PENSION BENEFIT PLANS

The Company has noncontributory defined benefit pension plans which cover certain of its U.S. employees. During 2012, all remaining benefit accruals under the U.S. plans ceased. The Company also has noncontributory defined benefit pension plans which cover certain of its non-U.S. employees, and under certain of these plans, benefit accruals continue. In general, the Company’s policy is to fund these plans based on considerations relating to legal requirements, underlying asset returns, the plan’s funded status, the anticipated deductibility of the contribution, local practices, market conditions, interest rates and other factors.

The following sets forth the funded status of the U.S. and non-U.S. plans as of the most recent actuarial valuations using measurement dates of December 31 ($ in millions):



	U.S. Pension Benefits						Non-U.S. Pension Benefits
	2015			2014			2015			2014
Change in pension benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	2,484.7		$	2,281.2		$	1,545.6		$	1,251.0
Service cost	9.6			6.0			46.8			32.0
Interest cost	101.1			105.9			37.8			44.4
Employee contributions	—			—			9.3			9.6
Benefits paid and other	(192.9		)	(180.7		)	(47.0		)	(48.1		)
Acquisitions	324.9			—			431.4			84.8
Actuarial (gain) loss	(112.5		)	273.8			(59.4		)	274.4
Amendments, settlements and curtailments	(11.0		)	(1.5		)	(86.0		)	45.3
Foreign exchange rate impact	—			—			(102.3		)	(147.8		)
Benefit obligation at end of year	2,603.9			2,484.7			1,776.2			1,545.6
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	1,886.3			1,926.3			962.2			834.6
Actual return on plan assets	(21.3		)	90.4			10.6			93.4
Employer contributions	49.4			51.8			53.1			61.6
Employee contributions	—			—			9.3			9.6
Amendments and settlements	—			(1.5		)	(61.8		)	39.1
Benefits paid and other	(192.9		)	(180.7		)	(47.0		)	(48.1		)
Acquisitions	171.1			—			355.8			57.0
Foreign exchange rate impact	—			—			(59.6		)	(85.0		)
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	1,892.6			1,886.3			1,222.6			962.2
Funded status	$	(711.3	)	$	(598.4	)	$	(553.6	)	$	(583.4	)

Weighted average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations at date of measurement:



	U.S. Plans				Non-U.S. Plans
	2015		2014		2015		2014
Discount rate	4.4	%	4.0	%	2.6	%	2.3	%
Rate of compensation increase	4.0	%	N/A		2.9	%	3.0	%

Components of net periodic pension cost:



	U.S. Pension Benefits						Non-U.S. Pension Benefits
($ in millions)	2015			2014			2015			2014
Service cost	$	9.6		$	6.0		$	46.8		$	32.0
Interest cost	101.1			105.9			37.8			44.4
Expected return on plan assets	(136.0		)	(128.8		)	(43.1		)	(41.5		)
Amortization of prior service credit	—			—			(0.2		)	(0.1		)
Amortization of net loss	28.9			18.4			16.6			6.8
Curtailment and settlement (gains) losses recognized	(9.3		)	0.2			(0.4		)	0.7
Net periodic pension cost	$	(5.7	)	$	1.7		$	57.5		$	42.3

Net periodic pension costs are included in cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Earnings.

Weighted average assumptions used to determine net periodic pension cost at date of measurement:



	U.S. Plans				Non-U.S. Plans
	2015		2014		2015		2014
Discount rate	4.0	%	4.8	%	2.3	%	3.6	%
Expected long-term return on plan assets	7.5	%	7.5	%	4.0	%	4.8	%
Rate of compensation increase	N/A		N/A		3.0	%	3.1	%

The discount rate reflects the market rate on December 31 for high-quality fixed-income investments with maturities corresponding to the Company’s benefit obligations and is subject to change each year. For non-U.S. plans, rates appropriate for each plan are determined based on investment-grade instruments with maturities approximately equal to the average expected benefit payout under the plan. During 2014, the Company updated the mortality assumptions used to estimate the projected benefit obligation to reflect updated mortality tables which extend the life expectancy of the participants.

