the technical nonwovens segment negatively impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately140 basis points , principally driven by commodity inflation and unfavorable product mix , partially offset by increased customer pricing , while the performance materials segment favorably impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 90 basis points from improved segment mix , driven by higher margin sales from the acquired interface business since august 31 , 2018. operating income was $ 49.2 million , or 6.3 % of net sales in 2018 , compared to $ 66.2 million , or 9.5 % of net sales in 2017 ; operating margin declined due to the negative impact of lower gross margin of 400 basis points , partially offset by a 70 basis point reduction in selling , product development and administrative expenses . operating income in 2018 was favorably impacted by decreased cash incentive and stock compensation expenses of approximately $ 4.9 million , or 60 basis points , compared to 2017. the following items are included in operating income for 2018 and 2017 and impact the comparability of each year : replace_table_token_4_th net income was $ 34.9 million , or $ 2.02 per diluted share in 2018 , compared to $ 49.3 million , or $ 2.85 per diluted share in 2017 . story_separator_special_tag gross profit replace_table_token_7_th the decrease in gross margin by 400 basis points in 2018 compared to 2017 was primarily attributable to the thermal acoustical solutions segment which negatively impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 350 basis points , primarily related to increased labor and overhead expenses of approximately 180 basis points , including outsourcing costs , overtime associated with new product launch activity and expedited freight expenses for customer deliveries caused by equipment downtime and other inefficiencies . increased commodity costs , primarily aluminum and tariffs , were approximately 80 basis points . finally , lower customer pricing on certain automotive parts reduced gross margin by approximately 40 basis points in 2018 compared to 2017. the technical nonwovens segment negatively impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 140 basis points , primarily related to higher raw material commodity costs , unfavorable product mix and incremental restructuring related expenses of $ 1.5 million partially offset by the absence of the negative impact of $ 1.1 million of purchase accounting adjustments relating to inventory step up in 2017. the performance materials segment favorably impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 90 basis points , driven by favorable segment mix , primarily related to the interface acquisition on august 31 , 2018 , as the performance materials segment was a larger proportion of consolidated net sales at greater gross margin than the other two segments in 2018 compared to 2017. the decrease in gross margin by 110 basis points in 2017 compared to 2016 was primarily attributable to the thermal acoustical solutions which negatively impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 80 basis points , primarily related to increased overhead expenses including operational inefficiencies , increased raw material commodity costs and reduced customer pricing in 2017 compared to 2016. the technical nonwovens segment negatively impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 20 basis points , primarily related to lower customer pricing , unfavorable mix and restructuring expenses , partially offset by lower raw material commodity costs and decreased purchase accounting adjustments relating to inventory step-up in 2017 compared to 2016. additionally , the performance materials segment negatively impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 10 basis points primarily related to unfavorable mix on higher margin termination buys in 2016 and lower customer pricing in 2017. selling , product development and administrative expenses replace_table_token_8_th selling , product development and administrative expenses in 2018 increased by $ 6.3 million , but decreased 70 basis points as a percentage of net sales , compared to 2017. this increase in expenses was primarily related to the acquisition of interface on august 31 , 2018 , which contributed $ 10.6 million of expense during 2018 , including $ 3.4 million of intangible assets amortization expense . this increase was partially offset by decreased legacy selling , product development and administrative expenses of $ 4.3 million in 2018 compared to 2017. included in this decrease was lower cash incentive and stock compensation expense of $ 5.2 million , based on the company 's lower achievement of financial targets under its incentive programs , the absence of $ 1.6 million of expenses associated with the combination of the company 's former t/a metals and t/a fibers segments in 2017 , reduced corporate consulting expenses of $ 1.1 million and the absence of a 2017 non-cash long-lived asset impairment charge of $ 0.8 million in the performance materials segment . partially offsetting those reduced 2018 expenses was greater strategic initiatives expenses of $ 2.9 million , primarily related to the acquisition of interface , higher intangibles amortization expense of $ 1.4 million from