1.	Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Nature of Operations

Kadant Inc. and its subsidiaries' (collectively, "we," Kadant," "the Company," or "the Registrant") continuing operations include two reportable operating segments, Papermaking Systems and Wood Processing Systems, and a separate product line, Fiber-based Products.

Through its Papermaking Systems segment, the Company develops, manufactures, and markets a range of equipment and products primarily for the global papermaking and paper recycling and process industries. The Company's principal products in this segment include custom-engineered stock-preparation systems and equipment for the preparation of wastepaper for conversion into recycled paper; fluid-handling systems used primarily in the dryer section of the papermaking process and during the production of corrugated boxboard, metals, plastics, rubber, textiles, chemicals, and food; doctoring systems and equipment and related consumables important to the efficient operation of paper machines; and cleaning and filtration systems essential for draining, purifying, and recycling process water and cleaning paper machine fabrics and rolls.

Through its Wood Processing Systems segment, the Company designs and manufactures stranders and related equipment used in the production of oriented strand board (OSB), an engineered wood panel product used primarily in home construction. This segment also supplies debarking and wood chipping equipment used in the forest products and the pulp and paper industries.

Through its Fiber-based Products business, the Company manufactures and sells granules derived from papermaking byproducts primarily for use as agricultural carriers and for home lawn and garden applications, as well as for oil and grease absorption.

Interim Financial Statements

The interim condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes presented have been prepared by the Company, are unaudited, and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments of a normal recurring nature necessary for a fair statement of the Company's financial position at March 29, 2014 and its results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows, and stockholders' equity for the three-month periods ended March 29, 2014 and March 30, 2013. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year or for any other interim period.

The condensed consolidated balance sheet presented as of December 28, 2013 has been derived from the consolidated financial statements contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K. The condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes are presented as permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules and regulations for Form 10-Q and do not contain certain information included in the annual consolidated financial statements and related notes of the Company. The condensed consolidated financial statements and notes included herein should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2013, filed with the SEC.

Fiscal Year

Typically, the Company's fiscal quarters and fiscal year consist of 13 and 52 weeks, respectively, ending on the Saturday closest to the end of the corresponding calendar quarter in the case of the Company's fiscal quarters and on the Saturday closest to December 31 in the case of the Company's fourth fiscal quarter and fiscal year. As a result, a 53rd week is added to the Company's fiscal year every five or six years. In a 53-week fiscal year the Company's fourth fiscal quarter contains 14 weeks. The Company's fiscal year ending January 3, 2015 (fiscal 2014) contains 53 weeks and the Company's fiscal year ending December 28, 2013 (fiscal 2013) contains 52 weeks. Each quarter of fiscal 2014 and 2013 contains 13 weeks, except the fourth quarter of 2014, which will contain 14 weeks.

Critical Accounting Policies

Critical accounting policies are defined as those that entail significant judgments and estimates, and could potentially result in materially different results under different assumptions and conditions. The Company believes that the most critical accounting policies upon which its financial position depends, and which involve the most complex or subjective decisions or assessments, concern revenue recognition and accounts receivable, warranty obligations, income taxes, the valuation of goodwill and intangible assets, inventories and pension obligations. A discussion of the application of these and other accounting policies is included in Notes 1 and 3 to the consolidated financial statements in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2013.

Supplemental Cash Flow Information

	Three Months Ended
(In thousands)	March 29, 2014			March 30, 2013

Non-Cash Investing Activities:
Fair Value of Assets Acquired	$	5,610		$	–
Cash Paid for Acquired Businesses		(2,709	)		–
Liabilities Assumed of Acquired Businesses	$	2,901		$	–

Non-Cash Financing Activities:
Issuance of Company Common Stock	$	2,480		$	2,191
Dividends Declared but Unpaid	$	1,676		$	1,401

Restricted Cash

As of March 29, 2014 and December 28, 2013, the Company had restricted cash of $162,000 and $168,000, respectively. This cash serves as collateral for bank guarantees primarily associated with providing assurance to customers that the Company will fulfill certain customer obligations entered into in the normal course of business. All the bank guarantees will expire by the end of 2014.

Banker's Acceptance Drafts

The Company's Chinese subsidiaries may receive banker's acceptance drafts from customers as payment for their trade accounts receivable. The banker's acceptance drafts are non-interest bearing obligations of the issuing bank and mature within six months of the origination date. The Company has the ability to sell the drafts at a discount to a third-party financial institution or transfer the drafts to vendors in settlement of current accounts payable prior to the scheduled maturity date. These drafts, which totaled $6,947,000 and $10,765,000 at March 29, 2014 and December 28, 2013, respectively, are included in accounts receivable in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet until the subsidiary obtains cash payment on the scheduled maturity date or upon the sale or transfer of the drafts prior to maturity.

Inventories

The components of inventories are as follows:

	March 29,		December 28,
(In thousands)	2014		2013

Raw Materials and Supplies	$	21,042	$	20,836
Work in Process		20,980		21,051
Finished Goods		19,940		20,918
	$	61,962	$	62,805

Warranty Obligations

The Company provides for the estimated cost of product warranties at the time of sale based on the actual historical occurrence rates and repair costs. The Company typically negotiates the terms regarding warranty coverage and length of warranty depending on the products and applications. While the Company engages in extensive product quality programs and processes, the Company's warranty obligation is affected by product failure rates, repair costs, service delivery costs incurred in correcting a product failure, and supplier warranties on parts delivered to the Company. Should actual product failure rates, repair costs, service delivery costs, or supplier warranties on parts differ from the Company's estimates, revisions to the estimated warranty liability would be required.

The changes in the carrying amount of accrued warranty costs included in other current liabilities in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet are as follows:

	Three Months Ended
(In thousands)	March 29, 2014			March 30, 2013

Balance at beginning of period	$	4,571		$	4,462
Provision		559			291
Usage		(697	)		(555	)
Currency translation		(9	)		(79	)
Balance at end of period	$	4,424		$	4,119

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Income Taxes (Topic 740): Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists. In July 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2013-11. Currently, GAAP does not include explicit guidance on the financial statement presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. This ASU clarifies that an unrecognized tax benefit, or a portion of an unrecognized tax benefit, should be presented in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward, except as follows: to the extent a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward is not available at the reporting date under the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction to settle any additional income taxes that would result from the disallowance of a tax position or the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction does not require the entity to use, and the entity does not intend to use, the deferred tax asset for such purpose, the unrecognized tax benefit should be presented in the financial statements as a liability and should not be combined with deferred tax assets. This ASU applies to all entities that have unrecognized tax benefits when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists at the reporting date. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013, although early adoption is permitted. This ASU will be applied prospectively to all unrecognized tax benefits that exist at the effective date. The Company adopted this ASU in the first quarter of 2014, which did not have an impact on its consolidated financial statements.