Bel Fuse - 10-Q quarterly report FY2015 Q3

The terms the "Company," "Bel," "we," "us," and "our" as used in this report refer to Bel Fuse Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise specified.

The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2015, and the condensed consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income and cash flows for the periods presented herein have been prepared by the Company and are unaudited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows for all periods presented have been made.  The results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.  These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Bel Fuse Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.

Certain information and footnote disclosures required under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP") have been condensed or omitted from the following condensed consolidated financial statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.  The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and the disclosure of contingent amounts in our condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

On June 19, 2014, we completed our acquisition of 100% of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the Power-One Power Solutions business ("Power Solutions") from ABB Ltd.  On July 25, 2014, we completed our acquisition of 100% of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the U.S. and U.K. Connectivity Solutions businesses from Emerson Electric Co. ("Emerson").  On August 29, 2014, we completed our acquisition of the Connectivity Solutions business in China from Emerson (collectively with the U.S. and U.K. portion of the transaction, "Connectivity Solutions").  The acquisitions of Power Solutions and Connectivity Solutions may hereafter be referred to collectively as either the "2014 Acquisitions" or the "2014 Acquired Companies".  As of the respective acquisition dates, all of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recorded at their estimated fair values.  The valuation of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the Power Solutions acquisition was finalized during the second quarter of 2015.  The valuation of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the Connectivity Solutions acquisition was finalized during the third quarter of 2015.  See Note 2, Acquisitions and Disposition, for further details.  The Company's condensed consolidated results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 include the operating results of the acquired companies.  The Company's condensed consolidated results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 include the results of the 2014 Acquired Companies from their respective dates of acquisition.

The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2014, and the condensed consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income and cash flows have been revised to reflect measurement period adjustments for the finalization of the valuation of the acquisition-date fair values related to property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and deferred taxes for the Power Solutions acquisition.  These measurement period adjustments were not considered material to the condensed consolidated financial statements.  See Note 2, Acquisitions and Disposition, for further details.

The Company's significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 1 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.  There were no significant changes to these accounting policies during the nine months ended September 30, 2015.

All amounts included in the tables to these notes to condensed consolidated financial statements, except per share amounts, are in thousands.

In April 2014, the FASB issued guidance for the reporting of discontinued operations, which also contains new disclosure requirements for both discontinued operations and other disposals that do not meet the definition of a discontinued operation. This guidance was adopted by the Company effective January 1, 2015. The effects of this guidance will depend on future disposals by the Company.

In September 2015, the FASB issued guidance which simplifies the accounting for measurement period adjustments related to business combinations, which eliminates the requirement for an acquirer in a business combination to account for measurement period adjustments retrospectively.  Under this guidance, acquirers must recognize measurement period adjustments in the period in which they determine the amounts, including the effect on earnings of any amount they would have recorded in previous periods if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date.  This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted.  Measurement period adjustments of any future acquisitions will be accounted for under this new guidance.

In July 2015, the FASB issued guidance which requires entities to measure most inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value, thereby simplifying the current guidance under which an entity must measure inventory at the lower of cost or market.  The update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods therein.  Early application is permitted.  Management is currently evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements, if any.

In April 2015, the FASB issued guidance on simplifying the balance sheet presentation of debt issuance costs. The update requires debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability instead of being presented as an asset. Debt disclosures will include the face amount of the debt liability and the effective interest rate. In August 2015, the FASB amended this guidance for debt issuance costs associated with line-of-credit arrangements to reflect that the SEC would not object to the deferral and presentation of debt issuance costs as an asset and subsequent amortization of debt issuance costs over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, whether or not there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement.  The update requires retrospective application and represents a change in accounting principle. The update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015. Early application is permitted. Management does not believe that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial position or results of operations.

In January 2015, the FASB issued guidance on simplifying the income statement presentation by eliminating the concept of extraordinary items.  Extraordinary items are events and transactions that are distinguished by their unusual nature and by the infrequency of their occurrence.  Eliminating the extraordinary classification simplifies income statement presentation by altogether removing the concept of extraordinary items from consideration.  This amendment is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015.  The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial position or results of operations.

