Cost in Excess of Net Assets of Companies Acquired and Intangible Assets, Net

Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of an acquisition over the fair value of the net assets acquired. The company tests goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually as of the first day of the fourth quarter, or more frequently if indicators of potential impairment exist.

Cost in excess of net assets of companies acquired, allocated to the company's business segments, is as follows:



	Global Components			Global ECS		Total
Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	763,952		$	709,381	$	1,473,333
Acquisitions	195,844			36,102		231,946
Other (primarily foreign currency translation)	(508		)	1,040		532
Balance as of September 29, 2012	$	959,288		$	746,523	$	1,705,811

Intangible assets, net, are comprised of the following as of September 29, 2012:



	Weighted-Average Life	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Trade names	indefinite	$	179,000	$	—		$	179,000
Customer relationships	11 years	325,757		(91,637		)	234,120
Developed technology	5 years	12,006		(2,121		)	9,885
Other intangible assets	(a)	4,990		(3,447		)	1,543
		$	521,753	$	(97,205	)	$	424,548

Intangible assets, net, are comprised of the following as of December 31, 2011:



	Weighted-Average Life	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Trade names	indefinite	$	179,000	$	—		$	179,000
Customer relationships	11 years	267,729		(69,762		)	197,967
Developed technology	6 years	11,029		(693		)	10,336
Procurement agreement	5 years	12,000		(11,400		)	600
Other intangible assets	(a)	14,573		(9,713		)	4,860
		$	484,331	$	(91,568	)	$	392,763

(a) Consists of non-competition agreements and sales backlog with useful lives ranging from one to three years.

Amortization expense related to identifiable intangible assets was $8,742 and $27,372 for the third quarter and first nine months of 2012 and $9,268 and $25,431 for the third quarter and first nine months of 2011, respectively.