Consolidated Condensed Statements of Operations - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 28, 2020	Mar. 30, 2019
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net revenues	$ 67,696	$ 76,525
Costs of products sold	42,631	43,474
Gross profit	25,065	33,051
Selling, general, and administrative expenses	20,291	20,448
Restructuring costs	130	0
Operating income	4,644	12,603
Other income (expense):
Interest expense	(461)	(388)
Other	683	(772)
Other income (expense)	222	(1,160)
Income before taxes	4,866	11,443
Income tax expense	1,574	3,117
Net earnings	3,292	8,326
Less: net (loss) earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests	(20)	83
Net earnings attributable to VPG stockholders	$ 3,312	$ 8,243
Basic earnings per share attributable to VPG stockholders (dollars per share)	$ 0.24	$ 0.61
Diluted earnings per share attributable to VPG stockholders (dollars per share)	$ 0.24	$ 0.61
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic (in shares)	13,541	13,495
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted (in shares)	13,586	13,563