Accounting Policies, by Policy (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Principles of consolidation: The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of The L. S. Starrett Company and its subsidiaries, all of which are wholly-owned. All significant intercompany items have been eliminated in consolidation.

Financial Instruments and Derivatives [Policy Text Block]

Financial instruments and derivatives: The Company’s financial instruments include cash, investments and debt. Investments are stated at cost which approximates fair market value. The carrying value of debt, which is at current market interest rates, also approximates its fair value.    The Company’s U.K. subsidiary utilizes forward exchange contracts to reduce currency risk. The amount of contracts outstanding as of June 30, 2013 and June 30, 2012 amounted to $1.0 million and $2.0 million, respectively.

Receivables, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Accounts receivable: Accounts receivable consist of trade receivables from customers. The expense for bad debts amounted to $0.1, $0.8, and $0.3 million in fiscal 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. In establishing the allowance for doubtful accounts, management considers historical losses, the aging of receivables and existing economic conditions.

Inventory, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Inventories: Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market. Substantially all United States inventories are valued using the last-in-first-out (“LIFO”) method.  All non-U.S. subsidiaries use the first-in-first-out (“FIFO”) method or the average cost method. LIFO is not a permissible method of inventory costing for tax purposes outside the U.S.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Long-lived assets: The cost of buildings and equipment is depreciated using straight-line and accelerated methods over their estimated useful lives as follows: buildings and building improvements 10 to 50 years, machinery and equipment 3 to 12 years. Leases are capitalized under the criteria set forth in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 840, “Leases” which establishes the four criteria of a capital lease.  At least one of the four following criteria must be met for a lease to be considered a capital lease:  a transfer of ownership of the property to the lessee by the end of the lease term; a bargain purchase option; a lease term that is greater than or equal to 75 percent of the economic life of the leased property; present value of the future minimum lease payments equals or exceeds 90 percent of the fair market value of the leased property.  If none of the aforementioned criteria are met, the lease will be treated as an operating lease. Long-lived assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell. A gain or loss is recorded on individual fixed assets when retired or disposed of. Included in buildings and building improvements and machinery and equipment at June 30, 2013 and June 30, 2012 were $1.3 million and $3.3 million, respectively, of construction in progress.  Also included in machinery and equipment at June 30, 2013 and June 30, 2012 is $0.5 million and $0.5 million, respectively, of capitalized interest cost. Repairs and maintenance of equipment are expensed as incurred. No events or circumstances arose in fiscal 2013 which required management to perform an impairment analysis.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Intangible assets and goodwill: Identifiable intangibles are recorded at cost and are amortized on a straight-line basis over a 5-14 year period. The estimated useful lives of the intangible assets subject to amortization are: 15 years for patents, 14 years for trademarks and trade names, 10 years for completed technology, 8 years for non-compete agreements, 8 years for customer relationships, 5 years for software development and 0.5 years for backlog. Goodwill represents costs in excess of fair values assigned to the underlying net assets of acquired businesses. Goodwill is not subject to amortization but is tested for impairment annually and at any time when events suggest impairment may have occurred. The Company annually tests the goodwill associated with the November 2011 acquisition of Bytewise in October. This test was performed as of October 1, 2012. The Company assesses the fair value of its goodwill using impairment tests performed on either a quantitative or a qualitative basis. A quantitative impairment test is based upon a discounted cash flow methodology. The discounted cash flows are estimated utilizing various assumptions regarding future revenue and expenses, working capital, terminal value and market discount rates. In the event that the carrying value of goodwill exceeds the fair value of the goodwill, an impairment loss would be recorded for the amount of that excess.

Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Revenue recognition: Sales of merchandise and freight billed to customers are recognized when title and risk of loss has passed to the customer, no significant post-delivery obligations remain and collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured. Sales are presented net of provisions for cash discounts, returns, customer discounts (such as volume or trade discounts), cooperative advertising and other sales related discounts.   Cooperative advertising payments made to customers are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.  While the Company does allow its customers the right to return in certain circumstances, revenue is not deferred, but rather a reserve for sales returns is provided based on experience, which historically has not been significant.

Advertising Costs, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Advertising costs: The Company’s policy is to generally expense advertising costs as incurred, except catalogs costs, which are deferred until mailed.  Advertising costs were expensed as follows: $6.0 million in fiscal 2013, $5.6 million in fiscal 2012 and $5.1 million in fiscal 2011 and are included in selling, general and administrative expenses.

Shipping and Handling Cost, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Freight costs: The cost of outbound freight and the cost for inbound freight included in material purchase costs are both included in cost of sales.

