Significant Accounting Policies |
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Dec. 31, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles | Significant Accounting Policies Revenue Recognition: TimkenSteel recognizes revenue from contracts at a point in time when it has satisfied its performance obligation and the customer obtains control of the goods, at the amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive for those goods. The Company receives and acknowledges purchase orders from its customers, which define the quantity, pricing, payment and other applicable terms and conditions. In some cases, the Company receives a blanket purchase order from its customer, which includes pricing, payment and other terms and conditions, with quantities defined at the time the customer issues periodic releases from the blanket purchase order. Certain contracts contain variable consideration, which primarily consists of rebates that are accounted for in net sales and accrued based on the estimated probability of the requirements being met. Cash Equivalents: TimkenSteel considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Allowance for Doubtful Accounts: TimkenSteel maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts, which represents an estimate of losses expected from the accounts receivable portfolio, to reduce accounts receivable to their net realizable value. The allowance is based upon historical trends in collections and write-offs, management’s judgment of the probability of collecting accounts and management’s evaluation of business risk. TimkenSteel extends credit to customers satisfying pre-defined credit criteria. TimkenSteel believes it has limited concentration of credit risk due to the diversity of its customer base. Inventories, Net: At December 31, 2019, inventories were stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company elected to change its method for valuing its inventories that previously used the LIFO method to the FIFO method. The Company believes that the FIFO method is preferable as it improves comparability with our peers, more closely resembles the physical flow of our inventory, and aligns with how the Company internally manages the business. The remaining inventories, including raw materials, manufacturing supplies inventory as well as international (outside the U.S.) inventories, will continue to be valued using the FIFO or average cost method. The effects of the change in accounting principle from LIFO to FIFO have been retrospectively applied to all periods presented. Refer to “Note 1 - Basis of Presentation” for more information. Property, Plant and Equipment, Net: Property, plant and equipment, net are valued at cost less accumulated depreciation. Maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. The provision for depreciation is computed principally by the straight-line method based upon the estimated useful lives of the assets. The useful lives are approximately 30 years for buildings and three to 20 years for machinery and equipment. Intangible Assets, Net: Intangible assets subject to amortization are amortized on a straight-line method over their legal or estimated useful lives, with useful lives ranging from three to 15 years. In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 350-40, “Internal-Use Software,” (ASC 350-40), TimkenSteel capitalizes certain costs incurred for computer software developed or obtained for internal use. TimkenSteel capitalizes substantially all external costs and qualifying internal costs related to the purchase and implementation of software projects used for business operations. Capitalized software costs primarily include purchased software and external consulting fees. Capitalized software projects are amortized over the estimated useful lives of the software. Long-lived Assets: Long-lived assets (including tangible assets and intangible assets subject to amortization) are reviewed for impairment when events or changes in circumstances have occurred indicating that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. TimkenSteel tests recoverability of long-lived assets at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows that are independent from the cash flows of other assets. Assets and asset groups held and used are measured for recoverability by comparing the carrying amount of the asset or asset group to the sum of future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset or asset group. Assumptions and estimates about future values and remaining useful lives of TimkenSteel’s long-lived assets are complex and subjective. They can be affected by a variety of factors, including external factors such as industry and economic trends and internal factors such as changes in TimkenSteel’s business strategy and internal forecasts. If an asset or asset group is considered to be impaired, the impairment loss that would be recognized is the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. To determine fair value, TimkenSteel uses internal cash flow estimates discounted at an appropriate interest rate, third party appraisals, as appropriate, and/or market prices of similar assets, when available. Refer to “Note 6 - Disposition of Non-Core Assets” and “Note 11 - Property, Plant and Equipment” for additional information. Product Warranties: TimkenSteel accrues liabilities for warranties based upon specific claim incidents in accordance with accounting rules relating to contingent liabilities. Should TimkenSteel become aware of a specific potential warranty claim for which liability is probable and reasonably estimable, a specific charge is recorded and accounted for accordingly. TimkenSteel had no significant warranty claims for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 or 2017. Income Taxes: Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, as well as net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. TimkenSteel accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined on the basis of the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. TimkenSteel recognizes deferred tax assets