Fair Value Measurements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

The three-tier value hierarchy used by the Company, which prioritizes the inputs used in the valuation methodologies, is:

Level 1—Valuations based on quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in active markets.

Level 2—Valuations based on observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3—Valuations based on unobservable inputs reflecting our own assumptions, consistent with reasonably available assumptions made by other market participants.

The fair value of cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate their carrying values. The fair value of cash equivalents are determined using the fair value hierarchy described above.

The Company’s pension plan asset portfolio as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is primarily invested in fixed income securities, which generally fall within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. Fixed income securities are valued based on evaluated prices provided to the trustee of the pension plan by independent pricing services. Such prices may be determined by various factors which include, but are not limited to, market quotations, yields, maturities, call features, ratings, institutional size trading in similar groups of securities and developments related to specific securities.

As of September 30, 2019, the fair value of the Company's Second Lien Notes, including the conversion option, was estimated to be $183,131 compared to a carrying value of $190,325. As of December 31, 2018, the fair value of the Company's Second Lien Notes, including the conversion option, was estimated to be $174,063 compared to a carrying value of $180,894. The fair value of the Second Lien Notes, including the conversion option, falls within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. The fair value of the Second Lien Notes was determined using a binomial lattice model using assumptions based on market information and historical data, and a review of prices and terms available for similar debt instruments that do not contain a conversion feature, as well as other factors related to the callable nature of the Second Lien Notes.

The following valuation assumptions were used in determining the fair value of the Second Lien Notes, including the conversion option, as of September 30, 2019:


Risk-free interest rate	2.48	%
Credit spreads	18.96	%
PIK premium spread	2.00	%
Volatility	50.00	%

As of September 30, 2019, the fair value of the Company's Revolving B Credit Facility was estimated to be $24,307 compared to a carrying value of $25,021. As of December 31, 2018, the fair value of the Company's Revolving B Credit Facility was estimated to be $22,124 compared to a carrying value of $22,875.The fair value of the Revolving B Credit Facility was estimated based on a model that discounted future principal and interest payments at interest rates available to the Company at the end of the period for similar debt of the same maturity, which is a Level 2 input as defined by the fair value hierarchy.

Given the short-term nature and/or the variable interest rates, the fair value of borrowings under the Revolving A Credit Facility, the French subsidiary's foreign line of credit and the Chinese subsidiary's foreign line of credit approximated the carrying value as of September 30, 2019.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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