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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
  2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Principles of Consolidation

 

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated on consolidation.

 

Reclassifications

 

Certain reclassifications have been made in prior years' financial statements to conform to the presentation used in the current year. These reclassifications have not resulted in any changes to the previously reported net income for any year.

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The financial statements include estimates based on currently available information and management's judgment as to the outcome of future conditions and circumstances. Significant estimates in these financial statements include allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory provision, useful lives and impairment of long-lived assets, warranty accruals, income tax determination, stock-based compensation, cost of pension benefits and estimates related to purchase price allocation.

 

Changes in the status of certain facts or circumstances could result in material changes to the estimates used in the preparation of the financial statements and actual results could differ from the estimates and assumptions.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

Revenue is recognized when (1) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (2) delivery occurs, (3) the sales price is fixed or determinable, (4) collectability is reasonably assured and (5) customer acceptance criteria, if any, has been successfully demonstrated. Revenue is recognized on the sale of goods, when the significant risks and rewards of ownership have been transferred to the buyer upon delivery, provided that the Company maintains neither managerial involvement to the degree usually associated with ownership, nor effective control over the goods sold. There are no further obligations on the part of the Company subsequent to revenue recognition, except when customers have the right of return or when the Company warrants the product. The Company records a provision for future returns, based on historical experience at the time of shipment of products to customers. The Company warrants some of its products against defects in design, materials and workmanship for periods ranging from one to three years depending on the model. The Company records a provision for estimated future warranty costs based on the historical relationship of warranty claims to sales at the time of shipment of products to customers. The Company periodically reviews the adequacy of its product warranties and adjusts, if necessary, the warranty percentage and accrued warranty reserve for actual experience.

 

The following table provides detail of change in the Company's product warranty provision, which is a component of accrued liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 (in thousands):

 

    December 31,  
    2012     2011  
Balance at beginning of year   $ 312     $ 291  
Increase due to acquisition during year     -       48  
Increase due to warranty expense     108       284  
Deductions for warranty charges     (215 )     (308 )
Change due to foreign currency translation     6       (3 )
Balance at end of year   $ 211     $ 312  

 

Financial Instruments

 

The Company estimates the fair value of its financial instruments based on current interest rates, market value and pricing of financial instruments with comparable terms. Unless otherwise indicated, the carrying value of these financial instruments approximates their fair market value.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand, demand deposits and investments with an original maturity at the date of purchase of three months or less.

 

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information (in thousands):

 

    Year Ended December 31,  
    2012     2011  
Interest paid   $ 936     $ 728  
Income taxes paid     952       1,328  

 

Accounts Receivable

 

The Company accounts for trade receivables at original invoice amount less an estimate made for doubtful receivables based on a review of all outstanding amounts on a monthly basis. Management determines the allowance for doubtful accounts by regularly evaluating individual customer receivables and considering a customer's financial condition, credit history and current economic conditions. The Company writes off trade receivables when they are deemed uncollectible. The Company records recoveries of trade receivables previously written off when it receives them. Management considers the Company's allowance for doubtful accounts, which was $29,000 and $54,000 as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, sufficient to cover any exposure to loss in its accounts receivable.

 

Long-Lived Assets

 

Depreciation and amortization for property, plant and equipment, and finite life intangible assets, is computed and included in cost of goods sold and in selling and administrative expense, as appropriate. Long-lived assets, consisting primarily of property, plant and equipment, are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is recorded using the declining balance method for buildings, furniture and fixtures at the Company's Canadian operations. Non-Canadian property, plant and equipment are depreciated using the straight line method, based on the estimated useful lives of the assets (buildings - 25 years, machinery and equipment - 5 to 15 years, computer hardware and software - 3 to 5 years). Depreciation commences once the assets are ready for their intended use.

 

Finite life intangible assets consist of non-compete agreements, which have defined terms, and three categories of customer relationships for which estimated useful lives were determined based on actual historical customer attrition rates. These finite life intangible assets are amortized by the Company over periods ranging from three to twenty years.