Effective December 31, 2015, the Company changed its estimate of the service and interest cost components of net periodic benefit cost for its U.S. and non-U.S. pension and other postretirement benefit plans. Previously, the Company estimated the service and interest cost components utilizing a single weighted-average discount rate derived from the yield curve used to measure the benefit obligation. The new estimate utilizes a full yield curve approach in the estimation of these components by applying the specific spot rates along the yield curve used in the determination of the benefit obligation to their underlying projected cash flows. The new estimate provides a more precise measurement of service and interest costs by improving the correlation between projected benefit cash flows and their corresponding spot rates. The change does not affect the measurement of the Company’s U.S. and non-U.S. pension and other postretirement benefit obligations and it is accounted for as a change in accounting estimate that is inseparable from a change in accounting principle, which is applied prospectively. For fiscal year 2016, the change in estimate is expected to reduce U.S. and non-U.S. pension and other postretirement net periodic benefit plan cost by $25 million when compared to the prior estimate.

Following the Pall Acquisition, the Company froze and discontinued all future accruals to the Pall pension plan, which necessitated a remeasurement of the plan obligations and resulted in a curtailment gain of $11 million ($9 million, net of tax) in 2015.

Included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as of December 31, 2015 are the following amounts that have not yet been recognized in net periodic pension cost: unrecognized prior service credits of $2 million ($2 million, net of tax) and unrecognized actuarial losses of approximately $998 million ($654 million, net of tax). The unrecognized losses and prior service credits, net, is calculated as the difference between the actuarially determined projected benefit obligation and the value of the plan assets less accrued pension costs as of December 31, 2015. The prior service credits and actuarial losses included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and expected to be recognized in net periodic pension costs during the year ending December 31, 2016 is $0.3 million ($0.2 million, net of tax) and $37 million ($25 million, net of tax), respectively. No plan assets are expected to be returned to the Company during the year ending December 31, 2016.

Selection of Expected Rate of Return on Assets

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company used an expected long-term rate of return assumption of 7.5% for its U.S. defined benefit pension plan. The Company intends to use an expected long-term rate of return assumption of 7.0% for 2016 for its U.S. plan. This expected rate of return reflects the asset allocation of the plan, and is based primarily on broad, publicly traded equity and fixed-income indices and forward-looking estimates of active portfolio and investment management. Long-term rate of return on asset assumptions for the non-U.S. plans were determined on a plan-by-plan basis based on the composition of assets and ranged from 1.1% to 6.0% and 1.3% to 7.1% in 2015 and 2014, respectively, with a weighted average rate of return assumption of 4.0% and 4.8% in 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Plan Assets

The U.S. plan’s goal is to maintain between 60% and 70% of its assets in equity portfolios, which are invested in individual equity securities or funds that are expected to mirror broad market returns for equity securities or in assets with characteristics similar to equity investments, such as venture capital funds and partnerships. Asset holdings are periodically rebalanced when equity holdings are outside this range. The balance of the U.S. plan asset portfolio is invested in bond funds, real estate funds, various absolute and real return funds and private equity funds. Non-U.S. plan assets are invested in various insurance contracts, equity and debt securities as determined by the administrator of each plan. The value of the plan assets directly affects the funded status of the Company’s pension plans recorded in the consolidated financial statements.

The Company has some investments that are valued using Net Asset Value (“NAV”) as the practical expedient. In addition, some of the investments valued using NAV as the practical expedient have limits on their redemption to monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually and require up to 90 days prior written notice. These investments valued using NAV consist of mutual funds, common collective trusts, venture capital funds, partnerships, and other private investments, which allow the Company to allocate investments across a broad array of types of funds and diversify the portfolio.

The fair values of the Company’s pension plan assets for both the U.S. and non-U.S. plans as of December 31, 2015, by asset category were as follows ($ in millions):



	Quoted Prices in Active Market (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		Total
Cash and equivalents	$	24.7	$	—	$	—	$	24.7
Equity securities:
Common stock	263.7		24.5		—		288.2
Preferred stock	2.6		—		—		2.6
Fixed income securities:
Corporate bonds	—		119.6		—		119.6
Government issued	—		80.5		—		80.5
Mutual funds	357.4		196.6		—		554.0
Insurance contracts	—		119.9		—		119.9
Total	$	648.4	$	541.1	$	—	$	1,189.5
Investments measured at NAV ^(a):
Mutual funds							548.4
Common collective trusts							742.5
Venture capital, partnerships and other private investments							634.8
Total assets at fair value							$	3,115.2

^(a)The fair value amounts presented in the table above are intended to permit reconciliation of the fair value hierarchy to the total plan assets.