tnw segment acquisitions and increased salaries and benefits of $ 0.7 million in 2018 compared to 2017. selling , product development and administrative expenses in 2017 increased by $ 13.8 million , or 16.6 % , compared to 2016. this increase was primarily related to the technical nonwovens segment due to the acquisitions of texel on july 7 , 2016 and gutsche on december 31 , 2016 resulting in an additional $ 13.0 million of selling , product development and administrative expenses , which included $ 2.9 million of incremental intangible amortization expense from tnw segment acquisitions . story_separator_special_tag this decrease to gross margin was partially offset by a $ 2.7 million decrease in selling product development and administrative expenses , or a 120 basis points decrease as a percentage of net sales , due to the absence of $ 1.2 million of expenses associated with the combination of the company 's former t/a metals and t/a fibers segments in 2017 , lower salaries and sales commissions of $ 0.6 million , primarily from savings realized on the segment combination , lower computer maintenance and support expenses of $ 0.4 million and decreased other administrative costs of $ 0.5 million in 2018 compared to 2017. segment net sales increased by $ 20.9 million , or 6.5 % , in 2017 compared to 2016. parts net sales increased by $ 20.2 million , or 6.8 % , in 2017 compared to 2016 , primarily due to increased global demand on lydall 's existing and new platforms . foreign currency translation had a favorable impact on parts net sales of $ 1.4 million , or 0.5 % , in 2017 compared to 2016. tooling net sales increased $ 0.7 million , or 3.1 % , compared to 2016 due to the timing of new product launches . foreign currency translation had a favorable impact on tooling sales of $ 0.3 million , or 1.1 % , in 2017 compared to 2016. the thermal acoustical solutions segment reported 2017 operating income of $ 53.1 million , or 15.5 % , of segment net sales , compared to $ 53.1 million , or 16.5 % of net sales in 2016. the decrease in operating margin of 100 basis 24 points was due to lower gross margin of 180 basis points due to higher raw material commodity costs , reduced customer pricing and increased overhead expenses including operational inefficiencies in 2017 compared to 2016. the decrease in gross margin was partially offset by lower segment selling , product development and administrative expenses of $ 1.0 million , or 80 basis points as a percentage of net sales , primarily due to the absence of a $ 3.5 million , or 110 basis points , settlement charge in the fourth quarter of 2016 in connection with a german cartel office investigation . this decrease to selling , product development and administrative expenses was partially offset by increased salaries of $ 1.2 million and $ 1.2 million of expenses associated with the combination of the company 's former t/a metals and t/a fibers segments in 2017 compared to 2016. overall , 2017 operating income and operating margin were negatively impacted by consolidation expenses of $ 1.4 million , or 40 basis points , and severance expenses of $ 0.7 million , or 20 basis points . foreign currency translation had a minimal impact on operating income in 2017 compared to 2016. corporate office expenses the decrease in corporate office expenses of $ 1.9 million in 2018 compared to 2017 was primarily due to decreased stock and cash incentive compensation expenses of $ 3.4 million based on lower achievement of certain financial targets . also , consulting expenses were lower in 2018 by $ 1.2 million , partially offset by increased corporate strategic initiatives expenses of $ 2.7 million , primarily related to acquisitions , in 2018 compared to 2017. the decrease in corporate office expenses of $ 0.5 million in 2017 compared to 2016 was primarily due to decreased strategic initiatives expenses of $ 2.8 million , partially offset by increased consulting expenses of $ 1.3 million , primarily related to organic growth initiatives , higher salaries of $ 0.5 million , increased recruiting expenses of $ 0.3 million and increases in other administrative expenses of $ 0.3 million in 2017 compared to 2016. liquidity and capital resources replace_table_token_14_th the company assesses its liquidity in terms of its ability to generate cash to fund operating , investing and financing activities . the principal source of liquidity is operating cash flows . in addition to operating cash flows , other significant factors that affect the overall management of liquidity include capital expenditures , investments in businesses , strategic transactions , income tax payments , debt service payments , outcomes of contingencies , foreign currency exchange rates , foreign cash repatriation and pension funding . the company manages worldwide cash requirements by considering available funds among domestic and foreign subsidiaries . the company expects to finance its 2019 operating cash and capital spending requirements from existing cash balances , cash provided by operating activities and through borrowings under the amended credit facility , as needed . at december 31 , 2018 , the company held $ 49.2 million in cash and cash equivalents , including $ 14.0 million in the u.s. with the remaining held by