Guarantees and Product Warranties

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Guarantees and Product Warranties and Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

GUARANTEES AND PRODUCT WARRANTIES

NOTE 12: GUARANTEES AND PRODUCT WARRANTIES

In 1997, industrial development revenue bonds were issued on behalf of the Company. The Company guaranteed the payments of principal and interest on the bonds (refer to note 10) by obtaining letters of credit. The carrying value of the bonds was $11,900 as of September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010.

The Company provides its global operations guarantees and standby letters of credit through various financial institutions to suppliers, customers, regulatory agencies and insurance providers. If the Company is not able to make payment or fulfill contractual obligations, the suppliers, customers, regulatory agencies and insurance providers may draw on the pertinent bank. At September 30, 2011, the maximum future payment obligations related to these various guarantees totaled $72,956, of which $22,735 represented standby letters of credit to insurance providers, and no associated liability was recorded. At December 31, 2010, the maximum future payment obligations relative to these various guarantees totaled $74,629, of which $23,202 represented standby letters of credit to insurance providers, and no associated liability was recorded.

The Company provides its customers a manufacturer’s warranty and records, at the time of the sale, a corresponding estimated liability for potential warranty costs. Estimated future obligations due to warranty claims are based upon historical factors such as labor rates, average repair time, travel time, number of service calls per machine and cost of replacement parts.

Changes in the Company’s warranty liability balance are illustrated in the following table:

	2011			2010
Balance at January 1	$	78,313		$	62,673
Current period accruals (a)		34,894			50,409
Current period settlements		(50,375	)		(41,343	)
Balance at September 30	$	62,832		$	71,739

(a) includes the impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations