GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Amortized Intangible Assets

The components of amortized intangible assets at December 29, 2018 and December 30, 2017 were as follows:



	December 29, 2018
	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Weighted Average Life
Customer Relationships	$	219,508	$	132,180	13 years
Patents & Proprietary Technology	23,662		4,837		14 years
Other	7,971		6,891		5 years
	$	251,141	$	143,908



	December 30, 2017
	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Weighted Average Life
Customer Relationships	$	200,810	$	131,062	13 years
Patents & Proprietary Technology	6,693		3,999		11 years
Other	8,532		7,228		5 years
	$	216,035	$	142,289

Amortization expense for intangible assets was $15,328, $15,911 and $15,935 for the fiscal years ended December 29, 2018, December 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.

Estimated annual amortization expense related to finite‑lived intangible assets is as follows:



	Estimated Amortization Expense
2019	$	16,170
2020	15,082
2021	13,079
2022	10,976
2023	9,264

The useful lives assigned to finite‑lived intangible assets included consideration of factors such as the Company’s past and expected experience related to customer retention rates, the remaining legal or contractual life of the underlying arrangement that resulted in the recognition of the intangible asset and the Company’s expected use of the intangible asset.

Non-amortized intangible assets

Intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized. The carrying values of trade names at December 29, 2018 and December 30, 2017 were as follows:

(8) GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Continued)



	December 29, 2018		December 30, 2017		Year Acquired
Newmark	$	11,111	$	11,111	2004
Webforge	8,872		9,432		2010
Valmont SM	8,155		9,973		2014
Ingal EPS/Ingal Civil Products	7,233		7,690		2010
Donhad	—		5,801		2010
Shakespeare	4,000		4,000		2014
Walpar	4,300		—		2018
Convert	8,580		—		2018
Other	16,472		16,846
	$	68,723	$	64,853

In its determination of these intangible assets as indefinite‑lived, the Company considered such factors as its expected future use of the intangible asset, legal, regulatory, technological and competitive factors that may impact the useful life or value of the intangible asset and the expected costs to maintain the value of the intangible asset. The Company expects that these intangible assets will maintain their value indefinitely. Accordingly, these assets are not amortized.

The Company's trade names were tested for impairment separately from goodwill in the third quarter of 2018. The values of each trade name was determined using the relief-from-royalty method. Based on this evaluation, the value of the offshore and other complex steel structures (Valmont SM) trade name was deemed to be impaired and the Company recorded a charge of $1,425. No other trade names were determined to be impaired.

Goodwill

The carrying amount of goodwill by segment as of December 29, 2018 and December 30, 2017 was as follows:



	Engineered Support Structures Segment			Utility Support Structures Segment			Coatings Segment			Irrigation Segment			Other			Total
Gross Balance at December 30, 2017	$	170,076		$	90,248		$	76,696		$	19,778		$	15,814		$	372,612
Accumulated impairment losses	(18,670		)	—			(16,222		)	—			—			(34,892		)
Balance at December 30, 2017	151,406			90,248			60,474			19,778			15,814			$	337,720
Acquisitions	42,216			34,280			5,120			5,503			—			87,119
Impairment	—			(14,355		)	—			—			—			(14,355		)
Divestiture of grinding media	—			—			—			—			(15,814		)	(15,814		)
Foreign currency translation	(7,557		)	(910		)	(879		)	(117		)	—			(9,463		)
Balance at December 29, 2018	$	186,065		$	109,263		$	64,715		$	25,164		$	—		$	385,207

(8) GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Continued)



	Engineered Support Structures Segment			Utility Support Structures Segment		Coatings Segment			Irrigation Segment		Other		Total
Gross Balance at December 31, 2016	$	157,689		$	88,451	$	75,791		$	19,611	$	14,460	$	356,002
Accumulated impairment losses	(18,670		)	—		(16,222		)	—		—		(34,892		)
Balance at December 31, 2016	139,019			88,451		59,569			19,611		14,460		321,110
Acquisitions	3,449			—		—			—		—		3,449
Foreign currency translation	8,938			1,797		905			167		1,354		13,161
Balance at December 30, 2017	$	151,406		$	90,248	$	60,474		$	19,778	$	15,814	$	337,720

The Company’s annual impairment test of goodwill was performed during the third quarter of 2018, using the discounted cash flow method. The Company previously highlighted significant, adverse challenges in the wind energy market in Northern Europe that impacts our Offshore and other complex steel structures business. A lack of protective tariffs has led to an extremely competitive environment in that region. Lower near-term financial projections and an approximately 15% decline in the undiscounted terminal value applied in the 2018 test, when compared to the 2017 annual impairment test, is a result of challenging onshore wind and energy transmission structures pricing that is difficult to predict when it will recover. This resulted in an estimated fair value of the Offshore and other complex steel structures reporting unit below the Company’s investment in this business. As a result, a goodwill impairment was recorded in the third quarter totaling $14,355, which represents all of the goodwill of the offshore and other complex steel reporting unit.