Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

The Company has historically operated on a 52/53 week fiscal year generally ending on the Friday closest to the last day of the year. For ease of presentation, December 31 is used consistently throughout the financial statements and notes to represent the period-end date. The 2017, 2016 and 2015 fiscal years were 52 week periods. For the 2017, 2016 and 2015 fiscal years, the actual closing dates were December 29, December 30 and January 1, respectively.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and accompanying disclosures. These estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of current events and actions the Company may undertake in the future. Actual results may ultimately differ from estimates.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. and those of its subsidiaries. Significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. To the extent a subsidiary is not wholly owned, any related noncontrolling interest is included as a separate component of Shareholders’ Equity. Any applicable expense (income) attributable to the noncontrolling interest is included in Other expense, net in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Income and Comprehensive Income due to its immateriality and, as such, is not presented separately.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue when the earnings process is complete. This generally occurs when (i) title and risk of loss have been transferred to the customer in accordance with the terms of sale and (ii) collection is reasonably assured. Sales are reduced, at the time revenue is recognized, for applicable discounts, rebates and sales allowances based on historical experience. Related accruals are included in Other current liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Foreign Currency Translation

The Company translates the assets and liabilities of non-U.S. subsidiaries into U.S. dollars at year-end exchange rates. Income and expense items are translated at average exchange rates during the year. Cumulative translation adjustments are shown as a separate component of Shareholders’ Equity.

Research and Development

Research and development (“R&D”) expenses relate to the development of new and improved flavors or fragrances, technical product support and compliance with governmental regulation. All research and development costs are expensed as incurred.

Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents include highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at date of purchase.

Accounts Receivable

The Company sells certain accounts receivable on a non-recourse basis to unrelated financial institutions under “factoring” agreements that are sponsored, solely and individually, by certain customers. The Company accounts for these transactions as sale of receivables, removes the receivables sold from its financial statements, and records cash proceeds when received by the Company.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (on a weighted-average basis) or market.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis, principally over the following estimated useful lives: buildings and improvements, 10 to 40 years; machinery and equipment, 3 to 20 years; information technology hardware and software, 3 to 7 years; and leasehold improvements which are included in buildings and improvements, the estimated life of the improvements or the remaining term of the lease, whichever is shorter.

Finite-Lived Intangible Assets

Finite-lived intangible assets include customer relationships, patents, trade names, technological know-how and other intellectual property valued at acquisition and amortized on a straight-line basis over the following estimated useful lives: customer relationships, 11 - 23 years; patents, 5 - 15 years; trade names, approximately 30 years; and technological know-how, 5 - 28 years.

The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment when events or changes in business conditions indicate that their full carrying value may not be recovered. An estimate of undiscounted future cash flows produced by an asset or group of assets is compared to the carrying value to determine whether impairment exists. If assets are determined to be impaired, the loss is measured based on an estimate of fair value using various valuation techniques, including a discounted estimate of future cash flows.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the difference between the total purchase price and the fair value of identifiable assets and liabilities acquired in business acquisitions.

In assessing the potential for impairment of goodwill, management uses the most current actual and forecasted operating data available and current market-based assumptions in accordance with the criteria in Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 350. The Company has identified four reporting units: (1) Flavors, (2) Fragrance Compounds, (3) Fragrance Ingredients and (4) Cosmetic Actives Ingredients. These reporting units were determined based on the level at which the performance is measured and reviewed by segment management.

The Company performs an annual goodwill impairment test for the Flavors, Fragrance Compounds, Fragrance Ingredients and Cosmetic Actives Ingredients reporting units by assessing the fair value of the reporting units based on discounted cash flows. If a reporting unit’s carrying amount exceeds its fair value, the Company will record an impairment charge based on that difference, and the impairment charge will be limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. In January 2017, the FASB issued an amendment to the Goodwill Impairment guidance which eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Effective fiscal year 2017, the Company adopted the new guidance and no longer performs the annual goodwill impairment test using the two-step approach. The Company completed its annual goodwill impairment test as of November 30, 2017, which indicated no impairment of goodwill, as the estimated fair values substantially exceeded the carrying values of each of these reporting units.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for taxes under the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred income taxes are recognized for temporary differences between the financial statement and tax return bases of assets and liabilities, based on enacted tax rates and other provisions of the tax law. The effect of a change in tax laws or rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized as income in the period in which such change is enacted. Future tax benefits are recognized to the extent that the realization of such benefits is more likely than not, and a valuation allowance is established for any portion of a deferred tax asset that management believes may not be realized.

