Note 1. Description of the Business and Significant Accounting Policies

Description of the Business

Steel Dynamics, Inc. (SDI), together with its subsidiaries (the company), is a domestic manufacturer of steel products and metals recycler. The company has three report segments, consistent with how it currently manages the business, representing three reporting segments: steel operations, metals recycling operations, and steel fabrication operations.

Steel Operations Segment. Steel operations include the company’s Butler Flat Roll Division, Columbus Flat Roll Division, The Techs galvanizing lines, Structural and Rail Division, Engineered Bar Products Division, Roanoke Bar Division, Steel of West Virginia, and Iron Dynamics (IDI), a liquid pig iron (scrap substitute) production facility that supplies solely the Butler Flat Roll Division. These operations include electric arc furnace steel mills, producing steel from ferrous scrap and scrap substitutes, utilizing continuous casting, automated rolling mills, and ten downstream coating facilities. Steel operations accounted for 70% and 68% of the company’s consolidated external net sales during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2016 and 2015.

Metals Recycling Operations Segment. Metals recycling operations include the company’s metals recycling processing locations, and ferrous scrap procurement operations, of OmniSource Corporation (OmniSource). Metals recycling operations accounted for 15% and 21% of the company’s consolidated external net sales during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2016, and 2015, respectively.

Steel Fabrication Operations Segment. Steel fabrication operations include the company’s eight New Millennium Building Systems’ joist and deck plants located throughout the United States and Northern Mexico. Revenues from these plants are generated from the fabrication of trusses, girders, steel joists and steel deck used within the non-residential construction industry. Steel fabrication operations accounted for approximately 10% and 8% of the company’s consolidated external net sales during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2016, and 2015, respectively.

Other. The “Other” category consists of subsidiary operations that are below the quantitative thresholds required for reportable segments and primarily consist of our Minnesota ironmaking operations that were indefinitely idled in May 2015, and several smaller joint ventures. Also included in “Other” are certain unallocated corporate accounts, such as the company’s senior secured credit facility, senior notes, certain other investments and certain profit sharing expenses.

Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of SDI, together with its wholly and majority-owned or controlled subsidiaries, after elimination of significant intercompany accounts and transactions. Noncontrolling interests represent the noncontrolling owner’s proportionate share in the equity, income, or losses of the company’s majority-owned or controlled consolidated subsidiaries.

Use of Estimates. These financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, and accordingly, include amounts that require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and in the notes thereto. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the carrying value of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets, and goodwill; valuation allowances for trade receivables, inventories and deferred income tax assets; unrecognized tax benefits; potential environmental liabilities; and litigation claims and settlements. Actual results may differ from these estimates and assumptions.

In the opinion of management, these financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the interim period results. These financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.

Goodwill. The company’s goodwill is allocated to the following reporting units at March 31, 2016, and December 31, 2015, (in thousands):

		March 31,		December 31,
		2016		2015
Metals Recycling Segment:	OmniSource	$	107,441	$	109,039
	Butler Flat Roll Division, Structural and Rail Division, and Engineered Bar Division	95,000		95,000
Steel Segment:	The Techs	142,783		142,783
	Roanoke Bar Division	29,041		29,041
	Columbus Flat Roll Division	19,682		19,682
Fabrication Segment:	New Millennium Building Systems	1,925		1,925

		$	395,872	$	397,470

OmniSource goodwill decreased $1.6 million from December 31, 2015 to March 31, 2016, in recognition of the 2016 tax benefit related to the normal amortization of the component of OmniSource tax-deductible goodwill in excess of book goodwill.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASC 606, Revenue Recognition — Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which amends the guidance in former ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. The core principle of ASC 606 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Because the guidance in ASC 606 is principles-based, it can be applied to all contracts with customers regardless of industry-specific or transaction-specific fact patterns. Additionally, ASC 606 requires additional disclosures to help users of financial statements better understand the nature, amount, timing, and potential uncertainty of revenue that is recognized. This guidance is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017, but can be early adopted for annual and interim periods ending after December 15, 2016. The company is currently evaluating the impact of the provisions of ASC 606, including the timing and method of adoption.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements — Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40: Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern), effective for annual and interim periods ending after December 15, 2016. ASU 2014-15 requires management to evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. There are required disclosures if principal conditions or events are identified that raised substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern (before consideration of management’s plans), as well as management’s evaluation of the significance of those conditions or events in relation to the entity’s ability to meet its obligations, and management’s plans that alleviated substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. This ASU is not expected to have any impact on our overall results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, which requires an entity to measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value, rather than at the lower of cost or market. This new guidance is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016, but can be early adopted. The company is currently evaluating the impact of this ASU’s adoption.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842): which establishes a new lease accounting model that requires lessees to recognize a right of use asset and related lease liability for most leases having lease terms of more than 12 months. Leases with a term of 12 months or less will be accounted for similar to existing guidance for operating leases. This new guidance is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, but can be early adopted. The company is currently evaluating the impact of the provisions of ASU 2016-02, including the timing of adoption.