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Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Description of the Company – Platform Specialty Products Corporation is a global, diversified producer of high-technology specialty chemical products and provider of technical services, which was originally incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the British Virgin Islands on April 23, 2013.  Until the MacDermid Acquisition on October 31, 2013, Platform had neither engaged in any operations nor generated any income.  The Company selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.  All activity through October 31, 2013 was related to the Company’s formation, Initial Public Offering and identification and investigation of prospective target businesses with which to consummate an initial business combination.
On October 31, 2013, the Company completed the MacDermid Acquisition pursuant to which it indirectly acquired substantially all of the equity of MacDermid Holdings, which, at the time, owned approximately 97% of MacDermid.  The Company acquired the remaining 3% of MacDermid on March 4, 2014, pursuant to the terms of the Exchange Agreement.  On January 22, 2014, the Company completed its Domestication and on January 23, 2014, the Company's common stock, par value $0.01 per share, began trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “PAH.”
Business Description – Platform is a global, diversified producer of high-technology specialty chemical products. The Company's business involves the formulation of a broad range of solutions-oriented specialty chemicals which are sold into multiple industries including agricultural, animal health, electronics, graphic arts, plating, and offshore oil and gas production and drilling.  Platform refers to its products as “dynamic chemistries” due to their intricate chemical compositions which are used in a wide variety of niche markets.  The Company sells and delivers its products to customers through its sales and service workforce, regional distributors, as well as manufacturing representatives.
Principles of Consolidation – The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and include the accounts of Platform or the Predecessor, as applicable, and all of their respective controlled subsidiaries. All subsidiaries are included in the Consolidated Financial Statements for the entire period or, if acquired, from the date on which the Company obtained control. The Company fully consolidates the income, expenses, assets, liabilities and cash flows of its subsidiaries from the date it acquires control or becomes the primary beneficiary. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated upon consolidation. The Consolidated Financial Statements and information included herein are those of (i) Platform as of, and for the years ended, December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the period from April 23, 2013 (inception) through December 31, 2013, and (ii) MacDermid (the Predecessor) for the ten-month period ended October 31, 2013, which represents the pre-acquisition period immediately preceding the MacDermid Acquisition.
Use of Estimates – In preparing the Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, management must undertake decisions that impact the reported amounts and related disclosures.  Such decisions include the selection of the appropriate accounting principles to be applied and assumptions upon which accounting estimates are based.  The Company applies judgment based on its understanding and analysis of the relevant circumstances to reach these decisions.  By their nature, these judgments are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty.  Accordingly, actual results could differ significantly from the estimates applied.  Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include: the useful lives of fixed and intangible assets, allowances for doubtful accounts and sales returns, deferred tax asset valuation allowances, inventory valuation, stock-based compensation, liabilities for employee benefit obligations, environmental liabilities, income tax uncertainties, valuation of goodwill, acquisition-related contingent consideration, intangible assets and other contingencies.
Cash and Cash Equivalents – The Company considers all highly liquid instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.
The Company, from time to time, may be required to maintain cash deposits with certain banks with respect to certain contractual obligations. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company was required to maintain restricted cash deposits of $0.3 million and $600 million, respectively. The 2014 restricted cash balance was related to the Arysta Acquisition.
Credit Risk Management – Platform's products are sold primarily to customers in the agricultural, automotive, commercial packing and printing, electronic, and oil offshore production industries.  The Company is exposed to certain collection risks which are subject to a variety of factors, including economic and technological changes within these industries.  As is common industry practice, the Company generally does not require collateral or other security as a condition of sale, rather relying on credit approval, balance limitation and monitoring procedures to control credit risk on trade accounts receivable.  The Company establishes reserves against estimated uncollectible amounts based on historical experience and specific knowledge regarding customers’ ability to pay. Customer accounts receivable that are deemed to be uncollectible are written off when they are identified and all reasonable collections efforts have been exhausted.
Derivatives – The Company operates internationally, with manufacturing and sales facilities in various locations around the world, and uses certain financial instruments to manage its foreign currency exposures.  To qualify a derivative as a hedge at inception and throughout the hedge period, the Company formally documents the nature and relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk-management objectives and strategies for undertaking various hedge transactions, and the method of assessing hedge effectiveness. Additionally, for hedges of forecasted transactions, the significant characteristics and expected terms of a forecasted transaction are specifically identified, and the likelihood of each forecasted transactions of occurring is deemed probable.  If it is determined that the forecasted transaction will not occur, the gain or loss is recognized in current earnings.  Financial instruments qualifying for hedge accounting must maintain a specified level of effectiveness between the hedging instrument and the item being hedged, both at inception and throughout the hedged period.  The Company does not engage in trading or other speculative uses of financial instruments. It is the Company's policy to disclose the fair value of derivative instruments that are subject to master netting arrangements on a gross basis in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. There were no derivatives subject to master netting arrangements at December 31, 2015 or 2014.
The Company has used, and may use in the future, forward contracts and options to mitigate its exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates on third party and intercompany forecasted transactions.  If hedge accounting is applied, the effective portion of unrealized gains and losses associated with forward contracts and the intrinsic value of option contracts are deferred as a component of other comprehensive income until the underlying hedged transactions are reported in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.
The Company has also used, and may use in the future, contracts and options to mitigate its exposure in the precious metals markets.  Such contracts are designated as Normal Purchases, the effects of which are not deferred as components of other comprehensive income. Metals contracts that meet the definition of a derivative but do not meet the Normal Purchases requirements are recorded as a derivative asset or liability in the balance sheet and subsequently marked to market every reporting period, with changes in fair value recognized in the income statement as "(Loss) gain on derivative contracts."
Inventories – Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value with cost being determined by the first-in/first-out and average costs methods.  The Company regularly reviews inventories for obsolescence and excess quantities and calculates a reserve based on historical write-offs, customer demand, product evolution, usage rates and quantities of stock on hand.
Property, Plant and Equipment – Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation.  Equipment under capital lease arrangements is stated at the net present value of minimum lease payments.  The Company records depreciation on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of each asset.  Estimated useful lives by asset class are as follows:
Buildings and building improvements (years) -
 