 

Long-lived and finite life intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances have occurred that indicate the remaining useful life of the asset may warrant revision or that the remaining balance of the asset may not be recoverable. In addition, finite life intangible assets are tested at least once annually through quantitative analysis. Upon indications of impairment, or in the normal course of annual testing, assets and liabilities are grouped at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. The measurement of possible impairment is generally estimated by the ability to recover the balance of an asset group from its expected future operating cash flows on an undiscounted basis. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value thereof. Determining asset groups and underlying cash flows requires the use of significant judgment.

 

Goodwill and Indefinite Life Intangible Assets

 

Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level, which is equivalent to the Company's subsidiary-level financial statements, and based on the net assets for each subsidiary, including goodwill and intangible assets. Goodwill is assigned to each operating subsidiary, as this represents the lowest level that constitutes a business for which discrete financial information is available, and is the level at which management regularly reviews operating results.

 

Goodwill and indefinite life intangible assets are evaluated for impairment annually, or immediately if events or other conditions indicate there may be a possible permanent loss of value, using either a quantitative or a qualitative analysis. The Company performs a quantitative analysis using a discounted cash flow model and other valuation techniques, but may elect to perform a qualitative analysis. A quantitative analysis is used to determine an estimated fair value representing the amount at which a reporting unit could be bought or sold in a current transaction between willing parties on an arms-length basis. The estimated fair value of each reporting unit is derived using a discounted cash flow method based on market and reporting unit-specific assumptions, including estimated future revenues and expenses, weighted average cost of capital, capital expenditures, the useful life over which cash flows will occur and other assumptions which are considered reasonable and inherent in discounted cash flow analysis. A qualitative analysis is performed by assessing certain trends and factors, including projected market outlook and growth rates, forecasted and actual sales and operating profit margins, discount rates, industry data and other relevant qualitative factors. These trends and factors are compared to, and based on, the assumptions used in the most recent quantitative assessment.

 

Goodwill impairment testing for 2012 and 2011 was performed by using quantitative analysis, as described above, for each of the Company's reporting units having a carrying amount of goodwill. As a result of the quantitative analysis performed, the Company determined that no impairments were warranted for 2012, and 2011.

 

Indefinite life intangible assets primarily consist primarily of trademarks. The fair value of these assets are determined using a royalty relief methodology similar to that employed when the associated assets were acquired, but using updated estimates of future sales, cash flows and profitability. For 2012 and 2011, the fair value of indefinite life intangible assets exceeded their respective carrying values.

 

Foreign Currency Translation

 

The functional currency for the Companies foreign subsidiaries is the local currency in which the entity is located. The financial statements of all subsidiaries with a functional currency other than the U.S. Dollar have been translated into U.S. Dollars. All assets and liabilities of foreign operations are translated into U.S. Dollars using year-end exchange rates, and all revenues and expenses are translated at average rates during the respective period. The U.S. Dollar results that arise from such translation, as well as exchange gains and losses on intercompany balances of a long-term investment nature, are included in the cumulative currency translation adjustments in accumulated other comprehensive income in stockholders' equity.

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, based on the income tax laws and rates in the countries in which operations are conducted and income is earned. This approach requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities. Developing the provision for income taxes requires significant judgment and expertise in federal, international and state income tax laws, regulations and strategies, including the determination of deferred tax assets and liabilities and, if necessary, any valuation allowances that may be required for deferred tax assets. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce its deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. The Company believes that the deferred tax asset recorded as of December 31, 2012, is realizable through future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences and future taxable income. If the Company was to subsequently determine that it would be able to realize deferred tax assets in the future in excess of its net recorded amount, an adjustment to deferred tax assets would increase earnings for the period in which such determination was made. The Company will continue to assess the adequacy of the valuation allowance on a quarterly basis. The Company's judgments and tax strategies are subject to audit by various taxing authorities.

 

 

The objective of accounting for income taxes is to recognize the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred tax liabilities and assets for the future tax consequences or events that have been recognized in the Company's financial statements or tax returns. The Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position (see "Unrecognized Tax Benefits" below).

 

Interest and penalties are grouped with interest expense on the consolidated statement of earnings.

 

Unrecognized Tax Benefits

 

The Company accounts for unrecognized tax benefits in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") "Income Taxes" ("ASC 740"). ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold that a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements and provides guidance on de-recognition, measurement, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition issues. ASC 740 contains a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement.

