Hedging Transactions and Derivative Financial Instruments

6 Months Ended

Jun. 28, 2014

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Hedging Transactions and Derivative Financial Instruments

Note 14—Hedging Transactions and Derivative Financial Instruments

We are directly and indirectly affected by changes in foreign currency market conditions. These changes in market conditions may adversely impact our financial performance and are referred to as market risks. When deemed appropriate by management, we use derivatives as a risk management tool to mitigate the potential impact of certain market risks.

We use various types of derivative instruments including, but not limited to, forward contracts and swap agreements for certain commodities. Forward contracts are agreements to buy or sell a quantity of a currency at a predetermined future date, and at a predetermined rate or price. A swap agreement is a contract between two parties to exchange cash flows based on specified underlying notional amounts, assets and/or indices. We do not enter into derivative financial instruments for trading purposes.

All derivatives are carried at fair value in the Consolidated Balance Sheets in the line item other receivables or other payables. The carrying values of the derivatives reflect the impact of legally enforceable agreements with the same counterparties. These allow us to net settle positive and negative positions (assets and liabilities) arising from different transactions with the same counterparty.

The accounting for gains and losses that result from changes in the fair values of derivative instruments depends on whether the derivatives have been designated and qualify as hedging instruments and the types of hedging relationships. Derivatives can be designated as fair value hedges, cash flow hedges or hedges of net investments in foreign operations. The changes in the fair values of derivatives that have been designated and qualify for fair value hedge accounting are recorded in the same line item in our Consolidated Statements of Operations as the changes in the fair value of the hedged items attributable to the risk being hedged. The changes in fair values of derivatives that have been designated and qualify as cash flow hedges are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (“AOCI”) and are reclassified into the line item in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in which the hedged items are recorded in the same period the hedged items affect earnings. Due to the high degree of effectiveness between the hedging instruments and the underlying exposures being hedged, fluctuations in the value of the derivative instruments are generally offset by changes in the fair values or cash flows of the underlying exposures being hedged. The changes in fair values of derivatives that were not designated and/or did not qualify as hedging instruments are immediately recognized into earnings.

For derivatives that will be accounted for as hedging instruments, we formally designate and document, at inception, the financial instrument as a hedge of a specific underlying exposure, the risk management objective and the strategy for undertaking the hedge transaction. In addition, we formally assess both at the inception and at least quarterly thereafter, whether the financial instruments used in hedging transactions are effective at offsetting changes in either the fair values or cash flows of the related underlying exposures. Any ineffective portion of a financial instrument’s change in fair value is immediately recognized into earnings. Ineffectiveness was not material for all periods presented.

We estimate the fair values of our derivatives based on quoted market prices or pricing models using current market rates (refer to Note 15). The notional amounts of the derivative financial instruments do not necessarily represent amounts exchanged by the parties and, therefore, are not a direct measure of our exposure to the financial risks described above. The amounts exchanged are calculated by reference to the notional amounts and by other terms of the derivatives, such as interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates or other financial indices. We do not view the fair values of our derivatives in isolation, but rather in relation to the fair values or cash flows of the underlying hedged transactions or other exposures. All of our derivatives are straight-forward over-the-counter instruments with liquid markets.

Credit Risk Associated with Derivatives

We have established strict counterparty credit guidelines and enter into transactions only with financial institutions of investment grade or better. We monitor counterparty exposures regularly and review any downgrade in credit rating immediately. We mitigate pre-settlement risk by being permitted to net settle for transactions with the same counterparty. To minimize the concentration of credit risk, we enter into derivative transactions with a portfolio of financial institutions. Based on these factors, we consider the risk of the counterparty default to be minimal.

Cash Flow Hedging Strategy

We use cash flow hedges to minimize the variability in cash flows of assets or liabilities or forecasted transactions caused by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and commodity prices. The changes in fair values of hedges that are determined to be ineffective are immediately reclassified from AOCI into earnings. We did not discontinue any cash flow hedging relationships during the six months ended June 28, 2014 or June 29, 2013, respectively. These foreign exchange contracts typically have maturities of less than eighteen months.

We maintain a foreign currency cash flow hedging program to reduce the risk that our procurement activities will be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. We enter into forward contracts to hedge certain portions of forecasted cash flows denominated in foreign currencies. The total notional values of derivatives that were designated and qualify for our foreign currency cash flow hedging program were $3.8 million and $3.6 million as of June 28, 2014 and December 28, 2013, respectively.

We have entered into commodity swaps on aluminum to mitigate the price risk associated with forecasted purchases of materials used in our manufacturing process. These derivative instruments have been designated and qualify as a part of our commodity cash flow hedging program. The objective of this hedging program is to reduce the variability of cash flows associated with future purchases of aluminum. The total notional values of derivatives that were designated and qualified for our commodity cash flow hedging program were $29.9 million and nil as of June 28, 2014 and December 28, 2013, respectively.

The fair value of the Company’s derivative assets was $0.6 million and $0.3 million as of June 28, 2014 and December 28, 2013, respectively. The fair value of the Company’s derivative liabilities was $0.2 million and nil as of June 28, 2014 and December 28, 2013, respectively.

The settlement of our derivative instruments resulted in a credit to cost of sales of approximately $0.1 million and $0.2 million for the three and six months ended June 28, 2014, respectively, compared to a credit to cost of sales of approximately $0.3 million and $0.4 million for the comparable prior year periods.