Commitments and contingent liabilities

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Commitments and contingent liabilities

Note 13 — Commitments and contingent liabilities

Product warranty liability: The Company warrants to the original purchasers of certain of its products that it will, at its option, repair or replace such products, without charge, if they fail due to a manufacturing defect. Warranty periods vary by product. The Company has recourse provisions for certain products that would enable recovery from third parties for amounts paid under the warranty. The Company accrues for product warranties when, based on available information, it is probable that customers will make claims under warranties relating to products that have been sold, and a reasonable estimate of the costs (based on historical claims experience relative to sales) can be made. The following table provides information regarding changes in the Company’s product warranty liability accruals for the three months ended March 31, 2013 (dollars in thousands):

Balance — December 31, 2012	$	472
Accruals for warranties issued in 2013		189
Settlements (cash and in kind)		(106	)
Translation		(2	)
Balance — March 31, 2013	$	553

Operating leases: The Company uses various leased facilities and equipment in its operations. The terms for these leased assets vary depending on the lease agreement. At March 31, 2013, the Company had no residual value guarantees related to its operating leases.

Environmental: The Company is subject to contingencies as a result of environmental laws and regulations that in the future may require the Company to take further action to correct the effects on the environment of prior disposal practices or releases of chemical or petroleum substances by the Company or other parties. Much of this liability results from the U.S. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), often referred to as Superfund, the U.S. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) and similar state laws. These laws require the Company to undertake certain investigative and remedial activities at sites where the Company conducts or once conducted operations or at sites where Company-generated waste was disposed.

Remediation activities vary substantially in duration and cost from site to site. These activities, and their associated costs, depend on the mix of unique site characteristics, evolving remediation technologies, the regulatory agencies involved and their enforcement policies, as well as the presence or absence of other potentially responsible parties. At March 31, 2013, the Company has recorded approximately $2.0 million in accrued liabilities and approximately $6.7 million in other liabilities relating to these matters. Considerable uncertainty exists with respect to these liabilities and, if adverse changes in circumstances occur, potential liability may exceed the amount accrued as of March 31, 2013. The time frame over which the accrued amounts may be paid out, based on past history, is estimated to be 15-20 years.

Litigation: The Company is a party to various lawsuits and claims arising in the normal course of business. These lawsuits and claims include actions involving product liability, intellectual property, employment and environmental matters. Based on information currently available, advice of counsel, established reserves and other resources, the Company does not believe that any such actions are likely to be, individually or in the aggregate, material to its business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. However, in the event of unexpected further developments, it is possible that the ultimate resolution of these matters, or other similar matters, if unfavorable, may be materially adverse to the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Legal costs such as outside counsel fees and expenses are charged to expense in the period incurred.

Tax audits and examinations: The Company and its subsidiaries are routinely subject to tax examinations by various taxing authorities. As of March 31, 2013, the most significant tax examinations in process are in U.S., Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. In conjunction with these examinations and as a regular and routine practice, the Company may determine a need to establish reserves or to adjust existing reserves with respect to uncertain tax positions. Accordingly, developments occurring with respect to these examinations, including resolution of uncertain tax positions, could result in increases or decreases to the Company’s recorded tax liabilities, which could impact the Company’s financial results.

Other: The Company has various purchase commitments for materials, supplies and items of permanent investment incident to the ordinary conduct of its business. On average, such commitments are not at prices in excess of current market prices.