Derivatives

9 Months Ended

Oct. 01, 2011

Derivatives [Abstract]

Derivatives

14.       Derivatives

The Company uses derivative instruments primarily to reduce its exposure to changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates. When the Company enters into a derivative contract, the Company makes a determination as to whether the transaction is deemed to be a hedge for accounting purposes. For a contract deemed to be a hedge, the Company formally documents the relationship between the derivative instrument and the risk being hedged. In this documentation, the Company specifically identifies the asset, liability, forecasted transaction, cash flow, or net investment that has been designated as the hedged item, and evaluates whether the derivative instrument is expected to reduce the risks associated with the hedged item. To the extent these criteria are not met, the Company does not use hedge accounting for the derivative. The changes in the fair value of a derivative not deemed to be a hedge are recorded currently in earnings. The Company does not hold or engage in transactions involving derivative instruments for purposes other than risk management.

ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging,” requires that all derivatives be recognized on the balance sheet at fair value. For derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, the related gains or losses on these contracts are deferred as a component of accumulated other comprehensive items. These deferred gains and losses are recognized in the period in which the underlying anticipated transaction occurs. For derivatives designated as fair value hedges, the unrealized gains and losses resulting from the impact of currency exchange rate movements are recognized in earnings in the period in which the exchange rates change and offset the currency gains and losses on the underlying exposures being hedged. The Company performs an evaluation of the effectiveness of the hedge both at inception and on an ongoing basis. The ineffective portion of a hedge, if any, and changes in the fair value of a derivative not deemed to be a hedge, are recorded in the condensed consolidated statement of income.

Interest Rate Swaps

The Company entered into interest rate swap agreements in 2008 and 2006 to hedge its exposure to variable-rate debt and has designated these agreements as cash flow hedges. On February 13, 2008, the Company entered into a swap agreement (2008 Swap Agreement) to hedge the exposure to movements in the three-month LIBOR rate on future outstanding debt. The 2008 Swap Agreement has a five-year term and a $15,000,000 notional value, which decreased to $10,000,000 on December 31, 2010 and will decrease to $5,000,000 on December 30, 2011. Under the 2008 Swap Agreement, on a quarterly basis the Company receives a three-month LIBOR rate and pays a fixed rate of interest of 3.265% plus the applicable margin. The Company entered into a swap agreement in 2006 (the 2006 Swap Agreement) to convert a portion of the Company’s outstanding debt from a floating to a fixed rate of interest. The swap agreement has the same terms and quarterly payment dates as the corresponding debt, and reduces proportionately in line with the amortization of the debt. Under the 2006 Swap Agreement, the Company receives a three-month LIBOR rate and pays a fixed rate of interest of 5.63%. The fair values for these instruments as of October 1, 2011 are included in other liabilities, with an offset to accumulated other comprehensive items (net of tax) in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet. The Company has structured these interest rate swap agreements to be 100% effective and as a result, there is no current impact to earnings resulting from hedge ineffectiveness. Management believes that any credit risk associated with the swap agreements is remote based on the Company’s financial position and the creditworthiness of the financial institution issuing the swap agreements.

The counterparty to the swap agreement could demand an early termination of the swap agreement if the Company is in default under the 2008 Credit Agreement, or any agreement that amends or replaces the 2008 Credit Agreement in which the counterparty is a member, and the Company is unable to cure the default. An event of default under the 2008 Credit Agreement includes customary events of default and failure to comply with financial covenants, including a maximum consolidated leverage ratio of 3.5 and a minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.2. As of October 1, 2011, the Company was in compliance with these covenants. The unrealized loss of $1,540,000 as of October 1, 2011 represents the estimated amount that the Company would pay to the counterparty in the event of an early termination.

Forward Currency-Exchange Contracts

The Company uses forward currency-exchange contracts primarily to hedge exposures resulting from fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Such exposures result primarily from portions of the Company’s operations and assets and liabilities that are denominated in currencies other than the functional currencies of the businesses conducting the operations or holding the assets and liabilities. The Company typically manages its level of exposure to the risk of currency-exchange fluctuations by hedging a portion of its currency exposures anticipated over the ensuing 12-month period, using forward currency-exchange contracts that have maturities of 12 months or less.

Forward currency-exchange contracts that hedge forecasted accounts receivable or accounts payable are designated as cash flow hedges. The fair values for these instruments are included in other current assets for unrecognized gains and in other current liabilities for unrecognized losses, with an offset in accumulated other comprehensive items (net of tax). For forward currency-exchange contracts that are designated as fair value hedges, the gain or loss on the derivative, as well as the offsetting loss or gain on the hedged item are recognized currently in earnings. The fair values of forward currency-exchange contracts that are not designated as hedges are recorded currently in earnings. The Company recognized gains of $10,000 and $44,000 in the third quarters of 2011 and 2010, respectively, and gains of $91,000 and $14,000 in the first nine months of 2011 and 2010, respectively, included in selling, general, and administrative expenses associated with forward currency-exchange contracts that were not designated as hedges. Management believes that any credit risk associated with forward currency-exchange contracts is remote based on the Company’s financial position and the creditworthiness of the financial institutions issuing the contracts.

The following table summarizes the fair value of the Company’s derivative instruments designated and not designated as hedging instruments, the notional values of the associated derivative contracts, and the location of these instruments in the condensed consolidated balance sheet:

		October 1, 2011					January 1, 2011
	Balance Sheet	Asset			Notional		Asset			Notional
(In thousands)	Location	(Liability) (a)			Amount (b)		(Liability) (a)			Amount
Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments:
Derivatives in an Asset Position:
Forward currency-exchange contracts	Other Current Assets	$	42		$	563	$	131		$	1,794
Derivatives in a Liability Position:
Forward currency-exchange contracts	Other Current Liabilities	$	(379	)	$	7,998	$	(59	)	$	1,056
Interest rate swap agreements	Other Long-Term Liabilities	$	(1,540	)	$	17,375	$	(1,595	)	$	17,750
Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments:
Derivatives in an Asset Position:
Forward currency-exchange contracts	Other Current Assets	$	10		$	1,461	$	–		$	–
Derivatives in a Liability Position:
Forward currency-exchange contracts	Other Current Liabilities	$	–		$	–	$	(48	)	$	1,816

(a)   See Note 15 for the fair value measurements related to these financial instruments.

(b)   The total notional amount is indicative of the level of the Company’s derivative activity during the first nine months of 2011.

The following table summarizes the activity in accumulated other comprehensive items (OCI) associated with the Company’s derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges as of and for the nine-month period ended October 1, 2011:

(In thousands)	Interest Rate Swap Agreements			Forward Currency-Exchange Contracts			Total
Unrealized loss (gain), net of tax, at January 1, 2011	$	1,290		$	(50	)	$	1,240
(Loss) gain reclassified to earnings (a)		(428	)		202			(226	)
Loss recognized in OCI		373			49			422
Unrealized loss, net of tax, at October 1, 2011	$	1,235		$	201		$	1,436
(a) Included in interest expense for interest rate swap agreements and in revenues for forward currency-exchange contracts in the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of income.

As of October 1, 2011, $435,000 of the net unrealized loss included in OCI is expected to be reclassified to earnings over the next twelve months.