Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]	Note 1 – Significant Accounting Policies Principles of consolidation: All majority-owned subsidiaries are included in the Company's consolidated financial statements, with appropriate elimination of intercompany balances and transactions. Investments in associated (less than majority-owned) companies are accounted for under the equity method. The Company's share of net income or losses in these investments in associated companies is included in the consolidated statement of income. The Company periodically reviews these investments for impairments and, if necessary, would adjust these investments to their fair value when a decline in market value or other impairment indicators are deemed to be other than temporary. The Financial Accounting Standards Board's (“FASB's”) guidance regarding the consolidation of certain Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”) generally requires that assets, liabilities and results of the activities of a VIE be consolidated into the financial statements of the enterprise that is considered the primary beneficiary. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all of its subsidiaries in which a controlling interest is maintained and would include any VIEs if the Company was the primary beneficiary pursuant to the provisions of the applicable guidance. Translation of foreign currency: Assets and liabilities of non-U.S. subsidiaries and associated companies are translated into U.S. Dollars at the respective rates of exchange prevailing at the end of the year. Income and expense accounts are translated at average exchange rates prevailing during the year. Translation adjustments resulting from this process are recorded directly in equity as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and will be included as income or expense only upon sale or liquidation of the underlying investment. All non-U.S. subsidiaries use their local currency as their functional currency. Cash and cash equivalents: The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Inventories: Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market value. Inventories are valued using the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method. See also Note 8 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Long-lived assets: Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method on an individual asset basis over the following estimated useful lives: buildings and improvements, 10 to 45 years; and machinery and equipment, 1 to 15 years. The carrying value of long-lived assets is periodically evaluated whenever changes in circumstances or current events indicate the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. An estimate of undiscounted cash flows produced by the asset, or the appropriate group of assets, is compared with the carrying value to determine whether impairment exists. If necessary, the Company recognizes an impairment loss for the difference between the carrying amount of the assets and their estimated fair value. Fair value is based on current and anticipated future undiscounted cash flows. Upon sale or other dispositions of long-lived assets, the applicable amounts of asset cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and the net amount, less proceeds from disposals, is recorded in income. Expenditures for renewals or improvements, which increase the estimated useful life or capacity of the assets, are capitalized, whereas expenditures for repairs and maintenance are expensed when incurred. Capitalized software: The Company capitalizes certain costs incurred in connection with developing or obtaining software for internal use. In connection with the upgrade and implementations of the Company's global transaction and consolidation systems, approximately $2,800 and $2,338 of net costs were capitalized at December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively. These costs are amortized over a period of three to five years once the assets are ready for their intended use. Goodwill and other intangible assets: The Company records goodwill, definite-lived intangible assets and indefinite-lived intangible assets at fair value at acquisition. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized, but tested for impairment at least annually. These tests will be performed more frequently if triggering events indicate potential impairment. Definite-lived intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives, generally for periods ranging from 5 to 20 years. The Company continually evaluates the reasonableness of the useful lives of these assets. See also Note 19 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Revenue recognition: The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with the terms of the underlying agreements, when title and risk of loss have been transferred, when collectability is reasonably assured, and when pricing is fixed or determinable. This generally occurs when products are shipped to customers or, for consignment-type arrangements, upon usage by the customer and when services are performed. License fees and royalties are included in other income when recognized in accordance with their agreed-upon terms, when performance obligations are satisfied, when the amount is fixed or determinable, and when collectability is reasonably assured. As part of the Company's chemical management services, certain third-party product sales to customers are managed by the Company. Where the Company acts as a principal, revenues are recognized on a gross reporting basis at the selling price negotiated with customers. Where the Company acts as an agent, such revenue is recorded using net reporting as service revenue at the amount of the administrative fee earned by the Company for ordering the goods. Third-party products transferred under arrangements resulting in net reporting totaled $50,893, $56,528 and $27,483 for 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Research and development costs: Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and were $18,812, $15,690 and $14,991 in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Concentration of credit risk: Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk, principally consist of cash equivalents, short-term investments and trade receivables. The Company invests temporary and excess funds in money market securities and financial instruments having maturities typically within 90 days. The Company has not experienced losses from the aforementioned investments. See also Note 7 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Environmental liabilities and expenditures: Accruals for environmental matters are recorded when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated. If there is a range of