The fair values of the Company’s pension plan assets for both the U.S. and non-U.S. plans as of December 31, 2014, by asset category were as follows ($ in millions):



	Quoted Prices in Active Market (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		Total
Cash and equivalents	$	44.6	$	—	$	—	$	44.6
Common stock	174.5		24.8		—		199.3
Fixed income securities:
Corporate bonds	—		133.5		—		133.5
Government issued	—		58.3		—		58.3
Mutual funds	391.0		189.5		—		580.5
Insurance contracts	—		109.2		—		109.2
Total	$	610.1	$	515.3	$	—	$	1,125.4
Investments measured at NAV ^(a):
Mutual funds							375.1
Common collective trusts							852.9
Venture capital, partnerships and other private investments							495.1
Total assets at fair value							$	2,848.5

^(a)The fair value amounts presented in the table above are intended to permit reconciliation of the fair value hierarchy to the total plan assets.

Preferred stock and certain common stock as well as mutual funds are valued at the quoted closing price reported on the active market on which the individual securities are traded. Common stock, corporate bonds, U.S. government securities and mutual funds that are not traded on an active market are valued at quoted prices reported by investment brokers and dealers based on the underlying terms of the security and comparison to similar securities traded on an active market.

Common/collective trusts are valued based on the plan’s interest, represented by investment units, in the underlying investments held within the trust that are traded in an active market by the trustee.

Venture capital, partnerships and other private investments are valued using the NAV based on the information provided by the asset fund managers, which reflects the plan’s share of the fair value of the net assets of the investment. Depending on the nature of the assets, the underlying investments are valued using a combination of either discounted cash flows, earnings and market multiples, third party appraisals or through reference to the quoted market prices of the underlying investments held by the venture, partnership or private entity where available. Valuation adjustments reflect changes in operating results, financial condition, or prospects of the applicable portfolio company.

The methods described above may produce a fair value estimate that may not be indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values. Furthermore, while the Company believes the valuation methods are appropriate and consistent with the methods used by other market participants, the use of different methodologies or assumptions to determine the fair value of certain financial instruments could result in a different fair value measurement at the reporting date.

Expected Contributions

During 2015, the Company contributed $49 million to its U.S. defined benefit pension plan and $53 million to its non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans. During 2016, the Company’s cash contribution requirements for its U.S. and its non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans are expected to be approximately $40 million and $55 million, respectively.

The following sets forth benefit payments, which reflect expected future service, as appropriate, expected to be paid by the plans in the periods indicated ($ in millions):



	U.S. Pension Plans		Non-U.S. Pension Plans		All Pension Plans
2016	$	168.9	$	53.2	$	222.1
2017	176.5		57.4		233.9
2018	179.2		60.0		239.2
2019	179.0		59.3		238.3
2020	181.1		60.3		241.4
2021 – 2025	889.8		353.8		1,243.6

Other Matters

Substantially all employees not covered by defined benefit plans are covered by defined contribution plans, which generally provide for Company funding based on a percentage of compensation.

A limited number of the Company’s subsidiaries participate in multiemployer defined benefit and contribution plans, primarily outside of the United States, that require the Company to periodically contribute funds to the plan. The risks of participating in a multiemployer plan differ from the risks of participating in a single-employer plan in the following respects: (1) assets contributed to the multiemployer plan by one employer may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating employers, (2) if a participating employer ceases contributing to the plan, the unfunded obligations of the plan may be required to be borne by the remaining participating employers and (3) if the Company elects to stop participating in the plan, the Company may be required to pay the plan an amount based on the unfunded status of the plan. None of the multiemployer plans in which the Company’s subsidiaries participate are considered to be quantitatively or qualitatively significant, either individually or in the aggregate. In addition, contributions made to these plans during 2015, 2014 and 2013 were not considered significant, either individually or in the aggregate.

Expense for all defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans amounted to $232 million, $201 million and $185 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.