In August 2014, the FASB issued guidance on the presentation of financial statements when there is substantial doubt about an entity's ability to continue as a going concern. The amendment requires that an entity's management evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the entity's ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. If conditions or events raise substantial doubt about an entity's ability to continue as a going concern, additional disclosure is required to enable users of the financial statements to understand the conditions or events, management's evaluation of the significance of those conditions and events and management's plans that are intended to alleviate or management's plans that have alleviated substantial doubt. The amendment is effective for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual periods and interim periods thereafter. Early application is permitted. Management does not believe that the adoption of this guidance will have any material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial position or results of operations.

In June 2014, the FASB issued guidance on stock compensation.  The amendment requires that a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition.  A reporting entity should apply existing guidance in Topic 718 as it relates to awards with performance conditions that affect vesting to account for such awards.  Compensation cost should be recognized in the period in which it becomes probable that the performance target will be achieved and should represent the compensation cost attributable to the period(s) for which the requisite service has already been rendered.  The amendment is effective for annual reporting periods (including interim reporting periods within those periods) beginning after December 15, 2015.  Earlier adoption is permitted.  Management does not believe that the adoption of this guidance will have any material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial position or results of operations.

In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance on the accounting for revenue from contracts with customers that will supersede most existing revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The core principle requires an entity to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods and 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 addition, the guidance requires enhanced disclosures regarding the nature, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from an entity's contracts with customers. This guidance allows for both retrospective and prospective methods of adoption and is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2016.  On July 9, 2015, the FASB decided to defer the effective date of this guidance by one year, however, early adoption as of the original effective date will be permitted.  Management is currently evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements, if any, including which transition method it will adopt.

On June 19, 2014, the Company completed its acquisition of Power Solutions for $109.9 million, net of cash acquired.  Power Solutions is a leading provider of high-efficiency and high-density power conversion products for server, storage and networking equipment, industrial applications and power systems. In connection with its acquisition of Power Solutions, the Company acquired a 49% interest in a joint venture in the People's Republic of China ("PRC").  The Company has assigned no value to this investment.  See Note 15, Related Party Transactions, for additional information. During the second quarter of 2015, the Company finalized the valuation of the Power Solutions acquisition as further detailed in the table below.  At the conclusion of the measurement period, which was one year after the acquisition date, there were certain working capital and tax related items outstanding with ABB Ltd.  The working capital item was settled with ABB Ltd. during the third quarter of 2015, which was after the conclusion of the measurement period and, as a result, the Company recognized $4.2 million of other income on the condensed consolidated statements of operations.  See Note 9, Income Taxes, for further information on the tax related items outstanding with ABB Ltd.

On July 25, 2014, the Company completed its acquisition of the U.S. and U.K. entities of Connectivity Solutions. On August 29, 2014, the China portion of the transaction closed.  The Company paid a total of $98.8 million for Connectivity Solutions, net of cash acquired and including a working capital adjustment.  Connectivity Solutions is a leading provider of high‑performance RF/Microwave and Harsh Environment Optical Connectors and Assemblies for military, aerospace, wireless communications, data communications, broadcast and industrial applications. During the third quarter of 2015, the Company finalized its valuation of the Connectivity Solutions acquisition as further detailed in the table below.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, the Company incurred $0.1 million and $0.6 million, respectively, of acquisition-related costs associated with the independent valuations of the 2014 Acquisitions and completion of the independent carve-out audit of Connectivity Solutions. During each of the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the Company incurred $3.8 million and $5.3 million, respectively, of acquisition related costs. These costs are included in selling, general and administrative expense on the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

The table below depicts the Company's final purchase price allocation for the 2014 Acquisitions as of the respective acquisition dates.

Of the goodwill noted above, $17.7 million of goodwill associated with Power Solutions and $3.2 million of goodwill associated with Connectivity Solutions will be deductible for U.S. income tax purposes.

The results of operations of the 2014 Acquired Companies have been included in the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements for the period subsequent to their respective acquisition dates.  During the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2015, the 2014 Acquired Companies contributed revenue of $57.7 million and $175.0 million, respectively, and operating income of approximately $5.3 million and $13.0 million, respectively, to the Company's condensed consolidated financial results.  During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the 2014 Acquisitions contributed revenue of $63.1 million and $70.3 million, respectively, and an operating loss of less than $0.1 million and $1.0 million, respectively, to the Company's condensed consolidated financial results.

