BUSINESS COMBINATIONS Business Combination (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 28, 2012

Business Acquisition [Line Items]

Schedule of Business Acquisitions, by Acquisition [Table Text Block]

The following table summarizes the consideration transferred to acquire Tekla and the assets acquired and liabilities assumed and the estimated useful lives of the identifiable intangible assets acquired as of the date of the acquisition:

			Estimated
			Fair Value
(Dollars in thousands)
Total purchase consideration*			$	457,387
	Net tangible assets acquired		13,279
	Intangible assets acquired:					Estimated useful Life
		Developed product technology	107,260			7 years
		In-process research and development	7,591			Evaluated upon completion
		Order backlog	1,246			6 months
		Customer relationships	83,929			8 years
		Trade name	7,648			8 years
		Subtotal	207,674
	Deferred tax liability		(53,996		)
Less fair value of all assets/liabilities acquired			166,957
Goodwill			$	290,430

Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed [Table Text Block]

(Dollars in thousands)

Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information [Table Text Block]

	Third Quarter of		First Three Quarters of
	2011		2011
(Dollars in thousands)
Total revenues	$	417,433	$	1,262,387
Net income	32,986		119,092
Net income attributable to Trimble Navigation Ltd.	33,761		120,197
Basic earnings per share	0.27		0.98
Diluted earnings per share	0.27		0.95