Revenue Recognition (Notes)

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition

Adoption

On October 1, 2018, we adopted the new standard on revenue from contracts with customers using the modified retrospective method applied to contracts that were not completed as of October 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning after October 1, 2018 are presented under the new standard, while prior period amounts have not been adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with the previous standard.

We recorded a net increase to opening retained earnings of $6.1 million as of October 1, 2018, which reflects the cumulative impact of adopting the new standard. The primary drivers of the impact to retained earnings were changes to the capitalization and deferral of certain contract costs and the timing of revenue, net of costs, for software licenses bundled with services and projects previously accounted for on a completed contract basis. This impact was partially offset by a deferral of revenue, net of costs, related to the allocation of revenue to hardware and software products and services provided to our customers free of charge as incentives.

Nature of Products and Services

Substantially all of our revenue is from contracts with customers. We recognize revenue as promised products are transferred to, or services are performed for, customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those products and services. Our offerings consist of industrial automation and information products, solutions and services. Our products include hardware and software. Our solutions include engineered-to-order and custom-engineered systems. Our services include customer technical support and repair, asset management and optimization consulting, and training. Also included in our services is a portion of revenue related to spare parts that are managed within our services offering.

Our operations are comprised of the Architecture & Software segment and the Control Products & Solutions segment. See Note 19 for more information.

In North America, we sell primarily through independent distributors in conjunction with our direct sales force. In other countries, we sell through a combination of our direct sales force, and to a lesser extent, through independent distributors.

Performance Obligations

We use executed sales agreements and purchase orders to determine the existence of a customer contract.

For each customer contract, we determine if the products and services promised to the customer are distinct performance obligations. A product or service is distinct if both of the following criteria are met at contract inception: (i) the customer can benefit from the product or service on its own or together with other readily available resources, and (ii) our promise to transfer the product or perform the service is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. The fact that we regularly sell a product or service separately is an indicator that the customer can benefit from a product or service on its own or with other readily available resources.

The objective when assessing whether our promises to transfer products or perform services are distinct within the context of the contract is to determine whether the nature of the promise is to transfer each of those products or perform those services individually, or whether the promise is to transfer a combined item or items to which the promised products or services are inputs. If a promised product or service is not distinct, we combine that product or service with other promised products or services until it comprises a bundle of products or services that is distinct, which may result in accounting for all the products or services in a contract as a single performance obligation.

For each performance obligation in a contract, we determine whether the performance obligation is satisfied over time. A performance obligation is satisfied over time if it meets any of the following criteria: (i) the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by our performance as we perform, (ii) our performance creates or enhances an asset that the customer controls as the asset is created or enhanced, or (iii) our performance does not create an asset for which we have an alternative use and we have an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date. If one or more of these criteria are met, then we recognize revenue over time using a method that depicts performance. If none of the criteria are met, then control transfers to the customer at a point in time and we recognize revenue at that point in time.

Our products represent standard, catalog products for which we have an alternative use, and therefore we recognize revenue at a point in time when control of the product transfers to the customer. For the majority of our products, control transfers upon shipment, though for some contracts control may transfer upon delivery. Our product revenue also includes revenue from software licenses. When these licenses are determined to be distinct performance obligations, we recognize the related revenue at a point in time when the customer is provided the right to use the license. Product-type contracts are generally one year or less in length.

We offer a wide variety of solutions and services to our customers, for which we recognize revenue over time or at a point in time based on the contract as well as the type of solution or service. If one or more of the three criteria above for over-time revenue recognition are met, we recognize revenue over time as cost is incurred, as work is performed, or based on time elapsed, depending on the type of customer contract. If none of these criteria are met, we recognize revenue at a point in time when control of the asset being created or enhanced transfers to the customer, typically upon delivery. More than half of our solutions and services revenue is from contracts that are one year or less in length. For certain solutions and services offerings, when we have the right to invoice our customers in an amount that corresponds to our performance completed to date, we apply the practical expedient to measure progress and recognize revenue based on the amount for which we have the right to invoice the customer.

When assessing whether we have an alternative use for an asset, we consider both contractual and practical limitations. These include: (i) the level and cost of customization of the asset that is required to meet a customer’s needs, (ii) the activities, cost, and profit margin after any rework that would be required before the asset could be directed for another use, and (iii) the portion of the asset that could not be reworked for an alternative use.

At times we provide products and services free of charge to our customers as incentives when the customers purchase other products or services. These represent distinct performance obligations. As such, we allocate revenue to them based on relative standalone selling price.

Most of our global warranties are assurance in nature and do not represent distinct performance obligations. See Note 9 for additional information and disclosures. We occasionally offer extended warranties to our customers that are considered a distinct performance obligation, to which we allocate revenue which is recognized over the extended warranty period.

We account for shipping and handling activities performed after control of a product has been transferred to the customer as a fulfillment cost. As such, we have applied the practical expedient and we accrue for the costs of shipping and handling activities if revenue is recognized before contractually agreed shipping and handling activities occur.

