B USINESS S EGMENT I NFORMATION We are engaged in the packaging industry and report our results in three business segments, which are our reportable segments: metal containers, closures and plastic containers. The metal containers segment manufactures steel and aluminum containers for human and pet food and general line products. The closures segment manufactures an extensive range of metal and plastic closures and dispensing systems for food, beverage, health care, garden, personal care, home and beauty products. The plastic containers segment manufactures custom designed plastic containers for personal care, food, health care, pharmaceutical, household and industrial chemical, pet food and care, agricultural, automotive and marine chemical products. These segments are strategic business operations that are managed separately to maximize the production, technology and marketing of their packaging product. Our metal container business operates primarily in North America and Europe. Our closures business operates in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Our plastic container business operates primarily in North America. The accounting policies of the business segments are the same as those described in Note 1. Information for each of the past three years for our business segments is as follows: Metal Containers Closures Plastic Containers Corporate Total (Dollars in thousands) 2018 Net sales $ 2,377,980 $ 1,456,799 $ 614,096 $  $ 4,448,875 Depreciation and amortization 81,420 74,217 35,949 151 191,737 Rationalization charges 5,316 180 757  6,253 Segment income 198,826 189,906 42,562 (19,194 ) 412,100 Segment assets 1,601,944 2,169,985 722,205 33,791 4,527,925 Capital expenditures 84,490 62,183 44,242 58 190,973 2017 Net sales $ 2,278,054 $ 1,246,669 $ 565,131 $  $ 4,089,854 Depreciation and amortization 77,698 61,668 34,607 89 174,062 Rationalization charges 3,308 1,042 1,476  5,826 Segment income (1) 230,199 142,048 27,770 (43,027 ) 356,990 Segment assets 1,670,426 2,182,529 704,432 34,081 4,591,468 Capital expenditures 87,115 56,682 30,141 491 174,429 2016 Net sales $ 2,271,933 $ 797,074 $ 543,907 $  $ 3,612,914 Depreciation and amortization 72,810 38,146 31,993 109 143,058 Rationalization charges 12,056 568 6,437  19,061 Segment income (1) 214,696 99,806 5,231 (20,003 ) 299,730 Segment assets 1,551,729 808,771 707,578 32,891 3,100,969 Capital expenditures 108,606 43,120 40,152 15 191,893 ______________________ (1) Corporate includes costs attributed to announced acquisitions of $24.7 million and $1.4 million in 2017 and 2016, respectively. Total segment income is reconciled to income before income taxes as follows: 2018 2017 2016 (Dollars in thousands) Total segment income $ 412,100 $ 356,990 $ 299,730 Interest and other debt expense 118,799 117,309 67,813 Income before income taxes $ 293,301 $ 239,681 $ 231,917 Total segment assets at December 31 are reconciled to total assets as follows: 2018 2017 (Dollars in thousands) Total segment assets $ 4,527,925 $ 4,591,468 Other assets 51,369 53,981 Total assets $ 4,579,294 $ 4,645,449 Financial information relating to our operations by geographic area is as follows: 2018 2017 2016 (Dollars in thousands) Net sales: United States $ 3,333,668 $ 3,110,595 $ 2,905,157 Foreign: Europe 858,255 747,043 551,071 Other 256,952 232,216 156,686 Total net sales from foreign operations 1,115,207 979,259 707,757 Total net sales $ 4,448,875 $ 4,089,854 $ 3,612,914 Long-lived assets: United States $ 989,426 $ 942,171 Foreign: Europe 410,919 422,709 Other 117,165 124,992 Total long-lived assets at foreign operations 528,084 547,701 Total long-lived assets $ 1,517,510 $ 1,489,872 Net sales are attributed to the country from which the product was manufactured and shipped. Sales of our metal containers segment to Nestle Food Company accounted for 10.4 percent , 10.2 percent and 11.5 percent of our consolidated net sales in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Sales and income from operations of our metal container business and part of our closures business are dependent, in part, upon the vegetable and fruit harvests in the United States and, to a lesser extent, in a variety of national growing regions in Europe. 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 income from operations during that quarter (see Note 18).