Basis of Presentation (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2015

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Accounting Policy

The accompanying unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC for quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and do not include all of the information and note disclosures required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for complete financial statements. These unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements should therefore be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2014 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The accompanying unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying disclosures. Although these estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of current events and actions that the Company may undertake in the future, actual results may differ from those estimates. The unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements reflect all adjustments of a normal, recurring nature that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of results for these interim periods. The results of operations of any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for the full year.

Consolidation Policy

Prior to the Separation on February 28, 2014, the Company’s financial statements were prepared on a stand-alone basis and were derived from Dover’s consolidated financial statements and accounting records. The financial statements for those periods include allocations of costs that were incurred by Dover for functions such as corporate human resources, finance and legal, including the costs of salaries, benefits and other related costs. These expenses were allocated to Knowles based on direct usage or benefit where identifiable, with the remainder allocated on the basis of revenues, headcount, or other measures. Knowles considers the previously employed expense allocation methodology reasonable. However, the allocations may not be indicative of the actual expenses had Knowles operated as an independent, publicly-traded company for all periods presented.

New Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In September 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued an Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2015-16 that eliminates the requirement for an acquirer in a business combination to account for measurement-period adjustments retrospectively. Instead, an acquirer will recognize a measurement-period adjustment during the period in which it determines the amount of the adjustment. This standard is effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-49, a final standard that simplifies the subsequent measurement of inventory by replacing the lower of cost or market test under current U.S. GAAP. Under the current guidance, the subsequent measurement of inventory is measured at the lower of cost or market, where “market” may have multiple possible outcomes. The new guidance requires subsequent measurement of inventory at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs to sell (completion, disposal, and transportation). This standard is effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company has not yet determined the effect of the standard on its ongoing financial reporting.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03 and updated the aforementioned in August 2015 through the issuance of 2015-15, which require debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability or line of credit, respectively, be presented in the balance sheet as a direct reduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability or line of credit, consistent with debt discounts. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by the amendments in this update. This standard will be effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2016 and the guidance is required to be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented. This is a presentational matter only and the balance will be reclassified as required.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15 that requires management to evaluate, for each annual and interim reporting period, whether there are conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date the financial statements are issued or are available to be issued. If substantial doubt is raised, additional disclosures around management’s plan to alleviate these doubts are required. This standard will become effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2016 and for all reporting periods thereafter.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09 that provides a comprehensive new revenue recognition model that requires a company to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer at an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. The guidance also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts. Subsequently, in July 2015, the FASB elected to delay the effective date of the standard by one year to annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017, which will require the Company to adopt these provisions in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018. Early application is permitted beginning with annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016. This update permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is currently evaluating the effect this guidance will have on the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures. The Company has not yet selected a transition method nor has it determined the effect of the standard on its ongoing financial reporting.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-08, which includes amendments that change the requirements for reporting discontinued operations and require additional disclosures about discontinued operations. Under the new guidance, only disposals representing a strategic shift in operations - that is, a major effect on the organization's operations and financial results - should be presented as discontinued operations. Examples include a disposal of a major geographic area, a major line of business, or a major equity method investment. Additionally, the ASU requires expanded disclosures about discontinued operations that provide financial statement users with more information about the assets, liabilities, income, and expenses of discontinued operations. This standard is effective for disposals (or classifications as held for sale) of components of an entity that occur within reporting periods beginning on or after December 15, 2014. The Company adopted this guidance effective January 1, 2015; however, the Company has not had any discontinued operations since that time.