Significant accounting policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Oct. 31, 2011

Significant accounting policies (Tables) [Abstract]

Useful lives of property, plant and equipment and depreciation

Land improvements	15-25 years
Buildings	20-40 years
Machinery and equipment	3-12 years
Enterprise management systems	5-13 years

Weighted average useful lives for each major category of amortizable intangible assets

Patent/technology costs	13.5 years
Customer relationships	19.5 years
Noncompete agreements	7.4 years
Trade names	18.1 years

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

	2011			2010
Translation adjustments	$	37,040		$	36,478
Pension and postretirement benefit plan adjustments		(117,052	)		(102,784	)
	$	(80,012	)	$	(66,306	)

Reconciliation of the product warranty liability

	2011			2010
Balance at beginning of year	$	5,242		$	4,587
Accruals for warranties		7,217			6,068
Warranty assumed from acquisition		72			60
Warranty of divested product lines		—			(201	)
Warranty payments		(6,017	)		(5,210	)
Currency adjustments		14			(62	)
Balance at end of year	$	6,528		$	5,242