The Company recognizes uncertain tax positions that it has taken or expects to take on a tax return. Pursuant to accounting requirements, the Company first determines whether it is “more likely than not” its tax position will be sustained if the relevant tax authority were to audit the position with full knowledge of all the relevant facts and other information. For those tax positions that meet this threshold, the Company measures the amount of tax benefit based on the largest amount of tax benefit that it has a greater than 50% chance of realizing in a final settlement with the relevant authority. Those tax positions failing to qualify for initial recognition are recognized in the first interim period in which they meet the more likely than not standard. The Company maintains a cumulative risk portfolio relating to all of its uncertainties in income taxes in order to perform this analysis, but the evaluation of its tax positions requires significant judgment and estimation in part because, in certain cases, tax law is subject to varied interpretation, and whether a tax position will ultimately be sustained may be uncertain.

Interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are recognized as a component of income tax expense.

Retirement Benefits

Current service costs of retirement plans and postretirement health care and life insurance benefits are accrued. Prior service costs resulting from plan improvements are amortized over periods ranging from 10 to 20 years.

Financial Instruments

Derivative financial instruments are used to manage interest and foreign currency exposures. The gain or loss on the hedging instrument is recorded in earnings at the same time as the transaction being hedged is recorded in earnings. The associated asset or liability related to the open hedge instrument is recorded in Prepaid expenses and Other current assets or Other current liabilities, as applicable.

The Company records all derivative financial instruments on the balance sheet at fair value. Changes in a derivative’s fair value are recognized in earnings unless specific hedge criteria are met. If the derivative is designated as a fair value hedge, the changes in the fair value of the derivative and of the hedged item attributable to the hedged risk are recognized in Net income. If the derivative is designated as a cash flow hedge, the effective portions of changes in the fair value of the derivative are recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive income ("AOCI") in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet and are subsequently recognized in Net income when the hedged item affects earnings. Ineffective portions of changes in the fair value of cash flow hedges, if any, are recognized as a charge or credit to earnings.

Software Costs

The Company capitalizes direct internal and external development costs for certain significant projects associated with internal-use software and amortizes these costs over 7 years. Neither preliminary evaluation costs nor costs associated with the software after implementation are capitalized. Costs related to projects that are not significant are expensed as incurred.

Shipping and Handling Costs

Net sales include shipping and handling charges billed to customers. Cost of goods sold includes all costs incurred in connection with shipping and handling.

Net Income Per Share

Net income per share is based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding. A reconciliation of shares used in the computations of basic and diluted net income per share is as follows:



	December 31,
(SHARES IN THOUSANDS)	2017	2016	2015
Basic	79,070	79,648	80,449
Assumed dilution under stock plans	300	333	442
Diluted	79,370	79,981	80,891

Stock-Based Compensation

Compensation cost of all stock-based awards is measured at fair value on the date of grant and recognized over the service period for which awards are expected to vest. The cost of such stock-based awards is principally recognized on a straight-line attribution basis over their respective vesting periods, net of estimated forfeitures.

New Accounting Standards

Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2018, FASB issued amendments to the Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income guidance which allow a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Act, in addition to requiring certain disclosures about stranded tax effects. This guidance is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with an election to adopt early. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on its Consolidated Financial Statements.

In August 2017, FASB issued amendments to the Derivatives and Hedging guidance which eliminates the requirement to separately measure and present hedge ineffectiveness and aligns the presentation of hedge gains and losses with the underlying hedge item. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The amended presentation and disclosure requirements should be applied prospectively while the amendments to cash flow and net investment hedge relationships should be applied on a modified retrospective basis. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on its Consolidated Financial Statements.

