Employee Benefit Plans

3 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2012

Employee Benefit Plans [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 actual liability will not be known until the plan trustee completes a final assessment of the withdrawal liability.

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
	March 30, 2012						April 1, 2011
	U.S. Plan			UK Plan			U.S. Plan			UK Plan
	(in thousands)
Components of net periodic pension cost
Service cost	$	19		$	—		$	10		$	—
Interest cost	128			581			128			594
Expected return on assets	(144		)	(412		)	(140		)	(461		)
Recognized actuarial net loss	62			23			—			—
Total Company defined benefit plan expense	65			192			(2		)	133
Multiemployer benefit expense	278			—			256			—
Net periodic pension cost	$	343		$	192		$	254		$	133