Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Nature of Business. Silgan Holdings Inc., or Silgan, and its subsidiaries conduct business in three segments: dispensing and specialty closures; metal containers; and custom containers. Our dispensing and specialty closures segment manufactures and sells dispensing systems and specialty closures for food, beverage, health care, garden, home, personal care, fragrance and beauty products. Our metal containers segment is engaged in the manufacture and sale of steel and aluminum containers for human and pet food and general line products. Our custom containers segment manufactures and sells custom designed plastic containers for personal care, food, health care, pharmaceutical, household and industrial chemical, pet food and care, agricultural, automotive and marine chemical products. Our dispensing and specialty closures segment has operating facilities in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Our metal containers segment has operating facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. Our custom containers segment has operating facilities in North America.

Basis of Presentation. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Silgan and our subsidiaries. Newly acquired subsidiaries have been included in the consolidated financial statements from their dates of acquisition. All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

Generally, our subsidiaries that operate outside the United States use their local currency as the functional currency. The principal functional currency for our foreign operations is the Euro. Balance sheet accounts of our foreign subsidiaries are translated at exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date, while revenue and expense accounts are translated at average rates prevailing during the year. Translation adjustments are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss. Gains or losses resulting from operating transactions denominated in foreign currencies that are not designated as a hedge are generally included in selling, general and administrative expenses in our Consolidated Statements of Income.

Effective with the first quarter of 2021, we renamed our closures segment as our dispensing and specialty closures segment and our plastic containers segment as our custom containers segment, in each case to better capture the evolving nature of their products and our ongoing strategic focus. Each of these segments continues to consist of the same operations as prior to it being renamed.

    Cash and Cash Equivalents. Cash equivalents represent short-term, highly liquid investments which are readily convertible to cash and have maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase. As a result of our cash management system, checks issued for payment may create negative book balances. Checks outstanding in excess of related book balances are included in trade accounts payable in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Changes in outstanding checks are included in financing activities in our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows to treat them as, in substance, cash advances.

Inventories. Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost for inventories of certain portions of our dispensing and specialty closures segment and of domestic inventories of our metal containers segment is principally determined on the last-in, first-out basis, or LIFO. Cost for inventories of certain portions of our dispensing and specialty closures segment and of our custom containers segment is principally determined on the first-in, first-out basis, or FIFO. Cost for inventories of certain portions of our dispensing and specialty closures segment and of foreign inventories of our metal containers segment is principally determined on the average cost method.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Net. Property, plant and equipment, net is stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation. Major renewals and betterments that extend the life of an asset are capitalized and repairs and maintenance expenditures are charged to expense as incurred. Design and development costs for molds, dies and other tools that we do not own and that will be used to produce products that will be sold under long-term supply arrangements are capitalized. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of depreciable assets. The principal estimated useful lives are 35 years for buildings and range between 3 years to 20 years for machinery and equipment. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the life of the related asset or the life of the lease.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, Net. We review goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment as of July 1 of each year and more frequently if circumstances indicate a possible impairment. We determined that goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets were not impaired in our annual assessment performed during the third quarter. Definite-lived intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis. Customer relationships have a weighted average life of approximately 21 years. Other definite-lived intangible assets consist primarily of trade names and technology know-how and have a weighted average life of approximately 8 years.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets. We assess long-lived assets, including intangible assets with definite lives, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable. An impairment exists if the estimate of future undiscounted cash flows generated by the assets is less than the carrying value of the assets. If impairment is determined to exist, any related impairment loss is then measured by comparing the fair value of the assets to their carrying amount.

Hedging Instruments. All derivative financial instruments are recorded in the Consolidated Balance Sheets at their fair values. Changes in fair values of derivatives are recorded in each period in earnings or other comprehensive loss, depending on whether a derivative is designated as part of a qualifying hedge transaction and, if it is, the type of hedge transaction.

We utilize certain derivative financial instruments to manage a portion of our interest rate and natural gas cost exposures. We generally limit our use of derivative financial instruments to interest rate and natural gas swap agreements. We do not engage in trading or other speculative uses of these derivative financial instruments. For a financial instrument to qualify as a hedge, we must be exposed to interest rate or price risk, and the financial instrument must reduce the exposure and be designated as a hedge. Financial instruments qualifying for hedge accounting must maintain a high correlation between the hedging instrument and the item being hedged, both at inception and throughout the hedged period.

We also utilize certain internal hedging strategies to minimize our foreign currency exchange rate risk. Net investment hedges that qualify for hedge accounting result in the recognition of foreign currency gains or losses, net of tax, in accumulated other comprehensive loss.

Income Taxes. We account for income taxes using the liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period of enactment of such change. No provision is made for U.S. income taxes applicable to undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that are indefinitely reinvested. The minimum tax on foreign earnings, more commonly referred to as the tax on Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income, is accounted for as a component of current income tax expense.

Revenue Recognition. Our revenues are primarily derived from the sale of rigid packaging products to customers. We recognize revenue at the amount we expect to be entitled to in exchange for promised goods for which we have transferred control to customers. If the consideration agreed to in a contract includes a variable amount, we estimate the amount of consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for transferring the promised goods to the customer. Generally, revenue is recognized at a point in time for standard promised goods at the time of shipment when title and risk of loss pass to the customer, and revenue is recognized over time in cases where we produce promised goods with no alternative use to us and for which we have an enforceable right of payment for production completed. The production cycle for customer contracts subject to over time recognition is generally completed in less than one month. Due to the short-term duration of our production cycle, we have elected the practical expedient permitting us to exclude disclosure regarding our performance obligations with respect to outstanding purchase orders. We have elected to treat shipping and handling costs after the control of goods have been transferred to the customer as a fulfillment cost. Sales and similar taxes that are imposed on our sales and collected from customers are excluded from revenues.

Stock-Based Compensation. We currently have one stock-based compensation plan in effect under which we have issued stock options and restricted stock units to our officers, other key employees and outside directors. A restricted stock unit represents the right to receive one share of our common stock at a future date. Unvested

restricted stock units that have been issued do not have voting rights and may not be disposed of or transferred during the vesting period.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements. In February 2016, the FASB issued an ASU that amends existing guidance for certain leases by lessees. This amendment required us to recognize assets and liabilities on the balance sheet for the rights and obligations created by long-term leases and to disclose additional quantitative and qualitative information about leasing arrangements. We adopted this amendment on January 1, 2019, using the transition method which allowed us to recognize the effects of applying this amendment as a cumulative effect to retained earnings as of January 1, 2019. We elected certain practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance for this amendment, which did not require us to reassess whether other contracts contain leases and allowed us to carryforward our lease classifications determined under the previous guidance. In addition, we elected to retain our previously determined assumptions concerning options to extend or terminate our leases. As a result of the adoption of this amendment, we reduced retained earnings by $0.6 million as of January 1, 2019. The adoption of this amendment did not have a material impact on our results of operations or cash flows. See Note 11 for further information.

In June 2016, the FASB issued an ASU that amends the guidance on the accounting for credit losses on financial instruments. This new standard introduces an approach, based on expected losses, to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments. The new approach to estimating credit losses (referred to as the current expected credit losses model) applies to most financial assets measured at amortized cost and certain other instruments, including trade and other receivables. We adopted this new standard on January 1, 2020, using the transition method which allowed us to recognize the effects of applying this standard as a cumulative effect to retained earnings as of January 1, 2020. As a result of the adoption of this standard, we reduced retained earnings by $0.7 million as of January 1, 2020. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.