Business Segment Information

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Reportable business segment information was as follows:



	Metal Containers		Closures		Plastic Containers		Corporate			Total
	(Dollars in thousands)
Three Months Ended September 30, 2019
Net sales	$	822,262	$	353,436	$	145,644	$	—		$	1,321,342
Depreciation and amortization⁽¹⁾	21,477		20,847		9,512		39			51,875
Rationalization charges	3,035		72		88		—			3,195
Segment income	81,128		44,784		11,425		(4,642		)	132,695

Three Months Ended September 30, 2018
Net sales	$	797,768	$	360,816	$	148,415	$	—		$	1,306,999
Depreciation and amortization⁽¹⁾	19,823		18,378		9,171		43			47,415
Rationalization charges	72		111		105		—			288
Segment income	86,928		47,349		8,446		(4,268		)	138,455

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019
Net sales	$	1,904,941	$	1,072,979	$	463,715	$	—		$	3,441,635
Depreciation and amortization⁽¹⁾	64,021		62,345		27,665		120			154,151
Rationalization charges	42,280		5,979		335		—			48,594
Segment income	134,053		131,896		36,902		(14,816		)	288,035

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018
Net sales	$	1,808,585	$	1,109,924	$	459,874	$	—		$	3,378,383
Depreciation and amortization⁽¹⁾	60,500		55,786		26,975		107			143,368
Rationalization charges	812		150		521		—			1,483
Segment income	172,268		143,277		32,687		(13,478		)	334,754

_____________


⁽¹⁾	Depreciation and amortization excludes amortization of debt issuance costs of $0.8 million and $0.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and $2.6 million and $2.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

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



	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	Sept. 30, 2019		Sept. 30, 2018		Sept. 30, 2019		Sept. 30, 2018
	(Dollars in thousands)
Total segment income	$	132,695	$	138,455	$	288,035	$	334,754
Interest and other debt expense	28,443		28,199		83,948		91,095
Income before income taxes	$	104,252	$	110,256	$	204,087	$	243,659

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.