Property, plant and equipment consists of the following (in thousands): 
As of December 31,
 20252024
Machinery and equipment$434,959 $400,861 
Land, building and building improvements176,972 177,089 
Molds107,296 96,318 
Computer equipment and software116,259 122,208 
Furniture and fixtures23,055 27,871 
Instruments placed with customers(1)
148,441 124,290 
Construction in progress90,748 87,006 
Total property, plant and equipment, cost1,097,730 1,035,643 
Accumulated depreciation(645,913)(592,897)
Property, plant and equipment, net
$451,817 $442,746 
_______________________________
(1)     Instruments placed with customers consist of drug-delivery and monitoring systems placed with customers under operating leases.

All property, plant and equipment are stated at cost. We use the straight-line method for depreciating property, plant and equipment over their estimated useful lives.  Estimated useful lives are:
Buildings
15 - 30 years
Building improvements
15 - 30 years
Machinery and equipment and molds
2 - 15 years
Furniture, fixtures and office equipment
2 - 5 years
Computer equipment and software
3 - 5 years
Instruments placed with customers
3 - 10 years

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 19, 2026Showing above
2024Feb 27, 2025
2023Feb 27, 2024
2022Feb 27, 2023
2021Feb 25, 2022

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.