Property, Plant and Equipment (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Aug. 31, 2018

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Components of Property, Plant and Equipment

Estimated useful lives for major classes of depreciable assets are as follows:

Asset Class	Estimated Useful Life
Buildings	Up to 35 years
Leasehold improvements	Shorter of lease term or useful life of the improvement
Machinery and equipment	2 to 10 years
Furniture, fixtures and office equipment	5 years
Computer hardware and software	3 to 7 years
Transportation equipment	3 years

Property, plant and equipment consists of the following (in thousands):

	August 31,
	2018		2017
Land and improvements	$	144,136	$	120,574
Buildings	849,975		804,861
Leasehold improvements	1,013,428		877,752
Machinery and equipment	3,983,025		3,680,881
Furniture, fixtures and office equipment	192,243		178,603
Computer hardware and software	601,955		583,569
Transportation equipment	17,215		22,080
Construction in progress	42,984		85,748
	6,844,961		6,354,068
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	3,646,945		3,125,390
	$	3,198,016	$	3,228,678

Depreciation and Maintenance and Repair Expenses

Depreciation and maintenance and repair expenses were as follows for the periods indicated (in thousands):

	Fiscal Year Ended August 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Depreciation expense	$	735,213	$	724,856	$	659,542
Maintenance and repair expense	$	266,691	$	234,332	$	197,373