Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
General	General: The preparation of consolidated financial statements 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 revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Consolidation	Consolidation: The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all of its subsidiaries. Intercompany transactions and account balances have been eliminated.
Revenue recognition	Revenue recognition: Sales and related cost of sales are recognized when products are shipped or delivered to customers, title has transferred, and the risks and rewards of ownership pass to the customer, provided the earnings process is complete and revenue is measurable. Service revenue is recognized when the related services are performed. In the aerospace manufacturing businesses, the Company recognizes revenue based on the units-of-delivery method in accordance with accounting standards related to accounting for performance of construction-type and certain production-type contracts. Management fees related to the aerospace aftermarket Revenue Sharing Programs ("RSPs") are satisfied through an agreed upon reduction from the sales price of each of the related spare parts. These fees recognize our customer's necessary performance of engine program support activities, such as spare parts administration, warehousing and inventory management, and customer support, and are not separable from our sale of products, and accordingly, they are reflected as a reduction to sales, rather than as costs incurred, when revenues are recognized.
Cash and cash equivalents	Cash and cash equivalents: Cash in excess of operating requirements is invested in short-term, highly liquid, income-producing investments. All highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less are considered cash equivalents. Cash equivalents are carried at cost which approximates fair value.
Inventories	Inventories: Inventories are valued at the lower of cost, determined on a first-in, first-out basis, or net realizable value. Loss provisions, if any, on aerospace contracts are established when estimable. Loss provisions are based on the projected excess of manufacturing costs over the net revenues of the products or group of related products representing firm orders that are supported under a long term agreement
Property, plant and equipment	Property, plant and equipment: Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost. Depreciation is recorded over estimated useful lives, generally ranging from 20 to 50 years for buildings and four to 12 years for machinery and equipment. The straight-line method of depreciation was adopted for all property, plant and equipment placed in service after March 31, 1999. For property, plant and equipment placed into service prior to April 1, 1999, depreciation is calculated using accelerated methods. The Company assesses the impairment of property, plant and equipment subject to depreciation whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable.
Goodwill	Goodwill: Goodwill represents the excess purchase cost over the fair value of net assets of companies acquired in business combinations. Goodwill is considered an indefinite-lived asset. Goodwill is subject to impairment testing in accordance with accounting standards governing such on an annual basis, in the second quarter, or more frequently if an event or change in circumstances indicates that the fair value of a reporting unit has been reduced below its carrying value. Based on the assessments performed during 2017, there was no goodwill impairment.
Aerospace Aftermarket Programs	Aerospace Aftermarket Programs: The Company participates in aftermarket RSPs under which the Company receives an exclusive right to supply designated aftermarket parts over the life of the related aircraft engine program. As consideration, the Company has paid participation fees, which are recorded as long-lived intangible assets. The Company records amortization of the related intangible asset as sales dollars are being earned based on a proportional sales dollar method. Specifically, this method amortizes each asset as a reduction to revenue based on the proportion of sales under a program in a given period to the estimated aggregate sales dollars over the life of that program. This method reflects the pattern in which the economic benefits of the RSPs are realized. The Company also entered into Component Repair Programs ("CRPs") that provide for, among other items, the right to sell certain aftermarket component repair services for CFM56, CF6, CF34 and LM engines directly to other customers as one of a few GE licensed suppliers. In addition, the CRPs extended certain existing contracts under which the Company currently provides these services directly to GE. The Company recorded the consideration for these rights as an intangible asset that is amortized as a reduction to sales over the remaining life of these engine programs based on the estimated sales over the life of such programs. This method reflects the pattern in which the economic benefits of the CRPs are realized. The recoverability of each asset is subject to significant estimates about future revenues related to the program’s aftermarket parts and services. The Company evaluates these intangible assets for recoverability and updates amortization rates on an agreement by agreement basis for the RSPs and on an individual asset program basis for the CRPs. The assets are reviewed for recoverability periodically including whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. Annually, the Company evaluates the remaining useful life of these assets to determine whether events and circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining periods of amortization. Management updates revenue projections, which includes comparing actual experience against projected revenue and industry projections. The potential exists that actual revenues will not meet expectations due to a change in market conditions including, for example, the replacement of older engines with new, more fuel-efficient engines or the Company's ability to maintain market share within the Aftermarket business. A shortfall in future revenues may indicate a triggering event requiring a write down or further evaluation of the recoverability of the assets or require the Company to accelerate amortization expense prospectively dependent on the level of the shortfall. The Company has not identified any impairment of these assets.