In May 2017, the FASB issued amendments to the Compensation - Stock Compensation guidance which clarifies changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award that require an entity to apply modification accounting. This guidance is effective, and should be applied prospectively, for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect this guidance to have an impact on its Consolidated Financial Statements as it is not the Company's practice to modify the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award after it has been granted.

In March 2017, the FASB issued amendments to the Compensation - Retirement Benefits guidance which requires employers who present a measure of operating income in their statement of income to include only the service cost component of net periodic pension cost and postretirement costs in operating expenses. This guidance is effective, and should be applied retrospectively, for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an annual period. The Company will adopt this standard on January 1, 2018, and expects the impact that this guidance will have on its Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income will be an increase in operating expenses of approximately $30 million and $15 million for the fiscal years 2017 and 2016, respectively. There will be no impact to Net income or Net Income per share in either period. The new guidance also limits the amount of net periodic benefit cost eligible for capitalization to assets. The new guidance permits only the service cost component of net periodic benefit cost to be eligible for capitalization.

In January 2017, the FASB issued amendments to the Business Combination guidance which clarifies the definition of a business in order to assist companies when evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions or disposals of assets or businesses. This guidance will be effective prospectively for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company will apply this guidance for transactions occurring after the effective date.

In October 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance which allows for the immediate recognition of current and deferred income tax impact on intra-entity asset transfers, excluding inventory. The Company adopted this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017 and accordingly, recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment to Retained earnings that reduced Other assets and adjusted Deferred income taxes by a net amount of approximately $34 million.

In August 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance which requires changes to the classification of certain activities within the statement of cash flows. This guidance will be effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption will be permitted for all entities. The Company does not expect this adoption to have a significant impact on its Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.

In June 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance which requires issuers to measure expected credit losses for financial assets based on historical experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. As such, an entity will use forward-looking information to estimate credit losses. The guidance is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its consolidated financial statements, but does not expect this guidance to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance which requires changes to several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the treatment of income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification of certain items on the statement of cash flows. This guidance was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company adopted this standard during the first quarter of 2017. The standard requires that employee taxes paid when an employer withholds shares be presented in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows as a financing activity instead of an operating activity. The Company adopted this change retrospectively. The adoption resulted in an $11.8 million, $13.4 million and $22.9 million reclassification from Net cash provided by operating activities to Net cash provided by financing activities on the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows as of December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. In addition, the standard requires that excess tax benefits presented in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows be classified as an operating activity instead of a financing activity. The Company adopted this change retrospectively. The adoption resulted in a $3.3 million, $4.7 million and $12.1 million reclassification from Net cash provided by financing activities to Net cash provided by operating activities on the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows as of December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

The standard also requires all excess tax benefits/deficiencies be recognized as income tax expense/benefit in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income. This guidance has been applied prospectively. This change resulted in a $3.3 million benefit to income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2017. For 2016, benefits of $5.3 million were recognized in equity. Additionally, the standard allows the Company to make an entity-wide accounting policy election to either estimate the number of awards that are expected to be forfeited or account for forfeitures as they occur. The Company has elected to continue to account for forfeitures using an estimate of awards expected to be forfeited.

In February 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance which requires changes to the accounting for leases. The new guidance establishes a new lease accounting model, that requires entities to record assets and liabilities related to leases on the balance sheet for certain types of leases. The guidance will be effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company expects to adopt this guidance effective December 30, 2018 and that the adoption of this guidance will result in significant increases to assets and liabilities on its Consolidated Balance Sheet. The Company is still evaluating the impact of this guidance on its Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income. The Company has begun to evaluate the nature of its leases and has compiled preliminary analysis of the type and location of its leases. The Company expects that the significant portion of its leases will relate to property but with additional leases in existence that relate to vehicles and machinery.

Reclassifications and Revisions

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified and revised to conform to the current year presentation.