The following unaudited pro forma information presents a summary of the combined results of operations of the Company and the aggregate results of Power Solutions and Connectivity Solutions for the periods presented as if the 2014 Acquisitions had occurred on January 1, 2013, along with certain pro forma adjustments.  The unaudited pro forma results are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of the results that would have actually been obtained if the acquisitions had occurred on January 1, 2013, nor is the pro forma data intended to be a projection of results that may be obtained in the future:

On January 23, 2015, the Company completed the sale of the Network Power Systems ("NPS") product line and related transactions of the acquired Power Solutions business to Unipower LLC ("Unipower") for $9.0 million in cash. The sale also included $1.0 million of escrow pending Unipower's realization of certain sales targets. This sale was not classified as a discontinued operation since the disposal did not represent a strategic shift that would have a major impact on Bel's operations.  The net proceeds of $9.0 million from the sale were used to repay outstanding borrowings in accordance with the provisions of the Credit and Security Agreement (see Note 8, Debt).  The transaction provides that Bel will move processes and people to Unipower under an interim transition services agreement and Bel will also continue to manufacture the NPS products for up to 24 months under a manufacturing services agreement.

As a result of the sale and related transactions, the Company recorded deferred revenue of $9.0 million during the first quarter of 2015.  Of this amount, the Company has recognized net sales of $1.1 million and $3.2 million, respectively, in the condensed consolidated statement of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015.  The Company will recognize the $1 million currently in escrow when and if Unipower realizes certain sales targets and such amount would be included in interest income and other, net on the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

Activity and liability balances related to restructuring costs for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 are as follows:

Fair value is defined as an exit price, representing the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants based upon the best use of the asset or liability at the measurement date.  Entities are required to use a fair value hierarchy which maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.  There are three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

As of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the Company held certain financial assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis.  These consisted of securities that are among the Company's investments in a rabbi trust which are intended to fund the Company's Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan ("SERP") obligations, and other marketable securities described below.  The securities that are held in the rabbi trust are categorized as available-for-sale securities and are included as other assets in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 at a carrying amount of $3.6 million and $6.5 million, respectively.  During the third quarter of 2015, the Company sold $2.8 million of its investments in the rabbi trust and utilized the proceeds to purchase additional company-owned life insurance.  The gross unrealized gains associated with the investment securities held in the rabbi trust were $0.6 million and $0.7 million at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.  Such unrealized gains are included, net of tax, in accumulated other comprehensive loss.  As of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the Company had other marketable securities with a combined fair value of less than $0.1 million at each date, and gross unrealized gains of less than $0.1 million at each date.  Such unrealized gains are included, net of tax, in accumulated other comprehensive income.

The fair value of the equity securities is determined based on quoted market prices in public markets and is categorized as Level 1.  The Company does not have any financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis categorized as Level 3, and there were no transfers in or out of Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 during the nine months ended September 30, 2015.  There were no changes to the Company's valuation techniques used to measure asset fair values on a recurring or nonrecurring basis during the nine months ended September 30, 2015.

There were no financial assets accounted for at fair value on a nonrecurring basis as of September 30, 2015 or December 31, 2014.

The Company has other financial instruments, such as cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, restricted cash, accounts payable, accrued expenses and notes payable, which are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis but are recorded at amounts that approximate fair value due to their liquid or short-term nature.  The fair value of the Company's long-term debt is estimated using a discounted cash flow method based on interest rates that are currently available for debt issuances with similar terms and maturities (Level 2 inputs).  At September 30, 2015, the estimated fair value of long-term debt was $197.1 million compared to a carrying amount of 197.7 million. The Company did not have any other financial liabilities within the scope of the fair value disclosure requirements as of September 30, 2015 or December 31, 2014.

Nonfinancial assets and liabilities, such as goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets and long-lived assets, are accounted for at fair value on a nonrecurring basis.   These items are tested for impairment on the occurrence of a triggering event or, in the case of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, on at least an annual basis.  There were no triggering events that occurred during the nine months ended September 30, 2015 or 2014 that would warrant interim impairment testing.

The components of inventories are as follows:

Depreciation expense for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 was $3.8 million and $4.8 million, respectively.  Depreciation expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 was $11.9 million and $10.1 million, respectively.

