Discontinued Operations Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 30, 2015	Oct. 31, 2014
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Accounts receivable, net	$ 8,274	$ 11,012
Inventories	26,765	25,876
Prepaid expenses	1,158	829
Deferred income tax benefits	1,380	1,351
Income tax refundable	780	2,378
Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	38,357	41,446
Net property, plant and equipment	24,687	28,893
Intangibles, net	33,186	41,214
Deferred income tax benefits	0	(30)
Other assets	1,506	1,600
Non-Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	59,379	71,677
Accounts payable	10,119	9,393
Accrued liabilities	3,315	4,798
Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	13,434	14,191
Deferred income tax liabilities	19,051	18,864
Other liabilities	743	12
Non-Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	19,794	18,876
Net Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	64,508	80,056
Avionics & Controls
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Accounts receivable, net	3,880	5,154
Inventories	13,190	12,646
Prepaid expenses	467	408
Deferred income tax benefits	694	671
Income tax refundable	780	0
Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	19,011	18,879
Net property, plant and equipment	1,669	4,949
Intangibles, net	14,692	22,228
Deferred income tax benefits	0	0
Other assets	0	0
Non-Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	16,361	27,177
Accounts payable	2,788	2,194
Accrued liabilities	1,450	1,765
Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	4,238	3,959
Deferred income tax liabilities	11,117	11,084
Other liabilities	259	0
Non-Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	11,376	11,084
Net Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	19,758	31,013
Sensors & Systems
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Accounts receivable, net	3,063	3,752
Inventories	8,580	7,972
Prepaid expenses	296	86
Deferred income tax benefits	686	680
Income tax refundable	0	0
Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	12,625	12,490
Net property, plant and equipment	4,122	4,105
Intangibles, net	10,660	10,659
Deferred income tax benefits	0	(30)
Other assets	0	0
Non-Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	14,782	14,734
Accounts payable	1,168	873
Accrued liabilities	876	1,008
Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	2,044	1,881
Deferred income tax liabilities	6,338	6,243
Other liabilities	484	0
Non-Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	6,822	6,243
Net Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	18,541	19,100
Advanced Materials
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Accounts receivable, net	1,331	2,106
Inventories	4,995	5,258
Prepaid expenses	395	335
Deferred income tax benefits	0	0
Income tax refundable	0	2,378
Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	6,721	10,077
Net property, plant and equipment	18,896	19,839
Intangibles, net	7,834	8,327
Deferred income tax benefits	0	0
Other assets	1,506	1,600
Non-Current Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	28,236	29,766
Accounts payable	6,163	6,326
Accrued liabilities	989	2,025
Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	7,152	8,351
Deferred income tax liabilities	1,596	1,537
Other liabilities	0	12
Non-Current Liabilities of Businesses Held for Sale	1,596	1,549
Net Assets of Businesses Held for Sale	$ 26,209	$ 29,943