GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired entity over the amounts assigned to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination. The valuations of assets acquired and liabilities assumed from certain recent acquisitions are based on preliminary estimates of fair value and are subject to revision as the Company finalizes appraisals and other analyses. Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by business segment for the nine months ended December 31, 2013 were as follows:



(In thousands)	Distribution Business Segment			All Other Operations Business Segment			Total
Balance at March 31, 2013	$	998,128		$	197,485		$	1,195,613
Acquisitions ^(a)	82,369			(216		)	82,153
Other adjustments, including foreign currency translation	(446		)	(54		)	(500		)
Balance at December 31, 2013	$	1,080,051		$	197,215		$	1,277,266

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^(a)	Includes acquisitions completed during the current year and adjustments made to prior year acquisitions.

Annual Test for Goodwill Impairment

The Company is required to test goodwill associated with each of its reporting units for impairment at least annually and whenever events or circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that goodwill may be impaired. The Company performs its annual goodwill impairment test as of October 31 of each year. At October 31, 2013, the Company had 20 reporting units in the Distribution business segment and 6 reporting units in the All Other Operations business segment, each of which constitutes an operating segment for purposes of the Company’s segment reporting.

GAAP provides that prior to performing the traditional two-step goodwill impairment test, the Company is permitted to first perform a qualitative assessment about the likelihood of the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeding its fair value, referred to as the “Step 0” assessment. The Step 0 assessment requires the evaluation of certain events and circumstances such as macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors and overall financial performance, as well as company and reporting unit-specific items. After performing the Step 0 assessment, should the Company determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, it is required to perform the prescribed two-step goodwill impairment test to identify the potential goodwill impairment and measure the amount of the goodwill impairment loss, if any, to be recognized for that reporting unit. However, if the Company concludes otherwise based on the Step 0 assessment, the two-step goodwill impairment test is not required. The Step 0 assessment can be applied to none, some or all of the Company’s reporting units in any period, and the Company may also bypass the Step 0 assessment for any reporting unit in any period and proceed directly to performing the first step of the two-step goodwill impairment test for the given reporting unit.

For the October 31, 2013 goodwill impairment test, the Company applied the Step 0 assessment to all 20 of the reporting units in the Distribution business segment and 4 of the 6 reporting units in the All Other Operations business segment. After performing the Step 0 assessment for these reporting units, the Company concluded that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of each reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. Therefore, the two-step goodwill impairment test is not necessary for these reporting units.

However, the Company bypassed the option to perform the Step 0 assessment and proceeded directly to performing the first step of the two-step goodwill impairment test for two of its reporting units in the All Other Operations business segment, namely its refrigerants business and a small medical systems business. The Company determined the estimated fair value of these reporting units as of October 31, 2013 using a discounted cash flow model and compared these values to the carrying values of the respective reporting units. Significant assumptions used in the cash flow model include revenue growth rates and profit margins based on the reporting unit business plans, future capital expenditures, working capital needs, and discount and perpetual growth rates. The discount rate used to estimate the fair value of the reporting units exceeded the Company’s weighted average cost of capital as a whole, as the discount rate used for this purpose assigns a higher risk premium to the smaller entities. The perpetual growth rate assumed in the discounted cash flow model was in line with the long-term growth rate as measured by the U.S. Gross Domestic Product and the industry’s long-term rate of growth. In addition to Company and reporting unit-specific growth targets, general economic conditions, the long-term economic outlook for the U.S. economy, and market conditions affecting borrowing costs and returns on equity all influence the estimated fair value of the reporting units.

For the Company’s refrigerants business, the result of the annual goodwill impairment test indicated that the fair value of the reporting unit was substantially in excess of its carrying amount. The forecasted cash flows for this business reflect an evolving regulatory environment, which most recently was impacted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) ruling in March 2013 that allowed for an increase in the production and import of Refrigerant-22 (“R-22”) in calendar year 2013. The ruling pressured both volumes and pricing of R-22 given the increased supply in the market. The Company believes that the impact on its earnings from the EPA’s ruling will be temporary in nature, and that its refrigerants business is well-positioned to benefit from an expected increase in demand for reclaimed and recycled R-22, as well as from expected increases in market pricing of R-22, as the phase-out related to regulations adopted by the U.S. in response to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer progresses. However, changes in the amount or timing of the reporting unit’s estimated future cash flows as a result of unexpected regulatory changes could adversely affect the fair value or carrying amount of this reporting unit. As a result, the Company will continue to monitor this business and consider interim analyses of goodwill as appropriate. The amount of goodwill associated with this reporting unit was $88 million at December 31, 2013.

