Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits

3 Months Ended

Nov. 30, 2016

Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Abstract]

Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits

9. Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits

The Company sponsors defined benefit pension plans in several countries in which it operates. The pension obligations relate primarily to the following: (a) a funded retirement plan in the United Kingdom and (b) both funded and unfunded retirement plans, mainly in Austria, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Poland, and Taiwan, which provide benefits based upon years of service and compensation at retirement.

	The following table provides information about net periodic benefit cost for the pension plans during the three months ended
November 30, 2016 and 2015 (in thousands):
			Three months ended
			November 30, 2016		November 30, 2015
		Service cost	$	259	$	222
		Interest cost		746		1,268
		Expected long-term return on plan assets		(1,129)		(1,463)
		Recognized actuarial loss		476		266
		Amortization of prior service cost		(34)		(35)
		Net periodic benefit cost	$	318	$	258

During the three months ended November 30,2016, the Company made contributions of approximately $0.7 million to its defined benefit pension plans. The Company expects to make total cash contributions of between $2.6 million and $3.4 million to its funded pension plans during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.