EMPLOYEE SEPARATION/ASSET RELATED CHARGES, NET

La Porte Plant, La Porte, Texas

In March 2016, DuPont announced its decision to not re-start the Agriculture segment’s insecticide manufacturing facility at the La Porte site located in La Porte, Texas. The facility manufactures Lannate^® and Vydate^® insecticides and has been shut down since November 2014. As a result of this decision, during the year ended December 31, 2016, a pre-tax charge of $68 was recorded in employee separation / asset related charges, net which included $41 of asset related charges, $11 of contract termination costs, and $16 of employee severance and related benefit costs.

2016 Global Cost Savings and Restructuring Program

In December 2015, DuPont committed to take structural actions across all businesses and staff functions globally to operate more efficiently by further consolidating businesses and aligning staff functions more closely with them as part of a 2016 global cost savings and restructuring plan. As a result, during the year ended December 31, 2015, a pre-tax charge of $798 was recorded, consisting of $793 of employee separation / asset related charges, net and $5 in other income, net in the company's Consolidated Income Statements. The charges consisted of $656 in severance and related benefit costs, $109 in asset related charges, and $33 in contract termination charges.

During the year ended December 31, 2016, in connection with the restructuring actions, the company recorded a net pre-tax benefit to earnings of $(85), consisting of $(88) in employee separation / asset related charges, net, and a $3 charge to other income, net in the company's Consolidated Income Statements. The net benefit was comprised of a reduction of $(154) in severance and related benefit costs, offset by $53 of asset related charges, and $16 of contract termination costs. This was primarily due to a reduction in severance and related benefit costs partially offset by the identification of additional projects in certain segments. The reduction in severance and related benefit costs was driven by elimination of positions at a lower cost than expected as a result of redeployments and attrition as well as lower than estimated individual severance costs.

The restructuring actions associated with this charge impacted approximately 10 percent of DuPont’s workforce and are substantially complete.

The 2016 restructuring program (benefits) charges related to the segments, as well as corporate expenses, were as follows:



For the year ended December 31,	2016			2015
Agriculture	$	23		$	161
Electronics & Communications	(2		)	93
Industrial Biosciences	(5		)	60
Nutrition & Health	(7		)	47
Performance Materials	(4		)	61
Protection Solutions	(13		)	44
Other	11			2
Corporate Expenses	(88		)	330
	$	(85	)	$	798

At December 31, 2016 and 2015, total liabilities related to the restructuring program were $122 and $680, respectively.

Account balances and activity for the restructuring program are summarized below:



	Severance and Related Benefit Costs			Asset Related Charges			Other Non-Personnel Charges¹			Total
Balance at December 31, 2015	$	648		$	—		$	32		$	680
Payments	(393		)	—			(26		)	(419		)
Net translation adjustment	(1		)	—			—			(1		)
Other adjustments	(154		)	53			16			(85		)
Asset write-offs	—			(53		)	—			(53		)
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	100		$	—		$	22		$	122

^1.Other non-personnel charges consist of contractual obligation costs.

2014 Restructuring Program

In June 2014, DuPont announced its global, multi-year initiative to redesign its global organization and operating model to reduce costs and improve productivity and agility across all businesses and functions. DuPont commenced a restructuring plan to realign and rebalance staff function support, enhance operational efficiency, and to reduce residual costs associated with the separation of its Performance Chemicals segment. At December 31, 2016 and 2015, total liabilities related to the 2014 restructuring program were $9 and $78, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2016 a benefit of $(21) was recorded in employee separation / asset related charges, net in the company's Consolidated Income Statements to reduce the accrual for severance costs.

During the year ended December 31, 2015, a net benefit of $(21) was recorded to adjust the estimated costs associated with the 2014 restructuring program in employee separation / asset related charges, net in the company's Consolidated Income Statements. This was primarily due to lower than estimated individual severance costs and workforce reductions achieved through non-severance programs, offset by the identification of additional projects in certain segments.

During the year ended December 31, 2014 a pre-tax charge of $541 was recorded, consisting of $476 in employee separation / asset related charges, net and $65 in other income, net in the company's Consolidated Income Statements. The charges consisted of $301 of severance and related benefit costs, $17 of other non-personnel charges, and $223 of asset related charges, including $65 of charges associated with the restructuring actions of a joint venture within the Performance Materials segment.

The 2014 restructuring program (benefits) charges related to the segments, as well as corporate expenses, were as follows:



For the year ended December 31,	2016			2015			2014
Agriculture	$	(1	)	$	3		$	134
Electronics & Communications	(2		)	(15		)	84
Industrial Biosciences	(1		)	1			20
Nutrition & Health	(2		)	3			15
Performance Materials	(1		)	1			99
Protection Solutions	(1		)	(4		)	45
Other	—			1			10
Corporate Expenses	(13		)	(11		)	134
	$	(21	)	$	(21	)	$	541

Asset Impairments

In the fourth quarter 2015, the company elected to defer further testing and deployment of a multi-year, phased implementation of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system; which had not been placed in service as of year-end 2016. At December 31, 2016, the company had capitalized costs associated with the ERP system of $435. In connection with IT strategy reviews conducted during the fourth quarter of 2016, the company reviewed considerations around the timing of restarting testing and deployment of the ERP system. As a result, the company intends to complete and place in service the ERP system, however, given the uncertainties related to implementation timing as well as potential developments and changes to technologies in the market place at the time of restart, use of this ERP system can no longer be considered probable. As a result, due to the specificity of the design related to the ERP system, the company determined that the uncompleted ERP system has a fair value of zero and recorded a pre-tax charge of $435 in employee separation / asset related charges, net in the company's Consolidated Income Statements during the year ended December 31, 2016.

The company recognized a $158 pre-tax impairment charge in employee separation / asset related charges, net in the company's Consolidated Income Statements during the year ended December 31, 2016 related to indefinite-lived intangible trade names within the Industrial Biosciences segment. In connection with business strategy reviews and brand realignment conducted during the third quarter 2016, the company decided to phase out the use of certain acquired trade names within the segment resulting in a change from an indefinite life to a finite useful life for these assets. As a result of these changes, the carrying value of the trade name assets exceeded the fair value.

The basis of the fair value for the charges was calculated utilizing an income approach (relief from royalty method) using Level 3 inputs within the fair value hierarchy, as described in Note 1. The key assumptions used in the calculation included projected revenue, royalty rates and discount rates. These key assumptions involve management judgment and estimates relating to future operating performance and economic conditions that may differ from actual cash flows. After the recognition of the impairment charge, the remaining net book value of the trade names was $28, which represented fair value.

During the first quarter 2015, a $38 pre-tax impairment charge was recorded in employee separation / asset related charges, net within the Other segment in the company's Consolidated Income Statements. The majority relates to a cost basis investment in which the assessment resulted from the venture's revised operating plan reflecting underperformance of its European wheat based ethanol facility and deteriorating European ethanol market conditions. One of the primary investors communicated that they would not fund the revised operating plan of the investee. As a result, the carrying value of DuPont's 6 percent cost basis investment in this venture exceeds its fair value by $37, such that an impairment charge was recorded.