Warranty Guarantees

9 Months Ended

Aug. 04, 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.

The changes in accrued warranties were as follows:

	Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
	August 4, 2017			July 29, 2016			August 4, 2017			July 29, 2016
(Dollars in thousands)
Beginning balance	$	81,993		$	79,658		$	72,158		$	70,734
Warranty provisions	11,208			10,869			38,003			36,673
Warranty claims	(11,381		)	(11,894		)	(29,682		)	(28,596		)
Changes in estimates	(662		)	2,780			679			2,602
Ending balance	$	81,158		$	81,413		$	81,158		$	81,413