estimated liability and no amount in that range is considered more probable than another, then the Company records the lowest amount in the range in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Accrued liabilities are exclusive of claims against third parties and are not discounted. Environmental costs and remediation costs are capitalized if the costs extend the life, increase the capacity or improve safety or efficiency of the property from the date acquired or constructed, and/or mitigate or prevent contamination in the future. Comprehensive (loss) income: The Company presents comprehensive income (loss) in its Statement of Comprehensive Income and Changes in Equity. The components of accumulated other comprehensive loss at December 31, 2011 include: accumulated foreign currency translation adjustments of $4,709, minimum pension liability of $(34,260), unrealized holding gains on available-for-sale securities of $3, and the fair value of derivative instruments of $(272). The components of accumulated other comprehensive loss at December 31, 2010 include: accumulated foreign currency translation adjustments of $13,368, minimum pension liability of $(26,448), unrealized holding gains on available-for-sale securities of $11, and the fair value of derivative instruments of $(667). Income taxes and uncertain tax positions: The provision for income taxes is determined using the asset and liability approach of accounting for income taxes. Under this approach, deferred taxes represent the future tax consequences expected to occur when the reported amounts of assets and liabilities are recovered or paid. The provision for income taxes represents income taxes paid or payable for the current year and the change in deferred taxes during the year. Deferred taxes result from differences between the financial and tax bases of the Company's assets and liabilities and are adjusted for changes in tax rates and tax laws when changes are enacted. Valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized. The Company applies the FASB's guidance regarding uncertain tax positions to all income tax positions taken on previously filed tax returns or expected to be taken on a future tax return. The guidance prescribes a benefit recognition model with a two-step approach, a more-likely-than-not recognition criterion and a measurement attribute that measures the position as the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon effective settlement. The guidance also requires that the amount of interest expense and income to be recognized related to uncertain tax positions be computed by applying the applicable statutory rate of interest to the difference between the tax position recognized, including timing differences, and the amount previously taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The Company's continuing practice is to recognize interest and/or penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense. Derivatives: The Company uses derivative financial instruments primarily for purposes of hedging exposures to fluctuations in interest rates. The Company does not enter into derivative contracts for trading or speculative purposes. The Company recognizes all derivatives on the balance sheet at fair value. For derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of any hedge is reported in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) until it is cleared to earnings during the same period in which the hedged item affects earnings. The Company uses no derivative instruments designated as fair value hedges. The Company has entered into interest rate swaps in order to fix a portion of its variable rate debt. The swaps had a combined notional value of $15,000 and a fair value of $(418) and $(1,026) at December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively. The counterparties to the swaps are major financial institutions. Refer to Note 5 – Hedging Activities for more information. Recently issued accounting standards: The FASB updated its guidance in December 2011 regarding disclosures pertaining to the netting and offsetting of derivatives and financial instruments on an entity's Consolidated Balance Sheet. Disclosures required under the updated guidance include presenting gross amounts of assets and liabilities related to financial instruments that may have been historically offset on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The guidance is effective for annual and interim fiscal periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013. The Company is currently evaluating the effect of this guidance. The FASB updated its guidance in September 2011 regarding goodwill impairment testing. The updated guidance permits a Company to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If the Company determines that their reporting units' fair value is more than likely above its carrying value, no further impairment testing is required. However, if the Company concludes otherwise, then the first step of the traditional two-step goodwill impairment test is required to be performed. The guidance is effective for annual and interim fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted if an entity's financial statements have not been issued as of the date of the entity's interim or annual impairment test. The Company elected to test goodwill for impairment under the traditional two-step method during 2011 and is currently evaluating the guidance for future applicability. The FASB updated its guidance in June 2011 regarding presentation of comprehensive income. Comprehensive income will be required to be presented with the Consolidated Statement of Income or as a separate financial statement immediately following the Consolidated Statement of Income. Presentation of comprehensive income will no longer be presented as part of the Statement of Shareholders' Equity. The guidance is effective for annual and interim fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company is currently evaluating the effect of this guidance. The FASB updated its guidance in May 2011 regarding disclosures pertaining to assets and liabilities measured at fair value. The guidance requires quantitative measures regarding unobservable inputs for Level 3 assets and liabilities to be disclosed. Additionally, the guidance requires a sensitivity analysis be performed and disclosed regarding those inputs. The guidance is effective for annual and interim fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company is currently evaluating the effect of this guidance. Accounting estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and disclosure of contingencies at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of net sales and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from such estimates.

Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

Note 1 – Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of consolidation: All majority-owned subsidiaries are included in the Company's consolidated financial statements, with appropriate elimination of intercompany balances and transactions. Investments in associated (less than majority-owned) companies are accounted for under the equity method. The Company's share of net income or losses in these investments in associated companies is included in the consolidated statement of income. The Company periodically reviews these investments for impairments and, if necessary, would adjust these investments to their fair value when a decline in market value or other impairment indicators are deemed to be other than temporary.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board's (“FASB's”) guidance regarding the consolidation of certain Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”) generally requires that assets, liabilities and results of the activities of a VIE be consolidated into the financial statements of the enterprise that is considered the primary beneficiary. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all of its subsidiaries in which a controlling interest is maintained and would include any VIEs if the Company was the primary beneficiary pursuant to the provisions of the applicable guidance.

Translation of foreign currency: Assets and liabilities of non-U.S. subsidiaries and associated companies are translated into U.S. Dollars at the respective rates of exchange prevailing at the end of the year. Income and expense accounts are translated at average exchange rates prevailing during the year. Translation adjustments resulting from this process are recorded directly in equity as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and will be included as income or expense only upon sale or liquidation of the underlying investment. All non-U.S. subsidiaries use their local currency as their functional currency.

Cash and cash equivalents: The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Inventories: Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market value. Inventories are valued using the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method. See also Note 8 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Long-lived assets: Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method on an individual asset basis over the following estimated useful lives: buildings and improvements, 10 to 45 years; and machinery and equipment, 1 to 15 years. The carrying value of long-lived assets is periodically evaluated whenever changes in circumstances or current events indicate the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. An estimate of undiscounted cash flows produced by the asset, or the appropriate group of assets, is compared with the carrying value to determine whether impairment exists. If necessary, the Company recognizes an impairment loss for the difference between the carrying amount of the assets and their estimated fair value. Fair value is based on current and anticipated future undiscounted cash flows. Upon sale or other dispositions of long-lived assets, the applicable amounts of asset cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and the net amount, less proceeds from disposals, is recorded in income. Expenditures for renewals or improvements, which increase the estimated useful life or capacity of the assets, are capitalized, whereas expenditures for repairs and maintenance are expensed when incurred.

Capitalized software: The Company capitalizes certain costs incurred in connection with developing or obtaining software for internal use. In connection with the upgrade and implementations of the Company's global transaction and consolidation systems, approximately $2,800 and $2,338 of net costs were capitalized at December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively. These costs are amortized over a period of three to five years once the assets are ready for their intended use.

Goodwill and other intangible assets: The Company records goodwill, definite-lived intangible assets and indefinite-lived intangible assets at fair value at acquisition. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized, but tested for impairment at least annually. These tests will be performed more frequently if triggering events indicate potential impairment. Definite-lived intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives, generally for periods ranging from 5 to 20 years. The Company continually evaluates the reasonableness of the useful lives of these assets. See also Note 19 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Revenue recognition: The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with the terms of the underlying agreements, when title and risk of loss have been transferred, when collectability is reasonably assured, and when pricing is fixed or determinable. This generally occurs when products are shipped to customers or, for consignment-type arrangements, upon usage by the customer and when services are performed. License fees and royalties are included in other income when recognized in accordance with their agreed-upon terms, when performance obligations are satisfied, when the amount is fixed or determinable, and when collectability is reasonably assured. As part of the Company's chemical management services, certain third-party product sales to customers are managed by the Company. Where the Company acts as a principal, revenues are recognized on a gross reporting basis at the selling price negotiated with customers. Where the Company acts as an agent, such revenue is recorded using net reporting as service revenue at the amount of the administrative fee earned by the Company for ordering the goods. Third-party products transferred under arrangements resulting in net reporting totaled $50,893, $56,528 and $27,483 for 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Research and development costs: Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and were $18,812, $15,690 and $14,991 in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Concentration of credit risk: Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk, principally consist of cash equivalents, short-term investments and trade receivables. The Company invests temporary and excess funds in money market securities and financial instruments having maturities typically within 90 days. The Company has not experienced losses from the aforementioned investments. See also Note 7 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Environmental liabilities and expenditures: Accruals for environmental matters are recorded when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated. If there is a range of estimated liability and no amount in that range is considered more probable than another, then the Company records the lowest amount in the range in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Accrued liabilities are exclusive of claims against third parties and are not discounted. Environmental costs and remediation costs are capitalized if the costs extend the life, increase the capacity or improve safety or efficiency of the property from the date acquired or constructed, and/or mitigate or prevent contamination in the future.

