Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Basis of Presentation

v3.20.2
Basis of Presentation
12 Months Ended
Aug. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Note 1.    Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Nature of Operations:  Enerpac Tool Group Corp. (the “Company”), formerly known as Actuant Corporation, is a global manufacturer of a broad range of industrial products and solutions, organized into two operating segments. The Industrial Tools & Services segment ("IT&S"), the Company's only reportable segment, is primarily engaged in the design, manufacture and distribution of branded hydraulic and mechanical tools and in providing services and tool rental to the industrial, maintenance, infrastructure, oil & gas, energy and other markets. 
Consolidation and Presentation: The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries, all of which are wholly owned. The results of companies acquired or disposed of during the year are included in the consolidated financial statements from the effective date of acquisition or until the date of divestiture. All intercompany balances, transactions and profits have been eliminated in consolidation.
The Company has two operating segments: Industrial Tools & Services ("IT&S") and Other, with IT&S representing the only reportable segment.
At August 31, 2019, the Company's former Engineered Components & Systems ("EC&S") segment was considered held for sale and was subsequently divested on October 31, 2019. As the divestiture represented a strategic shift in our operations, the results of the former segment through the date of divestiture and subsequent impacts to the financial results from retained liabilities are recorded in "Loss from discontinued operations, net of income taxes" within the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Further, the assets and liabilities, respectively, of the former segment are reflected as "Assets from discontinued operations" and "Liabilities from discontinued operations" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at August 31, 2019. The results of the Cortland Fibron and Precision Hayes businesses which were a component of the EC&S segment prior to their divestiture in the year ended August 31, 2019, were also part of the strategic shift, as such, they are also reflected in "Loss from discontinued operations, net of income taxes" within the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Cash Equivalents: The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of 90 days or less to be cash equivalents.
Inventories: Inventories are comprised of material, direct labor and manufacturing overhead, and are stated at the lower of cost or market. Inventory cost is determined using the last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) method for a portion of the U.S. owned inventory (44.1% and 47.9% of total inventories in 2020 and 2019, respectively). The first-in, first-out or average cost methods are used for all other inventories. If the LIFO method were not used, inventory balances would be higher than reported amounts in the consolidated balance sheets by $10.2 million and $10.3 million at August 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
The nature of the Company’s products is such that they generally have a very short production cycle. Consequently, the amount of work-in-process at any point in time is minimal. In addition, many parts or components are ultimately either sold individually or assembled with other parts making a distinction between raw materials and finished goods impractical to determine. Certain locations maintain and manage their inventories using a job cost system where the distinction of categories of inventory by state of completion is also not available. As a result of these factors, it is neither practical nor cost effective to segregate the amounts of raw materials, work-in-process or finished goods inventories at the respective balance sheet dates, as segregation would only be possible as the result of physical inventories which are taken at dates different from the balance sheet dates.
Property, Plant and Equipment: Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost. Plant and equipment are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, ranging from ten to forty years for buildings and improvements and two to fifteen years for machinery and equipment. Equipment includes assets (joint integrity tools) which are rented to customers of our IT&S segment. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the life of the related asset or the term of the lease. Depreciation expense was $12.4 million, $11.3 million and $11.1 million for the years ended August 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The following is a summary of the Company's components of property, plant and equipment (in thousands):
August 31, 2020 August 31, 2019
Land, buildings and improvements $ 33,548  $ 29,661 
Machinery and equipment 134,536  140,083 
Gross property, plant and equipment 168,084  169,744 
Less: Accumulated depreciation (106,679) (113,015)
Property, plant and equipment, net $ 61,405  $ 56,729 
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets: Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives are not subject to amortization, but are subject to annual impairment testing. Other intangible assets with definite lives, consisting primarily of
purchased customer relationships, patents, trademarks and tradenames, are amortized over periods from one to twenty-five years.