Accrued expenses consist of the following:

Warranties vary by product line and are competitive for the markets in which the Company operates.  Warranties generally extend for one to three years from the date of sale. The Company reviews its warranty liability quarterly based on an analysis of actual expenses and failure rates accompanied with estimated future costs and projected failure rate trends. Factors taken into consideration when evaluating our warranty reserve are (i) historical claims for each product, (ii) volume increases, (iii) life of warranty, (iv) historical warranty repair costs and (v) other factors. To the extent that actual experience differs from our estimate, the provision for product warranties will be adjusted in future periods. Actual warranty repair costs are charged against the reserve balance as incurred.

On June 19, 2014, the Company entered into a senior Credit and Security Agreement with KeyBank National Association ("KeyBank") (as amended, the "Credit and Security Agreement" or "CSA").  The CSA consists of (i) a $50 million revolving credit facility ("Revolver"), (ii) a $145 million term loan facility ("Term Loan") and (iii) a $70 million delayed draw term loan ("DDTL") and matures on June 18, 2019.  During 2014, the Company borrowed an aggregate amount of $238.0 million under the CSA to fund the 2014 Acquisitions.  The Company had outstanding borrowings of $197.7 million and $232.6 million under the CSA at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

The CSA contains customary representations and warranties, covenants and events of default and financial covenants that measure (i) the ratio of the Company's total funded indebtedness, on a consolidated basis, to the amount of the Company's consolidated EBITDA, as defined, ("Leverage Ratio") and (ii) the ratio of the amount of the Company's consolidated EBITDA to the Company's consolidated fixed charges ("Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio"). If an event of default occurs, the lenders under the CSA would be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of amounts due thereunder and all actions permitted to be taken by a secured creditor.  At September 30, 2015, the Company was in compliance with its debt covenants, including its most restrictive covenant, the Leverage Ratio.  The unused credit available under the credit facility at September 30, 2015 was $43.5 million.

The Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various states and foreign jurisdictions.  The Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal examinations by tax authorities for years before 2011 and for state examinations before 2008.   Regarding foreign subsidiaries, the Company is no longer subject to examination by tax authorities for years before 2003 in Asia and generally 2007 in Europe.

As a result of the expiration of the statute of limitations for specific jurisdictions, it is reasonably possible that the related unrecognized benefits for tax positions taken regarding previously filed tax returns may change materially from those recorded as liabilities for uncertain tax positions in the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements at September 30, 2015.  A total of $1.8 million of previously recorded liabilities for uncertain tax positions related principally to the 2012 tax year which will expire during the three months ending September 30, 2016.  Additionally, a total of $0.2 million of previously recorded liabilities for uncertain tax positions relating to the 2011 tax year were reversed during the quarter ended September 15, 2015 due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. This was offset by an increase to the liability for uncertain tax positions in the amount of $2.8 million which is included in the condensed consolidated statement of operations during the nine months ended September 30, 2015.

As part of the acquisition of Power Solutions the Company acquired a $35.8 million liability for uncertain tax positions.  Of this amount, $12.0 million relates to an ongoing claim by the Arezzo Revenue Agency in Italy concerning certain tax matters related to what was then Power-One Asia Pacific Electronics Shenzhen Co. Ltd. (now Bel Power Solutions Asia Pacific Electronics Shenzhen Co. Ltd.) for the years 2004 through 2006.  The Company also acquired a liability for additional uncertain tax positions related to various tax matters for the years 2007 through 2013.  At the conclusion of the measurement period related to the Power Solutions acquisition and as of September 30, 2015, certain of these tax matters were being pursued with the applicable taxing authority.  From the date of acquisition through September 30, 2015, the Company has recorded $3.1 million of interest and penalties pertaining to this issue and will continue to accrue applicable interest and penalties until the matters are resolved or upon expiration of the respective statute of limitations. Any changes in facts and circumstances related to these tax matters will be recorded on a prospective basis and not included as purchase price adjustments.  The amounts noted in the table above, if recognized, would reduce the Company's effective tax rate.

