Property, Plant and Equipment (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Aug. 31, 2019

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,
	2019		2018
Land and improvements	$	146,719	$	144,136
Buildings	962,559		849,975
Leasehold improvements	1,092,787		1,013,428
Machinery and equipment	4,262,015		3,983,025
Furniture, fixtures and office equipment	209,257		192,243
Computer hardware and software	671,252		601,955
Transportation equipment	16,423		17,215
Construction in progress	83,234		42,984
	7,444,246		6,844,961
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	4,110,496		3,646,945
	$	3,333,750	$	3,198,016

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,
	2019		2018		2017
Depreciation expense	$	739,910	$	735,213	$	724,856
Maintenance and repair expense	$	288,309	$	266,691	$	234,332