Property, plant and equipment, net consisted of the following as of December 31 (in thousands):
20252024
Land and related improvements$67,805 $68,140 
Buildings and related improvements480,647 450,890 
Machinery and equipment1,509,398 1,503,514 
Software717,045 627,161 
Construction in progress143,772 246,933 
2,918,667 2,896,638 
Accumulated depreciation(2,168,443)(2,139,566)
$750,224 $757,072 

About PP&E Disclosures

The PP&E disclosure details a company's physical asset base — land, buildings, machinery, and equipment — along with the depreciation methods and useful life assumptions that determine how these costs flow through the income statement. Capitalization policy thresholds reveal management's judgment on the boundary between expense and asset, directly affecting both reported earnings and asset values.

Key signals: changes in estimated useful lives or depreciation methods can materially shift reported earnings without any operational change. Compare capital expenditures against depreciation expense — when capex consistently trails depreciation, the asset base may be aging and underinvested. Watch for large asset impairments or write-downs that signal overvalued carrying amounts. Asset retirement obligations reveal future environmental or decommissioning costs that are often underappreciated. Compare PP&E intensity (PP&E-to-revenue) against industry peers to assess capital efficiency and competitive positioning.