Property, Plant And Equipment

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Property, Plant And Equipment [Abstract]

4.	PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

Property, plant and equipment consist of the following as of December 31 (in thousands):


	2011			2010
Building and improvements	$	57,512		$	56,889
Machinery and equipment		224,611			216,481
Furniture and fixtures		2,445			2,457
Forklifts and tractors		5,095			4,497
Computer equipment		5,774			6,646
Construction in process		2,425			6,137
Land		8,858			8,858

		306,720			301,965
Accumulated depreciation		(191,508	)		(175,108	)

Total property, plant and equipment, net	$	115,212		$	126,857

The Company had construction in process as of December 31, 2011 of approximately $2.4 million. The Company expects that the construction in process will be completed and put into service in the year ending December 31, 2012.

Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 totaled $18.4 million, $19.6 million and $22.9 million, respectively.

In September 2009, the Company recorded a pre-tax impairment charge of $23.3 million related to the long-lived assets held at the Company's Olive Branch facility to reduce the carrying value of those groups to their estimated fair value. The fair value measurement used to determine the impairment was based on prices for similar assets and considered the condition of the related fixed assets and is a Level III fair value measurement. Of the Company's net property, plant and equipment at December 31, 2011, approximately $9.9 million is located at the Olive Branch, Mississippi manufacturing facility. Management does not currently anticipate further impairments on the remaining assets. However, changes in the expected cash flows related to the facility in the future may result in additional impairment charges and reduced earnings.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for long-lived, physical assets that are used in the normal conduct of business to produce goods and services and not intended for resale. Examples include land, buildings, machinery and equipment, and other types of furniture and equipment including, but not limited to, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment and software. This disclosure may include property plant and equipment accounting policies and methodology, a schedule of property, plant and equipment gross, additions, deletions, transfers and other changes, depreciation, depletion and amortization expense, net, accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization expense and useful lives, income statement disclosures, assets held for sale and public utility disclosures.

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