foreign subsidiaries . operating cash flows net cash provided by operating activities in 2018 was $ 44.7 million compared with $ 62.9 million in 2017. in 2018 , net income and non-cash adjustments were $ 72.9 million compared to $ 78.7 million in 2017. net operating assets and liabilities in 2018 increased $ 28.2 million since december 31 , 2017 , compared to an increase in net operating assets 25 and liabilities in 2017 of $ 15.8 million since december 31 , 2016. the increase in net operating assets and liabilities in 2018 was primarily due to increases of $ 7.1 million in accounts receivable and $ 6.0 million in inventories and a decrease of $ 5.1 million in accounts payable . also , contributions to the company 's defined benefit pension plans increased by $ 3.9 million in 2018 compared to 2017 for total contributions of $ 7.5 million in 2018. the increase in accounts receivable was primarily due to higher net sales within the performance materials segment as well as timing of customer receipts across segments . the increase in inventory was principally due to higher raw material inventories , primarily associated with strategic purchases within the technical nonwovens segment

liquidity cash was $ 49.2 million at december 31 , 2018 , compared to $ 59.9 million at december 31 , 2017. net cash provided by operations was $ 44.7 million in 2018 compared to $ 62.9 million in 2017. lower operating income and working capital expansion drove lower cash generation . on august 31 , 2018 , in connection with the interface acquisition , the company amended and restated its $ 175 million senior secured revolving credit agreement ( `` amended credit agreement '' ) and increased the available borrowing from $ 175 million to $ 450 million , added three additional lenders and extended the maturity date from july 7 , 2021 to august 31 , 2023. under the terms of the amended credit agreement , the lenders provided a term loan commitment of $ 200 million and revolving loans of up to $ 250 million . the amended credit agreement may be increased by an aggregate amount not to exceed $ 150 million through an accordion feature , subject to specified conditions . as of december 31 , 2018 , there was approximately $ 108 million of availability under the credit agreement . the company 's cash from operations and capacity under its amended credit agreement provide for sufficient cash availability to support organic growth programs and fund capital investments . outlook entering 2019 , demand is generally steady and the businesses are experiencing a stabilization of key raw material costs , but the company continues to monitor the uncertainties around governmental actions impacting global trade regulations . the company is executing on the integration of interface and expects consolidated ebitda growth in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the first quarter of 2018. with focused cost control and margin improvement plans across the businesses , and expected year over year raw material cost reductions , the company currently expects full year 2019 ebitda margin expansion .


 Write a concise suspicious activity report of the following text delimited by triple backquotes. Return your response as a formal report which covers the key points highlighting the location,dates,entity names and account holder information in chronological order of the text.
     ```liquidity cash was $ 49.2 million at december 31 , 2018 , compared to $ 59.9 million at december 31 , 2017. net cash provided by operations was $ 44.7 million in 2018 compared to $ 62.9 million in 2017. lower operating income and working capital expansion drove lower cash generation . on august 31 , 2018 , in connection with the interface acquisition , the company amended and restated its $ 175 million senior secured revolving credit agreement ( `` amended credit agreement '' ) and increased the available borrowing from $ 175 million to $ 450 million , added three additional lenders and extended the maturity date from july 7 , 2021 to august 31 , 2023. under the terms of the amended credit agreement , the lenders provided a term loan commitment of $ 200 million and revolving loans of up to $ 250 million . the amended credit agreement may be increased by an aggregate amount not to exceed $ 150 million through an accordion feature , subject to specified conditions . as of december 31 , 2018 , there was approximately $ 108 million of availability under the credit agreement . the company 's cash from operations and capacity under its amended credit agreement provide for sufficient cash availability to support organic growth programs and fund capital investments . outlook entering 2019 , demand is generally steady and the businesses are experiencing a stabilization of key raw material costs , but the company continues to monitor the uncertainties around governmental actions impacting global trade regulations . the company is executing on the integration of interface and expects consolidated ebitda growth in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the first quarter of 2018. with focused cost control and margin improvement plans across the businesses , and expected year over year raw material cost reductions , the company currently expects full year 2019 ebitda margin expansion .
