GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS

6 Months Ended

Jun. 25, 2016

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Amortized Intangible Assets

The components of amortized intangible assets at June 25, 2016 and December 26, 2015 were as follows:



	June 25, 2016
	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Weighted Average Life
Customer Relationships	$	198,175	$	107,359	13 years
Proprietary Software & Database	3,632		3,031		8 years
Patents & Proprietary Technology	6,922		3,687		11 years
Other	3,856		3,790		3 years
	$	212,585	$	117,867

(4) GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Continued)



	December 26, 2015
	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Weighted Average Life
Customer Relationships	$	201,801	$	101,614	13 years
Proprietary Software & Database	3,571		2,966		8 years
Patents & Proprietary Technology	6,815		3,421		11 years
Other	3,752		3,671		3 years
	$	215,939	$	111,672

Amortization expense for intangible assets for the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 25, 2016 and June 27, 2015, respectively was as follows:



Thirteen Weeks Ended				Twenty-six Weeks Ended
2016		2015		2016		2015
$	4,078	$	4,737	$	8,073	$	9,650

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



	Estimated Amortization Expense
2016	$	15,906
2017	15,624
2018	13,990
2019	13,209
2020	12,158

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.

(4) GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Continued)

Non-amortized intangible assets

Intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized. The carrying values of trade names at June 25, 2016 and December 26, 2015 were as follows:



	June 25, 2016		December 26, 2015		Year Acquired
Webforge	$	9,545	$	10,430	2010
Valmont SM	9,246		8,919		2014
Newmark	11,111		11,111		2004
Ingal EPS/Ingal Civil Products	7,781		8,504		2010
Donhad	5,870		6,415		2010
Shakespeare	4,000		4,000		2014
Industrial Galvanizers	2,436		2,662		2010
Other	14,107		13,889
	$	64,096	$	65,930

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 in the third quarter of 2015. The values of the trade names were determined using the relief-from-royalty method. Based on this evaluation, the Company recorded a $5,000 impairment of the Webforge trade name (in Energy & Mining segment) and a $1,100 impairment of the Industrial Galvanizing trade name (in Coatings segment) during 2015. The lower price of oil and natural gas in the fourth quarter of 2015 was a qualitative event requiring the Company to re-assess the fair value of the Webforge trade name. As a result, the Company recognized an additional $830 impairment of that trade name. No other trade names were determined to be impaired during 2015 and no qualitative events were noted during the first half of 2016 requiring an interim test for potential impairment.

Goodwill

The carrying amount of goodwill by segment as of June 25, 2016 and December 26, 2015 was as follows:



	Engineered Support Structures Segment			Energy & Mining Segment			Utility Support Structures Segment		Coatings Segment			Irrigation Segment		Total
Gross goodwill at December 26, 2015	$	101,275		$	99,829		$	75,404	$	75,941		$	19,359	$	371,808
Accumulated impairment losses	—			(18,670		)	—		(16,222		)	—		(34,892		)
Balance at December 26, 2015	$	101,275		$	81,159		$	75,404	$	59,719		$	19,359	$	336,916
Foreign currency translation	(2,589		)	(3,200		)	—		411			65		(5,313		)
Balance at June 25, 2016	$	98,686		$	77,959		$	75,404	$	60,130		$	19,424	$	331,603

The Company’s annual impairment test of goodwill was performed during the third quarter of 2015, using the discounted cash flow method. The APAC Coatings reporting unit failed step one in that the estimated fair value was lower than the carrying value. As a result, the Company recorded $9,100 impairment of goodwill on the APAC Coatings reporting unit. The Company finalized step two of the impairment analysis during the fourth quarter of 2015 recording an additional impairment of $7,122, which was the remaining goodwill on this reporting unit.

The Company recorded an $18,670 impairment of Access System's goodwill in the fourth quarter of 2015 primarily driven by the depressed price of a barrel of oil. The Company continues to monitor changes in the global economy that could impact future operating results of its reporting units and no qualitative events were noted in the first half of 2016. If such conditions arise, the Company will test a given reporting unit for impairment during 2016 prior to the annual test.

- 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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