DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

The following disclosures describe the Company’s objectives in using derivative instruments, the business purpose or context for using derivative instruments, and how the Company believes the use of derivative instruments helps achieve the stated objectives.  In addition, the following disclosures describe the effects of the Company’s use of derivative instruments and hedging activities on its financial statements.

Foreign Exchange Risk

The Company has significant foreign operations, for which the functional currencies are denominated primarily in euros, Swiss francs, Japanese yen, Hong Kong dollars and Canadian dollars. As the values of the currencies of the foreign countries in which the Company has operations increase or decrease relative to the U.S. dollar, the sales, expenses, profits, losses, assets and liabilities of the Company’s foreign operations, as reported in the Company’s consolidated financial statements, increase or decrease, accordingly.  Approximately 16% of the Company’s revenues for the nine month period ended June 30, 2017 were denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Approximately 6% were denominated in euros, approximately 7% were denominated in Canadian dollars and approximately 2% were denominated in Hong Kong dollars, with the remaining revenues denominated in various other foreign currencies. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates can cause the Company to experience unexpected financial losses or cash flow needs.

The Company may mitigate a portion of the fluctuations in certain foreign currencies through the use of foreign currency forward contracts.  Foreign currency forward contracts enable the Company to lock in the foreign currency exchange rate to be paid or received for a fixed amount of currency at a specified date in the future. The Company may use such foreign currency forward contracts to mitigate the risk associated with changes in foreign currency exchange rates on financial instruments and known commitments, including commitments for inventory purchases, denominated in foreign currencies. As of June 30, 2017 and July 1, 2016, the Company held no foreign currency forward contracts.