SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING AND BUSINESS POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

The Company’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”). The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, its wholly owned subsidiaries and its variable interest entity (“VIE”).

DXP is the primary beneficiary of a VIE in which DXP owns 47.5% of the equity. DXP consolidates the financial statements of the VIE with the financial statements of DXP. As of December 31, 2018, the total assets of the VIE were approximately $5.4 million including approximately $4.5 million of fixed assets. DXP is the primary customer of the VIE. Consolidation of the VIE decreased cost of sales by approximately $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 and increased cost of sales by approximately $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, respectively. The Company recognized a related income tax benefit of $46 thousand and $0.2 million related to the VIE for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, the owners of the 52.5% of the equity not owned by DXP included employees of DXP.

All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation; none affected net income.

Foreign Currency

The financial statements of the Company’s Canadian subsidiaries are measured using local currencies as their functional currencies. Assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at current exchange rates, while income and expenses are translated at average exchange rates. Translation gains and losses are reported in other comprehensive income (loss). Gains and losses on transactions denominated in foreign currency are reported in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss).

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions in determining the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary in order to make the financial statements not misleading have been included. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company’s presentation of cash includes cash equivalents. Cash equivalents are defined as short-term investments with maturity dates of 90 days or less at time of purchase. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents with institutions with high credit quality. However, at certain times, such cash and cash equivalents may be in excess of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance limits. The Company has not historically experienced any losses when in excess of these limits.

Receivables and Credit Risk

Trade receivables consist primarily of uncollateralized customer obligations due under normal trade terms, which usually require payment within 30 days of the invoice date. However, these payment terms are extended in select cases and customers may not pay within stated trade terms.

The Company has trade receivables from a diversified customer base located primarily in the Rocky Mountain, Northeastern, Midwestern, Southeastern and Southwestern regions of the United States, and Canada. The Company believes no significant concentration of credit risk exists. The Company evaluates the creditworthiness of its customers' financial positions and monitors accounts on a regular basis. Provisions to the allowance for doubtful accounts are made monthly and adjustments are made periodically (as circumstances warrant) based upon management’s best estimate of the collectability of such accounts. The Company writes off uncollectible trade accounts receivable when the accounts are determined to be uncollectible. No customer represents more than 10% of consolidated sales.

Changes in this allowance for 2018, 2017 and 2016 were as follows (in thousands):



	Years Ended December 31,
	2018				2017				2016
Balance at beginning of year	9,015				8,160				9,364
Charged to costs and expenses	2,368				3,367				180
Charged to other accounts	(86		)	⁽²⁾	22			⁽³⁾	(17		)	⁽²⁾
Deductions	(1,171		)	⁽¹⁾	(2,534		)	⁽¹⁾	(1,367		)	⁽¹⁾
Balance at end of year	$	10,126			$	9,015			$	8,160

⁽¹⁾ Uncollectible accounts written off, net of recoveries

⁽²⁾ Includes allowance for doubtful accounts from acquisitions and divestiture

⁽³⁾ Primarily due to translation adjustments

Inventories

Inventories consist principally of finished goods and are priced at net realizable value, cost being determined using the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method. Provisions are provided against inventories for estimated obsolescence based upon the aging of the inventories and market trends and are applied as a reduction in cost of associated inventory.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are carried on the basis of cost. Depreciation of property and equipment is computed using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives. Maintenance and repairs of depreciable assets are charged against earnings as incurred. When properties are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and gains or losses are credited or charged to earnings.

The principal estimated useful lives used in determining depreciation are as follows:



Buildings	20-39 years
Building improvements	10-20 years
Furniture, fixtures and equipment	3-20 years
Leasehold improvements	Shorter of estimated useful life or related lease term

Impairment of Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

The Company tests goodwill and other indefinite lived intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis in the fourth quarter and when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. The Company assigns the carrying value of these intangible assets to its "reporting units" and applies the test for goodwill at the reporting unit level. A reporting unit is defined as an operating segment or one level below a segment (a "component") if the component is a business and discrete information is prepared and reviewed regularly by segment management.

The Company’s goodwill impairment assessment first permits evaluating qualitative factors to determine if a reporting unit's carrying value would more likely than not exceed its fair value. If the Company concludes, based on the qualitative assessment, that a reporting unit's carrying value would more likely than not exceed its fair value, the Company would perform a quantitative test for that reporting unit. Should the reporting unit's carrying amount exceed the fair value, then an impairment charge for the excess would be recognized. The impairment charge is limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit, and goodwill will not be reduced below zero.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Excluding Goodwill

The Company tests long-lived assets or asset groups for recoverability when events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. Circumstances which could trigger a review include, but are not limited to: significant decreases in the market price of the asset; significant adverse changes in the business climate or legal factors; accumulation of costs significantly in excess of the amount originally expected for the acquisition or construction of the asset; current period cash flow or operating losses combined with a history of losses or a forecast of continuing losses associated with the use of the asset; and current expectation that the asset will more likely than not be sold or disposed significantly before the end of its estimated useful life. Recoverability is assessed based on the carrying amount of the asset and its fair value which is generally determined based on the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and the eventual disposal of the asset, as well as specific appraisal in certain instances. An impairment loss is recognized when the carrying amount is not recoverable and exceeds fair value. No impairment of long-lived assets excluding goodwill, was required in 2018, 2017 and 2016.

