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Long Term Debt (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)
3 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Oct. 31, 2001
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]    
Balance in the restricted sinking fund $ 100,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentCumulativeSinkingFundPayments  
U.S. Revolver    
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]    
Revolving credit facility 75,000,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_DomesticLineOfCreditMember
 
Revolving credit interest rate The interest rate for amounts outstanding under the Amended Credit Agreement for the U.S. Revolver is a floating rate based upon the higher of the Federal Funds Rate plus 0.5%, the bank’s prime rate, or the Eurocurrency rate plus 1.00%.  
Outstanding letters of credit 18,300,000us-gaap_LineOfCredit
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_DomesticLineOfCreditMember
 
Amount of credit facility remaining borrowing capacity 56,700,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityRemainingBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_DomesticLineOfCreditMember
 
Credit facility expiration date Dec. 31, 2018  
Revolving credit facility, current borrowing capacity 0us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityCurrentBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_DomesticLineOfCreditMember
 
Percentage of voting capital stock pledged as collateral 100.00%powl_PercentageOfDomesticCapitalStockPledgedAsCollateralForCreditFacility
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_DomesticLineOfCreditMember
 
Non-domestic subsidiaries of voting capital stock 66.00%powl_PercentageOfNonDomesticCapitalStockPledgedAsCollateralForCreditFacility
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_DomesticLineOfCreditMember
 
U.S. Revolver | Maximum    
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]    
Basis spread on variable rate 1.75%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentBasisSpreadOnVariableRate1
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_DomesticLineOfCreditMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MaximumMember
 
U.S. Revolver | Federal Funds Rate    
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]    
Basis spread on variable rate 0.50%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentBasisSpreadOnVariableRate1
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_DomesticLineOfCreditMember
/ us-gaap_VariableRateAxis
= powl_FederalFundsRateMember
 
U.S. Revolver | Eurocurrency Rate    
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]    
Basis spread on variable rate 1.00%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentBasisSpreadOnVariableRate1
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_DomesticLineOfCreditMember
/ us-gaap_VariableRateAxis
= us-gaap_EurodollarMember
 
Canadian Revolver    
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]    
Revolving credit facility 8,600,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignLineOfCreditMember
 
Outstanding letters of credit 0us-gaap_LineOfCredit
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignLineOfCreditMember
 
Amount of credit facility remaining borrowing capacity 8,600,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityRemainingBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignLineOfCreditMember
 
Credit facility expiration date Feb. 28, 2015  
Letters of credit outstanding, amount 0us-gaap_LettersOfCreditOutstandingAmount
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignLineOfCreditMember
 
Canadian Revolver | Maximum    
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]    
Basis spread on variable rate 1.75%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentBasisSpreadOnVariableRate1
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignLineOfCreditMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MaximumMember
 
Canadian Revolver | Minimum    
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]    
Basis spread on variable rate 0.50%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentBasisSpreadOnVariableRate1
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignLineOfCreditMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MinimumMember
 
Industrial Development Revenue Bonds    
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]    
Borrowings   8,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= powl_IndustrialDevelopmentRevenueBondsMember
Reimbursement agreement requires annual redemptions $ 400,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAnnualPrincipalPayment
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= powl_IndustrialDevelopmentRevenueBondsMember
 
Interest rate 0.18%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateEffectivePercentage
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= powl_IndustrialDevelopmentRevenueBondsMember