Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2015

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

The following table reflects the changes in carrying amounts of goodwill by segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2015:



(In thousands)	Harsco Metals & Minerals Segment			Harsco Industrial Segment		Harsco Rail Segment		Consolidated Totals
Balance at December 31, 2014	$	400,006		$	6,839	$	9,310	$	416,155
Changes to goodwill (a)	(493		)	—		3,489		2,996
Foreign currency translation	(12,813		)	—		—		(12,813		)
Balance at September 30, 2015	$	386,700		$	6,839	$	12,799	$	406,338

(a) Changes to goodwill in the Harsco Rail Segment relate to the acquisitions of Protran and JK Rail. See Note 4, Acquisitions. In addition, the change to goodwill in the Harsco Metals & Minerals Segment relates to the allocation of goodwill associated with the sale of the Company's Pakistan-based chromium operations.

The Company’s 2014 annual goodwill impairment testing did not result in any impairment of the Company’s goodwill. The fair value of the Harsco Metals & Minerals Segment exceeded the carrying value by approximately 10%. The Company tests for goodwill impairment annually or more frequently if indicators of impairment exist, or if a decision is made to dispose of a business. The Company performs the annual goodwill impairment test as of October 1 and monitors for triggering events on an ongoing basis. The Company determined that, as of September 30, 2015, no interim goodwill impairment testing was necessary. There can be no assurance that the Company’s annual goodwill impairment testing will not result in a charge to earnings. Should the Company’s analysis continue to indicate degradation in the overall markets served by the Harsco Metals & Minerals Segment, impairment losses for associated assets could be required. Any impairment could result in the write-down of the carrying value of goodwill to its implied fair value.

Intangible assets included in the captions, Other current assets and Intangible assets, net, on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets consist of the following:



	September 30, 2015				December 31, 2014
(In thousands)	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization
Customer related	$	155,416	$	111,256	$	157,530	$	112,211
Non-compete agreements	1,097		1,047		1,107		1,039
Patents	5,912		5,474		6,079		5,399
Technology related	25,743		22,589		26,548		21,233
Trade names	8,308		4,077		7,745		3,733
Other	8,794		4,545		7,420		4,290
Total	$	205,270	$	148,988	$	206,429	$	147,905

Amortization expense for intangible assets was as follows:



	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	September 30				September 30
(In thousands)	2015		2014		2015		2014
Amortization expense for intangible assets	$	2,286	$	2,398	$	6,602	$	7,544

The estimated amortization expense for the next five fiscal years based on current intangible assets is as follows:



(In thousands)	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
Estimated amortization expense (b)	$	9,000	$	8,750	$	6,000	$	5,750	$	5,500

(b) These estimated amortization expense amounts do not reflect the potential effect of future foreign currency exchange fluctuations.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.

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