DERIVATIVES

General. Our earnings and cash flows are subject to fluctuations due to changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, and we seek to mitigate a portion of these risks by entering into derivative contracts. The derivatives we use are interest rate swaps and foreign currency forward contracts. We recognize derivatives as either assets or liabilities at fair value in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, regardless of whether or not hedge accounting is applied. We report cash flows arising from our hedging instruments consistent with the classification of cash flows from the underlying hedged items. Accordingly, cash flows associated with our derivative programs are classified as operating activities in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows.

We formally document, designate and assess the effectiveness of transactions that receive hedge accounting initially and on an ongoing basis. Changes in the fair value of derivatives that qualify for hedge accounting treatment are recorded, net of applicable taxes, in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a component of stockholders’ equity in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. For the ineffective portions of qualifying hedges, the change in fair value is recorded through earnings in the period of change. Changes in the fair value of derivatives not designated as hedging instruments are recorded in earnings throughout the term of the derivative.

Interest Rate Risk. A portion of our debt bears interest at variable interest rates and, therefore, we are subject to variability in the cash paid for interest expense. In order to mitigate a portion of this risk, we use a hedging strategy to reduce the variability of cash flows in the interest payments associated with a portion of the variable-rate debt outstanding under our Second Amended Credit Agreement that is solely due to changes in the benchmark interest rate.

Derivatives Designated as Cash Flow Hedges

On December 19, 2012, we entered into a pay-fixed, receive-variable interest rate swap having an initial notional amount of $150 million with Wells Fargo to fix the one-month LIBOR rate at 0.98%. The interest rate swap expired on December 19, 2017. The variable portion of the interest rate swap was tied to the one-month LIBOR rate (the benchmark interest rate). The interest rates under both the interest rate swap and the underlying debt reset, the swap was settled with the counterparty, and interest was paid, on a monthly basis. The notional amount of the interest rate swap was reduced quarterly by 50% of the minimum principal payment due under the terms of our Second Amended Credit Agreement.

On August 5, 2016, we entered into a pay-fixed, receive-variable interest rate swap having an initial notional amount of $42.5 million with Wells Fargo to fix the one-month LIBOR rate at 1.12%. The variable portion of the interest rate swap is tied to the one-month LIBOR rate (the benchmark interest rate). On a monthly basis, the interest rates under both the interest rate swap and the underlying debt reset, the swap is settled with the counterparty, and interest is paid. The notional amount of the interest rate swap increased quarterly by an amount equal to the decrease of the hedge entered into on December 19, 2012, up to the amount of $175.0 million, which was reached upon expiration of the other swap on December 19, 2017. The interest rate swap is scheduled to expire on July 6, 2021.

At December 31, 2017 and 2016, our interest rate swaps qualified as cash flow hedges. The fair value of our interest rate swap at December 31, 2017 was an asset of approximately $5.7 million, which was partially offset by approximately $1.5 million in deferred taxes. The fair value of our interest rate swaps at December 31, 2016 was an asset of approximately $5.0 million, which was offset by approximately $1.9 million in deferred taxes.

Foreign Currency Risk. We operate on a global basis and are exposed to the risk that our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. To reduce the potential effects of foreign currency exchange rate movements on net earnings, we enter into derivative financial instruments in the form of foreign currency exchange forward contracts with major financial institutions. Our policy is to enter into foreign currency derivative contracts with maturities of up to two years. We are primarily exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risk with respect to transactions and balances denominated in Euros, British Pounds, Chinese Renminbi, Mexican Pesos, Brazilian Reals, Australian Dollars, Hong Kong Dollars, Swiss Francs, Swedish Krona, Canadian Dollars, Danish Krone, Japanese Yen, Korea Won, and Singapore Dollars. We do not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. We are not subject to any credit risk contingent features related to our derivative contracts, and counterparty risk is managed by allocating derivative contracts among several major financial institutions.

Derivatives Designated as Cash Flow Hedges

For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of the gain or loss on the derivative instrument is reported as a component of other comprehensive income (loss) and reclassified into earnings in the same line item associated with the forecasted transaction and in the same period or periods during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. The remaining gain or loss on the derivative instrument in excess of the cumulative change in the present value of future cash flows of the hedged item, if any (i.e., the ineffective portion) or hedge components excluded from the assessment of effectiveness, are recognized in earnings during the current period. We entered into forward contracts on various foreign currencies to manage the risk associated with forecasted exchange rates which impact revenues, cost of sales, and operating expenses in various international markets. The objective of the hedges is to reduce the variability of cash flows associated with the forecasted purchase or sale of the associated foreign currencies.

