A summary of our property, plant and equipment is as follows:
 
Average
Useful Life (Years)
 
2019

 
2018

 
2017

Property, plant and equipment, net
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Land

 
$
1,130

 
$
1,078

 
 
Buildings and improvements
15 - 44
 
9,314

 
8,941

 
 
Machinery and equipment, including fleet and software
5 - 15
 
29,390

 
27,715

 
 
Construction in progress

 
3,169

 
2,430

 
 


 
43,003

 
40,164

 
 
Accumulated depreciation

 
(23,698
)
 
(22,575
)
 
 
Total

 
$
19,305

 
$
17,589

 
 
Depreciation expense

 
$
2,257

 
$
2,241

 
$
2,227


Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2019Feb 13, 2020Showing above
2018Feb 15, 2019
2017Feb 13, 2018
2016Feb 15, 2017
2015Feb 11, 2016

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.