September 10, 2010
VIA EDGAR:
Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporate Finance
100 F Street, N.E.
Mail Stop 3030
Washington, D.C. 20549
Attn: Leigh Ann Schultz, Accounting Reviewer
RE: Brooks Automation, Inc.: Response to Comment Letter dated August 31, 2010, relating to the
Form 10-K filing for the year ended September 30, 2009 (SEC File No. 000-25434)
Ladies and Gentlemen:
As Principal Financial Officer for Brooks Automation, Inc. (the Company or Brooks), I submit by
this letter the supplemental information the Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
Staff) has requested. We received the Staffs comments regarding the Companys Form 10-K for the
year ended September 30, 2009, by letter dated August 31, 2010 from Leigh Ann Schultz, Accounting
Reviewer (the Comment Letter). The responses and supplementary information set forth below have
been organized in the same manner in which the Commissions comments were organized in the Comment
Letter.
Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year ended September 30, 2009
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, page 40
Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, page 40
Concentration of Credit Risk, page 41
Staff Comment No. 1
We see disclosure that your investments may include repurchase agreements with major banks.
Please address the following with regard to repurchase agreements:
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Describe to us in detail repurchase and reverse repurchase agreement
transactions, including the business purpose of the transactions and your
accounting for those transactions under GAAP. |
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Tell us the impact of repurchase and reverse repurchase transactions on your
financial statements as of the end of and during the years presented in your Form
10-K. |
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Tell us whether you account for any repurchase arrangements as sales for
accounting purposes and , if so, cite GAAP accounting guidance that supports that
treatment. |
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Tell us how you assessed whether the disclosures required by Rule 4-08(m) of
Regulation S-X were required in your filings. |
Brooks Response:
The Companys Board of Directors has approved an investment policy which describes the types of
investments that can be used for the investment of the Companys temporary and long-term cash.
This policy permits the investment of cash in repurchase agreements with major banks. Although
these types of investments are permitted, the Company did not actually have any investments or any
other transactions that involve repurchase or reverse repurchase agreements for any periods
included in Form 10-K for the period ended September 30, 2009. Therefore, the Companys financial
statements for the periods covered by Form 10-K for the period ended September 30, 2009 were not
impacted by any repurchase or reverse repurchase agreements.
The Company did not treat any repurchase or reverse repurchase agreement transactions as sales for
accounting purposes for any periods included in Form 10-K for the period ended September 30, 2009.
The Company did not assess the disclosure requirements of Rule 4-08(m) of Regulation S-X, since the
Company did not have any repurchase or reverse repurchase agreements during the periods covered by
Form 10-K for the period ended September 30, 2009.
The Companys reference to repurchase agreements in its Form 10-K for the year ended September
30, 2009 was used in a generic sense to describe the types of investments that are permitted for
temporary and long-term cash balances. In future filings, the Company will more clearly describe
the types of securities actually used for investments of temporary and long-term cash, including a
detailed description of repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements, if any.
The Company acknowledges the following:
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The Company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in the
filing; |
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Staff comments or changes to disclosure in response to staff comments do not
foreclose the Commission from taking any action with respect to the filing; and |
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The Company may not assert staff comments as a defense in any proceeding initiated
by the Commission or any person under the federal securities laws of the United
States. |