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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Trade Secret Litigation over Claims of Eaton Corporation
On July 9, 2004, Eaton Corporation and several of its subsidiaries ("Eaton") sued the Company, a subsidiary and certain employees of the Company and the subsidiary on claims alleging misappropriation of trade secrets and intellectual property allegedly belonging to Eaton relating to the design and manufacture of hydraulic pumps and motors used in military and commercial aviation. The subsidiary and the individual engineer defendants answered Eaton's claims and filed counterclaims, while the Company and an officer of the Company moved to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. In the course of discovery in the suit, the court began an investigation of allegations of wrongdoing by Eaton in its conduct of the litigation. Eaton denied, and continues to deny, these allegations. On December 22, 2010, however, the court dismissed all of Eaton's claims with prejudice based on the court's conclusion that a fraud had been perpetrated on the court by counsel for Eaton of which Eaton was aware or should have been aware. Meanwhile, the Company, several subsidiaries, and the employees sued by Eaton are now pursuing claims (including antitrust claims) and counterclaims against Eaton based on the Eaton misconduct that led to the dismissal of Eaton's claims. Given the court's dismissal of Eaton's claims, we cannot conclude that a loss arising from Eaton's claims is probable; however, given the unusual nature and complexity of the case, we also cannot conclude that the probability of loss is remote, nor can we reasonably estimate the possible loss, or range of loss, that could be incurred by the Company if Eaton were to prevail on appeal and in the litigation that would follow. Even if Eaton were to prevail on appeal, however, we believe we have substantial defenses and would expect to defend the claims vigorously.
Sale of the Charleston 787 business
On July 30, 2009, Vought Aircraft Industries sold the assets and operations of its 787 business conducted at North Charleston, South Carolina ("the Boeing sale agreement") to a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company ("Boeing"). Following the acquisition of Vought by the Company, Boeing asserted various breaches to the Boeing sale agreement which included alleged losses from aircraft tooling, flawed inventory management and problems with spare parts. The Company and its counsel evaluated all necessary information that existed as of the acquisition date related to the various issues asserted by Boeing. Based on the information accumulated during our measurement period, and the Company's assessment of the probable outcome of this matter, the Company recognized a liability and an indemnification asset, which resulted in a net amount of $5,000. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, the Company settled this matter with Boeing resulting in no additional charges.
Other
Certain of the Company's business operations and facilities are subject to a number of federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations. Former owners generally indemnify the Company for environmental liabilities related to the assets and businesses acquired which existed prior to the acquisition dates. In the opinion of management, there are no significant environmental contingent liabilities which would have a material effect on the financial condition or operating results of the Company which are not covered by such indemnification.
The Company's risk related to pension projected obligations, $2,241,741 as of March 31, 2012, is significant. This amount is currently in excess of the related plan assets of $1,881,954. Benefit plan assets are invested in a diversified portfolio of investments in both the equity and debt categories, as well as limited investments in real estate and other alternative investments. The market value of all of these investment categories may be adversely affected by external events and the movements and volatility in the financial markets including such events as the current credit and real estate market conditions. Declines in the market values of our plan assets could expose the total asset balance to significant risk which may cause an increase to future funding requirements. The Company's risk related to OPEB projected obligations, $380,802 as of March 31, 2012, is also significant.
Some raw materials and operating supplies are subject to price and supply fluctuations caused by market dynamics. The Company's strategic sourcing initiatives seek to find ways of mitigating the inflationary pressures of the marketplace. In recent years, these inflationary pressures have affected the market for raw materials. However, the Company believes that raw material prices will remain stable through the remainder of 2012 and after that, experience increases that are in line with inflation. Additionally, the Company generally does not employ forward contracts or other financial instruments to hedge commodity price risk.
The Company's suppliers' failure to provide acceptable raw materials, components, kits and subassemblies would adversely affect production schedules and contract profitability. The Company maintains an extensive qualification and performance surveillance system to control risk associated with such supply base reliance. The Company is dependent on third parties for certain information technology services. To a lesser extent, the Company is also exposed to fluctuations in the prices of certain utilities and services, such as electricity, natural gas, chemical processing and freight. The Company utilizes a range of long-term agreements and strategic aggregated sourcing to optimize procurement expense and supply risk in these categories.
In the ordinary course of business, the Company is also involved in disputes, claims, lawsuits, and governmental and regulatory inquiries that it deems to be immaterial. Some may involve claims or potential claims of substantial damages, fines or penalties. While the Company cannot predict the outcome of any pending or future litigation or proceeding and no assurances can be given, the Company does not believe that any pending matter will have a material effect, individually or in the aggregate, on its financial position or results of operations.