Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Basis of Presentation

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Basis of Presentation
6 Months Ended
Jun. 27, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring accruals, considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included.
Operating Results
The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the volatility we experience in our financial results in recent periods and this could continue in future interim and annual periods. Operating results for the six months ended June 27, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2020.
The balance sheet at December 31, 2019 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 (“GAAP”) for complete financial statements.
For further information, refer to the financial statements and footnotes thereto included in Astronics Corporation’s 2019 annual report on Form 10-K.
Description of the Business
Astronics Corporation (“Astronics” or the “Company”) is a leading provider of advanced technologies to the global aerospace, defense and electronics industries. Our products and services include advanced, high-performance electrical power generation, distribution and motion systems, lighting and safety systems, avionics products, systems and certification, aircraft structures and automated test systems.
We have principal operations in the United States (“U.S.”), Canada, France and England, as well as engineering offices in the Ukraine and India.
On February 13, 2019, the Company completed a divestiture of its semiconductor test business within the Test Systems segment. The business was not core to the future of the Test Systems segment. The total proceeds of the divestiture amounted to $103.8 million plus certain contingent purchase consideration (“earn-out”) as described in Note 18. The Company recorded a pre-tax gain on the sale of $80.1 million in the first quarter of 2019. The Company recorded income tax expense relating to the gain of $19.7 million.
On July 1, 2019, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Freedom Communication Technologies, Inc. (“Freedom”). Freedom, located in Kilgore, Texas, is a leader in wireless communication testing, primarily for the civil land mobile radio market. Freedom is included in our Test Systems segment. The total consideration for the transaction was $21.8 million, net of $0.6 million in cash acquired.
On July 12, 2019, the Company sold intellectual property and certain assets associated with its Airfield Lighting product line for $1.0 million in cash. The Airfield Lighting product line, part of the Aerospace segment, was not core to the business and represented less than 1% of revenue. The Company recorded a pre-tax loss on the sale of approximately $1.3 million in the third quarter of 2019.
On October 4, 2019, the Company acquired the stock of the primary operating subsidiaries as well as certain other assets from mass transit and defense market test solution provider, Diagnosys Test Systems Limited, for $7.0 million in cash, plus earn-outs estimated at a fair value of $2.5 million. Diagnosys Inc. and its affiliates (“Diagnosys”) is included in our Test Systems segment. Diagnosys is a developer and manufacturer of comprehensive automated test equipment providing test, support, and repair of high value electronics, electro-mechanical, pneumatic and printed circuit boards focused on the global mass transit and defense markets. The terms of the acquisition allow for a potential earn-out of up to an additional $13.0 million over the three years post-acquisition based on achievement of new order levels of over $72.0 million during that period. The acquired business has operations in Westford, Massachusetts as well as Ferndown, England, and an engineering center of excellence in Bangalore, India.
For additional information regarding these acquisitions and divestitures see Note 18.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a sudden and significant impact on the global economy, and particularly in the aerospace industry, resulting in the grounding of the majority of the global commercial transportation fleet and significant cost cutting and cash preservation actions by the global airlines. This in turn has resulted in a significant reduction in airlines spending for both new aircraft and on upgrading their existing fleet with the Company’s products. We expect this low level of investment by the airlines will continue at least into 2021, however, the ultimate impact of COVID-19 on our business results of operations, financial condition and cash flows is dependent on future developments, including the duration of the pandemic and the related length of its impact on the global economy and the aerospace industry, which are uncertain and cannot be predicted at this time.
In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, we have implemented actions to maintain our financial health and liquidity, as discussed in detail in our Form 8-K’s filed on March 31, 2020, May 6, 2020 and July 31, 2020. In addition to these measures, we amended our revolving credit facility on May 4, 2020, as further described in Note 7. We are also monitoring the impacts of COVID-19 on the fair value of assets. Refer to Note 6 for a discussion of goodwill impairment charges. Should future changes in sales, earnings and cash flows differ significantly from our expectations, long-lived assets to be held and used and goodwill could become impaired in the future.
Trade Accounts Receivable and Contract Assets
The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on the Company’s assessment of the collectability of customer accounts. The Company regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as the age of the receivable balances, historical experience, credit quality, current economic conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay. The allowance for doubtful accounts balance was $5.1 million and $3.6 million at June 27, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. The Company‘s bad debt expense was $1.6 million in the three and six months ended June 27, 2020 and insignificant in the three and six months ended June 29, 2019. Total writeoffs charged against the allowance and total recoveries collected were insignificant in both the three month and six month ended June 27, 2020.
The Company's exposure to credit losses may increase if its customers are adversely affected by global economic recessions, disruption associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic, industry conditions, or other customer-specific factors. Although the Company has historically not experienced significant credit losses, it is possible that there could be a material adverse impact from potential adjustments of the carrying amount of trade receivables and contract assets as airlines and other aerospace company’s cash flows are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cost of Products Sold, Engineering and Development, Interest, 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 development 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 $22.4 million and $27.7 million for the three months ended and $48.6 million and $54.4 million for the six months ended June 27, 2020 and June 29, 2019, 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 six months ended June 27, 2020 and June 29, 2019.
Goodwill Impairment
The Company tests goodwill at the reporting unit level on an annual basis or more frequently if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount.
As a result of the qualitative factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as discussed above, we performed interim quantitative assessments for the reporting units which had goodwill as of March 28, 2020, and an additional quantitative assessment for our PECO reporting unit as of June 27, 2020. Based on our quantitative assessments, the Company recorded goodwill impairment charges associated with four Aerospace reporting units, totaling approximately $12.6 million and $86.3 million within the Impairment Loss line in the Consolidated Condensed Statement of Operations in the three and six months ended June 27, 2020, respectively.
For additional information regarding the quantitative test and the related goodwill impairment see Note 6.
Valuation of Long-Lived Assets
Long-lived assets are evaluated for recoverability whenever adverse effects or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. The recoverability test consists of comparing the undiscounted projected cash flows with the carrying amount. Should the carrying amount exceed undiscounted projected cash flows, an impairment loss would be recognized to the extent the carrying amount exceeds fair value. In conjunction with the deteriorating economic conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, we recorded an impairment charge to right-of-use (“ROU”) assets of approximately $0.7 million incurred in one reporting unit in the Aerospace segment within the Impairment Loss line in the Consolidated Condensed Statement of Operations in the six months ended June 27, 2020. No other long-lived asset impairments were warranted based on the quantitative analysis performed.
Financial Instruments
The Company determined there were indicators of impairment over one of its investments in the second quarter of 2020 as a result of declining revenues and cash flows of the investee as well as significant uncertainties over the investee’s ability to raise additional capital or to finance its own activities. There were no observable price changes for this investment during 2020. We determined that the fair value of this investment was de minimus at June 27, 2020 and we recorded an impairment charge of $3.5 million recorded within Other Expense, Net of Other Income in the accompanying Consolidated Condensed Statement Operations.
Foreign Currency Translation
The aggregate foreign currency transaction gain or loss included in operations was insignificant for the three and six months ended June 27, 2020 and June 29, 2019.
Newly Adopted and Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Recent Accounting Pronouncements Adopted
Standard Description Financial Statement Effect or Other Significant Matters
ASU No. 2016-13
Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326)
The standard replaces the incurred loss model with the current expected credit loss (CECL) model to estimate credit losses for financial assets measured at amortized cost and certain off-balance sheet credit exposures. The CECL model requires a Company to estimate credit losses expected over the life of the financial assets based on historical experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The provisions of the standard are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The amendment requires a modified retrospective approach by recording a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption.
The Company adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2020. The standard changed the way entities recognize impairment of most financial assets. Short-term and long-term financial assets, as defined by the standard, are impacted by immediate recognition of estimated credit losses in the financial statements, reflecting the net amount expected to be collected. The adoption of this standard had an immaterial impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

