December 31,
(In thousands)Estimated Useful Life (in years)20252024
Land$8,433 $7,724 
Buildings and improvements
10 to 33.5
67,702 60,632 
Machinery and equipment
5 to 12
216,375 186,902 
Tools, dies and auxiliary equipment
3 to 8
88,018 78,934 
Furniture and fixtures
3 to 12
39,449 37,400 
Leasehold improvements(a)
24,485 18,991 
Construction-in-progress44,383 51,416 
Total property, plant and equipment488,845 441,999 
Less accumulated depreciation300,283 273,264 
Total property, plant and equipment, net$188,562 $168,735 
(a) Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the estimated useful life or the term of the lease. Costs related to maintenance and repairs which do not prolong the assets useful lives are expensed as incurred.

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.