The Company's policy is to recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits arising from uncertain tax positions as a component of the current provision for income taxes.  During the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, the Company recognized $2.1 million and an immaterial amount, respectively, in interest and penalties in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.  During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, the Company recognized a benefit of an immaterial amount for the reversal of such interest and penalties.  The Company has approximately $3.7 million and $1.6 million, accrued for the payment of such interest and penalties at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively, which is included in both income taxes payable and liability for uncertain tax positions in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Upon the finalization of the purchase price allocations of Power Solutions and Connectivity Solutions, there were net deferred tax assets of $2.2 million and $1.2 million, respectively, arising from various temporary differences and net operating loss carry forward acquired, which are included in the condensed consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2015.  In connection with the 2014 Acquisitions, the Company was required to complete a fair market value report of property, plant and equipment and intangibles.  As a result of that report, the Company established deferred tax liabilities at the date of acquisition in the amount of $3.1 million and $16.4 million, respectively, for the Power Solutions and Connectivity Solutions acquisitions. At September 30, 2015, a net deferred tax liability of $19.5 million remains on the condensed consolidated balance sheet for the 2014 Acquisitions.  See Note 2, Acquisitions and Disposition, for further information about the 2014 Acquisitions.

The Company has made elections to step up the tax basis to fair value under IRC Section 338(g) for the Power Solutions acquisitions and for a single jurisdiction with respect to the Connectivity Solutions acquisition.  The elections made under Section 338(g) only affect U.S. income taxes (not those of the foreign country where the acquired entities were incorporated).

On December 31, 2013, under the "American Taxpayer Relief Act" ("ATRA"), the Research and Experimentation credit ("R&E") expired.  On December 16, 2014, the R&E credit was extended back to January 1, 2014. The R&E credits for the year ending 2015 have not been extended.

The Company maintains the Bel Fuse Inc. Employees' Savings Plan, a defined contribution plan that is intended to meet the applicable requirements for tax-qualification under sections 401(a) and (k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). The Employees' Savings Plan allows eligible employees to voluntarily contribute a percentage of their eligible compensation, subject to Code limitations, which contributions are matched by the Company. For plan years beginning on and after January 1, 2012, the Company's matching contributions are made in cash and are equal to 100% of the first 1% of compensation contributed by participants, and 50% of the next 5% of compensation contributed by participants. Prior to January 1, 2012, the Company's matching and profit sharing contributions were made in the form of shares of Bel Fuse Inc. Class A and Class B common stock. The expense for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 amounted to $0.3 million in each period.  The expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 amounted to $0.9 million and $0.6 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2015, the plan owned 13,928 and 169,989 shares of Bel Fuse Inc. Class A and Class B common stock, respectively.

The Company's subsidiaries in Asia have a retirement fund covering substantially all of their Hong Kong based full-time employees.  Eligible employees contribute up to 5% of salary to the fund.  In addition, the Company must contribute a minimum of 5% of eligible salary, as determined by Hong Kong government regulations.  The Company currently contributes 7% of eligible salary in cash or Company stock.  The expense for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 amounted to $0.1 million in each period. The expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 amounted to $0.2 in each period. As of September 30, 2015, the plan owned 3,323 and 17,342 shares of Bel Fuse Inc. Class A and Class B common stock, respectively.

The Company maintains a SERP, which is designed to provide a limited group of key management and highly compensated employees of the Company with supplemental retirement and death benefits.  As discussed in Note 4, Fair Value Measurements, the Company has investments in a rabbi trust which are intended to fund the obligations of the SERP.

The components of SERP expense are as follows:

The components of accumulated other comprehensive loss at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are summarized below:

Changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss by component during the nine months ended September 30, 2015 are as follows.  All amounts are net of tax.

The Company is party to a number of legal actions and claims, none of which individually or in the aggregate, in the opinion of management, are expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated results of operations or financial position.  See the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 for the details of all of Bel's material pending lawsuits.

The Company was a defendant in a lawsuit captioned SynQor, Inc. v. Artesyn Technologies, Inc., et al. brought in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas in November 2007 ("SynQor I case").  The plaintiff alleged that eleven defendants, including Bel, infringed its patents covering certain power products. With respect to the Company, the plaintiff claimed that the Company infringed its patents related to unregulated bus converters and/or point-of-load (POL) converters used in intermediate bus architecture power supply systems. The case initially went to trial in December 2010.  A decision was ultimately rendered in November 2013 in favor of the plaintiff, and the Company released a payment to SynQor of $10.9 million.  The Company subsequently received a $2.1 million payment from one of its customers related to an indemnification agreement and reimbursement of certain legal fees.

