Warranty Guarantees

3 Months Ended

Feb. 03, 2017

Product Warranties Disclosures [Abstract]

Warranty Guarantees

Warranty Guarantees

The company’s products are warranted to ensure customer confidence in design, workmanship, and overall quality. Warranty coverage is generally for specified periods of time and on select products’ hours of usage, and generally covers parts, labor, and other expenses for non-maintenance repairs. Warranty coverage generally does not cover operator abuse or improper use. An authorized company distributor or dealer must perform warranty work. Distributors and dealers submit claims for warranty reimbursement and are credited for the cost of repairs, labor, and other expenses as long as the repairs meet the company's prescribed standards. Warranty expense is accrued at the time of sale based on the estimated number of products under warranty, historical average costs incurred to service warranty claims, the trend in the historical ratio of claims to sales, the historical length of time between the sale and resulting warranty claim, and other minor factors. Special warranty reserves are also accrued for major rework campaigns. Service support outside of the warranty period is provided by authorized distributors and dealers at the customer's expense. The company sells extended warranty coverage on select products for a prescribed period after the original warranty period expires.

Warranty provisions, claims, and changes in estimates for the first three months of fiscal 2017 and 2016 were as follows:

	Three Months Ended
	February 3, 2017			January 29, 2016
(Dollars in thousands)
Beginning balance	$	72,158		$	70,734
Warranty provisions	9,615			8,940
Warranty claims	(9,794		)	(8,527		)
Changes in estimates	594			—
Ending balance	$	72,573		$	71,147