Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Oct. 02, 2021

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

Note 1.    Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Nature of Operations

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (the company or Thermo Fisher) enables customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer by helping them accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics and therapies, and increase laboratory productivity. Markets served include pharmaceutical and biotech, academic and government, industrial and applied, as well as healthcare and diagnostics.

Interim Financial Statements

The interim condensed consolidated financial statements presented herein 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 financial position at October 2, 2021, the results of operations for the three- and nine-month periods ended October 2, 2021 and September 26, 2020, and the cash flows for the nine-month periods ended October 2, 2021 and September 26, 2020. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year.

The condensed consolidated balance sheet presented as of December 31, 2020, has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of that date. The condensed consolidated financial statements and notes are presented as permitted by Form 10-Q and do not contain all information that is included in the annual financial statements and notes thereto of the company. The condensed consolidated financial statements and notes included in this report should be read in conjunction with the 2020 financial statements and notes included in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Certain reclassifications of prior year amounts have been made to conform to the current year presentation.

Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements for 2020 describes the significant accounting estimates and policies used in preparation of the consolidated financial statements. There have been no material changes in the company’s significant accounting policies during the nine months ended October 2, 2021.

Inventories

The components of inventories are as follows:

	October 2,		December 31,
(In millions)	2021		2020
Raw Materials	$	1,840	$	1,305
Work in Process	680		540
Finished Goods	2,386		2,184
Inventories	$	4,906	$	4,029

Prior to the third quarter of 2021, certain of the company’s businesses utilized the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method of accounting for inventories. During the third quarter of 2021, these businesses, which comprise approximately 5% of consolidated inventories, changed from the LIFO method to the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. The company believes this change is preferable as it will provide a consistent, uniform costing method for all inventories across the company, better reflect the current value of inventories, and improve comparability with peers. Prior financial statements have not been retrospectively adjusted due to immateriality. The cumulative pre-tax effect of this change in accounting principle of $33 million was recorded as an increase to inventories and a decrease to cost of product revenues in the third quarter of 2021. This change was recorded in the Laboratory Products and Services ($20 million) and Specialty Diagnostics ($13 million) segments.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles 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.

The company’s estimates include, among others, asset reserve requirements as well as the amounts of future cash flows associated with certain assets and businesses that are used in assessing the risk of impairment. Risks and uncertainties associated with the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic materially adversely affected certain of the company’s businesses in 2020, particularly in the Analytical Instruments segment and, to a lesser extent, some businesses within the other three

segments. The negative impacts have significantly lessened so far in 2021. The extent and duration of negative impacts in the future, which may include inflationary pressures and supply chain disruptions, are uncertain and may require changes to estimates. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In October 2021, the FASB amended guidance to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination. Generally, this new guidance will result in the company recognizing contract assets and contract liabilities at the same amounts recorded by the acquiree. The company will adopt this guidance in the fourth quarter of 2021 retrospectively to all business combinations completed in the first three quarters of 2021 and prospectively to all future business combinations. The adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements for prior acquisitions; however, the impact in future periods will be dependent on the contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in future business combinations.

In July 2021, the FASB amended guidance to require lessors to classify leases as operating leases if they have certain variable lease payment structures and would have selling losses if they were classified as sales-type or direct financing leases. The company adopted the guidance in the third quarter of 2021 using a prospective method. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements.

In December 2019, the FASB issued new guidance to simplify the accounting for income taxes. Among other things, the new guidance requires the effects of enacted changes in tax laws or rates to be reflected in the annual effective tax rate computation in the interim period that includes the enactment date. The company adopted this guidance in 2021 using a prospective method. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements; however, the impact in future periods will be dependent on the extent of future events or conditions that would be affected such as enacted changes in tax laws or rates.