 

Additionally, ASC 740 requires the Company to accrue interest and related penalties, if applicable, on all tax positions for which reserves have been established consistent with jurisdictional tax laws.

 

Sales Tax

 

The Company discloses the amount of those taxes that are recognized on a gross basis in interim and annual financial statements for each period for which an income statement is presented if those amounts are significant. While the amounts are not material, the Company's policy is to present such taxes on a net basis in the consolidated statements of earnings.

 

Share-Based Payments

 

The Company accounts for share based payments in accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC 718 "Compensation - Stock Compensation" and accordingly recognizes in its financial statements share based payments at their fair value. In addition, it recognizes in the financial statements an expense based on the grant date fair value of stock options granted to employees and directors. The expense is recognized on a straight line basis over the expected option life while taking into account the vesting period and the offsetting credit is recorded in additional paid-in capital. Upon exercise of options, the consideration paid together with the amount previously recorded as additional paid-in capital is recognized as capital stock. The Company estimates its forfeiture rate in order to determine its compensation expense arising from stock based awards. The Company uses the Black-Scholes Merton option pricing model to determine the fair value of the options. Non-employee members of the Board of Directors are deemed to be employees for the purposes of recognizing share-based compensation expense.

 

Employee Benefit Plan

 

The Company sponsors a defined benefit plan as described in Note 15. The cost of pension benefits earned by employees is actuarially determined using the accumulated benefit method and a discount rate, used to measure interest cost on the accrued employee future benefit obligation, based on market interest rates on high-quality debt instruments with maturities that match the timing and benefits expected to be paid by the plan. Plan assets are valued using current market values and the expected return on plan assets is based on the fair value of the plan assets.

 

The costs that relate to employee current service are charged to income annually.

 

The transitional obligation created upon adoption of the FASB ASC 715 "Compensation - Retirement Benefits" is amortized over the average remaining service period of employees. For a given year, unrecognized actuarial gains or losses are recognized into income if the unamortized balance at the beginning of the year is more than 10% of the greater of the plan asset or liability balance. Any unrecognized actuarial gain or loss in excess of this threshold is recognized in income over the remaining service period of the employees.

 

 

The Company reflects the funded status of its defined pension plans as a net asset or net liability in its balance sheet, with an offsetting amount in accumulated other comprehensive income, and recognizes changes in that funded status in the year in which the changes occur through comprehensive income.

 

Inventories

 

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market using first-in, first-out (FIFO) or weighted-average methods and include the cost of materials, labor and manufacturing overhead. The Company uses estimates in determining the level of reserves required to state inventory at the lower of cost or market. The Company estimates are based on market activity levels, production requirements, the physical condition of products and technological innovation. Changes in any of these factors may result in adjustments to the carrying value of inventory.

 

Earnings Per Share

 

Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing the earnings for the period by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing the earnings for the period by the weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding during the period. Potentially dilutive securities composed of incremental common shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options or warrants was included in diluted earnings per share since the exercise price of some of the Company's stock options and/or warrants were in the money (see Note 18 "Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share").

 

Fair Value Measurements

 

FASB ASC 820 "Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure" applies to all assets and liabilities that are being measured and reported on a fair value basis. ASC 820 establishes a framework for measuring fair value in U.S GAAP, and expands disclosure about fair value measurements. ASC 820 enables the reader of the financial statements to assess the inputs used to develop those measurements by establishing a hierarchy for ranking the quality and reliability of the information used to determine fair values. ASC 820 requires that assets and liabilities carried at fair value be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:

 

Level 1: Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

Level 2: Observable market based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data.

 

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data.

 

In determining the appropriate levels, the Company performs a detailed analysis of the assets and liabilities that are subject to ASC 820. At each reporting period, all assets and liabilities for which the fair value measurement is based on significant unobservable inputs are classified as Level 3.

 

The fair value represents management's best estimates based on a range of methodologies and assumptions. The carrying value of receivables and payables arising in the ordinary course of business approximate fair value because of the relatively short period of time between their origination and expected realization. These items have been classified as Level 1.