Property, plant and equipment balances and corresponding lives were as follows:
 December 31,
Dollars in thousands20252024Useful Lives
Land$4,156 $952 
Buildings and building improvements78,308 19,748 
5-40 years
Leasehold improvements181,235 179,904 
1-20 years
Machinery and equipment246,499 214,786 
3-20 years
Information systems and hardware176,648 171,739 
1-7 years
Furniture, fixtures, and office equipment21,826 18,887 
1-15 years
Construction-in-progress179,614 196,630 
Total888,286 802,646 
Less: Accumulated depreciation(443,951)(396,923)
Property, plant and equipment, net$444,335 $405,723 

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.