Note 6 - Benefit Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Notes to Financial Statements

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

6

. Benefit Plans

The

Company has company-sponsored defined benefit pension plans covering employees in the U.K., Germany, the Philippines, China, Japan, and France. The amount of the retirement benefits provided under the plans is based on years of service and final average pay.

The components of net periodic benefit cost for the

three

and

nine

months ended

September 30, 2017

and

October 1, 2016

were as follows: 

	For the Three Months Ended						For the Nine Months Ended
(in thousands)	September 30 , 2017			October 1 , 2016			September 30 , 2017			October 1 , 2016
Components of net periodic benefit cost:
Service cost	$	408		$	332		$	1,224		$	997
Interest cost		360			496			1,080			1,489
Expected return on plan assets		(476	)		(520	)		(1,428	)		(1,560	)
Amortization , net		84			74			252			220
Net periodic benefit cost	$	376		$	382		$	1,128		$	1,146

The expected return on pension assets is

4.5%

and

4.9%

in

2017

and

2016,

respectively. The Company does

not

expect to make cash contributions to its pension plans in

2017.