GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 30, 2017

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Amortized Intangible Assets

The components of amortized intangible assets at December 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 were as follows:



	December 30, 2017
	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Weighted Average Life
Customer Relationships	$	200,810	$	131,062	13 years
Proprietary Software & Database	3,671		3,107		8 years
Patents & Proprietary Technology	6,693		3,999		11 years
Other	4,861		4,121		3 years
	$	216,035	$	142,289



	December 31, 2016
	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Weighted Average Life
Customer Relationships	$	191,316	$	111,342	13 years
Proprietary Software & Database	3,616		3,056		8 years
Patents & Proprietary Technology	6,434		3,420		11 years
Other	3,713		3,668		3 years
	$	205,079	$	121,486

Amortization expense for intangible assets was $15,911, $15,935 and $18,339 for the fiscal years ended December 30, 2017, December 31, 2016 and December 26, 2015, respectively.

Estimated annual amortization expense related to finite‑lived intangible assets is as follows:



	Estimated Amortization Expense
2018	$	14,537
2019	13,761
2020	12,647
2021	10,525
2022	7,550

The useful lives assigned to finite‑lived intangible assets included consideration of factors such as the Company’s past and expected experience related to customer retention rates, the remaining legal or contractual life of the underlying arrangement that resulted in the recognition of the intangible asset and the Company’s expected use of the intangible asset.

Non-amortized intangible assets

Intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized. The carrying values of trade names at December 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 were as follows:

(7) GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Continued)



	December 30, 2017		December 31, 2016		Year Acquired
Webforge	$	9,432	$	8,624	2010
Valmont SM	9,973		8,765		2014
Newmark	11,111		11,111		2004
Ingal EPS/Ingal Civil Products	7,690		7,032		2010
Donhad	5,801		5,305		2010
Shakespeare	4,000		4,000		2014
Other	16,846		15,948
	$	64,853	$	60,785

In its determination of these intangible assets as indefinite‑lived, the Company considered such factors as its expected future use of the intangible asset, legal, regulatory, technological and competitive factors that may impact the useful life or value of the intangible asset and the expected costs to maintain the value of the intangible asset. The Company expects that these intangible assets will maintain their value indefinitely. Accordingly, these assets are not amortized.

The Company's trade names were tested for impairment separately from goodwill in the third quarter of 2017. The values of the trade names were determined using the relief-from-royalty method. The Company determined that the value of its trade names were not impaired. The increase in certain trade names in 2017 was due to currency translation effects.

In 2015, the Company recorded a $5,830 impairment of the Webforge trade name (in ESS segment) and a $1,100 impairment of the Industrial Galvanizing trade name (in Coatings segment).

Goodwill

The carrying amount of goodwill by segment as of December 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 was as follows:



	Engineered Support Structures Segment			Utility Support Structures Segment		Coatings Segment			Irrigation Segment		Other		Total
Gross Balance at December 31, 2016	$	157,689		$	88,680	$	75,791		$	19,359	$	17,487	$	356,002
Accumulated impairment losses	(18,670		)	—		(16,222		)	—		—		(34,892		)
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	139,019		$	88,451	$	59,569		$	19,611	$	14,460	$	321,110
Acquisitions	3,449			—		—			—		—		3,449
Foreign currency translation	8,938			1,797		905			167		1,354		13,161
Balance at December 30, 2017	$	151,406		$	90,248	$	60,474		$	19,778	$	15,814	$	337,720

(7) GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Continued)



	Engineered Support Structures Segment			Utility Support Structures Segment			Coatings Segment			Irrigation Segment		Other			Total
Gross Balance at December 26, 2015	$	170,341		$	88,680		$	75,941		$	19,359	$	17,487		$	371,808
Accumulated impairment losses	(18,670		)	—			(16,222		)	—		—			(34,892		)
Balance at December 26, 2015	151,671			88,680			59,719			19,359		17,487			336,916
Foreign currency translation	(12,652		)	(229		)	(150		)	252		(3,027		)	(15,806		)
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	139,019		$	88,451		$	59,569		$	19,611	$	14,460		$	321,110

The Company’s annual impairment test of goodwill was performed during the third quarter of 2017 and it was determined that the goodwill on the consolidated balance sheet was not impaired.

In fiscal 2015, the Company recognized a $16,222 impairment charge which represented all of the goodwill on the APAC Coatings reporting unit. The forecast for lower prices for oil and natural gas required an interim step 2 test for our Access Systems reporting unit during the fourth quarter of 2015. Accordingly, the Company recorded a $18,670 impairment of Access System's goodwill.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.

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