Comprehensive (loss) income: The Company presents comprehensive income (loss) in its Statement of Comprehensive Income and Changes in Equity. The components of accumulated other comprehensive loss at December 31, 2011 include: accumulated foreign currency translation adjustments of $4,709, minimum pension liability of $(34,260), unrealized holding gains on available-for-sale securities of $3, and the fair value of derivative instruments of $(272). The components of accumulated other comprehensive loss at December 31, 2010 include: accumulated foreign currency translation adjustments of $13,368, minimum pension liability of $(26,448), unrealized holding gains on available-for-sale securities of $11, and the fair value of derivative instruments of $(667).

Income taxes and uncertain tax positions: The provision for income taxes is determined using the asset and liability approach of accounting for income taxes. Under this approach, deferred taxes represent the future tax consequences expected to occur when the reported amounts of assets and liabilities are recovered or paid. The provision for income taxes represents income taxes paid or payable for the current year and the change in deferred taxes during the year. Deferred taxes result from differences between the financial and tax bases of the Company's assets and liabilities and are adjusted for changes in tax rates and tax laws when changes are enacted. Valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized. The Company applies the FASB's guidance regarding uncertain tax positions to all income tax positions taken on previously filed tax returns or expected to be taken on a future tax return. The guidance prescribes a benefit recognition model with a two-step approach, a more-likely-than-not recognition criterion and a measurement attribute that measures the position as the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon effective settlement. The guidance also requires that the amount of interest expense and income to be recognized related to uncertain tax positions be computed by applying the applicable statutory rate of interest to the difference between the tax position recognized, including timing differences, and the amount previously taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The Company's continuing practice is to recognize interest and/or penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense.

Derivatives: The Company uses derivative financial instruments primarily for purposes of hedging exposures to fluctuations in interest rates. The Company does not enter into derivative contracts for trading or speculative purposes. The Company recognizes all derivatives on the balance sheet at fair value. For derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of any hedge is reported in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) until it is cleared to earnings during the same period in which the hedged item affects earnings. The Company uses no derivative instruments designated as fair value hedges.

The Company has entered into interest rate swaps in order to fix a portion of its variable rate debt. The swaps had a combined notional value of $15,000 and a fair value of $(418) and $(1,026) at December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively. The counterparties to the swaps are major financial institutions. Refer to Note 5 – Hedging Activities for more information.

Recently issued accounting standards:

The FASB updated its guidance in December 2011 regarding disclosures pertaining to the netting and offsetting of derivatives and financial instruments on an entity's Consolidated Balance Sheet. Disclosures required under the updated guidance include presenting gross amounts of assets and liabilities related to financial instruments that may have been historically offset on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The guidance is effective for annual and interim fiscal periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013. The Company is currently evaluating the effect of this guidance.

The FASB updated its guidance in September 2011 regarding goodwill impairment testing. The updated guidance permits a Company to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If the Company determines that their reporting units' fair value is more than likely above its carrying value, no further impairment testing is required. However, if the Company concludes otherwise, then the first step of the traditional two-step goodwill impairment test is required to be performed. The guidance is effective for annual and interim fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted if an entity's financial statements have not been issued as of the date of the entity's interim or annual impairment test. The Company elected to test goodwill for impairment under the traditional two-step method during 2011 and is currently evaluating the guidance for future applicability.

The FASB updated its guidance in June 2011 regarding presentation of comprehensive income. Comprehensive income will be required to be presented with the Consolidated Statement of Income or as a separate financial statement immediately following the Consolidated Statement of Income. Presentation of comprehensive income will no longer be presented as part of the Statement of Shareholders' Equity. The guidance is effective for annual and interim fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company is currently evaluating the effect of this guidance.

The FASB updated its guidance in May 2011 regarding disclosures pertaining to assets and liabilities measured at fair value. The guidance requires quantitative measures regarding unobservable inputs for Level 3 assets and liabilities to be disclosed. Additionally, the guidance requires a sensitivity analysis be performed and disclosed regarding those inputs. The guidance is effective for annual and interim fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company is currently evaluating the effect of this guidance.

Accounting estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and disclosure of contingencies at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of net sales and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from such estimates.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for all significant accounting policies of the reporting entity.

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