Warranty accrual

9 Months Ended

Jul. 31, 2011

Warranty accrual [Abstract]

Warranty accrual

12.

Warranty accrual. We offer warranty to our customers depending on the specific product and terms of the customer purchase agreement. A typical warranty program requires that we repair or replace defective products within a specified time period (generally one year) from the date of delivery or first use. We record an estimate for future warranty-related costs based on actual historical return rates. Based on analysis of return rates and other factors, the adequacy of our warranty provisions are adjusted as necessary. The liability for warranty costs is included in accrued liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Following is a reconciliation of the product warranty liability for the nine months ended July 31, 2011 and 2010:

	July 31, 2011			July 31, 2010
Beginning balance	$	5,242		$	4,587
Warranty assumed from acquisition		—			60
Warranty of divested product lines		—			(211	)
Accruals for warranties		4,734			5,237
Warranty payments		(4,121	)		(3,813	)
Currency effect		130			(225	)
Ending balance	$	5,985		$	5,635