Warranty Reserves

3 Months Ended

Apr. 01, 2012

Product Warranties Disclosures [Abstract]

Warranty Reserves

Warranty Reserves

The Company provides warranty protection for certain products usually for a period of one year beyond the date of sale. The majority of costs associated with warranty obligations include the replacement of parts and the time for service personnel to respond to repair and replacement requests. A warranty reserve is recorded based upon historical results, supplemented by management’s expectations of future costs. Warranty reserves are included in “Accrued expenses” on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Warranty reserve activity for the three months ended April 1, 2012 and April 3, 2011 is summarized below:

	Three Months Ended
	April 1, 2012			April 3, 2011
	(In thousands)
Balance beginning of period	$	10,412		$	8,250
Provision charged to income	4,626			3,328
Payments	(4,847		)	(3,427		)
Adjustments to previously provided warranties, net	457			(125		)
Foreign currency translation and acquisitions	101			245
Balance end of period	$	10,749		$	8,271