BENEFIT PLANS

The Company maintains a number of retirement and other post-retirement employee benefit plans.

Certain subsidiaries sponsor defined contribution plans. Benefits are determined and funded annually based upon the terms of the plans. Amounts recognized as cost under these plans amounted to $17.3 million, $15.7 million and $15.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

Certain subsidiaries sponsor defined benefit plans. Benefits are provided to employees primarily based upon years of service and employees’ compensation for certain periods during the last years of employment. Prior to 2002, the Company’s U.S. operations also provided post-retirement medical benefits to their employees. Contributions for medical benefits are related to employee years of service.

The following tables set forth the change in benefit obligation, the change in plan assets, the funded status and amounts recognized in the consolidated financial statements for the Company’s defined benefit plans and post-retirement plan at December 31, 2013 and 2012:



	U.S. Pension Benefits						Non-U.S. Pension Benefits						Other Benefits						Total
	2013			2012			2013			2012			2013			2012			2013			2012
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	156,804		$	146,492		$	798,657		$	717,503		$	11,267		$	13,257		$	966,728		$	877,252
Service cost, gross	494			455			30,315			27,312			216			333			31,025			28,100
Interest cost	5,755			6,093			19,566			22,104			405			539			25,726			28,736
Actuarial losses (gains)	(18,226		)	10,184			(11,477		)	68,807			(1,988		)	(2,059		)	(31,691		)	76,932
Plan amendments and other	—			—			293			(21,915		)	(3,733		)	75			(3,440		)	(21,840		)
Benefits paid	(6,680		)	(6,420		)	(43,271		)	(36,861		)	(872		)	(878		)	(50,823		)	(44,159		)
Impact of foreign currency	—			—			20,117			21,707			—			—			20,117			21,707
Benefit obligation at end of year	$	138,147		$	156,804		$	814,200		$	798,657		$	5,295		$	11,267		$	957,642		$	966,728
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	$	94,734		$	87,904		$	731,040		$	665,126		$	—		$	—		$	825,774		$	753,030
Actual return on plan assets	12,073			9,501			42,480			47,797			—			—			54,553			57,298
Employer contributions	17,776			3,749			25,147			22,309			723			803			43,646			26,861
Plan participants’ contributions	—			—			13,255			12,315			149			75			13,404			12,390
Benefits paid	(6,680		)	(6,420		)	(43,271		)	(36,861		)	(872		)	(878		)	(50,823		)	(44,159		)
Impact of foreign currency and other	—			—			17,881			20,354			—			—			17,881			20,354
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	$	117,903		$	94,734		$	786,532		$	731,040		$	—		$	—		904,435			825,774
Funded status	$	(20,244	)	$	(62,070	)	$	(27,668	)	$	(67,617	)	$	(5,295	)	$	(11,267	)	$	(53,207	)	$	(140,954	)

Amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheets consist of:



	U.S. Pension Benefits						Non-U.S. Pension Benefits						Other Benefits						Total
	2013			2012			2013			2012			2013			2012			2013			2012
Other non-current assets	$	—		$	—		$	105,132		$	64,183		$	—		$	—		$	105,132		$	64,183
Pension and other post-retirement liabilities	(20,244		)	(62,070		)	(132,800		)	(131,800		)	(5,295		)	(11,267		)	(158,339		)	(205,137		)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (income)	59,013			89,940			110,965			130,776			(15,910		)	(10,941		)	154,068			209,775
Total	$	38,769		$	27,870		$	83,297		$	63,159		$	(21,205	)	$	(22,208	)	$	100,861		$	68,821

The prepaid pension asset is recorded in other non-current assets on the consolidated balance sheet. The short-term and long-term portion of the accrued pension liability is recorded on the consolidated balance sheet within accrued and other liabilities and other non-current liabilities, respectively. The long-term portion of the accrued pension liabilities and other post-retirement liabilities at December 31, 2013 and 2012 was $20.2 million and $62.0 million, respectively, for the U.S. defined benefit pension plan, $127.8 million and $126.8 million, respectively, for the non-U.S. plans and $4.8 million and $10.3 million, respectively, for the U.S. post-retirement plan. The current portion of accrued pension liabilities was $0.1 million and $5.0 million at both December 31, 2013 and 2012 for the U.S. defined benefit pension plan and the non-U.S. plans, respectively. The current portion of the U.S. post-retirement plan was $0.5 million and $1.0 million at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

