Employee Benefit Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 28, 2012

Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Employee Benefit Plans

Employee Benefit Plans

In the second quarter of 2011, the Company announced plans to move its operations in Romeoville, IL to its existing facility in Nappanee, IN. This move, intended to reduce fixed overhead costs, triggered an early withdrawal from the multiemployer pension plan benefiting hourly employees at the Romeoville facility. Accordingly, the Company recorded a $1.2 million charge in its U.S. Commercial Products segment for liabilities associated with this withdrawal. The liability represents the present value of estimated future payments for the Company’s proportionate share of unfunded vested benefits under the multiemployer plan. The Company received notification of the final assessment from the plan trustee in July 2012. The total withdrawal liability was determined to be $1.2 million. The Company has the option to settle the liability in a lump sum payment or in monthly installments over a 20 year period. The Company is currently paying this liability on a monthly basis.

Retirement Plans

The Company maintains a non-contributory defined benefit pension plan covering substantially all U.S. hourly employees (the U.S. Plan). In addition, the employees at Euramax Coated Products Limited and Ellbee Limited participate in a single employer pension plan (the UK Plan). The measurement date for the U.S. and UK plans is the last day of the fiscal year. The Company curtailed the accrual of participant benefits provided under the UK Plan effective March 31, 2009. This curtailment did not affect the timing for the payment of benefits earned under the UK Plan through the curtailment date. In January 2010, the Company's board of directors approved a motion to freeze future benefit accruals under the U.S. Pension Plan. The impact on the Company's projected benefit obligation was not significant. Components of net periodic pension cost for the Company’s defined and multiemployer pension plans were as follows:

	Three months ended												Nine months ended
	September 28, 2012						September 30, 2011						September 28, 2012						September 30, 2011
	U.S. Plan			UK Plan			U.S. Plan			UK Plan			U.S. Plan			UK Plan			U.S. Plan			UK Plan
	(in thousands)												(in thousands)
Components of net periodic pension cost
Service cost	$	19		$	—		$	10		$	—		$	57		$	—		$	30		$	—
Interest cost	128			590			128			598			384			1,770			384			1,783
Expected return on assets	(144		)	(418		)	(140		)	(464		)	(432		)	(1,254		)	(420		)	(1,384		)
Recognized actuarial net loss	62			24			11			—			186			70			32			—
Total Company defined benefit plan expense	65			196			9			134			195			586			26			399
Multiemployer benefit expense	308			—			352			—			884			—			925			—
Multiemployer pension withdrawal penalty	39			—			—			—			39			—			1,200			—
Net periodic pension cost	$	412		$	196		$	361		$	134		$	1,118		$	586		$	2,151		$	399