The result of the goodwill impairment test for the medical systems business in the Company’s All Other Operations business segment did not indicate that the reporting unit’s goodwill was potentially impaired. However, the fair value of the reporting unit was not substantially in excess of its carrying amount. The Company will continue to monitor this business and consider interim analyses of goodwill as appropriate; however, the amount of goodwill associated with this reporting unit is not material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Other Intangible Assets

Other intangible assets by major class are as follows:



	December 31, 2013								March 31, 2013
(In thousands)	Weighted Average Amortization Period (Years)	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net Carrying Amount		Weighted Average Amortization Period (Years)	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net Carrying Amount
Customer relationships	17	$	343,141	$	(101,968	)	$	241,173	15	$	294,598	$	(91,354	)	$	203,244
Non-competition agreements	7	39,834		(18,710		)	21,124		7	42,891		(19,338		)	23,553
Other		199		(10		)	189			1,295		(1,268		)	27
		$	383,174	$	(120,688	)	$	262,486		$	338,784	$	(111,960	)	$	226,824

Other intangible assets primarily consist of customer relationships, which are amortized over the estimated benefit periods ranging from seven to 25 years, and non-competition agreements, which are amortized over the terms of the agreements. The determination of the estimated benefit periods associated with customer relationships is based on an analysis of historical customer sales attrition information and other customer-related factors at the date of acquisition. There are no expected residual values related to these intangible assets. The Company evaluates the estimated benefit periods and recoverability of its other intangible assets when facts and circumstances indicate that the lives may not be appropriate and/or the carrying values of the assets may not be recoverable. If the carrying value of an other intangible asset or asset group is not recoverable, impairment is measured as the amount by which the carrying value exceeds its estimated fair value.

As the Company’s other intangible assets amortize and reach the end of their respective amortization periods, the fully amortized balances are removed from the gross carrying and accumulated amortization amounts. Amortization expense related to the Company’s other intangible assets for the nine months ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 was $21.2 million and $19.2 million, respectively. Estimated future amortization expense for the Company’s other intangible assets by fiscal year is as follows: remainder of fiscal 2014 - $7.3 million; 2015 - $28.8 million; 2016 - $27.1 million; 2017 - $25.3 million; 2018 - $23.6 million; and $150.4 million thereafter.

Prior Year Impairment Evaluation

In June 2012, the Company re-evaluated the economic viability of a small hospital piping construction business associated with a reporting unit in the Company’s All Other Operations business segment. In accordance with relevant accounting guidance, if events or circumstances exist indicating that it is more likely than not that goodwill may be impaired, the Company is required to perform an interim assessment of the carrying value of goodwill. However, prior to performing the test for goodwill impairment, the Company is required to perform an assessment of the recoverability of the long-lived assets (including amortizing intangible assets) of the business. Long-lived assets are not considered recoverable when the carrying amount of the long-lived asset or asset group exceeds the undiscounted expected future cash flows. If long-lived assets are not recoverable, an impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds fair value.

As a result of the impairment analysis performed on the long-lived assets at this reporting unit, the Company recorded a charge of $1.7 million related to certain of the intangible assets associated with this business during the three months ended June 30, 2012. The charge was reflected in the “Restructuring and other special charges (benefits), net” line item of the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Earnings and was not allocated to the Company’s business segments (see Note 14).

Subsequent to the intangible asset write-down, the Company performed an assessment of the carrying value of goodwill associated with the reporting unit. The assessment did not indicate that the reporting unit’s goodwill was potentially impaired. Although the fair value of the reporting unit was not substantially in excess of its carrying amount, the amount of goodwill associated with this reporting unit is not material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.