5. Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Disaggregation of Sales

The company disaggregates net sales by reportable segments as disclosed in Note 3, and based on the timing of transfer of control for goods and services as explained below. The transfer of control for goods and services may occur at a point in time or over time; in other words, sales may be recognized over the course of the underlying contract, or they may occur at a single point in time based upon the transfer of control. This distinction is discussed in further detail below. The company determined that disaggregating sales into these categories achieves the disclosure objective to depict how the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of sales and cash flows are affected by economic factors. As disclosed in Note 3, the company’s business consists of four reportable segments, which encompass disaggregated product lines and geographical areas: (1) beverage packaging, North and Central America; (2) beverage packaging, South America; (3) beverage packaging, Europe; and (4) aerospace.

The following table disaggregates the company’s net sales based on the timing of transfer of control:


	Three Months Ended September 30, 2018						Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018
($ in millions)	Point in Time		Over Time		Total		Point in Time		Over Time		Total

Total net sales	$	665	$	2,281	$	2,946	$	2,082	$	6,750	$	8,832

Contract Balances

The company enters into contracts to sell beverage packaging, aerosol packaging, and aerospace products. The payment terms and conditions in customer contracts vary. Those customers that prepay are represented by the contract liabilities below until the performance obligations are satisfied. Contract assets would exist when sales have been recorded (i.e., control of the goods or services has been transferred to the customer) but customer payment is contingent on a future event beyond the passage of time (i.e., satisfaction of additional performance obligations). The company did not have any contract assets at either September 30, 2018, or December 31, 2017. Unbilled receivables, which are not classified as contract assets, represent arrangements in which sales have been recorded prior to billing and right to payment is unconditional. The opening and closing balances of the company’s current and noncurrent contract liabilities are as follows:


	Contracts		Contract
	Liabilities		Liabilities
($ in millions)	(Current)		(Noncurrent)

Balance at December 31, 2017	$	45	$	—
Increase		22		8
Balance at September 30, 2018	$	67	$	8

During the nine months ended September 30, 2018, contract liabilities increased by $30 million, which is net of cash received of $176 million and amounts recognized as sales of $146 million, all of which related to current contract liabilities. The amount of sales recognized in the nine months ended September 30, 2018, that were included in the opening contract liabilities balances was $45 million, all of which related to current contract liabilities. The difference between the opening and closing balances of the company’s contract liabilities primarily results from the timing difference between the company’s performance and the customer’s payment. Current contract liabilities are classified within other current liabilities on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet and noncurrent contract liabilities are classified within other liabilities.

The company also recognized sales of $3 million and $8 million in the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2018, respectively, from performance obligations satisfied (or partially satisfied) in prior periods. These sales amounts are the result of changes in the transaction price of the company’s contracts with customers.

Contract Costs

The company has determined there are no material costs that meet the capitalization criteria for costs to obtain or fulfill a contract.

Practical Expedients

For the company’s contracts that have an original duration of one year or less, the company elected the practical expedient applicable to such contracts and has not disclosed the transaction price for the future performance obligations as of the end of each reporting period or when the company expects to recognize sales.

The company has elected the sales tax practical expedient; therefore, sales and other taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are collected concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from the transaction price.

For shipping and handling activities performed after a customer obtains control of the goods, the company has elected to account for these costs as activities to fulfill the promise to transfer the goods; therefore, these activities are not assessed as separate performance obligations.

The company has also elected the significant financing component practical expedient which allows the company to not assess whether the contract has a significant financing component if, at contract inception, the expectation is that the contract duration is less than one year.

Beverage and Aerosol Packaging

Performance Obligations

At contract inception, the company assesses the goods and services promised in its contracts with customers and identifies a performance obligation for each promise to transfer goods or services to the customer. The performance obligation may be represented by a good or service (or a series of goods or services) that is distinct, or by a series of distinct goods or services that are substantially the same and have the same pattern of transfer to the customer. In each instance, the company treats the promise to transfer the customer goods or services as a single performance obligation.

To identify its performance obligations, the company considers all of the goods or services promised in the contract, regardless of whether they are explicitly stated or are implied by customary business practices.

The company has determined that the following distinct goods and services represent separate performance obligations:

Manufacture of beverage cans, which may be generic or unique;

Manufacture of aerosol containers, which may be generic or unique; and

Manufacture of beverage and aerosol lids and ends, which may be generic or unique.

