Problem 12-23 Make or Buy Decision [LO12-3] Silven Industries, which manufacture
ID: 2573719 • Letter: P
Question
Problem 12-23 Make or Buy Decision [LO12-3]
Silven Industries, which manufactures and sells a highly successful line of summer lotions and insect repellents, has decided to diversify in order to stabilize sales throughout the year. A natural area for the company to consider is the production of winter lotions and creams to prevent dry and chapped skin.
After considerable research, a winter products line has been developed. However, Silven's president has decided to introduce only one of the new products for this coming winter. If the product is a success, further expansion in future years will be initiated.
The product selected (called Chap-Off) is a lip balm that will be sold in a lipstick-type tube. The product will be sold to wholesalers in boxes of 24 tubes for $10 per box. Because of excess capacity, no additional fixed manufacturing overhead costs will be incurred to produce the product. However, a $80,500 charge for fixed manufacturing overhead will be absorbed by the product under the company's absorption costing system.
Using the estimated sales and production of 115,000 boxes of Chap-Off, the Accounting Department has developed the following manufacturing cost per box:
Direct material$4.20 Direct labor 2.60 Manufacturing overhead 1.70 Total cost$8.50
The costs above relate to making both the lip balm and the tube that contains it. As an alternative to making the tubes for Chap-Off, Silven has approached a supplier to discuss the possibility of buying the tubes. The purchase price of the supplier's empty tubes would be $1.90 per box of 24 tubes. If Silven Industries stops making the tubes and buys them from the outside supplier, its direct labor and variable manufacturing overhead costs per box of Chap-Off would be reduced by 15% and its direct materials costs would be reduced by 30%.
Required:
1. If Silven buys its tubes from the outside supplier, how much of its own Chap-Off manufacturing costs per box will it be able to avoid? (Hint: You need to separate the manufacturing overhead of $1.70 per box that is shown above into its variable and fixed components to derive the correct answer.)
2. What is the financial advantage (disadvantage) per box of Chap-Off if Silven buys its tubes from the outside supplier?
3. What is the financial advantage (disadvantage) in total (not per box) if Silven buys 115,000 boxes of tubes from the outside supplier?
4. Should Silven Industries make or buy the tubes?
5. What is the maximum price that Silven should be willing to pay the outside supplier for a box of 24 tubes?
6. Instead of sales of 115,000 boxes of tubes, revised estimates show a sales volume of 138,000 boxes of tubes. At this higher sales volume, Silven would need to rent extra equipment at a cost of $43,000 per year to make the additional 23,000 boxes of tubes. Assuming that the outside supplier will not accept an order for less than 138,000 boxes of tubes, what is the financial advantage (disadvantage) in total (not per box) if Silven buys 138,000 boxes of tubes from the outside supplier? Given this new information, should Silven Industries make or buy the tubes?
7. Refer to the data in (6) above. Assume that the outside supplier will accept an order of any size for the tubes at a price of $1.90 per box. How many boxes of tubes should Silven make? How many boxes of tubes should it buy from the outside supplier?
Explanation / Answer
1 Cost per box which can be avoided: Direct material (4.2*30%) 1.26 Direct labor (2.6*15%) 0.39 Manufacturing overhead (1*15%) 0.15 (Note:1) Total cost 1.8 Note: 1. computation of variable manufacturing cost per unit: Total manufacturing cost per unit 1.7 Less:Fixed manufacturing cost per unit (Fixed overhead/Estimated production) (80500/115000) 0.7 Variable manufactuirng cost per unit 1 2 Financial advantage/(Disadvantage) per box Cost of buying tube from outsiders 1.9 Less:Cost of saving due to purchase of tubes from outsiders 1.8 Financial disadvantage 0.1 3 Financial disadvantages in total=Units purchased from outsiders*Financial disadvantage per box=115000*0.1=11500 4 Silven industries should make the tubes since buying will result in financial disadvantage 5 Maximum purchase price=Cost saved per box due to buying=$1.8 6 If $138000 boxes were manufactured internally,then additional cost would be 138000*1.8 (Savings lost due to manufacturing) 248400 Rental cost of equipment 43000 Total cost 291400 If Tubes purchased from outside,additional cost would be Cost of tubes (138000*1.90) 262200 Financial advantage in total: additional cost of manufacturing 291400 Less:Additional cost of buying tubes 262200 29200 Silven industries should buy the tubes since it results in financial advantage 7 Best option: Manufacture 115000 boxes internally Buy 23000 boxes from outsiders Additional cost, 115000 boxes made internally, (115000*1.8) 207000 23000 boxes purchased (23000*1.90) 43700 Total cost 250700 This cost is lesser than financial advantage in part 6 .