Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Schedule of Line of Credit Facilities [Table Text Block]

Our available lines of credit, outstanding standby LOC’s, and bonds are as follows:

	June 30, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Credit facility(1)
Multicurrency revolving line of credit	$	315,000		$	240,000
Standby LOC’s issued and outstanding	(39,970		)	(43,540		)
Net available for additional borrowings and LOC’s	$	275,030		$	196,460
Unsecured multicurrency revolving lines of credit with various financial institutions
Total lines of credit	$	74,685		$	49,122
Standby LOC’s issued and outstanding	(32,329		)	(21,784		)
Short-term borrowings(2)	(264		)	(66		)
Net available for additional borrowings and LOC’s	$	42,092		$	27,272
Unsecured surety bonds in force	$	133,352		$	120,109

⁽¹⁾  See Note 6 for details regarding our credit facility, which is secured.

⁽²⁾  Short-term borrowings are included in “Other current liabilities” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Schedule of Warranty Accruals [Table Text Block]

A summary of the warranty accrual account activity is as follows:

	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
	2011			2010			2011			2010
	(in thousands)
Beginning balance	$	59,163		$	33,353		$	51,283		$	33,873
New product warranties	2,196			3,221			4,079			6,017
Other changes/adjustments to warranties	5,631			14,366			14,643			15,596
Reclassification from other current liabilities	—			2,687			—			2,878
Claims activity	(4,768		)	(3,317		)	(9,215		)	(7,063		)
Effect of change in exchange rates	616			(786		)	2,048			(1,777		)
Ending balance, June 30	62,838			49,524			62,838			49,524
Less: current portion of warranty	29,999			26,250			29,999			26,250
Long-term warranty	$	32,839		$	23,274		$	32,839		$	23,274

Warranty Expense by Segment [Table Text Block]

Warranty expense associated with our segments for the three and six months ended June 30 is as follows:

	Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	2011		2010		2011		2010
	(in thousands)
Itron North America	$	3,625	$	6,068	$	6,514	$	8,739
Itron International	4,202		11,519		3,650		12,874
Total warranty expense	$	7,827	$	17,587	$	10,164	$	21,613

Schedule of Changes to Unearned Revenue for Extended Warranty [Table Text Block]

A summary of changes to unearned revenue for extended warranty contracts is as follows:

	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
	2011			2010			2011			2010
	(in thousands)
Beginning balance	$	17,193		$	7,459		$	14,637		$	5,870
Unearned revenue for new extended warranties	2,215			2,587			5,148			4,546
Unearned revenue recognized	(299		)	(381		)	(676		)	(751		)
Ending balance, June 30	19,109			9,665			19,109			9,665
Less: current portion of unearned revenue for extended warranty	1,160			1,319			1,160			1,319
Long-term unearned revenue for extended warranty within Other long-term obligations	$	17,949		$	8,346		$	17,949		$	8,346

Health Benefit Plan Costs and Incurred But Not Reported Accrual Balance [Table Text Block]

Plan costs are as follows:

	Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	2011		2010		2011		2010
	(in thousands)
Plan costs	$	5,927	$	4,316	$	12,671	$	9,402

IBNR accrual, which is included in wages and benefits payable, are as follows:

	June 30, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
IBNR accrual	$	2,386	$	2,056