Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

Foreign Currency Risk

The Company has foreign currency rate exposure to exchange rate fluctuations worldwide with particular exposure to the Euro, British pound, Australian and Canadian dollars, Mexican peso, and South African rand. The Company uses freestanding foreign currency forward contracts to manage a portion of its exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates associated with its foreign currency denominated receivables, payables, and forecasted earnings of foreign subsidiaries. Additionally, the Company has used foreign currency forward contracts designated as cash flow hedges to manage a portion of its exposure to changes in forecasted foreign currency denominated vendor payments. The amount of gains or losses relating to contracts designated as cash flow hedges that the Company expects to reclassify from Accumulated other comprehensive loss (“AOCL”) to earnings over the next 12 months is not material.

Interest Rate Risk

A portion of the debt used to finance the Company’s operations is exposed to interest rate fluctuations. The Company periodically uses financial derivatives to strategically adjust its mix of fixed to floating rate debt. The derivative instruments utilized include interest rate swaps which convert fixed–rate debt into variable–rate debt (i.e. fair value hedges) to manage the overall interest cost. For relationships designated as fair value hedges, changes in fair value of the derivatives are recorded in income, with offsetting adjustments to the carrying amount of the hedged debt. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had no fair value interest rate hedges.

Losses on derivatives recognized in AOCL for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, were not material.