Employee Benefit Plans (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Apr. 04, 2015

Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost and Assumptions Used

The components of the net periodic benefit cost for the pension benefits and other benefits plans are as follows:



	Three Months Ended April 4, 2015						Three Months Ended March 29, 2014
(In thousands)	Pension Benefits			Other Benefits			Pension Benefits			Other Benefits

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost:
Service cost	$	211		$	57		$	213		$	69
Interest cost	307			65			321			72
Expected return on plan assets	(356		)	(11		)	(370		)	(12		)
Recognized net actuarial loss	127			17			79			9
Amortization of prior service cost	14			22			14			21
Net periodic benefit cost	$	303		$	150		$	257		$	159

The weighted average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit cost are as follows:

Discount rate	3.87		%	3.76		%	4.79		%	4.23		%
Expected long-term return on plan assets	5.25		%	—			5.75		%	—
Rate of compensation increase	3.00		%	2.99		%	3.50		%	3.19		%

The Company made cash contributions of $270,000 to its Kadant Solutions division's noncontributory defined benefit retirement plan in the first three months of 2015 and expects to make cash contributions of $810,000 over the remainder of 2015. For the remaining pension and post-retirement welfare benefits plans, the Company does not expect to make cash contributions other than to fund current benefit payments.