2.  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts and operations of Sun Hydraulics and its direct subsidiaries.  All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.  

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and 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.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.  Significant estimates are used in the determination of impairment of long-lived assets, inventory, goodwill, other intangible assets, accruals, income taxes, and fair value of short-term investments.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-term Investments

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents are maintained at financial institutions and, at times, balances may exceed federally insured limits.  The Company has never experienced any losses related to these balances.

The Company’s short-term investments have been classified and accounted for as available-for-sale.  Management determines the appropriate classification of its investments at the time of purchase and reevaluates the designation at each balance sheet date.  The Company may or may not hold securities with stated maturities greater than 12 months until maturity. As management views these securities as available to support current operations, the Company classifies securities with maturities beyond 12 months as current assets under the caption short-term investments in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.  The Company’s short-term investments are carried at fair value, with the unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, reported as a component of shareholder’s equity.  Realized gains and losses on sales of short-term investments are generally determined using the specific identification method, and are included in miscellaneous (income) expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Accounts Receivable

The Company sells to most of its customers on a recurring basis, primarily through distributors and customers with which the Company maintains long-term relationships.  As a result, bad debt experience has not been material.  The allowance for doubtful accounts is determined on a specific identification basis by a review of those accounts that are significantly in arrears.  Account balances are charged against the allowance when it is probable the receivable will not be recovered.  See the consolidated balance sheets for allowance amounts.

Inventory

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined on a first-in, first-out basis.  On an ongoing basis, component parts found to be obsolete through design or process changes are disposed of and charged to material cost.  The Company reviews on-hand balances of products and component parts against specific criteria.  Products and component parts that have excess quantities on hand are evaluated.  An inventory reserve is then established for the appropriate inventory value of those products and component parts deemed to be obsolete or slow moving. See Note 6 to the Financial Statements for inventory reserve amounts.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost.  Expenditures for repairs and improvements that significantly add to the productive capacity or extend the useful life of an asset are capitalized.  Repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.  Depreciation is computed using the straight line method over the following useful lives:

Gains or losses on the retirement, sale, or disposition of property, plant, and equipment are reflected in the Consolidated Statement of Operations in the period in which the assets are taken out of service.

Fair Value Measurements

The Company applies fair value accounting guidelines for all financial assets and liabilities and non-financial assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis (at least annually). Under these guidelines, fair value is defined as the price that would be received for the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e. an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The guidance establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:

Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 - Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in inactive markets.

Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little, infrequent, or no market activity and reflect the Company’s own assumptions about inputs used in pricing the asset or liability.

The fair value hierarchy also requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.

The Company’s valuation techniques used to measure the fair value of marketable equity securities were derived from quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Contingent consideration and newly acquired intangible assets are measured at fair value using level 3 inputs. The valuation techniques used to measure the fair value of all other financial instruments were valued based on quoted market prices or model driven valuations using significant inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market data. See Note 4 for detail on the level of inputs used in determining the fair value of assets and liabilities.

Business Combinations

Business combinations are accounted for under the acquisition method of accounting, which requires recognition separately from goodwill, the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed at their acquisition date fair values. While best estimates and assumptions are used to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date as well as contingent consideration, where applicable, the estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, adjustments are recorded to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill, which represents the excess of the purchase price of acquisition over the fair value of the net assets acquired, is carried at cost.  Goodwill is tested for impairment annually or more often if events or circumstances indicate a reduction in the fair value below the carrying value.   The carrying value of assets is calculated at the reporting unit level. An impairment loss is recorded to the extent that the fair value of the goodwill within the reporting unit is less than its carrying value.

The Company completed its annual goodwill impairment testing and determined that the carrying amount of goodwill was not impaired. See Note 8 to the Financial Statements for goodwill amounts.

Other intangible assets with definite lives consist primarily of purchased technology, customer relationships, brands and a favorable supply agreement, and are amortized over their respective estimated useful lives, ranging from one to twenty years.  

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment, and purchased intangibles subject to amortization, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of the asset is measured by comparison of its carrying amount to future net cash flows the asset is expected to generate. If such assets are considered impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its fair value.

Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities

The Company makes estimates related to certain employee benefits and miscellaneous accruals. Estimates for employee benefit accruals are based on management’s assessment of estimated liabilities related to workers’ compensation, health care benefits and annual contributions to an employee stock ownership plan (“ESOP”), established in 2004 as part of the Company’s retirement plan.  Estimates for miscellaneous accruals are based on management’s assessment of estimated liabilities for costs incurred.

The Company accrues for health care benefit costs under two self-funded plans, one for Sun Hydraulics US employees and one for Enovation Controls US employees.  The Company purchases re-insurance for both specific and aggregate stop losses on claims.  The individual stop loss basis is $225 and $250 for Sun and Enovation, respectively, and the aggregate stop loss limit for the Sun plan is approximately $6,600.  The Enovation plan has no aggregate stop loss limit.

Revenue Recognition

The Company reports revenues, net of sales incentives, when title passes and risk of loss transfers to the customer.  

Shipping and Handling Costs

Shipping and handling costs billed to distributors and customers are recorded in revenue.  Shipping costs incurred by the Company are recorded in cost of goods sold.

Foreign Currency Translation and Transactions

The financial statements of Sun’s foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using period-end exchange rates for assets and liabilities and average exchange rates for operating results. Unrealized translation gains and losses are included in “Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)” in shareholders’ equity. When a transaction is denominated in a currency other than the subsidiary’s functional currency, Sun recognizes a transaction gain or loss in “Foreign currency transaction (gain) loss, net” when the transaction is settled.

Income Taxes

The Company’s income tax policy provides for a liability approach under which deferred income taxes are provided for based upon enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the taxes become payable.  These differences result from items reported differently for financial reporting and income tax purposes, primarily depreciation, accrued expenses and reserves.

The Company reports a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The Company recognizes potential interest and penalties related to its unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.

Research and Development

The Company conducts research and development to create new products and to make improvements to products currently in use. Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred.

Stock-Based Compensation

All share-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date, based on the fair value of the award, and is recognized as an expense in earnings over the requisite service period.  Benefits or deficiencies of tax deductions in excess of recognized compensation costs are reported within financing cash flows.

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior period consolidated financial statements to conform to the current year presentation.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standard

In November 2015, the FASB issued guidance that requires all deferred tax assets and liabilities, along with any related valuation allowance, to be classified as noncurrent on the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position. Previous guidance required the deferred taxes for each jurisdiction to be presented as a net current asset or liability and net noncurrent asset or liability. As a result of the new guidance, each jurisdiction will now only have one net noncurrent deferred tax asset or liability. The new guidance does not change the existing requirement that only permits offsetting deferred tax assets and liabilities within a single jurisdiction. The new guidance is effective January 1, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company early adopted this guidance for the quarterly period beginning on October 2, 2016, on a prospective basis.