The following amounts have been recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), before taxes, at December 31, 2013 and have not yet been recognized as a component of net periodic pension cost:



	U.S. Pension Benefits		Non-U.S. Pension Benefits			Other Benefits			Total			Total, After Tax
Plan amendments and prior service cost	$	—	$	(25,137	)	$	(3,598	)	$	(28,735	)	$	(22,413	)
Actuarial losses (gains)	59,013		136,102			(12,312		)	182,803			132,931
Total	$	59,013	$	110,965		$	(15,910	)	$	154,068		$	110,518

The following changes in plan assets and benefit obligations were recognized in other comprehensive income (loss), before taxes, for the year ended December 31, 2013:



	U.S. Pension Benefits			Non-U.S. Pension Benefits			Other Benefits			Total			Total, After Tax
Net actuarial losses (gains)	$	(23,145	)	$	(18,795	)	$	(1,988	)	$	(43,928	)	$	(30,381	)
Plan amendments and prior service cost, net	—			17			(3,882		)	(3,865		)	(2,371		)
Amortization of:
Actuarial (losses) gains	(7,782		)	(7,398		)	988			(14,192		)	(9,821		)
Plan amendments and prior service cost	—			3,853			(87		)	3,766			3,046
Impact of foreign currency	—			2,512			—			2,512			2,010
Total	$	(30,927	)	$	(19,811	)	$	(4,969	)	$	(55,707	)	$	(37,517	)

The accumulated benefit obligations at December 31, 2013 and 2012 were $138.1 million and $156.8 million, respectively, for the U.S. defined benefit pension plan and $785.8 million and $772.9 million, respectively, for all non-U.S. plans. Certain of the plans included within non-U.S. pension benefits have benefit obligations which exceed the fair value of plan assets. The projected benefit obligation, the accumulated benefit obligation and fair value of assets of these plans as of December 31, 2013 were $183.1 million, $168.4 million and $50.3 million, respectively.

The assumed discount rates and rates of increase in future compensation levels used in calculating the projected benefit obligations vary according to the economic conditions of the country in which the retirement plans are situated. The weighted average rates used for the purposes of the Company’s plans are as follows:



	U.S.						Non-U.S.
	2013		2012		2011		2013		2012		2011
Discount rate	4.75	%	3.75	%	4.25	%	2.73	%	2.50	%	3.10	%
Compensation increase rate	n/a		n/a		n/a		1.61	%	1.60	%	1.75	%
Expected long-term rate of return on plan assets	7.50	%	7.75	%	8.00	%	4.87	%	4.89	%	4.80	%

The assumed discount rates, rates of increase in future compensation levels and the long-term rate of return used in calculating the net periodic pension cost vary according to the economic conditions of the country in which the retirement plans are situated. The weighted average rates used for the purposes of the Company’s plans are as follows:



	U.S.						Non-U.S.
	2013		2012		2011		2013		2012		2011
Discount rate	3.75	%	4.25	%	5.25	%	2.50	%	3.10	%	3.60	%
Compensation increase rate	n/a		n/a		n/a		1.60	%	1.75	%	2.20	%
Expected long-term rate of return on plan assets	7.75	%	8.00	%	8.00	%	4.89	%	4.80	%	4.94	%

Net periodic pension cost for the defined benefit plans includes the following components for the years ended December 31:



	U.S.									Non-U.S.
	2013			2012			2011			2013			2012			2011
Service cost, net	$	494		$	455		$	331		$	17,386		$	15,011		$	13,699
Interest cost on projected benefit obligations	5,755			6,093			6,422			19,566			22,104			24,637
Expected return on plan assets	(7,154		)	(6,965		)	(7,499		)	(35,048		)	(32,989		)	(34,325		)
Recognition of actuarial losses/(gains) and prior service costs	7,782			7,664			5,103			3,545			210			(339		)
Net periodic pension cost	$	6,877		$	7,247		$	4,357		$	5,449		$	4,336		$	3,672

