Restructuring Accruals

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

5. Restructuring Accruals

Selected information related to the restructuring accruals for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 is as follows:


	Total
	Restructuring
Balance at January 1, 2018	$	85
Net cash paid, principally severance and related benefits		(6)
Other, including foreign exchange translation		1
Balance at March 31, 2018	$	80


	Total
	Restructuring
Balance at January 1, 2017	$	85
Charges		38
Write-down of assets to net realizable value		(9)
Net cash paid, principally severance and related benefits		(8)
Other, including foreign exchange translation		(2)
Balance at March 31, 2017	$	104

The Company’s decisions to curtail selected production capacity have resulted in write downs of certain long-lived assets to the extent their carrying amounts exceeded fair value or fair value less cost to sell. The Company classified the significant assumptions used to determine the fair value of the impaired assets as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy as set forth in the general accounting principles for fair value measurements.

When a decision is made to take these actions, the Company manages and accounts for them programmatically apart from the on-going operations of the business. Information related to major programs are presented separately while minor initiatives are presented on a combined basis. As of March 31, 2018 and 2017, no major restructuring programs were in effect.

In the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company implemented a number of minor restructuring initiatives and recorded restructuring, asset impairment and other charges of $38 million. These charges primarily consisted of employee costs, write-down of assets, and other exit costs in the following regions: Americas ($25 million) and Europe ($13 million). The restructuring charges recorded in the first quarter of 2017 were discrete actions and are expected to approximate the total cumulative costs for those actions as no significant additional costs are expected to be incurred. The restructuring charges recorded in the first quarter of 2017 in the Americas and European regions primarily relate to capacity curtailments. The Company plans to reallocate the products produced at these facilities to others in their respective regions. The Company expects that the majority of the remaining cash expenditures related to the above charges will be paid out by the end of 2018.