Unfulfilled Performance Obligations

As of September 30, 2020, we expect to recognize approximately $540 million of revenue in future periods from unfulfilled performance obligations from existing contracts with customers. We expect to recognize revenue of approximately $280 million of our remaining performance obligations over the next 12 months with the remaining balance recognized thereafter.

We have applied the practical expedient to exclude the value of remaining performance obligations for (i) contracts with an original term of one year or less and (ii) contracts for which we recognize revenue in proportion to the amount we have the right to invoice for services performed. The amounts above also do not include the impact of contract renewal options that are unexercised as of September 30, 2020.

Transaction Price

The transaction price is the amount of consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for transferring products to, or performing services for, a customer. We estimate the transaction price at contract inception, and update the estimate each reporting period for any changes in circumstances. In some cases a contract may involve variable consideration, including rebates, credits, allowances for returns or other similar items that generally decrease the transaction price. We use historical experience to estimate variable consideration, including any constraint.

The transaction price (including any discounts and variable consideration) is allocated between separate products and services based on their relative standalone selling prices. The standalone selling prices are determined based on the prices at which we separately sell each good or service. For items that are not sold separately, we estimate the standalone selling price using available information such as market reference points and other observable data.

We have elected the practical expedient to exclude sales taxes and other similar taxes from the measurement of the transaction price.

Significant Payment Terms

Our standard payment terms vary globally but do not result in a significant delay between the timing of invoice and payment. We occasionally negotiate other payment terms during the contracting process. We do not typically include significant financing components in our contracts with customers. We have elected the practical expedient to not adjust the transaction price for the period between transfer of products or performance of services and customer payment if expected to be one year or less.

For most of our products, we invoice at the time of shipment and we do not typically have significant contract balances. For our solutions and services as well as some of our products, timing may differ between revenue recognition and billing. Depending on the terms agreed to with the customer, we may invoice in advance of performance or we may invoice after performance. When revenue recognition exceeds billing we recognize a receivable, and when billing exceeds revenue recognition we recognize a contract liability.

Disaggregation of Revenue

The following series of tables present our revenue disaggregation by geographic region and types of products or services, and also present these disaggregation categories for our two operating segments. We attribute sales to the geographic regions based on the country of destination.

The following reflects the disaggregation of our revenues by operating segment and by geographic region (in millions):

	Year Ended September 30, 2020						Year Ended September 30, 2019
	Architecture & Software		Control Products & Solutions		Total		Architecture & Software		Control Products & Solutions		Total
North America	$	1,641.7	$	2,118.5	$	3,760.2	$	1,752.1	$	2,262.2	$	4,014.3
Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)	606.8		642.5		1,249.3		654.2		595.6		1,249.8
Asia Pacific	419.7		449.0		868.7		426.4		482.2		908.6
Latin America	164.7		286.9		451.6		189.2		332.9		522.1
Total Company Sales	$	2,832.9	$	3,496.9	$	6,329.8	$	3,021.9	$	3,672.9	$	6,694.8

The following reflects the disaggregation of our revenues by operating segment and by major types of products or services (in millions):

	Year Ended September 30, 2020						Year Ended September 30, 2019
	Architecture & Software		Control Products & Solutions		Total		Architecture & Software		Control Products & Solutions		Total
Products	$	2,832.9	$	1,407.7	$	4,240.6	$	3,021.9	$	1,469.1	$	4,491.0
Solutions & Services	—		2,089.2		2,089.2		—		2,203.8		2,203.8
Total Company Sales	$	2,832.9	$	3,496.9	$	6,329.8	$	3,021.9	$	3,672.9	$	6,694.8

Contract Balances

Contract liabilities primarily relate to consideration received in advance of performance under the contract. We do not have significant contract assets as of September 30, 2020.

Below is a summary of our contract liabilities balance:

	September 30, 2020		September 30, 2019
Balance as of beginning of fiscal year	$	275.6	$	268.6
Balance as of end of period	325.3		275.6

The most significant changes in our contract liabilities balance during the twelve months ended September 30, 2020 were due to amounts billed, partially offset by revenue recognized that was included in the contract liabilities balance at the beginning of the period.

In the twelve months ended September 30, 2020, we recognized revenue of approximately $216.9 million that was included in the opening contract liabilities balance. We did not have a material amount of revenue recognized in the twelve months ended September 30, 2020, from performance obligations satisfied or partially satisfied in previous periods.

Costs to Obtain and Fulfill a Contract

We capitalize and amortize certain incremental costs to obtain and fulfill contracts. These costs primarily consist of incentives paid to sales personnel, which are considered incremental costs to obtain customer contracts. We elected the practical expedient to expense incremental costs to obtain a contract when the contract has a duration of one year or less. Our capitalized contract costs, which are included in other assets in our Consolidated Balance Sheet, are not significant. There was no impairment loss in relation to capitalized costs in the period.