Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

14. Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

Lease Commitments

The Company leases certain facilities and equipment under operating leases, many of which contain renewal options. Total rental expense, net of insignificant sublease rental income, for all operating leases was $87,149, $76,541, and $66,118 for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively. Contingent rentals under the operating leases were not significant.

The aggregate future minimum lease payments for operating and capital leases as of December 31, 2014 are as follows:

	Operating		Capital
2015	$	63,979	$	3,801
2016	51,193		2,015
2017	42,647		731
2018	33,297		196
2019	24,283		112
2020 and thereafter	57,536		347
	$	272,935	$	7,202

Guarantees

The Company has provided typical indemnities in connection with sales of certain businesses and assets, including representations and warranties and related indemnities for environmental, health and safety, tax, and employment matters.  The Company does not have any material liabilities recorded for these indemnifications and is not aware of any claims or other information that would give rise to material payments under such indemnities.

Litigation

A few of the Company’s subsidiaries are involved in legal proceedings relating to the cleanup of waste disposal sites identified under federal and state statutes which provide for the allocation of such costs among “potentially responsible parties.” In each instance, the extent of the Company’s liability appears to be very small in relation to the total projected expenditures and the number of other “potentially responsible parties” involved and is anticipated to be immaterial to the Company. In addition, a few of the Company’s subsidiaries are involved in ongoing remedial activities at certain current and former plant sites, in cooperation with regulatory agencies, and appropriate reserves have been established. At December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company has reserves totaling $32,890 and $34,031, respectively, for environmental and other matters, including private party claims for exposure to hazardous substances, that are probable and estimable.

The Company and certain of its subsidiaries are also parties to a number of other legal proceedings incidental to their businesses. These proceedings primarily involve claims by private parties alleging injury arising out of use of the Company’s products, exposure to hazardous substances, patent infringement, employment matters, and commercial disputes. Management and legal counsel, at least quarterly, review the probable outcome of such proceedings, the costs and expenses reasonably expected to be incurred and currently accrued to-date, and the availability and extent of insurance coverage. The Company has reserves for legal matters that are probable and estimable and not otherwise covered by insurance, and at December 31, 2014 and 2013, these reserves are not significant. While it is not possible at this time to predict the outcome of these legal actions, in the opinion of management, based on the aforementioned reviews, the Company is not currently involved in any legal proceedings which, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material affect on its financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.