5
 
to
 
20
Machinery, equipment and fixtures (years) -
 
3
 
to
 
15
Computer hardware and software (years) -
 
3
 
to
 
5
Leasehold improvements -
 
Lesser of useful life
or lease life

Maintenance and repair costs are charged directly to expense; renewals and betterments which significantly extend the useful life of the asset are capitalized.  Costs and accumulated depreciation on assets retired or disposed of are removed from the accounts and any resulting gains or losses are recorded to earnings in the period of disposal.
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Purchased Intangible Assets Goodwill represents the excess of the acquisition cost over the fair value of the identifiable net assets of an acquired business.  The Company does not amortize goodwill and other intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives; rather, goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives are tested for impairment.  Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level annually as of October 1, or when events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill might be impaired in accordance with ASC 350-20 “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other.
A two-step impairment test is performed at the reporting unit level.  In the first step of impairment testing, the fair value of each reporting unit is compared to its carrying value.  The fair value of each reporting unit is determined using the income approach based on the present value of discounted future cash flows of those units.  The cash flows utilized in goodwill impairment testing differ from actual consolidated cash flows due to exclusion of non-recurring charges.  The cash flow model utilized in the goodwill impairment test involves significant judgments related to future growth rates, working capital needs, discount rates and tax rates, among other considerations.  The Company relies on data developed by business unit management as well as macroeconomic data in making these calculations.  The discounted cash flow model utilizes a risk-adjusted weighted average cost of capital to discount estimated future cash flows.  Changes in these estimates can impact the present value of the expected cash flow that is used in determining the fair value of a given reporting unit.  If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds the carrying value of the net assets assigned to that reporting unit, goodwill is not impaired and no further testing is required.  If the carrying value of the net assets assigned to the reporting unit exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, the second step of the impairment test is performed to determine the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill.  The implied fair value of goodwill is determined by measuring the excess of the estimated fair value of the reporting unit over the estimated fair values of the individual assets, liabilities and identifiable intangibles as if the reporting unit was being acquired in a business combination.  If the carrying value of the reporting unit’s goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, an impairment charge is recorded equal to the difference.  
Indefinite-lived intangible assets consist of certain tradenames which are reviewed for potential impairment on an annual basis as of October 1, or when events or changes in circumstances indicate that indefinite-lived intangible assets might be impaired.  Indefinite-lived intangible assets are reviewed for impairment by comparing the estimated fair values of the indefinite-lived intangible assets to their carrying values.  The estimated fair values of these intangible assets are determined using the “relief from royalty” approach.  An impairment loss is recognized when the estimated fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than the carrying value.
The Company completed its goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment evaluations as of October 1, 2015 and, based on the results of the impairment tests, determined that no significant adjustments to the carrying value of goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets were necessary. There were also no such adjustments to the carrying value of goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets necessary for the year ended December 31, 2014, and the Successor and Predecessor 2013 periods.
For the Agricultural Solutions segment, management aggregated the geographical business units as one reporting unit for purposes of this evaluation. Animal Health was considered as a separate reporting unit. Management concluded that aggregating the geographical business units was appropriate after consideration of both qualitative and quantitative factors, such as consistency of products and services, production capabilities, distribution methods, and significant inter-dependence and sharing of resources.
Additionally, management considered the downturn in the agricultural industry when considering the estimated future cash flows used within the impairment test. Management’s expectation is that this downturn is temporary and consistent with historical economic cycles within the industry; however, if industry turnaround does not occur in the expected time-frame, management will test for impairment if such events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill might be impaired. Further, management assessed impairment across all assets for triggers, and determined that adjustments to the carrying value of these assets were not necessary.
The Company performed qualitative assessments for three reporting units in the Performance Solutions segment and step one of the two step test for the remaining reporting units in the Performance Solutions and Agricultural Solutions segments. A qualitative assessment is permitted at the reporting unit level to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test. The qualitative assessment consists of an evaluation of whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, based on all relevant events or circumstances that affect the fair value or carrying amount of a reporting unit.
