DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2013

DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS

DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS

NOTE 13 DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS

The Company has defined benefit pension plans covering substantially all full-time employees in France, Germany, Israel and Japan. In addition, the Company has certain pension liabilities relating to former employees of the Company in the United Kingdom.  The German plan is unfunded, as permitted under the plan and applicable laws.  For financial reporting purposes, the calculation of net periodic pension costs is based upon a number of actuarial assumptions, including a discount rate for plan obligations, an assumed rate of return on pension plan assets and an assumed rate of compensation increase for employees covered by the plan.  All of these assumptions are based upon management’s judgment, considering all known trends and uncertainties.  Actual results that differ from these assumptions would impact future expense recognition and the cash funding requirements of the Company’s pension plans.

Net periodic benefit costs for the plans in aggregate included the following components:

	Three Months Ended
	March 30,		March 31,
(In thousands)	2013		2012
Service cost	$	721	$	589
Interest cost on benefit obligations	165		185
Expected return on plan assets	(52)		(57)
Amortization of net loss	63		27
	$	897	$	744