In a related matter, on September 29, 2011, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ordered SynQor, Inc.'s continuing causes of action for post-verdict damages to be severed from the original action and assigned to a new case number.  The new action captioned SynQor, Inc. v. Artesyn Technologies, Inc., et al. (Case Number 2:11cv444) is a patent infringement action for damages in the form of lost profits and reasonable royalties for the period beginning January 24, 2011 ("SynQor II case").  SynQor, Inc. also seeks enhanced damages.  The Company has an indemnification agreement in place with one of its customers specifically covering post-verdict damages related to this case.  This case went to trial on July 30, 2013.  In April 2014, a final judgment was rendered in this case, whereby the Company was assessed an additional $0.7 million in post-verdict damages.  This amount was paid by the Company in July 2014 and was subsequently reimbursed by one of its customers under the terms of the indemnification agreement referenced above.  SynQor filed an appeal of the final judgment in May 2014, which is currently pending with the CAFC. The CAFC heard oral arguments from the parties on this matter on March 2, 2015. The Court has yet to render its decision on this case.

The Company is a plaintiff in a lawsuit captioned Bel Fuse Inc. et al. v. Molex Inc. brought in the United District Court of New Jersey in April 2013.  The Company claims that Molex infringed three of the Company's patents related to integrated magnetic connector products.  Molex filed a motion to dismiss the complaint on August 6, 2013.  The Company filed an amended complaint and response on August 20, 2013.  Molex withdrew its original Motion to Dismiss and filed a second, revised Motion to Dismiss on September 6, 2013.  The Company filed its response on October 7, 2013.  The Court denied Molex's revised Motion to Dismiss on June 16, 2014.  In June 2014, Molex initiated an Inter Partes Review (IPR) at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for one of the three patents associated with this case.  The Company and Molex executed an agreement in September 2014 to terminate the IPR and to withdraw one of the patents from the district court litigation.  The Parties settled the case involving the two remaining patents for $0.5 million in September 2015 and the case was subsequently dismissed by the Court in October 2015.  The Company recognized the settlement amount in net sales on the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

In connection with the acquisition of Power Solutions, there is an ongoing claim by the Arezzo Revenue Agency in Italy concerning certain tax matters related to what was then Power-One Asia Pacific Electronics Shenzhen Co. Ltd. (now Bel Power Solutions Asia Pacific Electronics Shenzhen Co. Ltd, or "BPS China") for the years 2004 to 2006.  In September 2012, the Tax Court of Arezzo ruled in favor of BPS China and cancelled the claim.  In February 2013, the Arezzo Revenue Agency filed an appeal of the Tax Court's ruling. The hearing of the appeal was held on October 2, 2014.  On October 13, 2014, BPS China was informed of the Regional Tax Commission of Florence ruling which was in favor of the Arezzo Revenue Agency and against BPS China.  The estimated liability related to this matter is approximately $12.0 million and has been included as a liability for uncertain tax positions on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet.  As Bel is fully indemnified in this matter per the terms of the stock purchase agreement with ABB, a corresponding other asset for indemnification is also included in other assets on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014.

The Company, through its subsidiary Cinch Connectors Inc., is a defendant in an asbestos lawsuit captioned Richard Skrzypek vs. Adience Inc., et al. The lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court for the County of Wayne in the State of Michigan. The complaint was amended to include Cinch Connectors Inc. and other defendants on November 13, 2014. The Company filed its answer to the complaint on January 23, 2015.  The Parties reached a settlement for an immaterial amount in November 2015.

The Company is not a party to any other legal proceeding, the adverse outcome of which is likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company's condensed consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

The Company operates in one industry with three reportable operating segments, which are geographic in nature.  The segments consist of North America, Asia and Europe.  The primary criteria by which financial performance is evaluated and resources are allocated are net sales and income from operations.  The following is a summary of key financial data:

Net Sales – Segment net sales are attributed to individual segments based on the geographic source of the billing for such customer sales.  Intercompany sales include finished products manufactured in foreign countries which are then transferred to the United States and Europe for sale; finished goods manufactured in the United States which are transferred to Europe and Asia for sale; and semi-finished components manufactured in the United States which are sold to Asia for further processing. Income from operations represents net sales less operating costs and expenses and does not include any amounts related to intercompany transactions.

The following items are included in the segment data presented above: