Plant and Equipment

12 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

8. Plant and Equipment

Plant and equipment, at cost, are as follows at March 31:

	2012			2011
Machinery and equipment	$	30,802,000		$	27,356,000
Office equipment and fixtures		8,251,000			6,167,000
Leasehold improvements		7,761,000			7,332,000
Land and buildings		626,000			-
		47,440,000			40,855,000
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization		(34,702,000	)		(29,192,000	)
Total	$	12,738,000		$	11,663,000

Plant and equipment located in the foreign countries where the Company has production facilities, net of accumulated depreciation, totaled $6,320,000 and $5,790,000 at March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. These assets constitute substantially all the long-lived production assets of the Company located outside of the United States.

During fiscal 2012, the Company discontinued the constant velocity ("CV") axle product line included in the under-the-car product line and shut-down the related facility located in Bedford, New Hampshire. As a result the Company recorded an impairment loss of approximately $1,031,000 for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, which represents the write-off of the carrying amount of fixed assets. The CV business did not qualify for discontinued operations presentation under US GAAP.

- 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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