Net periodic post-retirement benefit (credit)/cost for the U.S. post-retirement plan includes the following components for the years ended December 31:



	2013			2012			2011
Service cost	$	216		$	333		$	304
Interest cost on projected benefit obligations	405			539			731
Net amortization and deferral	(901		)	(753		)	(692		)
Net periodic post-retirement benefit (credit)/cost	$	(280	)	$	119		$	343

The amounts remaining in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) that are expected to be recognized as a component of net periodic pension cost during 2014 are as follows:



	U.S. Pension Benefits		Non-U.S. Pension Benefits			Other Benefits			Total
Plan amendments and prior service costs	$	—	$	(3,941	)	$	(779	)	$	(4,720	)
Actuarial losses (gains)	4,845		4,246			(1,436		)	7,655
Total	$	4,845	$	305		$	(2,215	)	$	2,935

The projected post-retirement benefit obligation was principally determined using discount rates of 4.75% in 2013, 3.75% in 2012 and 4.25% in 2011. Net periodic post-retirement benefit cost was principally determined using discount rates of 3.75% in 2013 and 4.25% in 2012, and 5.25% in 2011. The health care cost trend rate was 8.00% in 2013 and 2012 and 9.00% in 2011, decreasing to 5.00% in 2020.

The health care cost trend rate assumption has a significant effect on the accumulated post-retirement benefit obligation and net periodic post-retirement benefit cost. A one-percentage-point change in health care cost trend rates would have the following effects:



	One-Percentage-Point Increase		One-Percentage-Point Decrease
Effect on total of service and interest cost components	$	56	$	(50	)
Effect on post-retirement benefit obligation	$	208	$	(190	)

The Company’s overall asset investment strategy is to achieve long-term growth while minimizing volatility by widely diversifying among asset types and strategies. Target asset allocations and investment return criteria are established by the pension committee or designated officers of each plan. Target asset allocation ranges for the U.S. pension plan include 30-50% equity securities, 15-35% fixed income securities and 25-45% other types of investments. International plan assets relate primarily to the Company’s Swiss plan with target allocations of 25-45% in equities, 35-55% in fixed income securities and 15-25% in other types of investments. Actual results are monitored against targets and the trustees are required to report to the members of each plan, including an analysis of investment performance on an annual basis at a minimum. Day-to-day asset management is typically performed by third-party asset managers, reporting to the pension committees or designated officers.

The long-term rate of return on plan asset assumptions used to determine pension expense under U.S. GAAP are generally based on estimated future returns for the target investment mix determined by the trustees as well as historical investment performance.

The following table presents the fair value measurement of the Company’s plan assets by hierarchy level:



	December 31, 2013								December 31, 2012
	Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Observable Inputs for Identical Assets (Level 2)		Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		Total		Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Observable Inputs for Identical Assets (Level 2)		Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		Total
Asset Category:
Cash and Cash Equivalents	$	129,932	$	—	$	—	$	129,932	$	141,020	$	—	$	—	$	141,020
Equity Securities:
Mettler-Toledo Stock	3,425		—		—		3,425		3,284		—		—		3,284
Equity Mutual Funds:
U.S.⁽¹⁾	5,960		27,652		—		33,612		25,880		21,268		—		47,148
International⁽²⁾	44,149		54,120		—		98,269		37,982		46,312		—		84,294
Emerging Markets⁽³⁾	78,392		5,773		—		84,165		36,449		5,704		—		42,153
Fixed Income Securities:
Corporate/Government	129,155		—		—		129,155		66,331		—		—		66,331
Bonds⁽⁴⁾
Fixed Income Mutual Funds:
Insurance Contracts⁽⁵⁾	—		24,633		1,475		26,108		—		23,015		1,726		24,741
Core Bond⁽⁶⁾	146,857		36,327		—		183,184		147,853		35,980		—		183,833
Real Asset Mutual Funds:
Real Estate⁽⁷⁾	66,431		—		—		66,431		62,172		—		—		62,172
Commodities⁽⁸⁾	23,293		3,323		23,136		49,752		30,976		3,775		22,986		57,737
Other Types of Investments:
Global Allocation Funds⁽⁹⁾	12,002		11,088		—		23,090		29,504		8,572		—		38,076
Multi-Strategy Fund of	—		—		77,312		77,312		—		—		74,985		74,985
Hedge Funds⁽¹⁰⁾
	$	639,596	$	162,916	$	101,923	$	904,435	$	581,451	$	144,626	$	99,697	$	825,774