to the extent TimkenSteel believes these assets are more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, TimkenSteel considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. If TimkenSteel determines that it would be able to realize deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, TimkenSteel would make an adjustment to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes. TimkenSteel records uncertain tax positions in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes” (ASC 740), on the basis of a two-step process whereby (1) TimkenSteel determines whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position, and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, TimkenSteel recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority. TimkenSteel recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within the provision (benefit) for income taxes line in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. Accrued interest and penalties are included within the related tax liability line in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company made the accounting policy election to treat taxes related to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI) as a current period expense when incurred. Foreign Currency: Assets and liabilities of subsidiaries are translated at the rate of exchange in effect on the balance sheet date. Income and expenses are translated at the average rates of exchange prevailing during the year. The related translation adjustments are reflected as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive loss. Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions are included in other expense, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. TimkenSteel realized a foreign currency exchange loss of $0.2 million in 2018 and a gain of $0.3 million in 2017. There were no foreign currency exchange gains or losses in 2019. Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits: TimkenSteel recognizes an overfunded status or underfunded status (e.g., the difference between the fair value of plan assets and the benefit obligations) as either an asset or a liability for its defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company recognizes actuarial gains and losses immediately through net periodic benefit cost in the Consolidated Statements of Operations upon the annual remeasurement at December 31, or on an interim basis as triggering events warrant remeasurement. In addition, the Company uses fair value to account for the value of plan assets. Stock-Based Compensation: TimkenSteel recognizes stock-based compensation expense based on the grant date fair value of the stock-based awards over their required vesting period on a straight-line basis, whether the awards were granted with graded or cliff vesting. Stock options are issued with an exercise price equal to the closing market price of TimkenSteel common shares on the date of grant. The fair value of stock options is determined using a Black-Scholes option pricing model, which incorporates assumptions regarding the expected volatility, the expected option life, the risk-free interest rate and the expected dividend yield. The fair value of stock-based awards that will settle in TimkenSteel common shares, other than stock options, is based on the closing market price of TimkenSteel common shares on the grant date. The fair values of stock-based awards that will settle in cash are remeasured at each reporting period until settlement of the awards. TimkenSteel recognizes all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies as income tax expense or benefit in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies are considered discrete items in the reporting period they occur and are not included in the estimate of an entity’s annual effective tax rate. Research and Development: Expenditures for TimkenSteel research and development amounted to $4.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, $8.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 and $8.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, and were recorded as a component of selling, general and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. These expenditures may fluctuate from year to year depending on special projects and the needs of TimkenSteel and its customers. Adoption of New Accounting Standards: The Company adopted the following Accounting Standard Updates (ASU) in the first quarter of 2019, all of which were effective as of January 1, 2019. The adoption of these standards had no impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements or the related Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topics 842),” which requires lessees to recognize lease liabilities and right-of-use assets on the balance sheet for not only finance (previously capital) leases but also operating leases. The standard also requires additional quantitative and qualitative disclosures. The Company adopted the standard using the modified retrospective transition approach without adjusting comparative periods. The Company elected certain of the practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard as follows:
The Company has implemented internal controls and lease accounting software to enable the quantification of the expected impact on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and to facilitate the calculations of the related accounting entries and disclosures. Adoption of the lease standard resulted in recognition of right-to-use assets and lease liabilities of $16.0 million as of January 1, 2019. Adoption of the lease standard had no impact on the Company’s debt covenant compliance under its current agreements. Also, the standard did not materially affect the Company’s results of operations or its cash flows. Refer to “Note 13 - Leases” for additional information. Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Adopted The Company has considered the recent ASUs issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board summarized below:
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