NOTE C – OTHER FINANCIAL STATEMENT INFORMATION

Inventories – net

	June 30, 2018			December 31, 2017
Raw materials	$	42,830		$	42,712
Work-in-process		10,469			9,609
Finished Goods		38,060			33,780
		91,359			86,101
Excess of current cost over LIFO cost		(3,399	)		(2,991	)
Noncurrent portion of inventory		(4,748	)		(5,224	)
	$	83,212		$	77,886

Cost of inventories for certain material is determined using the last-in-first-out (LIFO) method and totaled approximately $26.7 million at June 30, 2018 and $25.1 million at December 31, 2017. An actual valuation of inventories under the LIFO method can be made only at the end of the year based on the inventory levels and costs at that time. Accordingly, interim LIFO calculations are based on management’s estimates of expected year-end inventory levels and costs. Because these estimates are subject to change and may be different than the actual inventory levels and costs at the end of the year, interim results are subject to the final year-end LIFO inventory valuation. During the three month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2018, the net change in LIFO inventories resulted in $.2 million and $.4 million of expense, respectively, to Income before income taxes. During the three month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2017, the net change in LIFO inventories resulted in a less than $.1 million benefit and a less than $.1 million of expense, respectively, to Income before income taxes.

Noncurrent inventory is included in Other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Property, plant and equipment—net

Major classes of Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost and were as follows:

	June 30, 2018			December 31, 2017
Land and improvements	$	12,582		$	13,141
Buildings and improvements		74,917			75,941
Machinery, equipment and aircraft		168,522			166,999
Construction in progress		3,781			5,124
		259,802			261,205
Less accumulated depreciation		(154,630	)		(152,607	)
	$	105,172		$	108,598

Legal proceedings

In the course of business, the Company is subject to a variety of claims and lawsuits, including, but not limited to, litigation relating to employment, workers’ compensation, products liability, environmental and intellectual property. The ultimate outcomes of these matters are not predictable with certainty. The Company has liability insurance to cover many of these claims.

The Company and its subsidiaries Helix Uniformed Ltd. (“Helix”) and Preformed Line Products (Canada) Limited (“PLPC Canada”), were each named, jointly and severally, with each of SNC-Lavalin ATP, Inc. (“SNC ATP”), HD Supply Canada Inc., by its trade names HD Supply Power Solutions and HD Supply Utilities (“HD Supply”), and Anixter Power Solutions Canada Inc. (the corporate successor to HD Supply, “Anixter” and, together with the Company, PLPC Canada, Helix, SNC ATP and HD Supply, the “Defendants”) in a complaint filed by Altalink, L.P. (the “Plaintiff”) in the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in Alberta, Canada in November 2016 (the “Complaint”).

The Complaint states that Plaintiff engaged SNC ATP to design, engineer, procure and construct numerous power distribution and transmission facilities in Alberta (the “Projects”) and that through SNC ATP and HD Supply (now Anixter), spacer dampers manufactured by Helix were procured and installed in the Projects. The Complaint alleges that the spacer dampers have and may continue to become loose, open and detach from the conductors, resulting in damage and potential injury and a failure to perform the intended function of providing spacing and damping to the Project. The Plaintiffs were initially seeking an estimated $56.0 million in damages jointly and severally from the Defendants, representing the costs of monitoring and replacing the spacer dampers and remediating property damage, due to alleged defects in the design and construction of, and supply of materials for, the Projects by SNC ATP and HD Supply/Anixter and in the design of the spacer dampers by Helix. The Plaintiffs reduced their demand for damages to $29.4 million on June 1, 2018.

The Company believes the claims against it are without merit and intends to vigorously defend against such claims. However, the Company is unable to predict the outcome of this case and, if determined adversely to the Company, it could have a material effect on the Company’s financial results.

The Company is not a party to any other pending legal proceedings that the Company believes would, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.