DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 28, 2013

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

(14) DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

        The Company manages risk from foreign currency rate risk related to foreign currency denominated transactions and from natural gas supply pricing. From time to time, the Company manages these risks using derivative financial instruments. Most of these derivative financial instruments are marked to market and recorded in the Company's consolidated statements of earnings. Some derivative financial instruments may be accounted for as a fair value or cash flow hedge. Derivative financial instruments have credit risk and market risk. To manage credit risk, the Company only enters into derivative transactions with counterparties who are recognized, stable multinational banks.

        Natural Gas Prices:    Natural gas supplies to meet production requirements of production facilities are purchased at market prices. Natural gas market prices are volatile and the Company effectively fixes prices for a portion of its natural gas usage requirements of certain of its U.S. facilities through the use of swaps. These contracts reference physical natural gas prices or appropriate NYMEX futures contract prices. While there is a strong correlation between the NYMEX futures contract prices and the Company's delivered cost of natural gas, the use of financial derivatives may not exactly offset the change in the price of physical gas. The contracts are traded in months forward and settlement dates are scheduled to coincide with gas purchases during that future period.

        Annual consolidated purchase requirements for North America are approximately 1,113,800 MMBtu. At December 28, 2013 there were open swaps totaling 120,000 MMBtu with a total unrealized gain of $73, which was recorded in the Company's consolidated statement of earnings for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2013. At December 29, 2012 there were open swaps totaling 70,000 MMBtu with a total unrealized gain of $3, which was recorded in the Company's consolidated statement of earnings for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2012.

        Interest Rate Fluctuations:    In connection with the issuance of the $150,000 principal amount of senior notes in June 2011, the Company executed a contract for a notional amount of $130,000 to hedge the risk of potential fluctuations in the treasury rates which would change the amount of net proceeds received from the debt offering. As the benchmark rate component of the fixed rate debt issuance and the cash flow hedged risk is based on that same benchmark, this was deemed an effective hedge at inception. On June 8, 2011, this contract was settled with the Company paying approximately $3,568 to the counterparty. As such, the Company recorded the $3,568 in accumulated accumulated other comprehensive income in fiscal 2011 and amortizes this loss to interest expense as interest payments are made over the term of the debt.

        Foreign Currency Fluctuations:    The Company operates in a number of different foreign countries and may enter into business transactions that are in currencies that are different from a given operation's functional currency. In certain cases, the Company may enter into foreign currency exchange contracts to manage a portion of the foreign exchange risk associated with either a receivable or payable denominated in a foreign currency, a forecasted transaction or a series of forecasted transactions denominated in a foreign currency.

        At December 28, 2013, the Company had open foreign currency forward contracts related to a large sales contract that will be settled in Canadian dollars. The purpose of the contracts was to reduce the effect of exchange rate fluctuations on the profitability of the contract and is accounted for as a fair value hedge. The notional amount of the open forward contracts to sell Canadian dollars is $28,032 and will be settled by the end of March 2014. Total unrealized gains on the forward contracts at the end of fiscal 2013 were $475. There were no significant open foreign currency contracts at December 29, 2012 or December 31, 2011.