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Recent Accounting Pronouncements
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
 
The Company considers the applicability and impact of all Accounting Standards Updates (“ASU”). ASUs not discussed below were assessed and determined to be either not applicable or are expected to have minimal impact on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.
 
In March 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2017-07, Compensation – Retirement Benefits (Topic 715), in order to improve the presentation of net periodic pension and postretirement costs. The amendment requires that an employer report the service cost component in the same line item or items as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees during the period. The other components of net benefit cost as defined in paragraphs 715-30-35-4 and 715-60-35-9 are required to be presented in the income statement separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations, if one is presented. The amendments in this ASU also allow only the service cost component to be eligible for capitalization when applicable. The amendments in this update related to income statement activity should be applied retrospectively whereas balance sheet activity should be applied prospectively. For public business entities, the effective date for ASU 2017-07 is annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted within the first interim period. We expect to adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2018 and no impact, other than expense classification, on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations is expected upon adoption.
 
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which simplifies the accounting for goodwill impairment for all entities by requiring impairment charges to be based on the first step in today’s two-step impairment test under ASC 350. Under the new guidance, if a reporting unit’s carrying amount exceeds its fair value, an entity will record an impairment charge based on that difference. The impairment charge will be limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. The amendment eliminates the requirement to calculate a goodwill impairment charge by comparing the implied fair value of goodwill with its carrying amount (i.e., Step 2 of today’s goodwill impairment test). The standard will be applied prospectively and is effective for annual and interim impairment tests performed in periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for annual and interim goodwill impairment testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company elected to adopt ASU 2017-04 early beginning in January 2017 and there was no impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations upon adoption.
 
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business, which clarifies the definition of a business to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The definition of a business affects many areas of accounting including acquisitions, disposals, goodwill, and consolidation. The new guidance requires an entity to first evaluate whether substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets. If this threshold is met, the set of transferred assets and activities is not a business. If the threshold is not met, the entity evaluates whether the set meets the requirement that a business include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create outputs. For public business entities, the effective date for ASU 2017-01 is annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods. The Company elected to adopt ASU 2017-01 early beginning in January 2017 and there was no impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations upon adoption.
 
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718), which simplifies certain aspects of share-based payment transactions including income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities and classification on the statement of cash flows. The new guidance requires an entity to record all excess tax benefits / deficiencies as income tax expense / benefit in the income statement. The new guidance also allows an entity to make an entity-wide accounting policy election to either estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest or account for forfeitures when they occur. For public business entities, the effective date for ASU 2016-09 is annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those periods. The Company adopted this ASU effective January 1, 2017 and has elected to continue to accrue compensation cost for forfeitures based on the number of awards that are expected to vest. There was no impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations upon adoption.
 
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets related to the rights and obligations created by those leases. The new standard also requires disclosures to help financial statement users better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases and will be effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018 (early adoption is permitted). The new standard should be applied under a modified retrospective approach. We are evaluating the impact of the new standard on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations and related disclosures. Although we have not yet completed our assessment, adoption of this standard will have a significant impact on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.  However, we do not expect adoption of this standard to have a significant impact on the recognition, measurement or presentation of lease expenses within the Consolidated Statements of Operations or the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.  Information about our undiscounted future lease payments and the timing of those payments is provided under “Contractual Obligations” in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our 2016 Form 10-K.  We will adopt this standard effective January 1, 2019. 
 
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which replaces the existing accounting standards for revenue recognition with a single comprehensive five-step model eliminating industry-specific accounting rules. The core principle is to recognize revenue upon the transfer of goods or services to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration expected to be received. Since its issuance, the FASB has amended several aspects of the new guidance, including provisions that address revenue recognition associated with the licensing of intellectual property. The provisions of ASU 2014-09 will be effective for public business entities for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The guidance may be adopted either by restating all years presented in the Company’s financial statements or by recording the impact of adoption as an adjustment to retained earnings at the beginning of the year of adoption. During the three months ended September 30, 2017, the Company continued its assessment of AdvanSix revenue streams by reviewing and documenting customer contracts and related transaction support to determine the impact on revenue recognition under the new standard. The Company has made progress on redrafting its revenue recognition policies, assessing the redesign of internal controls, as well as evaluating the expanded disclosure requirements. The Company plans to adopt the standard effective January 1, 2018 and the impact of adoption, if any, will be reflected as an adjustment to retained earnings at the beginning of the year of adoption. Based on the results of the assessment performed to date, the Company has preliminarily concluded that revenues from the Company's products are expected to remain substantially unchanged from the Company's current revenue recognition model. The Company will continue to assess the new standard and the potential impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations and related disclosures upon adoption.