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 Suspicious Activity Report : the technical nonwovens segment negatively impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately140 basis points , principally driven by commodity inflation and unfavorable product mix , partially offset by increased customer pricing , while the performance materials segment favorably impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 90 basis points from improved segment mix , driven by higher margin sales from the acquired interface business since august 31 , 2018. operating income was $ 49.2 million , or 6.3 % of net sales in 2018 , compared to $ 66.2 million , or 9.5 % of net sales in 2017 ; operating margin declined due to the negative impact of lower gross margin of 400 basis points , partially offset by a 70 basis point reduction in selling , product development and administrative expenses . operating income in 2018 was favorably impacted by decreased cash incentive and stock compensation expenses of approximately $ 4.9 million , or 60 basis points , compared to 2017. the following items are included in operating income for 2018 and 2017 and impact the comparability of each year : replace_table_token_4_th net income was $ 34.9 million , or $ 2.02 per diluted share in 2018 , compared to $ 49.3 million , or $ 2.85 per diluted share in 2017 . story_separator_special_tag gross profit replace_table_token_7_th the decrease in gross margin by 400 basis points in 2018 compared to 2017 was primarily attributable to the thermal acoustical solutions segment which negatively impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 350 basis points , primarily related to increased labor and overhead expenses of approximately 180 basis points , including outsourcing costs , overtime associated with new product launch activity and expedited freight expenses for customer deliveries caused by equipment downtime and other inefficiencies . increased commodity costs , primarily aluminum and tariffs , were approximately 80 basis points . finally , lower customer pricing on certain automotive parts reduced gross margin by approximately 40 basis points in 2018 compared to 2017. the technical nonwovens segment negatively impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 140 basis points , primarily related to higher raw material commodity costs , unfavorable product mix and incremental restructuring related expenses of $ 1.5 million partially offset by the absence of the negative impact of $ 1.1 million of purchase accounting adjustments relating to inventory step up in 2017. the performance materials segment favorably impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 90 basis points , driven by favorable segment mix , primarily related to the interface acquisition on august 31 , 2018 , as the performance materials segment was a larger proportion of consolidated net sales at greater gross margin than the other two segments in 2018 compared to 2017. the decrease in gross margin by 110 basis points in 2017 compared to 2016 was primarily attributable to the thermal acoustical solutions which negatively impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 80 basis points , primarily related to increased overhead expenses including operational inefficiencies , increased raw material commodity costs and reduced customer pricing in 2017 compared to 2016. the technical nonwovens segment negatively impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 20 basis points , primarily related to lower customer pricing , unfavorable mix and restructuring expenses , partially offset by lower raw material commodity costs and decreased purchase accounting adjustments relating to inventory step-up in 2017 compared to 2016. additionally , the performance materials segment negatively impacted consolidated gross margin by approximately 10 basis points primarily related to unfavorable mix on higher margin termination buys in 2016 and lower customer pricing in 2017. selling , product development and administrative expenses replace_table_token_8_th selling , product development and administrative expenses in 2018 increased by $ 6.3 million , but decreased 70 basis points as a percentage of net sales , compared to 2017. this increase in expenses was primarily related to the acquisition of interface on august 31 , 2018 , which contributed $ 10.6 million of expense during 2018 , including $ 3.4 million of intangible assets amortization expense . this increase was partially offset by decreased legacy selling , product development and administrative expenses of $ 4.3 million in 2018 compared to 2017. included in this decrease was lower cash incentive and stock compensation expense of $ 5.2 million , based on the company 's lower achievement of financial targets under its incentive programs , the absence of $ 1.6 million of expenses associated with the combination of the company 's former t/a metals and t/a fibers segments in 2017 , reduced corporate consulting expenses of $ 1.1 million and the absence of a 2017 non-cash long-lived asset impairment charge of $ 0.8 million in the performance materials segment . partially offsetting those reduced 2018 expenses was greater strategic initiatives expenses of $ 2.9 million , primarily related to the acquisition of interface , higher intangibles amortization expense of $ 1.4 million from tnw segment acquisitions and increased salaries and benefits of $ 0.7 million in 2018 compared to 2017. selling , product development and administrative expenses in 2017 increased by $ 13.8 million , or 16.6 % , compared to 2016. this increase was primarily related to the technical nonwovens segment due to the acquisitions of texel on july 7 , 2016 and gutsche on december 31 , 2016 resulting in an additional $ 13.0 million of selling , product development and administrative expenses , which included $ 2.9 million of incremental intangible amortization