The Company’s goodwill is tested for impairment annually, during the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill might be impaired. The Company performs impairment reviews for its reporting units using a fair value method based on management’s judgments and assumptions. In estimating the fair value, the Company utilizes a discounted cash flow model, which is dependent on a number of assumptions, most significantly forecasted revenues and operating profit margins, and the weighted average cost of capital. The estimated fair value of the reporting unit is compared to the carrying amount of the reporting unit, including goodwill. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recorded and should not exceed the total amount of the goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. Indefinite-lived intangible assets are also subject to an annual impairment test. On an annual basis, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired, the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated by the Company to determine if an impairment charge is required. A considerable amount of management judgment is required in performing impairment tests, principally in determining the fair value of each reporting unit and the indefinite-lived intangible assets.
Product Warranty Costs: The Company generally offers its customers an assurance warranty on products sold, although warranty periods may vary by product type and application. The reserve for future warranty claims, which is recorded within the "Other current liabilities" line on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, is based on historical claim rates and current warranty cost experience. The following is a rollforward of the changes in product warranty reserves for fiscal years 2020 and 2019 (in thousands):
2020 2019
Beginning balance $ 1,145  $ 931 
Provision for warranties 677  1,326 
Warranty payments and costs incurred (934) (1,077)
Warranty activity for divested businesses (27) — 
Impact of changes in foreign currency rates 31  (35)
Ending balance $ 892  $ 1,145 
Revenue from Contracts with Customers: The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation in a contract by transferring control of a distinct good or service to a customer. A contract’s transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and revenue is measured based on the consideration that the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for the goods or services transferred. When contracts include multiple products or services to be delivered to the customer, the consideration for each element is generally allocated on the standalone transaction prices of the separate performance obligations, using the adjusted market assessment approach.
Under normal circumstances, the Company invoices the customer once transfer of control has occurred and has a right to payment. The typical payment terms vary based on the customer and the types of goods and services in the contract. The period of time between invoicing and when payment is due is not significant, as our standard payment terms are less than one year. Amounts billed and due from customers are classified as receivables on the balance sheet.
Customer sales are recorded net of allowances for returns and discounts, which are recognized as a deduction from sales at the time of sale. The Company commits to one-time or on-going trade discounts and promotions with customers that require the Company to estimate and accrue the ultimate costs of such programs.The Company generally does not require collateral or other security for receivables and provides for an allowance for doubtful accounts based on historical experience and a review of its existing receivables. Accounts receivable are stated net of an allowance for doubtful accounts of $5.0 million and $5.1 million at August 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.  
Taxes Collected: Taxes collected by the Company from a customer concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from "Net sales" within the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Shipping and Handling Costs: The Company records costs associated with shipping its products after control over a product has transferred to a customer and are accounted for as fulfillment costs. These costs are reported in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in "Cost of products sold."
Research and Development Costs: Research and development costs consist primarily of an allocation of overall engineering and development resources and are expensed as incurred. Such costs incurred in the development of new products or significant improvements to existing products were $7.3 million, $9.3 million and $8.7 million in fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The Company also incurs significant costs in connection with fulfilling custom orders and developing solutions for unique customer needs which are not included in these research and development expense totals.
Other Income/Expense: Other income and expense primarily consists of net foreign currency exchange transaction losses of $2.6 million and $0.2 million in fiscal 2020 and 2019, respectively, with a gain of less than $0.1 million in fiscal 2018. In addition, as a result of the EC&S divestiture and the transition services agreement entered into with the buyer, the Company recorded $4.9 million of other income from providing the agreed upon services in fiscal 2020.
Financing Costs: Financing costs represent interest expense, financing fees and amortization of debt issuance costs, net of interest income. Interest income was $0.8 million, $0.7 million and $1.2 million for fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Income Taxes: The provision for income taxes includes federal, state, local and non-U.S. taxes on income. Tax credits, primarily for non-U.S. earnings, are recognized as a reduction of the provision for income taxes in the year in which they are available for U.S. tax purposes. Deferred taxes are provided on temporary differences between assets and liabilities for financial and tax reporting purposes as measured by enacted tax rates expected to apply when temporary differences are settled or realized. Future tax benefits are recognized to the extent that realization of those benefits is considered to be more likely than not. A valuation allowance is established for deferred tax assets for which realization is not more likely than not of being realized. The Company has not provided for any residual U.S. income taxes on unremitted earnings of non-U.S. subsidiaries, as such earnings are intended to be indefinitely reinvested. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.