Intangible Assets	Other Intangible Assets: Other intangible assets consist primarily of the Aerospace Aftermarket Programs, as discussed above, customer relationships, tradenames, patents and proprietary technology. These intangible assets, with the exception of certain tradenames, have finite lives and are amortized over the periods in which they provide benefit. The Company assesses the impairment of long-lived assets, including identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization, whenever significant events or significant changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. Tradenames with indefinite lives are subject to impairment testing in accordance with accounting standards governing such on an annual basis, in the second quarter, or more frequently if an event or change in circumstances indicates that the fair value of the asset has been reduced below its carrying value. Based on the assessment performed during 2017, there were no impairments of other intangible assets. See Note 5 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Derivatives	Derivatives: Accounting standards related to the accounting for derivative instruments and hedging activities require that all derivative instruments be recorded on the balance sheet at fair value. Foreign currency contracts may qualify as fair value hedges of unrecognized firm commitments, cash flow hedges of recognized assets and liabilities or anticipated transactions, or a hedge of a net investment. Changes in the fair market value of derivatives that qualify as fair value hedges or cash flow hedges are recorded directly to earnings or accumulated other non-owner changes to equity, depending on the designation. Amounts recorded to accumulated other non-owner changes to equity are reclassified to earnings in a manner that matches the earnings impact of the hedged transaction. Any ineffective portion, or amounts related to contracts that are not designated as hedges, are recorded directly to earnings. The Company’s policy for classifying cash flows from derivatives is to report the cash flows consistent with the underlying hedged item.
Foreign currency	Foreign currency: Assets and liabilities of international operations are translated at year-end rates of exchange; revenues and expenses are translated at average rates of exchange. The resulting translation gains or losses are reflected in accumulated other non-owner changes to equity within stockholders’ equity. Net foreign currency transaction gains of $756, $1,873 and $505 in 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively, were included in other expense (income), net in the Consolidated Statements of Income.
Research and Development	Research and Development: Costs are incurred in connection with efforts aimed at discovering and implementing new knowledge that is critical to developing new products, processes or services, significantly improving existing products or services, and developing new applications for existing products and services. Research and development expenses for the creation of new and improved products and services were $14,765, $12,913 and $12,688, for the years 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and are included in selling and administrative expense.
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits	Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits: The Company accounts for its defined benefit pension plans and other postretirement plans by recognizing the overfunded or underfunded status of the plans, calculated as the difference between plan assets and the projected benefit obligation related to each plan, as an asset or liability on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Benefit costs associated with the plans primarily include current service costs, interest costs and the amortization of actuarial losses, partially offset by expected returns on plan assets, which are determined based upon actuarial valuations. Settlement and curtailment losses (gains) may also impact benefit costs. The Company regularly reviews actuarial assumptions, including discount rates and the expected return on plan assets, which are updated at the measurement date, December 31st. The impact of differences between actual results and the assumptions are generally accumulated within Other Comprehensive Income and amortized over future periods, which will affect benefit costs recognized in such periods. See Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Stock-Based Compensation	Stock-Based Compensation: Stock-based employee compensation plans are accounted for based on their fair value on the grant date and the related cost is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Income in accordance with accounting standards related to share-based payments. The fair values of stock options are estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model based on certain assumptions. The fair values of service and performance based share awards are estimated based on the fair market value of the Company’s stock price on the grant date. The fair values of market based performance share awards are estimated using the Monte Carlo valuation method. See Note 12 of the Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company accounts for the cost of all share-based payments, including stock options, by measuring the payments at fair value on the grant date and recognizing the cost in the results of operations. The fair values of stock options are estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model based on certain assumptions. The fair values of service and performance based stock awards are estimated based on the fair market value of the Company’s stock price on the grant date. The fair value of market based performance share awards are estimated using the Monte Carlo valuation method. Estimated forfeiture rates are applied to outstanding awards. Refer to Note 16 for a description of the Company’s stock-based compensation plans and their general terms. As of December 31, 2017, incentives have been awarded in the form of performance share awards and restricted stock unit awards (collectively, “Rights”) and stock options. The Company has elected to use the straight-line method to recognize compensation costs. Stock options and awards typically vest over a period ranging from six months to five years. The maximum term of stock option awards is 10 years. Upon exercise of a stock option or upon vesting of Rights, shares may be issued from treasury shares held by the Company or from authorized shares. In March 2016, the FASB amended its guidance related to the accounting for certain aspects of share-based payments to employees. The amended guidance requires that all tax effects related to share-based payments are recorded at settlement (or expiration) through the income statement, rather than through equity. Cash flows related to excess tax benefits will no longer be separately classified as a financing activity apart from other income tax cash flows. The amended guidance also allows for an employer to repurchase additional employee shares for tax withholding purposes without requiring liability accounting and clarifies that all cash payments made to tax authorities on an employee’s behalf for withheld shares should be presented as a financing activity on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The guidance also allows for a policy election to account for forfeitures as they occur, rather than accounting for them on an estimated basis. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is permitted.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes: Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for future tax effects attributable to temporary differences, operating loss carryforwards and tax credits. The measurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities is determined using tax rates from enacted tax law of the period in which the temporary differences, operating loss carryforwards and tax credits are expected to be realized. The effect of the change in income tax rates is recognized in the period of the enactment date. The guidance related to accounting for income taxes requires that deferred tax assets be reduced by a valuation allowance if, based on all available evidence, it is more likely than not that the deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company is exposed to certain tax contingencies in the ordinary course of business and records those tax liabilities in accordance with the guidance for accounting for uncertain tax positions. See Note 13 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Recently Adopted / Issued Accounting Standards	Recent Accounting Standards The Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") establishes changes to accounting principles under U.S. GAAP through the use of Accounting Standards Updates ("ASUs") to the FASB's Accounting Standards Codification. The Company evaluates the applicability and potential impacts of recent ASUs. Recently Adopted Accounting Standards In April 2015, the FASB amended its guidance related to the presentation of debt issuance costs. The amended guidance specifies that debt issuance costs related to notes shall be reported in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the face amount of that note and that amortization of debt issuance costs shall be reported as interest expense. The amended guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015 and should be applied retrospectively. The Company adopted the guidance during the first quarter of 2016 and it did not have a material impact on its Consolidated Financial Statements. In July 2015, the FASB amended its guidance related to the measurement of inventory. The amended guidance requires inventory to be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value and thereby simplifies the prior guidance of measuring inventory at the lower of cost or market. The amended guidance is effective prospectively for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company adopted the guidance during the first quarter of 2017 and it did not have a material impact on its Consolidated Financial Statements. In November 2015, the FASB amended its guidance related to the balance sheet classification of deferred income taxes. The amended guidance removes the requirement to separate and classify deferred income tax liabilities and assets into current and non-current amounts and requires an entity to now classify all deferred tax liabilities and assets as non-current. The amended guidance can be adopted either on a prospective or retrospective basis and is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is permitted. The provisions of the amended guidance were adopted on a prospective basis during the first quarter of 2016. The provisions resulted in the classification of $26,639 and $1,290 of current deferred income tax assets and liabilities, respectively, into non-current deferred income tax assets and liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2016. In March 2016, the FASB amended its guidance related to the accounting for certain aspects of share-based payments to employees. The amended guidance requires that all tax effects related to share-based payments are recorded at settlement (or expiration) through the income statement, rather than through equity. Cash flows related to excess tax benefits will no longer be separately classified as a financing activity apart from other income tax cash flows. The amended guidance also allows for an employer to repurchase additional employee shares for tax withholding purposes without requiring liability accounting and clarifies that all cash payments made to tax authorities on an employee’s behalf for withheld shares should be presented as a financing activity on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption was permitted, and the Company elected to early adopt in the third quarter of 2016. See Note 12 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional details related to the Company's adoption of this amended guidance. Recently Issued Accounting Standards In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") amended its guidance related to revenue recognition. The amended guidance establishes a single comprehensive model for companies to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and will supersede most of the existing revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The amended guidance clarifies that an entity recognizes revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In applying the amended guidance, an entity will (1) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (3) determine the transaction price; (4) allocate the transaction price to the contract’s performance obligations; and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. The amended guidance applies to all contracts with customers except those that are within the scope of other topics in the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. The amended guidance was initially effective for annual reporting periods (including interim periods within those periods) beginning after December 15, 2016 for public companies. On July 9, 2015, the FASB approved a deferral of the effective date by one year to December 15, 2017 for annual reporting periods beginning after that date. The FASB also permitted early adoption of the standard, but not before the original effective date of December 15, 2016. Entities have the option of using either a full retrospective or modified retrospective approach to the amended guidance. The Company will adopt the amended guidance using the modified retrospective approach on January 1, 2018 