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets – Finite-lived intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, which currently range from 8 to 30 years for customer lists, 5 to 14 years for developed technology, 5 to 20 years for tradenames and 1 to 5 years for non-compete agreements.  The Company evaluates long-lived assets, such as property, plant and equipment and intangible assets with finite lives, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable.  If circumstances require a long-lived asset group to be tested for possible impairment, the Company first determines if the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset plus net proceeds expected from disposition of the asset, if any, are less than the carrying value of the asset.  When an impairment is identified, the carrying amount of the asset is reduced to its estimated fair value based on a discounted cash flow approach or, when available and appropriate, to comparable market values.
Product Registrations – Product registrations represent external costs incurred to obtain distribution rights from regulatory bodies for certain products in our Agricultural Solutions segment. These costs include laboratory testing, legal, regulatory filing and other costs. Only costs associated with products that are probable of generating future cash flows are capitalized. The capitalized costs are amortized over the useful lives of the registrations, which currently range from 12 to 14 years, and are included in "Selling, technical, general and administrative" expenses in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. Product registrations are evaluated for impairment in the same manner as other finite-lived intangible assets.
Asset Retirement Obligations – The Company records the fair value of legal obligations associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets in the period in which they are incurred, if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made.  Upon initial recognition of a liability, the Company capitalizes the cost of the asset retirement obligation by increasing the carrying amount of the related long-lived asset.  Over time, the liability is increased for changes in its present value as accretion through interest expense and the capitalized cost is depreciated over the useful life of the related asset.
Employee Benefits – The Company sponsors a variety of employee benefit programs, some of which are non-contributory.  The accounting policies used to account for these plans are as follows:
Retirement – The Company provides non-contributory defined benefit plans to domestic and certain foreign employees.  The projected unit credit actuarial method is used for financial reporting purposes.  The Company recognizes the funded status in its Consolidated Balance Sheets, which represents the difference between the fair value of the plan assets and the projected benefit obligation. The Company’s funding policy for qualified plans is consistent with federal or other local regulations and customarily equals the amount deductible for federal and local income tax purposes.  Foreign subsidiaries contribute to other plans, which may be administered privately or by government agencies in accordance with local regulations.
401(k) - Effective January 1, 2014, the Company also provides benefits under the Platform Specialty Products Corporation Employee Savings & 401(k) Plan, or PSP 401(k) Plan, for substantially all domestic employees, which consists of two components: a discretionary profit-sharing/non-elective component, funded by the Company, and a defined contribution 401(k) component.  Under the discretionary profit sharing/non-elective component, the Company's non-elective contributions to the PSP 401(k) Plan totaled $1.5 million and $1.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and are funded during the first quarters of each subsequent year.  Under the defined contribution 401(k) component, on a yearly basis, the Company may determine to make contributions that match some or all of the participants’ contributions. For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company contributed $1.4 million and $0.7 million to the plan, respectively.
Post-retirement The Company currently accrues for post-retirement health care benefits for U.S. employees hired prior to April 1, 1997.  The post-retirement health care plan is unfunded.
Financial Instruments – The Company’s financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, investments, accounts payable, contingent consideration and current and long-term debt.  The Company believes that the carrying value of the cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable are representative of their respective fair values because of the short maturities of these instruments.  Available for sale equity investments are carried at fair value with net unrealized gains or losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income.  See Note 11, Fair Value Measurements, to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Equity Securities Equity securities that have a readily determinable fair value are classified as available for sale and are carried at fair value. Unrealized holding gains and losses are recorded in other comprehensive income. Equity securities which do not have readily determinable fair values are recorded at cost and are evaluated whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying values of such investments may be impaired.