Revenue Recognition

The Company fabricates and assembles custom-made pump packages, remanufactures pumps and manufactures branded private label pumps within our Innovative Pumping Solutions segment. For binding agreements to fabricate tangible assets to customer specifications, the Company recognizes revenues over time when the customer is able to direct the use of and obtain substantially all of the benefits of the work performed. This typically occurs when the products have no alternative use for us and we have a right to payment for the work completed to date plus a reasonable profit margin. Contracts generally include cancellation provisions that require the customer to reimburse us for costs incurred through the date of cancellation. We recognize revenue for these contracts using the percentage of completion method, an "input method" as defined by the new standard. Under this method, revenues are recognized as costs are incurred and include estimated profits calculated on the basis of the relationship between costs incurred and total estimated costs at completion. If at any time expected costs exceed the value of the contract, the loss is recognized immediately. The typical time span of these contracts is approximately one to two years.

The Service Centers segment provides a wide range of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products, equipment and integrated services, including logistics capabilities, to industrial customers. The Supply Chain Services segment provides a wide range of MRO products and manages all or part of a customer's supply chain, including warehouse and inventory management services. Revenue is recognized upon the completion of our performance obligation(s) under the sales agreement. The majority of the Service Centers and Supply Chain Services segment revenues originate from the satisfaction of a single performance obligation, the delivery of products. Revenues are recognized when an agreement is in place, the performance obligations under the contract have been identified, and the price or consideration to be received is fixed and allocated to the performance obligation(s) in the contract. We believe our performance obligation has been satisfied when title passes to the customer or services have been rendered under the contract. Revenues are recorded net of sales taxes.

The Company reserves for potential customer returns based upon the historical level of returns.

See further discussion of Note 4 - Revenue Recognition below.

Shipping and Handling Costs

The Company classifies shipping and handling charges billed to customers as sales. Shipping and handling charges paid to others are classified as a component of cost of sales.

Self-insured Insurance and Medical Claims

We generally retain up to $100,000 of risk for each claim for workers compensation, general liability, automobile and property loss. We accrue for the estimated loss on the self-insured portion of these claims. The accrual is adjusted quarterly based upon reported claims information. The actual cost could deviate from the recorded estimate.

We generally retain up to $175,000 of risk on each medical claim for our employees and their dependents with the exception of less than 0.05% of employees where a higher risk is retained. We accrue for the estimated outstanding balance of unpaid medical claims for our employees and their dependents. The accrual is adjusted monthly based on recent claims experience. The actual claims could deviate from recent claims experience and be materially different from the reserve.

The accrual for these claims at December 31, 2018 and 2017 was approximately $2.3 million and $2.7 million, respectively.

Cost of Sales and Selling, General and Administrative Expense

Cost of sales includes product and product related costs, inbound freight charges, internal transfer costs and depreciation. Selling, general and administrative expense includes purchasing and receiving costs, inspection costs, warehousing costs, depreciation and amortization.

Income Taxes

The Company utilizes the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and income tax bases of assets and liabilities. Such deferred income tax asset and liability computations are based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to periods in which the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are established to reduce deferred income tax assets to the amounts expected to be realized under a more likely than not criterion.

Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes

A position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return is recognized in the financial statements when it is more likely than not (i.e. a likelihood of more than fifty percent) that the position would be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. A recognized tax position is then measured at the largest amount of benefit that is greater than fifty percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various states. With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local tax examination by tax authorities for years prior to 2012. The Company's policy is to recognize interest related to unrecognized tax benefits as interest expense and penalties as operating expenses. The Company believes that it has appropriate support for the income tax positions taken and to be taken on its tax returns and that its accruals for tax liabilities are adequate for all open years based on an assessment of many factors including past experience and interpretations of tax law applied to the facts of each matter.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) includes net income and foreign currency translation adjustments. The Company’s other comprehensive (loss) income is comprised of changes in the market value of an investment with quoted market prices in an active market for identical instruments and translation adjustments from translating foreign subsidiaries to the reporting currency. Comprehensive income for the year ended December 31, 2016 was reduced by an $8.6 million charge recorded during the fourth quarter of 2016 to correct errors which accumulated during 2013, 2014 and 2015 due to the Company improperly recognizing an $8.6 million deferred tax asset on unrealized foreign currency losses not expected to be realized within one year. We assessed the materiality of this misstatement and concluded the misstatement was not material to the results of operations or financial condition for the year ended December 31, 2016.

Out-of-Period Items

Deferred tax liabilities related to intangibles for customer relationships acquired in Canada during 2012 and 2013 were reduced by $2.2 million during the fourth quarter of 2017 to correct the tax rate used to establish the deferred tax liabilities at the dates of acquisition. The Company evaluated the misstatement of each period since these acquisitions were completed and concluded the effects were immaterial.