Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost and consist of the following:
December 3120242023
Land and land improvements$3,125 $3,133 
Buildings and improvements29,895 32,097 
Machinery and equipment271,465 254,738 
Office furniture and fixtures9,272 9,708 
Tooling39,184 47,191 
Information technology37,512 36,853 
Vehicles741 789 
Leasehold improvements5,511 5,249 
Construction in progress19,773 27,589 
Total property, plant, and equipment416,478 417,347 
Less: accumulated depreciation(318,811)(307,221)
Property, plant and equipment, net$97,667 $110,126 

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.