Equity Method InvestmentsInvestments over which the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence, but which the Company does not control, are accounted for under the equity method of accounting and are included in "Other assets" on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Significant influence generally exists when the Company holds between 20% and 50% of the voting power of another entity. Investments are initially recognized at cost. The Consolidated Financial Statements include the Company's share of net earnings or losses from the date that significant influence commences until the date that significant influence ceases. When the Company's share of losses exceeds its interest in an equity investment, the carrying amount of that interest is reduced to zero, and the recognition of further losses is discontinued, except to the extent that the Company has an obligation or has made payments on behalf of the investee.
Financial Guarantees and Factoring of Accounts Receivable Guarantees provided to financial institutions on vendor and customer loans used to settle outstanding accounts receivable balances are recorded as liabilities until such time when the guarantee periods have elapsed, at which time the accounts receivable balances and the related financial guarantees are reversed.
Factoring arrangements, whereby substantially all economic risks and rewards associated with trade receivables are transferred to a third party, are accounted for by derecognizing the trade receivables upon receipt of cash proceeds from the factoring arrangement. Factoring arrangements, whereby some, but not substantially all, of the economic risks and rewards are transfered to a third party and the assets subject to the factoring arrangement remain under the Company's control are accounted for by not derecognizing the trade receivables and recognizing any related obligations to the third party.
Foreign Currency Translation Primarily all of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries use their local currency as their functional currency.  The assets and liabilities of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. Dollars using foreign currency exchange rates prevailing as of the balance sheet dates.  Revenue and expense accounts are translated at average foreign currency exchange rates for the periods presented.  Cumulative currency translation adjustments are included in other comprehensive income (loss) in the stockholders’ equity section of the Consolidated Balance Sheets.  Net gains and losses from transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the entity are included in Other (expense) income in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. 
Revenue Recognition – The Company recognizes revenue, including freight charged to customers, net of applicable rebates, estimates for sales returns and allowances and discounts, when the earnings process is complete. This occurs when products have been shipped to, or received by, the customer, in accordance with the terms of the agreement by and between the Company and such customer, title and risk of loss has been transferred, pricing is fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured.
On a limited and discretionary basis, the Company allows certain distributors within the Agricultural Solutions segment extensions of credit on a limited portion of purchases made during a purchasing cycle, which remain in the distributor’s inventory. The extension of credit is not a right to return, and distributors must pay unconditionally when the extended credit period expires.
Cost of Sales – Cost of sales consists primarily of raw material costs and related purchasing and receiving costs used in the manufacturing process, direct salary and wages and related fringe benefits, packaging costs, shipping and handling costs, plant overhead and other costs associated with the manufacture and distribution of the Company’s products.  For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, cost of sales included a manufacturer’s profit in inventory adjustment of $76.5 million and $35.5 million, respectively, associated with inventory revaluations related to the various Acquisitions. For the Successor 2013 Period, cost of sales included a manufacturer’s profit in inventory adjustment of $23.9 million related to the MacDermid Acquisition.
Shipping and Handling Costs Costs related to shipping and handling are recognized as incurred and included in cost of sales in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Selling, technical, general and administrative expenses – Selling, technical, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel and travel costs, advertising and marketing expenses, administrative expenses associated with accounting, finance, legal, human resource, amortization of intangible assets, risk management and overhead associated with these functions.
Research and development Research and development costs, which primarily relate to internal salaries, are expensed as incurred.
Environmental Matters - The Company accrues for environmental matters when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated based on current laws and existing technologies. The accruals are adjusted periodically as assessment and remediation efforts progress or as additional technical or legal information becomes available. Accruals for environmental liabilities are included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets in “Accrued expenses and other current liabilities” and “Other long-term liabilities” at undiscounted amounts. Accruals for related insurance or other third-party recoveries for environmental liabilities are recorded when it is probable that a recovery will be realized and are included in the consolidated balance sheets as “Other current assets" and "Other assets."
Environmental costs are capitalized in instances where the costs extend the life of the property, increase its capacity, and/or mitigate or prevent contamination from future operations. Environmental costs are also capitalized in recognition of legal asset retirement obligations resulting from the acquisition, construction and/or normal operation of a long-lived asset. Costs related to environmental contamination treatment and cleanup are charged to expense. Estimated future incremental operations, maintenance and management costs directly related to remediation are accrued when such costs are probable and reasonably estimable.
