160 Property
16’000 Commercial buildings
16’100 Factory buildings
16’500 Commercial and residential buildings
16’600 Residential buildings
16’800 Undeveloped land
These accounts allocate land, buildings, real estate. There is no depreciation on land property as it is assumed that land
does not lose its value.
Investment property is property held as a financial investment covers only those buildings which the Metrohm Group no
longer depends on for its own use and which are rented out to third parties. Investment properties are reported at
market values.
4.1.2.5 Intangible assets
Intangible assets are assets that lack physical substance. They can be acquired or generated internally. The intangible
assets are called intangible assets provided that they are identifiable and can be capitalized. Intangible assets are - if
significant - to be broken down in the balance sheet into goodwill and other intangible assets. In Metrohm Group only
Intellectual property and Goodwill are common categories of intangible assets. Only internally or self-developed
software should be capitalized as an intangible asset, whereas software licenses of purchased programs using office-,
CRM-, ERP software are not capitalized. Those are either expenses on P&L or, if occurred in context with an (IT) project,
capitalized together with all related costs at tangible asset account 15’200.
4.1.2.5.1 Capitalization
Acquired intangible assets are to be capitalized only if they yield measurable economic benefits for the organization over
several years. Intangible assets generated internally can only be recognized as an asset if they meet the following
conditions cumulatively at the time of the initial recognition:
1. The intangible assets generated internally are identifiable and are controlled by the organization, and
2. The intangible assets generated will yield internally a measurable benefit for the organization over several
years, and
3. The expense which arise from the creation of the intangible assets generated internally can be recognized and
measured separately
Expense for identifiable intangible assets that cannot be capitalized are to be charged to the result of the period (=costs).
Expense for intangible assets generated internally charged to the result of the period cannot be capitalized subsequently
(=costs). Basically at Metrohm Group intangible assets are only development costs, which are not to be capitalized but
handled as an expense.
4.1.2.5.2 Valuation
While capitalizing intangible assets the future useful life is to be carefully estimated and the capitalized value is to be
charged systematically (normally linearly) over the useful life to the result of the period (amortization). If the useful life
cannot be clearly determined an amortization period of 5 years is applied, and in justified cases one of 20 years
maximum. The carrying amount of intangible assets has to be reviewed in terms of possible impairments at each balance