For the tangible ones, it's often relatively easy to get financing that lets you spread the payment over the asset's useful life, which solves most of the cash flow issues you get if you pay in cash up front but have to spread the expense over many years.
Your previous comment mixed tangible and intangible. R&D is intangible, so I focused there. Your response mostly applies to tangible. I think the other reply to you here makes a great point. Let's try not to talk past each other!
