g) Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment are measured at cost, less accumulated depreciation and any impairment losses. Land is not depreciated.
Acquisition costs include, when appropriate, the initial estimates of decommissioning, withdrawal and site reconditioning costs when the Atento Group is obliged to bear this expenditure as a condition of using the assets. Repairs that do not prolong the useful life of the assets and maintenance costs are recognized directly in the statements of operations. Costs that prolong or improve the life of the asset are capitalized as an increase in the cost of the asset.
Property, plant and equipment acquired in a business combination are initially measured at fair value as of the acquisition date.
The Atento Group assesses the need to write down, if appropriate, the carrying amount of each item of property, plant and equipment to its period-end recoverable amount whenever there are indications that the assets’ carrying amount may not be fully recoverable through the generation of sufficient future revenue. The impairment allowance is reversed if the factors giving rise to the impairment cease to exist.
The depreciation charge for items of property, plant and equipment is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations under “Depreciation”.
Depreciation is calculated on a straight line basis over the useful life of the asset applying individual rates to each type of asset, which are reviewed at the end of each reporting period.
The useful lives generally used by the Atento Group are as follow:
| Years of useful life | |
| Buildings | 5 - 40 |
| Plant and machinery | 3 - 6 |
| Furniture, tools | 1 - 10 |
| Other tangible assets | 5 - 8 |