Foreign Currency Translation: The financial statements of the Company’s foreign operations are translated into U.S. dollars using the exchange rate at each balance sheet date for assets and liabilities and an appropriate weighted average exchange rate for each applicable period within the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Translation adjustments are reflected in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity caption “Accumulated other comprehensive loss.”
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss: The following is a summary of the components included within accumulated other comprehensive loss (in thousands):
August 31,
2020 2019
Foreign currency translation adjustments $ 75,896  $ 151,115 
Pension and other postretirement benefit plans 24,750  20,557 
Unrecognized losses on cash flow hedges 78  — 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss $ 100,724  $ 171,672 
Use of Estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. The Company regularly evaluates the estimates and assumptions related to the allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory valuation, warranty reserves, goodwill, intangible and long-lived asset valuations, employee benefit plan liabilities, over-time revenue recognition, income tax liabilities, deferred tax assets and related valuation allowances, uncertain tax positions, restructuring reserves, and litigation and other loss contingencies. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused additional uncertainty with respect to certain estimates. The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will directly or indirectly impact our business, results of operations and financial condition, will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain, including as a result of new information that may emerge concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and the additional actions taken to contain it or treat it, as well as the severity and duration of the economic impact on local, regional, national and international customers, suppliers and markets. As such, there could be a material adverse impact on the Company's financial condition or results of operations. Management has made estimates of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our financial statements and there may be changes to those estimates in future periods as new information becomes available. Actual results could differ materially and adversely from those estimates and assumptions, and such results could materially affect the Company’s consolidated net income, financial position, or cash flows.
The Company manages the profitability of its product and service & rental categories on a combined basis given the complexity of the business model. This model includes providing integrated product and service solutions resulting in facilities that generate revenues from both product and service & rental categories, which also have significant indirect and facility overhead costs included in cost of sales. As such, judgment and estimates are required to disaggregate product and service & rental cost of sales including allocating indirect and facility overhead costs between cost of product sales and the cost of service & rental sales. Changes in these judgments and estimates could materially change the allocation of the indirect and facility overhead costs to the different sales categories and the resulting ratio of cost of sales to net sales by category. Because the sales mix heavily favors the product category, a change in the mix of cost of sales between the sales categories would have a more significant impact on the ratio of cost of sales to net sales for the service & rental category. In addition, due to the recent
changes in our business model, which includes the integration of the Enerpac and Hydratight businesses within the IT&S segment, the decision to exit certain non-strategic businesses and product lines, and the restructuring actions taken by the Company, the historical ratios of cost of sales to net sales by category may not be indicative of future ratios of cost of sales to net sales by category.
New Accounting Pronouncements
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (and subsequently ASU 2018-01 and ASU 2019-01), to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing all lease transactions on the balance sheet as a lease liability and a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset. The amendments also expanded disclosure requirements for key information about leasing arrangements. On September 1, 2019, the Company adopted the standard using a modified retrospective approach and elected the package of practical expedients allowing us to not reassess whether any expired or existing contracts contain leases, the lease classification for any expired or existing leases, and initial direct costs for leases that commenced prior to September 1, 2019. In addition, we elected not to recognize ROU assets or lease liabilities for leases containing terms of 12 months or less and not separate lease components from non-lease components for all asset classes. The Company updated its standard lease accounting policy to address the new standard, revised the Company’s business processes and controls to align to the updated policy and new standard and completed the implementation of and data input into the Company’s lease accounting software solution. The most significant impact of the standard on the Company was the recognition of a $60.8 million ROU asset and operating lease liability on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at adoption. The standard did not have a significant impact on our Consolidated Statements of Operations or Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. In addition, as a result of sale leaseback transactions in previous years for which gains were deferred and under the new standard would have been recognized, the Company recorded an increase to retained earnings of $0.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2020, which represents the recognition of these previously deferred gains. See Note 10, “Leases” for further discussion of the Company’s operating leases.