expense from tnw segment acquisitions . story_separator_special_tag this decrease to gross margin was partially offset by a $ 2.7 million decrease in selling product development and administrative expenses , or a 120 basis points decrease as a percentage of net sales , due to the absence of $ 1.2 million of expenses associated with the combination of the company 's former t/a metals and t/a fibers segments in 2017 , lower salaries and sales commissions of $ 0.6 million , primarily from savings realized on the segment combination , lower computer maintenance and support expenses of $ 0.4 million and decreased other administrative costs of $ 0.5 million in 2018 compared to 2017. segment net sales increased by $ 20.9 million , or 6.5 % , in 2017 compared to 2016. parts net sales increased by $ 20.2 million , or 6.8 % , in 2017 compared to 2016 , primarily due to increased global demand on lydall 's existing and new platforms . foreign currency translation had a favorable impact on parts net sales of $ 1.4 million , or 0.5 % , in 2017 compared to 2016. tooling net sales increased $ 0.7 million , or 3.1 % , compared to 2016 due to the timing of new product launches . foreign currency translation had a favorable impact on tooling sales of $ 0.3 million , or 1.1 % , in 2017 compared to 2016. the thermal acoustical solutions segment reported 2017 operating income of $ 53.1 million , or 15.5 % , of segment net sales , compared to $ 53.1 million , or 16.5 % of net sales in 2016. the decrease in operating margin of 100 basis 24 points was due to lower gross margin of 180 basis points due to higher raw material commodity costs , reduced customer pricing and increased overhead expenses including operational inefficiencies in 2017 compared to 2016. the decrease in gross margin was partially offset by lower segment selling , product development and administrative expenses of $ 1.0 million , or 80 basis points as a percentage of net sales , primarily due to the absence of a $ 3.5 million , or 110 basis points , settlement charge in the fourth quarter of 2016 in connection with a german cartel office investigation . this decrease to selling , product development and administrative expenses was partially offset by increased salaries of $ 1.2 million and $ 1.2 million of expenses associated with the combination of the company 's former t/a metals and t/a fibers segments in 2017 compared to 2016. overall , 2017 operating income and operating margin were negatively impacted by consolidation expenses of $ 1.4 million , or 40 basis points , and severance expenses of $ 0.7 million , or 20 basis points . foreign currency translation had a minimal impact on operating income in 2017 compared to 2016. corporate office expenses the decrease in corporate office expenses of $ 1.9 million in 2018 compared to 2017 was primarily due to decreased stock and cash incentive compensation expenses of $ 3.4 million based on lower achievement of certain financial targets . also , consulting expenses were lower in 2018 by $ 1.2 million , partially offset by increased corporate strategic initiatives expenses of $ 2.7 million , primarily related to acquisitions , in 2018 compared to 2017. the decrease in corporate office expenses of $ 0.5 million in 2017 compared to 2016 was primarily due to decreased strategic initiatives expenses of $ 2.8 million , partially offset by increased consulting expenses of $ 1.3 million , primarily related to organic growth initiatives , higher salaries of $ 0.5 million , increased recruiting expenses of $ 0.3 million and increases in other administrative expenses of $ 0.3 million in 2017 compared to 2016. liquidity and capital resources replace_table_token_14_th the company assesses its liquidity in terms of its ability to generate cash to fund operating , investing and financing activities . the principal source of liquidity is operating cash flows . in addition to operating cash flows , other significant factors that affect the overall management of liquidity include capital expenditures , investments in businesses , strategic transactions , income tax payments , debt service payments , outcomes of contingencies , foreign currency exchange rates , foreign cash repatriation and pension funding . the company manages worldwide cash requirements by considering available funds among domestic and foreign subsidiaries . the company expects to finance its 2019 operating cash and capital spending requirements from existing cash balances , cash provided by operating activities and through borrowings under the amended credit facility , as needed . at december 31 , 2018 , the company held $ 49.2 million in cash and cash equivalents , including $ 14.0 million in the u.s. with the remaining held by foreign subsidiaries . operating cash flows net cash provided by operating activities in 2018 was $ 44.7 million compared with $ 62.9 million in 2017. in 2018 , net income and non-cash adjustments were $ 72.9 million compared to $ 78.7 million in 2017. net operating assets and liabilities in 2018 increased $ 28.2 million since december 31 , 2017 , compared to an increase in net operating assets 25 and liabilities in 2017 of $ 15.8 million since december 31 , 2016. the increase in net operating assets and liabilities in 2018 was primarily due to increases of $ 7.1 million in accounts receivable and $ 6.0 million in inventories and a decrease of $ 5.1 million in accounts payable . also , contributions to the company 's defined benefit pension plans increased by $ 3.9 million in 2018 compared to 2017 for total contributions of $ 7.5 million in 2018. the increase in accounts receivable was primarily due to higher net sales within the performance materials segment as well as timing of customer receipts across segments . the increase in inventory was principally due to higher raw material inventories , primarily associated with strategic purchases within the technical nonwovens segment

