Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits | Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits The accounting standards related to employers’ accounting for defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans requires the Company to recognize the funded status of its defined benefit postretirement plans as assets or liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and to recognize changes in the funded status of the plans in comprehensive income. The Company has various defined contribution plans, the largest of which is its Retirement Savings Plan. Most U.S. salaried and non-union hourly employees are eligible to participate in this plan. See Note 17 for further discussion of the Retirement Savings Plan. The Company also maintains various other defined contribution plans which cover certain other employees. Company contributions under certain of these plans are based on the performance of the business units and employee compensation. Contribution expense under these other defined contribution plans was $4,870, $5,475 and $5,301 in 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Defined benefit pension plans in the U.S. cover a majority of the Company’s U.S. employees at the Engineered Components and Force & Motion Control businesses of Industrial, certain former U.S. employees, including retirees, and a portion of employees at the Company’s Corporate Office. Employees at certain international businesses within Industrial are also covered by defined benefit pension plans. Plan benefits for salaried and non-union hourly employees are based on years of service and average salary. Plans covering union hourly employees provide benefits based on years of service. The Company funds U.S. pension costs in accordance with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”). Non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans cover certain employees of certain international locations in Europe and Canada. The Company provides other medical, dental and life insurance postretirement benefits for certain of its retired employees in the U.S. and Canada. It is the Company’s practice to fund these benefits as incurred. The accompanying balance sheets reflect the funded status of the Company’s defined benefit pension plans at December 31, 2022 and 2021. Reconciliations of the obligations and funded status of the plans follow: 2022 2021 U.S. Non-U.S. Total U.S. Non-U.S. Total Benefit obligation, January 1 $ 442,756 $ 89,460 $ 532,216 $ 461,296 $ 96,508 $ 557,804 Service cost 3,869 1,820 5,689 4,378 2,169 6,547 Interest cost 13,144 964 14,108 11,963 786 12,749 Amendments 121 — 121 862 — 862 Actuarial gain (94,516) (23,739) (118,255) (10,734) (3,747) (14,481) Benefits paid (24,882) (2,592) (27,474) (25,009) (4,499) (29,508) Transfers in — 2,694 2,694 — 2,468 2,468 Plan curtailments 708 — 708 — (603) (603) Plan settlements — (4,527) (4,527) — (2,464) (2,464) Special termination benefits 395 — 395 — — — Participant contributions — 1,034 1,034 — 1,171 1,171 Foreign exchange rate changes — (4,403) (4,403) — (2,329) (2,329) Benefit obligation, December 31 341,595 60,711 402,306 442,756 89,460 532,216 Fair value of plan assets, January 1 422,563 87,366 509,929 413,898 88,880 502,778 Actual return on plan assets (95,573) (10,275) (105,848) 30,880 2,214 33,094 Company contributions 2,773 1,321 4,094 2,794 1,403 4,197 Participant contributions — 1,034 1,034 — 1,171 1,171 Benefits paid (24,882) (2,592) (27,474) (25,009) (4,499) (29,508) Plan settlements — (4,527) (4,527) — (2,464) (2,464) Transfers in — 2,694 2,694 — 2,468 2,468 Foreign exchange rate changes — (4,982) (4,982) — (1,807) (1,807) Fair value of plan assets, December 31 304,881 70,039 374,920 422,563 87,366 509,929 (Underfunded) Overfunded status, December 31 $ (36,714) $ 9,328 $ (27,386) $ (20,193) $ (2,094) $ (22,287) Benefit obligations decreased in 2022 and 2021 primarily due to actuarial gains, resulting largely from increases in the discount rate, and the payment of benefits to plan participants, partially offset by interest costs. Projected benefit obligations related to pension plans with benefit obligations in excess of plan assets follow: 2022 2021 U.S. Non-U.S. Total U.S. Non-U.S. Total Projected benefit obligation $ 268,811 $ 34,820 $ 303,631 $ 43,184 $ 49,272 $ 92,456 Fair value of plan assets 226,866 33,856 260,722 5,592 34,463 40,055 Information related to pension plans with