Business Segments and Major Customer Information

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2016

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Business Segments and Major Customer Information

NOTE 15 BUSINESS SEGMENTS AND MAJOR CUSTOMER INFORMATION

The Company's reportable segments are defined by their product lines which have been grouped based on common technologies, production methods, and inventories. The Company's reportable segments are Applied Technology Division, Engineered Films Division, and Aerostar Division. Raven Canada, SBG, Raven GmbH, Raven Australia, and Raven Brazil are included in the Applied Technology Division. Vista and AIS are included in the Aerostar Division. Substantially all of the Company's long-lived assets are located in the United States.

Applied Technology designs, manufactures, sells, and services innovative precision agriculture products and information management tools that help growers reduce costs, save time, and improve farm yields around the world.  Their product families include field computers, application controls, GPS-guidance and assisted-steering systems, automatic boom controls, yield monitoring and planter and seeder controls, harvest controls, and an integrated real-time kinematic (RTK) and information platform called Slingshot™. Applied Technology services include high-speed, in-field internet connectivity and cloud-based data management.

The Company's Engineered Films Division manufactures high-performance plastic films and sheeting for major markets throughout the United States and abroad. An important part of this business is highly technical, engineered geomembrane films that protect environmental resources through containment linings and coverings for energy, agriculture, construction, and industrial markets.

Aerostar designs and manufactures proprietary products including high-altitude balloons, tethered aerostats, and radar processing systems. These products can be integrated with additional third-party sensors to provide research, communications, and situational awareness to government and commercial customers. As the Company focused its growth strategy on its proprietary products, the Company made the decision to largely wind-down its contract manufacturing operations. For Aerostar, product lines such as manufacturing military parachutes, uniforms and protective wear and electronics manufacturing services were phased out during fiscal 2016.

Through Vista and AIS, Aerostar pursues potential product and support services contracts for agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. government and to foreign governments as Direct Commercial Sales and Foreign Military Sales through the U.S. Government. Vista positions the Company to meet the global demand for lower-cost detection and tracking systems used by government agencies.

The Company measures the performance of its segments based on their operating income excluding administrative and general expenses. The accounting policies of the operating segments are the same as those described in Note 1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies. Other income, interest expense, and income taxes are not allocated to individual operating segments, and assets not identifiable to an individual segment are included as corporate assets. Segment information is reported consistent with the Company's management reporting structure.

Business segment information is as follows:
	For the years ended January 31,
	2016			2015			2014
APPLIED TECHNOLOGY DIVISION
Sales	$	92,599		$	142,154		$	170,461
Operating income(a)	18,319			34,557			57,000
Assets(b)	65,490			88,764			93,395
Capital expenditures	664			3,478			9,324
Depreciation and amortization	4,428			5,569			4,332
ENGINEERED FILMS DIVISION
Sales	$	129,465		$	166,634		$	147,620
Operating income	17,892			21,802			18,154
Assets(b)	134,942			140,023			71,602
Capital expenditures	10,780			8,241			6,681
Depreciation and amortization	7,735			6,096			5,808
AEROSTAR DIVISION
Sales	$	36,368		$	80,772		$	90,605
Operating income(c)	(8,100		)	8,983			7,816
Assets(b)	40,156			59,274			63,017
Capital expenditures	941			2,799			7,507
Depreciation and amortization	3,770			3,474			2,616
INTERSEGMENT ELIMINATIONS
Sales
Applied Technology Division	(8		)	(231		)	(386		)
Engineered Films Division	(195		)	(652		)	(505		)
Aerostar Division	—			(10,524		)	(13,118		)
Operating income	91			163			(111		)
Assets	(57		)	(148		)	(311		)
REPORTABLE SEGMENTS TOTAL
Sales	$	258,229		$	378,153		$	394,677
Operating income	28,202			65,505			82,859
Assets	240,531			287,913			227,703
Capital expenditures	12,385			14,518			23,512
Depreciation and amortization	15,933			15,139			12,756
CORPORATE & OTHER
Operating (loss) from administrative expenses	$	(17,110	)	$	(21,704	)	$	(18,865	)
Assets(b) (d)	66,079			74,960			74,116
Capital expenditures	661			2,523			7,189
Depreciation and amortization	1,676			2,230			1,439
TOTAL COMPANY
Sales	$	258,229		$	378,153		$	394,677
Operating income	11,092			43,801			63,994
Assets	306,610			362,873			301,819
Capital expenditures	13,046			17,041			30,701
Depreciation and amortization	17,609			17,369			14,195

^(a) The fiscal year ended January 31, 2016includes gains of $611 on disposal of assets related to the exit of contract manufacturing operations.

^(b) Certain facilities owned by the Company are shared by more than one reporting segment. Beginning with fiscal year 2016 all facilities are reported as an asset based on the segment that acquired the asset as we believe this better reflects total assets of the business segment. In prior fiscal years (which have not been recast in this table), the book value of certain shared facilities was allocated across reporting segments based on usage. Expenses and costs related to these facilities including depreciation expense, are allocated and reported in each reporting segment's operating income for each fiscal year presented.

^(c) The fiscal year ended January 31, 2016 includes pre-contract cost write-offs of $2,933, a goodwill impairment loss of $7,413, and a $1,483 reduction of an acquisition-related contingent liability for Vista as a result of changes in expected sales and cash flows.

^(d) Assets are principally cash, investments, deferred taxes, and other receivables.

No customers accounted for 10% or more of consolidated sales in fiscal 2016. Sales to a customer of the Engineered Films segment accounted for 14% and 13% of consolidated sales in fiscal years 2015 and 2014, respectively, and accounted for 5% and 2% of consolidated accounts receivable at January 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Foreign sales are attributed to countries based on location of the customer. Net sales to customers outside the United States were as follows:

	For the years ended January 31,
	2016		2015		2014
Canada	$	11,789	$	14,432	$	16,141
Europe	10,526		8,243		4,131
Latin America	2,676		9,921		22,124
Other foreign sales	2,858		4,239		3,497
Total foreign sales	27,849		36,835		45,893
United States	230,380		341,318		348,784
	$	258,229	$	378,153	$	394,677