_______________________________________


(1)	Represents primarily large capitalization equity mutual funds tracking the S&P 500 Index.


(2)	Represents all capitalization core and value equity mutual funds located primarily in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada.


(3)	Represents core and growth mutual funds and funds of mutual funds invested in emerging markets primarily in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia.


(4)	Represents investments in high-grade corporate and government bonds located in Switzerland and the European Union.


(5)	Represents fixed and variable rate annuity contracts provided by insurance companies.


(6)	Represents fixed income mutual funds invested in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Switzerland and European government bonds, high-grade corporate bonds, mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations.


(7)	Represents mutual funds invested in real estate located primarily in Switzerland.


(8)	Represents commodity funds invested across a broad range of sectors.


(9)	Represents mutual funds invested globally in both equities and fixed income securities.


(10)	Represents primarily equity investments to profit from long and short equity positions, economic and government driven events and relative value and tactical trading strategies.

The fair value of the Company’s stock and corporate and government bonds are valued at the year end closing price as reported on the securities exchange on which they are traded. Mutual funds are valued at the exchange-listed year end closing price or at the net asset value of shares held by the fund at the end of the year. Insurance contracts are valued by discounting the related cash flows using a current year end market rate or at cash surrender value, which is presumed to equal fair value. Funds of hedge funds are valued at the net asset value of shares held by the fund at the end of the year.

The following table presents a rollforward of activity for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 for level 3 asset categories:



	Multi- Strategy Fund of Hedge Funds			Commodities			Insurance Contract			Convertible Preferred Equity Certificates			Total
Balance at December 31, 2011	$	78,650		$	21,816		$	1,661		$	14,366		$	116,493
Actual return on plan assets:
Related to assets held at end of year	1,099			533			31			—			1,663
Related to assets sold during the year	317			—			3			2,240			2,560
Purchases	8,638			—			161			—			8,799
Sales	(15,418		)	—			(165		)	(16,636		)	(32,219		)
Impact of foreign currency	1,699			637			35			30			2,401
Balance at December 31, 2012	$	74,985		$	22,986		$	1,726		$	—		$	99,697
Actual return on plan assets:
Related to assets held at end of year	1,420			(449		)	69			—			1,040
Purchases	11,792			—			127			—			11,919
Sales	(12,691		)	—			(519		)	—			(13,210		)
Impact of foreign currency	1,806			599			72			—			2,477
Balance at December 31, 2013	$	77,312		$	23,136		$	1,475		$	—		$	101,923

There were no transfers between any asset levels during the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012.

The following benefit payments, which reflect expected future service as appropriate, are expected to be paid:



	U.S. Pension Benefits		Non-U.S. Pension Benefits		Other Benefits Net of Subsidy		Total
2014	$	7,082	$	43,703	$	508	$	51,293
2015	7,268		42,903		510		50,681
2016	7,489		44,259		491		52,239
2017	7,842		45,016		493		53,351
2018	8,129		44,480		499		53,108
2019-2023	44,543		224,801		2,516		271,860

The Company made voluntary incremental pension contributions of $17.6 million in 2013 and $1.0 million in 2012 to increase the funded status of its pension plans. The Company does not expect to receive any refunds from its benefit plans during 2014.

In 2014, the Company expects to make employer pension contributions of approximately $21.8 million to its non-U.S. pension plan and employer contributions of approximately $0.5 million to its U.S. post-retirement medical plan.