Standard Product Warranty, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Warranty expense: The Company’s warranty obligation is generally one year from shipment to the end user and is affected by product failure rates, material usage, and service delivery costs incurred in correcting a product failure. Historically, the Company has not incurred significant warranty expense and consequently its warranty reserves are not material.

Pension and Other Postretirement Plans, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits: The Company has two defined benefit pension plans, one for U.S. employees and another for U.K. employees.  The Company also has defined contribution plans.  In addition, certain U.S. employees participate in an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (the 1984 ESOP) used to partially fund benefits under the U.S. defined benefit pension plan.

The Company sponsors funded U.S. and non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans covering the majority of our U.S. and U.K. employees. The Company also sponsors unfunded postretirement benefit plans that provide health care benefits and life insurance coverage to eligible U.S. retirees. Under the Company’s current accounting method, both plans use fair value as the market-related value of plan assets and continue to recognize actuarial gains or losses within the corridor in other comprehensive income (loss) but instead of amortizing net actuarial gains or losses in excess of the corridor in future periods, such excess gains and losses, if any, are recognized in net periodic benefit cost as of the plan measurement date, which is the same as the fiscal year end of the Company (MTM adjustment). This method is a permitted option which results in immediate recognition of excess net actuarial gains and losses in net periodic benefit cost instead of in other comprehensive income (loss).  Such immediate recognition in net periodic benefit cost increases the volatility of net periodic benefit cost. The MTM adjustments included in net periodic benefit cost for fiscal 2013, 2012 and 2011 were $ 0.0 million, $15.3 million, and $0.0 million, respectively.

Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Income taxes: Deferred tax expense results from differences in the timing of certain transactions for financial reporting and tax purposes. Deferred taxes have not been recorded on approximately $69 million of undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries as of June 30, 2013 and the related unrealized translation adjustments because such amounts are considered permanently invested. In addition, it is possible that remittance taxes, if any, would be reduced by U.S. foreign tax credits. Valuation allowances are recognized if, based on the available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

Research and Development Expense, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Research and development: Research and development costs are expensed as incurred and were as follows: $2.3 million in fiscal 2013, $2.2 million in fiscal 2012, and $1.9 million in fiscal 2011 and are included in selling general and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Earnings per share (EPS): Basic EPS is computed by dividing earnings (loss) available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution by securities that could share in the earnings. The Company had 48,455, 36,555, and 19,236 of potentially dilutive common shares in fiscal 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively, resulting from shares issuable under its stock option plans. These shares had no impact on the calculated per share amounts. These additional shares are not used in the diluted EPS calculation in loss years.

Foreign Currency Transactions and Translations Policy [Policy Text Block]

Translation of foreign currencies: The financial statements of our foreign subsidiaries, where the local currency is the functional currency, are translated at exchange rates in effect on reporting dates, and income and expense items are translated at average rates or rates in effect on transaction dates as appropriate. The resulting foreign currency translation adjustments are charged or credited directly to the other comprehensive income (loss) as noted in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).  Net foreign currency gains (losses) are disclosed in Note 10.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of accounting estimates: The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of net sales and expenses during the reporting period. Judgments, assumptions and estimates are used for, but not limited to: the allowances for doubtful accounts receivable and returned goods; inventory allowances; income tax valuation allowances, uncertain tax positions and pension obligations. Amounts ultimately realized could differ from those estimates.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements: Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2013-02 requires companies to present information about amounts reclassified out of other accumulated comprehensive income (loss) (“AOCI”) to net earnings (loss), by component. The effect of significant reclassification adjustments being made out of AOCI on the corresponding line items in the Statement of Operations must be presented when the item is reclassified in its entirety during one reporting period. While the new guidance in ASU 2013-02 changes the presentation of AOCI, there are no changes to the components that are recognized in net earnings (loss) or other comprehensive income (loss) under current accounting guidance. This ASU is required to be adopted in the Company’s year ending June 30, 2014.

ASU 2013-11 clarifies the rules on how to present deferred taxes for tax losses, tax credits and the liability for tax reserves.  The new rules require that a company determine its tax balances on the balance sheet on an after reserve basis.   This ASU is required to be adopted in the Company’s year ending June 30, 2015 but early adoption is allowed.  The net effect upon adoption will be to reduce the long term deferred tax asset for NOLs and for tax credits and reduce the long term tax liability reflected as Other Tax Obligations.  The Company does not expect a material impact to the Statement of Operations.  The Company is currently evaluating whether to adopt this revised accounting prior to its required implementation.