at which time it becomes effective for the Company. In 2015, management developed a project plan and established a cross-functional team to implement the amended guidance. We have completed the review of our customer contracts and have evaluated the impact of the amended guidance on each of our primary revenue streams. While we are finalizing our overall assessment under the amended guidance, we believe that the most significant impact relates to the timing of revenue recognition, presentation and disclosures. We expect that the majority of our businesses will continue to recognize revenue on a "point-in-time basis". We also expect, however, that a portion of our businesses with customized products or customer contracts in which we perform work on a customer-owned asset will require the use of an "over time" recognition model as certain of our contracts meet certain of the criteria established in the amended guidance. We will utilize the cost-to-cost input method to measure progress towards completion for contracts on an over time revenue recognition model. On January 1, 2018, the Company will recognize the cumulative effect of initially applying the amended guidance as an increase of approximately $4,000 to the opening balance of retained earnings, attributed primarily to the over time recognition of approximately $15,000 of net sales. We do not expect that the ongoing impact to net sales and net income will be material to the Consolidated Statements of Income, however the future impact of the amended guidance is dependent on the mix and nature of specific customer contracts. Under the existing guidance, the Company recognizes customer advances when payment is received. Adoption of the amended guidance will result in the recognition of additional customer advances for which the Company has received an unconditional right to payment. Since the related performance obligations have not been satisfied, however, the Company will recognize these customer advances as trade receivables, with a corresponding contract liability of equal amount. We continue to identify appropriate changes to our business processes, systems and controls to support recognition and disclosure requirements under the new standard. We are continuing to implement design changes to such business processes, controls and systems to ensure that such changes are effective. In February 2016, the FASB amended its guidance related to lease accounting. The amended guidance requires lessees to recognize a majority of their leases on the balance sheet as a right-to-use asset. Lessees are permitted to make an accounting policy election to not recognize an asset and liability for leases with a term of twelve months or less. Lease expense will be recorded in a manner similar to current accounting. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the guidance to determine the impact it will have on its Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company anticipates the amended guidance will have a material impact on its assets and liabilities due to the addition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities to the balance sheet; however, it does not expect the amended guidance to have a material impact on its cash flows or results of operations. In August 2016, the FASB amended its guidance related to the Statement of Cash Flows. The amended guidance clarifies how certain cash receipts and cash payments should be presented on the statement of cash flows, with focus on eight specific areas in which cash flows have, in practice, been presented inconsistently. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the amended guidance to have a material impact on its cash flows. In January 2017, the FASB amended its guidance related to goodwill impairment testing. The amended guidance simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill, eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Under the amended guidance, companies should perform their annual goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. Companies would recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit's fair value, assuming the loss recognized does not exceed the total amount of goodwill for the reporting unit. The amended guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this amended guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements. In March 2017, the FASB amended its guidance related to the presentation of pension costs. The amended guidance requires the bifurcation of net periodic benefit cost for pension and other postretirement plans. The service cost component of expense will be presented with other employee compensation costs in operating income, consistent with the current guidance. The other components of expense, however, will be reported separately outside of operating income. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the amended guidance to determine the impact it will have on its Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this amended guidance will have a material impact on the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements on an ongoing basis. The Company's retrospective adoption, though, will have an impact on certain classifications in the 2017 Consolidated Statements of Income, primarily due to the pre-tax pension curtailment gain of $7,217 that was recorded in operating income during 2017. See Note 11 of the Consolidated Financial Statements. In August 2017, the FASB amended its guidance related to hedge accounting. The amended guidance makes more financial and nonfinancial hedging strategies eligible for hedge accounting, amends presentation and disclosure requirements and changes the assessment of effectiveness. The guidance also more closely aligns hedge accounting with management strategies, simplifies application and increases the transparency of hedging. The amended guidance is effective January 1, 2019, with early adoption permitted in any interim period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the guidance may have on its Consolidated Financial Statements. In February 2018, the FASB issued guidance related to the impacts of the tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”). The guidance permits the reclassification of certain income tax effects of the Act from Other Comprehensive Income to Retained Earnings (stranded tax effects). The guidance also requires certain new disclosures. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted. Entities may adopt the guidance using one of two transition methods; retrospective to each period (or periods) in which the income tax effects of the Act related to the items remaining in Other Comprehensive Income are recognized or at the beginning of the period of adoption. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the guidance may have on its Consolidated Financial Statements.