Income Taxes – The provision for income taxes includes federal, foreign, state and local income taxes currently payable as well as the net change in deferred tax assets and liabilities during the period.  Deferred income taxes are recorded at currently enacted tax rates for temporary differences between the financial reporting and income tax basis of assets and liabilities.  A valuation allowance is assessed and recorded when it is estimated that it becomes more likely than not that the full value of a deferred tax asset may not be realized.  Deferred federal and state income taxes are not provided on the undistributed earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries where management has determined that such earnings have been permanently reinvested.
Stock-based Compensation Plans – The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC No. 718, “Compensation - Stock Compensation.”  Stock-based compensation expense recognized during the period is based on the value of the portion of equity-based awards that are ultimately expected to vest. The fair value of each stock option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model.  The fair value of RSUs is determined based on the number of units granted and the closing price of the Company's common stock on the date of grant.  Compensation expense for all share-based payment awards is recognized using the straight-line amortization method over the vesting period.
Earnings (Loss) Per Common Share – Basic earnings (loss) per common share excludes dilution and is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period.  Diluted net (loss) income per common share assumes the issuance of all potentially dilutive share equivalents using the if-converted or treasury stock method, if the effect is not anti-dilutive.  For stock options and RSUs, it is assumed that the proceeds will be used to buy back shares.  For stock options, such proceeds equal the average unrecognized compensation plus the assumed exercise of weighted average number of options outstanding and windfall tax benefits.  For unvested RSUs, the assumed proceeds equal the average unrecognized compensation expense plus windfall tax benefits.
New Accounting Standards
Leases (Topic 842) - In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 “Leases.” The updated guidance applies to capital (or finance) and operating leases, and requires lessees to recognize a lease liability for the obligation to make lease payments and a right-of-use asset for the right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. Lessees can make an accounting policy choice to not recognize right of use assets and lease liabilities for short-term leases (leases with a lease term of 12 months or less). The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of this new ASU.
Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825.10) - In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-1 “Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities.” This update addresses certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial assets and liabilities. Provisions of this ASU include, among others, requiring the measurement of certain equity investments at fair value, with changes in value recognized in net income, and simplifying the impairment assessment of certain equity investments. The guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is only permitted for provisions related to the recognition of changes in fair value of financial liabilities. The Company is evaluating the impact of this new ASU, which is not expected to have a material impact on its financial statements.
Income Taxes (Topic 740) - In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17 “Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Income Taxes.” Under the updated guidance, an entity is required to classify deferred income tax assets and liabilities as non-current in the Consolidated Balance Sheet, eliminating the previous requirement to separate deferred income tax assets and liabilities into current and non-current amounts. The guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and may be applied either prospectively or retrospectively, with early adoption permitted. The Company early adopted this ASU as of December 31, 2015 on a prospective basis; prior periods were not retrospectively adjusted.
Business Combinations (Topic 805) - In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-16 “Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments.” Under the updated guidance, an entity is no longer required to retrospectively apply adjustments to provisional amounts recorded as a part of a business combination. Adjustments to provisional amounts identified during the measurement period continue to be calculated as of the acquisition date but are recognized in the period in which they are determined, including the effects of such adjustments on earnings. The guidance is effective prospectively for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this ASU as of September 30, 2015. This ASU did not have a material impact on the Company's financial statements as compared to the year ended December 31, 2014.
Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) - In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14 “Deferral of the Effective Date,” which defers the effective date of ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)," for all entities by one year. As a result, the provisions of ASU No. 2014-09 will be effective prospectively for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. ASU No. 2014-09 (1) removes inconsistencies and weaknesses in revenue requirements, (2) provides a more robust framework for addressing revenue issues, (3) improves comparability of revenue recognition practices across entities, industries, jurisdictions, and capital markets, (4) provides more useful information to users of financial statements through improved disclosure requirements, and (5) simplifies the preparation of financial statements by reducing the number of requirements to which an entity must refer.  The core principle of the guidance 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. The Company continues to evaluate the impact of ASU 2014-9.