accumulated benefit obligations in excess of plan assets follows: 2022 2021 U.S. Non-U.S. Total U.S. Non-U.S. Total Accumulated benefit obligation $ 46,267 $ 34,762 $ 81,029 $ 43,108 $ 49,131 $ 92,239 Fair value of plan assets 9,813 33,856 43,669 5,592 34,463 40,055 The accumulated benefit obligation for all defined benefit pension plans was $395,663 and $520,356 at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Amounts related to pensions recognized in the accompanying balance sheets consist of: 2022 2021 U.S. Non-U.S. Total U.S. Non-U.S. Total Other assets $ 5,231 $ 10,292 $ 15,523 $ 17,399 $ 12,715 $ 30,114 Accrued liabilities 8,369 — 8,369 3,160 — 3,160 Accrued retirement benefits 33,576 964 34,540 34,432 14,809 49,241 Accumulated other non-owner changes to equity, net (108,265) (2,636) (110,901) (96,425) (13,684) (110,109) Amounts related to pensions recognized in accumulated other non-owner changes to equity, net of tax, at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, consist of: 2022 2021 U.S. Non-U.S. Total U.S. Non-U.S. Total Net actuarial loss $ (106,887) $ (2,131) $ (109,018) $ (94,496) $ (13,095) $ (107,591) Prior service costs (1,378) (505) (1,883) (1,929) (589) (2,518) $ (108,265) $ (2,636) $ (110,901) $ (96,425) $ (13,684) $ (110,109) The accompanying balance sheets reflect the underfunded status of the Company’s other postretirement benefit plans at December 31, 2022 and 2021. Reconciliations of the obligations and underfunded status of the plans follow: 2022 2021 Benefit obligation, January 1 $ 29,839 $ 33,104 Service cost 77 103 Interest cost 808 819 Actuarial gain (6,375) (2,115) Benefits paid (2,597) (2,690) Participant contributions 141 589 Foreign exchange rate changes 71 29 Benefit obligation, December 31 21,964 29,839 Fair value of plan assets, January 1 — — Company contributions 2,456 2,101 Participant contributions 141 589 Benefits paid (2,597) (2,690) Fair value of plan assets, December 31 — — Underfunded status, December 31 $ 21,964 $ 29,839 Benefit obligations decreased in 2022 and 2021 primarily due to increases in actuarial gains, resulting largely from increases in the discount rate, and by the payment of benefits to plan participants. Amounts related to other postretirement benefits recognized in the accompanying balance sheets consist of: 2022 2021 Accrued liabilities $ 2,630 $ 2,883 Accrued retirement benefits 19,334 26,956 Accumulated other non-owner changes to equity, net 2,261 (2,198) Amounts related to other postretirement benefits recognized in accumulated other non-owner changes to equity, net of tax, at December 31, 2022 and 2021 consist of: 2022 2021 Net actuarial gain (loss) $ 2,269 $ (2,141) Prior service loss (8) (57) $ 2,261 $ (2,198) The sources of changes in accumulated other non-owner changes to equity, net, during 2022 were: Pension Other Prior service cost $ (92) $ — Net gain (loss) (11,480) 4,441 Amortization of prior service costs 636 27 Amortization of actuarial loss 9,218 (2) Foreign exchange rate changes 926 (7) $ (792) $ 4,459 Weighted-average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations as of December 31, are: 2022 2021 U.S. plans: Discount rate 5.50 % 2.95 % Increase in compensation 3.05 % 3.03 % Non-U.S. plans: Discount rate 3.60 % 1.17 % Increase in compensation 2.76 % 2.77 % Interest crediting rate 2.01 % 1.34 % The investment strategy of the plans is to generate a consistent total investment return sufficient to pay present and future plan benefits to retirees, while minimizing the long-term cost to the Company. Target allocations for asset categories are used to earn a reasonable rate of return, provide required liquidity and minimize the risk of large losses. Targets may be adjusted, as necessary, to reflect trends and developments within the overall investment environment. The weighted-average target investment allocations by asset category were as follows during 2022: 65% in equity securities and 35% in fixed income securities, including cash. The fair values of the Company’s pension plan assets at December 31, 2022 and 2021 by asset category are as follows: Fair Value Measurements Using Asset Category Total Quoted Prices in Significant Other Significant December 31, 2022 Cash and short-term investments $ 3,542 $ 3,542 $ — $ — Equity securities: U.S. large-cap 35,734 — 35,734 — U.S. mid-cap 14,205 14,205 — — U.S. small-cap 14,622 14,622 — — International equities 104,377 — 104,377 — Global equity 42,154 42,154 — — Fixed income securities: U.S. bond funds 97,170 — 97,170 — International bonds 61,295 — 61,295 — Other 1,821 — — 1,821 $ 374,920 $ 74,523 $ 298,576 $ 1,821 December 31, 2021 Cash and short-term investments 4,195 4,195 — — Equity securities: U.S. large-cap 49,079 — 49,079 — U.S. mid-cap 19,469 19,469 — — U.S. small-cap 18,795 18,795 — — International equities 136,557 — 136,557 — Global equity 60,393 60,393 — — Fixed income securities: U.S. bond funds 143,035 — 143,035 — International bonds 75,515 — 75,515 — Other 2,891 — — 2,891 $ 509,929 $ 102,852 $ 404,186 $ 2,891 The fair values of the Level 1 assets are based on quoted market prices from various financial exchanges. The fair values of the Level 2 assets are based primarily on quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities. The Level 2 assets are comprised primarily of commingled equity funds and fixed income securities. Commingled equity funds are valued at their net asset values based on quoted market prices of the underlying assets. Fixed income securities are valued using a market approach which considers observable market data for the underlying asset or securities. The Level 3 assets relate to a defined benefit plan within the Molding Solutions business. These pension assets are fully insured and have been estimated based on accrued pension rights and actuarial rates. These pension assets are limited to fulfilling the Company's pension obligations. The Company expects to contribute approximately $9,712 to the pension plans in 2023. No contributions to the U.S. Qualified pension plans, specifically, are required, and the Company does not currently plan to make any discretionary contributions to such plans in 2023. The following are the estimated future net benefit payments, which include future service, over the next 10 years: Pensions Other 2023 $ 34,976 $ 2,630 2024 32,411 2,400 2025 32,292 2,247 2026 32,165 2,079 2027 28,824 1,947 Years 2028-2032 141,030 8,196 Total $ 301,698 $ 19,499 Pension and other postretirement benefit costs consist of the following: Pensions Other 2022 2021 2020 2022 2021 2020 Service cost $ 5,689 $ 6,547 $ 6,269 $ 77 $ 103 $ 81 Interest cost 14,108 12,749 15,084 808 819 1,041 Expected return on plan assets (28,944) (27,858) (29,698) — — — Amortization of prior service cost 387 332 359 36 29 27 Recognized losses 12,710 16,006 13,626 (2) 258 35 Curtailment loss/(gain) 1,158 (133) 484 — — — Settlement (gain)/loss (605) 205 549 — — — Special termination benefits 395 — — — — — Net periodic benefit cost $ 4,898 $ 7,848 $ 6,673 $ 919 $ 1,209 $ 1,184 The curtailment loss of $1,158 and a portion of the special termination benefits of $395 in 2022 as well as the curtailment loss of $484 and a majority of the settlement loss of $549 in 2020 relate to restructuring and workforce reduction actions that were taken during the periods. See Note 9. The components of net periodic benefit cost other than service cost are included in Other Expense (Income) on the Consolidated Statements of Income. Weighted-average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit cost for years ended December 31 are: 2022 2021 2020 U.S. plans: Discount rate 2.95 % 2.65 % 3.40 % Long-term rate of return 7.25 % 7.25 % 7.75 % Increase in compensation 3.03 % 2.56 % 2.56 % Non-U.S. plans: Discount rate 1.17 % 0.83 % 1.28 % Long-term rate of return 2.33 % 1.96 % 3.02 % Increase in compensation 2.77 % 2.75 % 2.75 % Interest crediting rate 1.34 % 1.34 % 1.34 % The expected long-term rate of return is based on consideration of projected rates of return and the historical rates of return of published indices that reflect the plans’ target asset allocation. The Company’s accumulated postretirement benefit obligations, exclusive of pensions, take into account certain cost-sharing provisions. The annual rate of increase in the cost of covered benefits (i.e., health care cost trend rate) is assumed to be 7.52% and 6.56% at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, decreasing gradually to a rate of 4.00% by December 31, 2046. The Company actively contributes to a Swedish pension plan that supplements the Swedish social insurance system. The pension plan guarantees employees a pension based on a percentage of their salary and represents a multi-employer pension plan, however the pension plan was not significant in any year presented. This pension plan is not underfunded. |