Performance obligations for products with no alternative use are recognized over time, when the company has manufactured a unique item and has an enforceable right to payment. Conversely, generic products with alternative use are recognized at a point in time. Contracts may be short-term or long-term, with varying payment terms. Ball’s payment terms vary by the type and location of the customer and the products or services offered. Customers pay in accordance with negotiated terms, which are typically triggered upon ownership transfer. All payment terms are less than one year. For these contracts, the transaction price is determined upon establishment of the contract that contains the final terms of the sale, including the description, quantity, and price of each product or service purchased.

Transaction Price Allocated to Remaining Performance Obligations

In the context of the revenue recognition standard, enforceable contracts are those that have an enforceable right to payment, which Ball typically has once a binding forecast or purchase order (or similar evidence) is in place and Ball produces under the contract. Within Ball’s packaging segments, enforceable contracts as defined all have a duration of less than one year. Contracts that have an original duration of less than one year are excluded from the requirement to disclose remaining performance obligations based on the company’s election to use the practical expedient. The nature of the remaining performance obligations within these contracts, as well as the nature of the variability and how it will be resolved, are described in the section below.

Significant Judgments

Timing of Recognition

Within the beverage and aerosol operations, performance obligations are recognized both over time and at a point in time. The determination that sales should be recognized at a point in time most often results from the existence of an alternative use for the product. Cans and ends that are not customized prior to delivery are considered to have alternative use and sales are recognized at the point of control transfer. Determining when control transfer occurs requires management to make judgments that affect the timing of when sales are recognized. The new revenue accounting standard provides five indicators that a customer has obtained control of an asset: 1) present right to payment; 2) transfer of legal title; 3) physical possession; 4) significant risks and rewards of ownership; and 5) customer acceptance. The company considers control to have transferred for these products upon shipment or delivery, depending on the legal terms of the contract, because the company has a present right to payment at that time, the customer has legal title to the asset, the company has transferred physical possession of the asset or the customer has significant risks and rewards of ownership of the asset. The company determines that control transfers to a customer as described above and provides a faithful depiction of the transfer of goods.

For performance obligations related to products that are specialized with no alternative use (e.g., specialized sizes or customer-specific materials, or labeled with customer-specific artwork), the company transfers control and records sales over time. The recognition of sales occurs over time as goods are manufactured and Ball has an enforceable right to payment for those goods, which is an output method. Determining a measure of progress requires management to make judgments that impact the timing of when sales are recognized. The company has determined the above provides a faithful depiction of the transfer of goods to the customer. The number of units manufactured that have an enforceable right to payment is the best measure of depicting the company’s performance as control is transferred. The customer obtains value as each unit is produced against a binding contract.

The enforceable right to payment may be explicit or implied in the contract. If the enforceable right to payment is not explicit in the contract, Ball must consider if there is an implied right based on customer relationships or previous business practices and applicable law. Typically, Ball has an enforceable right to payment of costs plus a reasonable margin once a binding forecast or purchase order (or similar evidence) is in place and Ball produces under the contract.

Determining the Transaction Price including Variable Consideration

In making its determination of stand-alone selling price, Ball maximizes its use of observable inputs. Stand-alone selling price is then used to allocate total consideration proportionally to the various performance obligations within a contract.

To estimate variable consideration, we may apply both the “expected value” method and “most likely amount” method based on the form of variable consideration, according to which method would provide the best prediction of consideration to be received from our customers. The expected value method involves a probability-weighted determination of the expected amount, whereas the most likely amount method identifies the single most likely outcome in a range of possible amounts. In certain cases, both methods may be used within a single contract if multiple forms of variable consideration exist. However, once a method has been applied to one form of variable consideration, it is applied consistently throughout the contract term.

The primary types of variable consideration present in the company’s contracts are per-unit price changes, volume discounts and rebates. Once variable consideration has been estimated, it will be constrained if a significant reversal of the cumulative amounts of sales is probable in the context of the contract.

Aerospace

Performance Obligations

At contract inception, the company assesses the goods and services promised in its contracts with customers and identifies a performance obligation for each promise to transfer goods or services to the customer. The performance obligation may be represented by a good or service (or a series of goods or services) that is distinct, or by a series of distinct goods or services that are substantially the same and have the same pattern of transfer to the customer. In each of these scenarios, the company treats the promise to transfer the customer goods or services as a single performance obligation.

The company has determined that the following distinct goods and services represent separate performance obligations:

Manufacture and delivery of distinct spacecraft and/or hardware components;

Research reports, for contracts under which such reports are the sole or primary deliverables;

Design, add-on, or special studies for contracts under which such studies have stand-alone value or for which a material right exists due to discounted pricing; and

Warranty and performance guarantees beyond standard repair/replacement.

Performance obligations with no alternative use are recognized over time, when the company has an enforceable right to payment for efforts completed to-date. Because of sales contract payment schedules, limitations on funding, and contract terms, our sales and accounts receivable generally include amounts that have been earned but not yet billed. Our payment terms vary by the type and location of our customer and the products or services offered. All payment terms are less than one year.

Contracts are often modified to account for changes in contract specifications and requirements. We consider contract modifications to exist when the modification either creates new or revised enforceable rights and obligations. Most of our contract modifications are for goods or services that are not distinct from the existing contract due to the significant integration service provided in the context of the contract, and such contract modifications are accounted for as if they were part of that existing contract. The effect of a contract modification on the transaction price and our measure of progress for the performance obligation to which it relates, is recognized as an adjustment to sales (either as an increase or reduction of sales) on a cumulative catch-up basis.

Transaction Price Allocated to Remaining Performance Obligations

The table below discloses: (1) the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to performance obligations that are unsatisfied (or partially unsatisfied) as of the end of the reporting period for contracts with an original duration of greater than one year, and (2) when the company expects to record sales on these multi-year contracts.


($ in millions)	Next Twelve Months		Thereafter		Total

Sales expected to be recognized on multi-year contracts in place as of September 30, 2018	$	849	$	866	$	1,715

The contracts with an original duration of less than one year, which are excluded from the table above based on the company’s election of the practical expedient, are primarily related to contracts where control will be fully transferred to the customers in less than one year. The nature of the remaining performance obligations within these contracts, as well as the nature of the variability and how it will be resolved, are described in the section below.

Significant Judgments

Timing of Recognition

Within the aerospace segment, performance obligations are recognized over time. Aerospace contracts involve specialized and unique products that are tailored to the specific needs of the customer, such as a spacecraft or other hardware conforming to the specifications required by the customer, and as such, no alternative use exists. When there is an enforceable right to payment at cost plus reasonable margin for performance completed to date, the sales are recorded over time as the goods are manufactured or services are performed. Determining a measure of progress requires management to make judgments that affect the timing of recording sales. Sales under long-term contracts in the aerospace segment are primarily recognized using percentage-of-completion under the cost-to-cost method of accounting, which is an input method. Under this method, the extent of progress towards completion is measured based on the ratio of costs incurred to date versus the total estimated costs upon completion of the performance obligation. The cost-to-cost method best depicts the transfer of assets to the customer as we incur costs on our contracts. The two primary types of long-term sales contracts utilized are cost-type contracts, which are agreements to perform for cost plus an agreed-upon profit component, and fixed price sales contracts, which are completed for a fixed price. Cost-type sales contracts can have different types of fee arrangements, including fixed-fee, cost, milestone and performance incentive fees, award fees or a combination thereof. At the inception of contract performance, we estimate sales associated with base, incentive and other fees exclusive of any constraint. In other words, we estimate sales to the extent that it is not probable a significant reversal would occur over the period of contract performance. The company has determined that the above provides a faithful depiction of the transfer of goods to the customer and is the best measure of depicting the company’s performance as control is transferred to customers.

Determining the Transaction Price including Variable Consideration

Due to the unique and customized nature of deliverables within aerospace contracts, a readily observable selling price for a similar good is not typically available; therefore, in making its determination of stand-alone selling price, the company generally applies the “expected cost plus a margin” approach (whereby the transaction price is allocated based on the relative amount of costs plus an appropriate margin). Use of the expected cost plus a margin approach requires Ball to determine the expected costs for each performance obligation, as well as an appropriate margin (i.e., cost to cost percentage of completion). The calculation is made at contract inception to determine the allocation of consideration.

Uncertainty as to the total amount that will be paid by the customer (such as the exact amount of costs that will be incurred and fees that will be earned by Ball Aerospace to satisfy the contractual requirements) gives rise to variable consideration. To estimate variable consideration, we typically apply the “most likely amount” method or the “expected value” method depending on the nature of the variable consideration. The most likely amount method identifies the single most likely outcome in a range of possible amounts, while the expected value method involves a probability-weighted determination of the expected amount. The most likely amount method is used primarily when the possible outcomes are binary (i.e., either the cost/fee will be incurred or it will not). In certain cases, both methods may be used within a single contract if multiple forms of variable consideration exist. However, once a method has been applied to one form of variable consideration, it is applied consistently throughout the contract term.

The primary types of variable consideration present in the company’s contracts are cost reimbursements, performance award fees, incremental funding and finalization of government rates. These types of arrangements are most commonly (though not exclusively) estimated based on the “most likely” method. Once variable consideration has been estimated, it will be constrained if a significant reversal of the cumulative amount of sales is probable in the context of the contract.