GAIN ON EQUITY SALE

3 Months Ended

Apr. 04, 2014

Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]

GAIN ON EQUITY SALE

GAIN ON EQUITY SALE

In October, 2008, VirtualSite Solutions (VSS), a business formed by the Company and Caterpillar began operations. The Company originally had a 65% ownership and Caterpillar had a 35% ownership in VSS. VSS develops software for fleet management and connected worksite solutions for both Caterpillar and Trimble and in turn, sells software subscription services to Caterpillar and Trimble, which are sold through Caterpillar's and the Company's respective distribution channels. For financial reporting purposes, VSS’s assets and liabilities were consolidated with those of the Company, as were its results of operations, which were reported under the Engineering and Construction segment. Caterpillar’s 35% interest was included in the overall Consolidated Financial Statements as Noncontrolling interest.

Effective January 4, 2014, the Company sold 15% of its ownership in VSS to Caterpillar resulting in both the Company and Caterpillar owning 50% of the VSS joint venture. Following closing the Company no longer held a controlling interest in VSS. The sale of the 15% ownership resulted in the deconsolidation of VSS and a gain in the amount of $15.1 million. Of this amount, $8.5 million relates to the remeasurement of the Company's retained interest to fair value which was measured using a combination of the income and market approaches. The total gain is included in Other income, net on the Company's Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. The new 50% investment in VSS is classified as an equity method investment.