Business Segment Information

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Reportable business segment information for the three months ended March 31 was as follows:



	Metal Containers		Closures		Plastic Containers		Corporate			Total
	(Dollars in thousands)
Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
Net sales	$	507,062	$	356,199	$	163,870	$	—		$	1,027,131
Depreciation and amortization⁽¹⁾	21,107		20,354		8,816		41			50,318
Rationalization charges	222		5,660		201		—			6,083
Segment income	38,897		40,256		12,066		(4,477		)	86,742

Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
Net sales	$	485,954	$	370,345	$	155,981	$	—		$	1,012,280
Depreciation and amortization⁽¹⁾	20,254		18,650		8,950		22			47,876
Rationalization charges	482		39		182		—			703
Segment income	37,093		48,224		11,082		(4,217		)	92,182

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⁽¹⁾	Depreciation and amortization excludes amortization of debt issuance costs of $0.9 million and $1.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Total segment income is reconciled to income before income taxes as follows:



	2019		2018
	(Dollars in thousands)
Total segment income	$	86,742	$	92,182
Interest and other debt expense	27,103		30,481
Income before income taxes	$	59,639	$	61,701

Sales and segment income of our metal container business and part of our closures business are dependent, in part, upon fruit and vegetable harvests. The size and quality of these harvests varies from year to year, depending in large part upon the weather conditions in applicable regions. Because of the seasonality of the harvests, we have historically experienced higher unit sales volume in the third quarter of our fiscal year and generated a disproportionate amount of our annual segment income during that quarter.