Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Oct. 31, 2014

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Useful Lives of Property, Plant and Equipment and Depreciation

Useful lives are as follows:

Land improvements	15-25 years
Buildings	20-40 years
Machinery and equipment	3-18 years
Enterprise management systems	5-13 years

Weighted Average Useful Lives for Each Major Category of Amortizable Intangible Assets

At October 31, 2014, the weighted-average useful lives for each major category of amortizable intangible assets were:

Patent/technology costs	14 years
Customer relationships	14 years
Noncompete agreements	3 years
Trade names	16 years

Summary of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

Accumulated other comprehensive loss at October 31, 2014 and 2013 consisted of:

	Cumulative			Pension and			Accumulated
	translation			postretirement benefit			other comprehensive
	adjustments			plan adjustments			loss
Balance at October 31, 2013	$	26,699		$	(84,079	)	$	(57,380	)
Pension and postretirement plan changes, net of tax of $(11,348)		—			(21,847	)		(21,847	)
Current period charge		(23,972	)		—			(23,972	)
Balance at October 31, 2014	$	2,727		$	(105,926	)	$	(103,199	)

Reconciliation of Product Warranty Liability

Following is a reconciliation of the product warranty liability for 2014 and 2013:

	2014			2013
Balance at beginning of year	$	9,409		$	8,929
Accruals for warranties		10,813			7,891
Warranty assumed from acquisitions		—			947
Warranty payments		(10,012	)		(8,356	)
Currency adjustments		(292	)		(2	)
Balance at end of year	$	9,918		$	9,409