Restructuring Activities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

In April 2010, Caire Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, announced its plan to close its liquid oxygen therapy manufacturing facility in Plainfield, Indiana and relocate the manufacturing and customer service operations to a facility close to existing BioMedical operations in Canton, Georgia. The Plainfield facility was acquired as part of the 2009 acquisition of the liquid oxygen therapy business of Covidien plc. The closure was substantially completed in the second quarter of 2011. The total cost of the restructuring was approximately $7,300 which includes asset impairment charges. The cost includes cash expenditures for employee retention and separation benefits, as well as lease exit costs and loss on disposal of remaining assets. The Company recorded $3,497 and $3,730 for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, related to the closure of the Plainfield, Indiana BioMedical facility. The Company also recorded $1,172 in restructuring costs for employee separation benefits related to the integration of SeQual Technologies Inc., which was acquired on December 28, 2010. These charges were recorded in cost of sales ($2,061 and $2,579 for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively), selling, general and administrative expenses ($2,414and $531 for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively), loss on disposal of assets ($1,218 for the year ended December 31, 2011) and asset impairment charges ($1,646 for the year ended December 31, 2010).

During 2009, the Company recorded $8,020, related to termination benefits primarily in the Distribution & Storage and BioMedical segments and the write-down to net realizable value of certain assets at the Denver, Colorado facility and land held for sale in Plaistow, New Hampshire. These charges were recorded in cost of sales ($3,605), selling, general and administrative expenses ($3,185) and asset impairment charges ($1,230).

The following tables summarize the Company’s restructuring activities for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009:



	Year Ended December 31, 2011
	Energy & Chemicals			Distribution & Storage			BioMedical			Corporate			Total
Balance as of January 1, 2011	$	103		$	387		$	2,088		$	—		$	2,578
Restructuring charges	—			315			4,940			437			5,692
Asset impairment	—			—			(1,218		)	—			(1,218		)
Cash payments	(103		)	(587		)	(4,812		)	(437		)	(5,939		)
Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	—		$	115		$	998		$	—		$	1,113



	Year Ended December 31, 2010
	Energy & Chemicals			Distribution & Storage			BioMedical			Corporate			Total
Balance as of January 1, 2010	$	682		$	1,608		$	503		$	88		$	2,881
Restructuring charges	—			(45		)	4,723			78			4,756
Asset impairment	—			—			(1,546		)	(100		)	(1,646		)
Cash payments	(579		)	(1,176		)	(1,592		)	(66		)	(3,413		)
Balance as of December 31, 2010	$	103		$	387		$	2,088		$	—		$	2,578



	Year Ended December 31, 2009
	Energy & Chemicals			Distribution & Storage			BioMedical			Corporate			Total
Balance as of January 1, 2009	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—
Restructuring charges	1,004			3,397			3,336			283			8,020
Asset impairment	—			(234		)	(996		)	—			(1,230		)
Cash payments	(322		)	(1,555		)	(1,837		)	(195		)	(3,909		)
Balance as of December 31, 2009	$	682		$	1,608		$	503		$	88		$	2,881

- Definition

The entire disclosure for restructuring and related activities. Description of restructuring activities such as exit and disposal activities, include facts and circumstances leading to the plan, the expected plan completion date, the major types of costs associated with the plan activities, total expected costs, the accrual balance at the end of the period, and the periods over which the remaining accrual will be settled.

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