Inventory (Topic 330) - In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, “Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory.” Under the updated guidance, an entity should measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is defined as the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. The guidance is effective prospectively for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this ASU as of October 1, 2015 by replacing its lower of cost or market test with a lower of cost and net realizable value test. This ASU did not have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.
Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) - In May 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-07, “Disclosures for Investments in Certain Entities That Calculate Net Asset Value per Share (or Its Equivalent).” This update eliminates diversity in practice related to investments whose fair value is measured using net asset values as a practical expedient, and removes the requirement to categorize such investments within the fair value hierarchy. The guidance is effective retrospectively for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. The Company early adopted this ASU and reclassified approximately $86.3 million of assets held in the Company's Pension Plans using NAV as a practical expedient out of the fair value hierarchy as of December 31, 2014.
Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40) - In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-05, “Customer's Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement.” This update provides explicit guidance to customers utilizing a cloud computing solution to help determine whether such an arrangement includes a software license, in which case the accounting applied would be similar to that of other software license arrangements. Otherwise, the arrangement would be accounted for as a service contract. The guidance is effective prospectively for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect this ASU to have a material impact on its financial statements.
Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30) - In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, “Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs.” This update eliminates the difference in the presentation of of debt issuance costs and debt discount and premiums by requiring that debt issuance costs be presented as deductions from the carrying value of the related debt, in a manner similar to debt discounts. The guidance is effective retroactively for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. The Company early adopted this ASU and reclassified approximately $10.3 million of debt issuance costs related to term debt from assets to contra-liabilities as of December 31, 2014.
Income Statement – Extraordinary and Unusual Items (Subtopic 225-20) - In January 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-1, “Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items.”  This update eliminates the requirement for entities to identify extraordinary events and transactions, those being both unusual in nature and infrequent in occurrence, and separately classify, present and disclose such items.  The guidance is effective prospectively for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, but entities may apply the guidance retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements.  The Company does not expect this ASU to have a material impact on its financial statements.
Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) - In November 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-16, “ Determining Whether the Host Contract in a Hybrid Financial Instrument Issued in the Form of a Share Is More Akin to Debt or to Equity (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force).” Under current practice, there were predominantly two methods used to evaluate whether the nature of the host contract in a hybrid financial instrument is more akin to debt or equity: one considered all the features including the embedded and the other excluded the embedded derivative in the consideration. This update eliminates the difference in practice by clarifying that the evaluation should be based on all the instrument’s features, including the embedded derivative, and that no single term or feature would necessarily determine the economic characteristics and risks of the host contract. The guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015 and is applied in a modified retrospective basis to existing hybrid financial instruments issued in the form of a share as of the beginning of our fiscal year 2016. Early adoption, including in an interim period, is permitted. The Company adopted the provision of this ASU during the first quarter of 2015, with the issuance of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock. This ASU did not have a material impact on the Company's financial statements, as there were no hybrid financial instruments requiring retrospective application.
Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718) - In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-12, “Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force).”  The amendments require that a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition.  The guidance is effective prospectively for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015.  The Company does not expect this ASU to have a material impact on its financial statements.
Reclassifications
Certain prior year's amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation including approximately $10.3 million of debt issuance costs related to term debt from assets to contra-liabilities as of December 31, 2014 as a result of early adopting ASU 2015-03, “Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs."