Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Oct. 31, 2015

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, 2015, the weighted-average useful lives for each major category of amortizable intangible assets were:

Patent/technology costs	13 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, 2015 and 2014 consisted of:

	Cumulative			Pension and			Accumulated
	translation			postretirement benefit			other comprehensive
	adjustments			plan adjustments			loss
Balance at October 31, 2014	$	2,727		$	(105,926	)	$	(103,199	)
Pension and postretirement plan changes, net of    tax of $(1,541)		—			3,667			3,667
Currency translation losses		(45,154	)		—			(45,154	)
Balance at October 31, 2015	$	(42,427	)	$	(102,259	)	$	(144,686	)

Reconciliation of Product Warranty Liability

Following is a reconciliation of the product warranty liability for 2015 and 2014:

	2015			2014
Balance at beginning of year	$	9,918		$	9,409
Accruals for warranties		12,531			10,813
Warranty assumed from acquisitions		11			—
Warranty payments		(11,487	)		(10,012	)
Currency adjustments		(436	)		(292	)
Balance at end of year	$	10,537		$	9,918