Date of adoption: Q1 2020
ASU No. 2018-13
Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820)
The standard removes the disclosure requirements for the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. The provisions of this ASU are effective for years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted.
This ASU did not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements, as it only includes changes to disclosure requirements.
Date of adoption: Q1 2020
Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted
Standard Description Financial Statement Effect or Other Significant Matters
ASU No. 2018-14
Compensation—Retirement Benefits—Defined Benefit Plans—General (Subtopic 715-20)
The standard includes updates to the disclosure requirements for defined benefit plans including several additions, deletions and modifications to the disclosure requirements. The provisions of this ASU are effective for years beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted.
This ASU does not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements, as it only includes changes to disclosure requirements.
Planned date of adoption: Q1 2021
ASU No. 2019-12
Income Taxes (Topic 740), Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes
The amendments in this update simplify the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and improve consistent application by clarifying and amending existing guidance. The amendments of this standard are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period for which financial statements have not been issued, with the amendments to be applied on a respective, modified retrospective or prospective basis, depending on the specific amendment.
The Company is currently evaluating the requirements of this standard. The standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.

Planned date of adoption: Q1 2021
ASU No. 2020-04
Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848), Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting
The amendments in Update 2020-04 are elective and apply to all entities that have contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued due to reference rate reform. The new guidance provides the following optional expedients: simplify accounting analyses under current U.S. GAAP for contract modifications, simplify the assessment of hedge effectiveness, allow hedging relationships affected by reference rate reform to continue and allow a one-time election to sell or transfer debt securities classified as held to maturity that reference a rate affected by reference rate reform.
The amendments are effective for all entities from the beginning of an interim period that includes the issuance date of the ASU. An entity may elect to apply the amendments prospectively through December 31, 2022. After 2021, it is unclear whether banks will continue to provide LIBOR submissions to the administrator of LIBOR, and no consensus currently exists as to what benchmark rate or rates may become accepted alternatives to LIBOR. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.

Planned date of adoption: Before December 31, 2022
We consider the applicability and impact of all ASUs. ASUs not listed above were assessed and determined to be either not applicable, or had or are expected to have minimal impact on our financial statements and related disclosures.