XML 35 R24.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.19.1
Commitments and Contingencies
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
18.
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Product Warranty
The Company warrants that its Trex Residential decking and railing products will be free from material defects in workmanship and materials for warranty periods ranging from 10 years to 25 years, depending on the product and its use. If there is a breach of such warranties, the Company has an obligation either to replace the defective product or refund the purchase price. The Company also warrants its Trex Commercial products for one to three years.
The Company continues to receive and settle claims for decking products manufactured at its Nevada facility prior to 2007 that exhibit surface flaking and maintains a warranty reserve to provide for the settlement of these claims. Estimating the warranty reserve for surface flaking claims requires management to estimate (1) the number of claims to be settled with payment and (2) the average cost to settle each claim.
To estimate the number of claims to be settled with payment, the Company utilizes actuarial techniques to quantify both the expected number of claims to be received and the percentage of those claims that will ultimately require payment (collectively, elements). Estimates for these elements are quantified using a range of assumptions derived from claim count history and the identification of factors influencing the claim counts. The cost per claim varies due to a number of factors, including the size of affected decks, the availability and type of replacement material used, the cost of production of replacement material and the method of claim settlement.
The Company monitors surface flaking claims activity each quarter for indications that its estimates require revision. Typically, a majority of surface flaking claims received in a year are received during the summer outdoor season, which spans the second and third quarters. It has been the Company’s practice to utilize the actuarial techniques discussed above during the third quarter, after a significant portion of all claims has been received for the fiscal year and variances to annual claims expectations are more meaningful. The number of incoming claims received in the three months ended March 31, 2019 was lower than the Company’s expectations and lower than the number of claims received in the three months ended March 31, 2018, continuing the historical year-over-year decline in incoming claims. 
Average settlement cost per claim experienced in the three months ended March 31, 2019 was also lower than the Company’s expectations and lower than the average settlement cost per claim experienced in the three months ended March 31, 2018.
The Company believes its reserve at March 31, 2019 is sufficient to cover future surface flaking obligations and no adjustments were required in the current quarter.
The Company’s analysis is based on currently known facts and a number of assumptions, as discussed above, and current expectations. Projecting future events such as the number of claims to be received, the number of claims that will require payment and the average cost of claims could cause actual warranty liabilities to be higher or lower than those projected, which could materially affect the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. The Company estimates that the annual number of claims received will continue to decline over time and that the average cost per claim will increase slightly, primarily due to inflation. If the level of claims received or average cost per claim differs materially from expectations, it could result in additional increases or decreases to the warranty reserve and a decrease or increase in earnings and cash flows in future periods. The Company estimates that a 10% change in the expected number of remaining claims to be settled with payment or the expected cost to settle claims may result in approximately a $2.3 million change in the surface flaking warranty reserve.
 
 
The following is a reconciliation of the Company’s residential product warranty reserve (in thousands):
 
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
 
 
 
Surface
Flaking
 
 
Other
Residential
 
 
Total
 
Beginning balance, January 1
 
$
23,951
 
 
$
6,803
 
 
$
30,754
 
Provisions and changes in estimates
 
 
—
 
 
 
505
 
 
 
505
 
Settlements made during the period
 
 
(633
)
 
 
(292
)
 
 
(925
)
Ending balance, March 31
 
$
23,318
 
 
$
7,016
 
 
$
30,334
 
 
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
 
 
 
Surface

Flaking
 
 
Other

Residential
 
 
Total
 
Beginning balance, January 1
 
$
28,157
 
 
$
6,842
 
 
$
34,999
 
Provisions and changes in estimates
 
 
—
 
 
 
819
 
 
 
819
 
Settlements made during the period
 
 
(1,000
)
 
 
(243
)
 
 
(1,243
)
Ending balance, March 31
 
$
27,157
 
 
$
7,418
 
 
$
34,575
 
Legal Matters
The Company has lawsuits, as well as other claims, pending against it which are ordinary routine litigation and claims incidental to the business. Management has evaluated the merits of these lawsuits and claims, and believes that their ultimate resolution will not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial condition, results of operations, liquidity or competitive position.