendments are effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this pronouncement had no 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 are no penalties or interest liability accrued as of June 30, 2012 or December 31, 2011, nor are any penalties or interest costs included in expense for the periods ending June 30, 2012 and July 2, 2011. 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 2010 through 2011 for federal purposes and 2008 through 2011 for state purposes.

Fair Value Measurement

ASC Topic 820, “Fair value Measurements and Disclosures”, (“ASC Topic 820”) defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands the related disclosure requirements. This statement applies under other accounting pronouncements that require or permit fair value measurements. The statement indicates, among other things, that a fair value measurement assumes that the transaction to sell an asset or transfer a liability occurs in the principal market for the asset or liability or, in the absence of a principal market, the most advantageous market for the asset or liability. ASC Topic 820 defines fair value based upon an exit price model. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, and involves consideration of factors specific to the asset or liability.

ASC Topic 820 establishes a valuation hierarchy for disclosure of the inputs to valuation used to measure fair value. This hierarchy prioritizes the inputs into three broad levels as follows:

Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

Level 2 inputs are quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets or inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly through market corroboration, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument.

Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs based on our own assumptions used to measure assets and liabilities at fair value.