In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which allows companies to reclassify stranded income tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings in their consolidated financial statements. The Company adopted the guidance on September 1, 2019 and recorded an increase to retained earnings with an offsetting increase in accumulated other comprehensive loss of $3.7 million.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block] Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets: Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives are not subject to amortization, but are subject to annual impairment testing. Other intangible assets with definite lives, consisting primarily of
purchased customer relationships, patents, trademarks and tradenames, are amortized over periods from one to twenty-five years.
The Company’s goodwill is tested for impairment annually, during the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill might be impaired. The Company performs impairment reviews for its reporting units using a fair value method based on management’s judgments and assumptions. In estimating the fair value, the Company utilizes a discounted cash flow model, which is dependent on a number of assumptions, most significantly forecasted revenues and operating profit margins, and the weighted average cost of capital. The estimated fair value of the reporting unit is compared to the carrying amount of the reporting unit, including goodwill. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recorded and should not exceed the total amount of the goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. Indefinite-lived intangible assets are also subject to an annual impairment test. On an annual basis, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired, the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated by the Company to determine if an impairment charge is required. A considerable amount of management judgment is required in performing impairment tests, principally in determining the fair value of each reporting unit and the indefinite-lived intangible assets.
New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy
New Accounting Pronouncements
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (and subsequently ASU 2018-01 and ASU 2019-01), to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing all lease transactions on the balance sheet as a lease liability and a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset. The amendments also expanded disclosure requirements for key information about leasing arrangements. On September 1, 2019, the Company adopted the standard using a modified retrospective approach and elected the package of practical expedients allowing us to not reassess whether any expired or existing contracts contain leases, the lease classification for any expired or existing leases, and initial direct costs for leases that commenced prior to September 1, 2019. In addition, we elected not to recognize ROU assets or lease liabilities for leases containing terms of 12 months or less and not separate lease components from non-lease components for all asset classes. The Company updated its standard lease accounting policy to address the new standard, revised the Company’s business processes and controls to align to the updated policy and new standard and completed the implementation of and data input into the Company’s lease accounting software solution. The most significant impact of the standard on the Company was the recognition of a $60.8 million ROU asset and operating lease liability on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at adoption. The standard did not have a significant impact on our Consolidated Statements of Operations or Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. In addition, as a result of sale leaseback transactions in previous years for which gains were deferred and under the new standard would have been recognized, the Company recorded an increase to retained earnings of $0.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2020, which represents the recognition of these previously deferred gains. See Note 10, “Leases” for further discussion of the Company’s operating leases.
In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which allows companies to reclassify stranded income tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings in their consolidated financial statements. The Company adopted the guidance on September 1, 2019 and recorded an increase to retained earnings with an offsetting increase in accumulated other comprehensive loss of $3.7 million. on the adoption date.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”), which adds an impairment model that is based on expected losses rather than incurred losses and is called the Current Expected Credit Losses (“CECL”) model. This impairment model is applicable to loans, debt securities, trade receivables, net investments in leases, off-balance sheet credit exposures, reinsurance receivables as well as any other financial asset with the contractual right to receive cash. Under the new model, an allowance equal to the estimate of lifetime expected credit losses is recognized which will result in more timely loss recognition. The guidance is intended to reduce complexity by decreasing the number of credit impairment models. This guidance must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition method through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings in the period of adoption. The Company is required to adopt this new guidance in the first quarter of 2021. The Company reviewed the impact of this ASU on its consolidated financial statements and concluded that any cumulative-effect adjustment would be immaterial.