We enter into approximately 100 cash flow foreign currency hedges every month. As of December 31, 2017, we had entered into foreign currency forward contracts, which qualified as cash flow hedges, with the following notional amounts (in thousands and in local currencies):



Currency	Symbol	Forward Notional Amount
Canadian Dollar	CAD	2,310
Swiss Franc	CHF	1,375
Chinese Renminbi	CNY	45,000
Danish Krone	DKK	14,470
Euro	EUR	9,165
British Pound	GBP	3,625
Mexican Peso	MXN	95,075
Swedish Krona	SEK	16,330

Derivatives Not Designated as Cash Flow Hedges

We forecast our net exposure in various receivables and payables to fluctuations in the value of various currencies, and we enter into foreign currency forward contracts to mitigate that exposure. We enter into approximately 20 foreign currency fair value hedges every month. As of December 31, 2017, we had entered into foreign currency forward contracts related to those balance sheet accounts with the following notional amounts (in thousands and in local currencies):



Currency	Symbol	Forward Notional Amount
Australian Dollar	AUD	5,600
Brazilian Real	BRL	8,500
Canadian Dollar	CAD	2,076
Swiss Franc	CHF	242
Chinese Renminbi	CNY	22,990
Danish Krone	DKK	1,881
Euro	EUR	23,333
British Pound	GBP	1,868
Hong Kong Dollar	HKD	11,000
Japanese Yen	JPY	178,500
Korean Won	KRW	1,800,000
Mexican Peso	MXN	17,540
Swedish Krona	SEK	4,775
Singapore Dollar	SGD	5,023

Balance Sheet Presentation of Derivatives. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, all derivatives, both those designated as hedging instruments and those that were not designated as hedging instruments, were recorded gross at fair value on our consolidated balance sheets. We are not subject to any master netting agreements.

The fair value of derivative instruments on a gross basis is as follows (in thousands):



		Fair Value
	Balance Sheet Location	December 31, 2017			December 31, 2016
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments
Assets
Interest rates swaps	Other assets (long-term)	$	5,749		$	4,991
Foreign currency forward contracts	Prepaid expenses and other assets	363			116
Foreign currency forward contracts	Other assets (long-term)	35			18

Liabilities
Foreign currency forward contracts	Accrued expenses	(468		)	(275		)
Foreign currency forward contracts	Other long-term obligations	(82		)	(18		)

Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments
Assets
Foreign currency forward contracts	Prepaid expenses and other assets	$	223		$	220
Liabilities
Foreign currency forward contracts	Accrued expenses	(841		)	(171		)

Income Statement Presentation of Derivatives

Derivatives Designated as Cash Flow Hedges

Derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges had the following effects, before income taxes, on other comprehensive income and net earnings in our consolidated statements of earnings, consolidated statements of comprehensive income and consolidated balance sheets (in thousands):



	Amount of Gain/(Loss) recognized in OCI								Amount of Gain/(Loss) reclassified from AOCI
	Year ended December 31,								Year ended December 31,
	2017	2016			2015				2017		2016		2015
Derivative instrument								Location in statements of income
Interest rate swaps	$853	$	4,989		$	(571	)	Interest Expense	$95		(718	)	(1,103	)
Foreign currency forward contracts	491	(205		)	—			Revenue	(277	)	21		—
								Cost of goods sold	625		(26	)	—

The net amount recognized in earnings during the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 due to ineffectiveness and amounts excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness were not significant.

As of December 31, 2017, approximately $44,000, or $33,000 after taxes, was expected to be reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to earnings in revenue and cost of sales over the succeeding twelve months. As of December 31, 2017, approximately $1.1 million, or $840,000 after taxes, was expected to be reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to earnings in interest expense over the succeeding twelve months.

Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments

The following gains/(losses) from these derivative instruments were recognized in our consolidated statements of income for the years presented (in thousands):



		Year ended December 31,
		2017			2016		2015
Derivative Instrument	Location in statements of income
Foreign currency forward contracts	Other expense	$	(4,746	)	$	69	$	(302	)

See Note 15 for more information about our derivatives.