\nMendel Paper Company produces four basic paper product lines at one of its plants: computer
\npaper, napkins, place mats, and poster board. Materials and operations vary according to the line
\nof product. The market has been relatively good. The demand for napkins and place mats has
\nincreased with more people eating out, and the demand for the other lines has been growing
\nsteadily.
\nThe plant superintendent, Marlene Herbert, while pleased with the prospects for increased sales,
\nis concerned about costs:
\n“We hear talk about a paperless office, but I haven’t seen it yet. The computers, if
\nanything, have increased the market for paper. Our big problem now is the high fixed
\ncost of production. As we have automated our operation, we have experienced increases
\nin fixed overhead and even variable overhead. And, we will have to add more equipment
\nsince it appears that we need even more plant capacity. We are operating over our normal
\ncapacity as it is.
\nThe place mat market concerns me. We may have to discontinue printing the mats. Our
\nspecialty printing is driving up the variable overhead to the point where we may not find
\nit profitable to continue with that line at all.”
\nCost and price data for the next fiscal quarter are as follows:
\nComputer Paper Napkins Place mats Poster board
\nEstimated sales volume in units 30,000 120,000 45,000 80,000
\nSelling prices????????. $14.00 $7.00 $12.00 $8.50
\nMaterial costs???????. 6.00 4.50 3.60 2.50
\nVariable overhead includes the cost of hourly labor and the variable cost of equipment operation.
\nThe fixed plant overhead is estimated at $420,000 for the quarter. Direct labor, to a large extent,
\nis salaried; the cost is included as a part of fixed plant overhead. The superintendent’s concern
\nabout the eventual need for more capacity is based on increases in production that may reach and
\nexceed the practical capacity of 60,000 machine hours.
\nIn addition to the fixed plant overhead, the plant incurs fixed selling and administrative expenses
\nper quarter of $118,000.
\n“I share your concern about increasing fixed costs,” the supervisor of plant operations replies.
\n“We are still operating with about the same number of people we had when we didn’t have this
\nsophisticated equipment. In reviewing our needs and costs, it appears to me that we could cut
\nfixed plant overhead to $378,000 a quarter without doing any violence to our operation. This
\nwould be a big help.”
\n“You may be right,” Herbert responds. “We forget that we have more productive power than we
\nonce had, and we may as well take advantage of it. Suppose we get some hard figures that show
\nwhere the cost reductions will be made.”
\nData with respect to production per machine hour and the variable cost per hour of producing
\neach of the products are given as follows:
\nComputer Paper Napkins Place mats Poster board
\nUnits per hour 6 10 5 4
\nVariable overhead per hour $9.00 $6.00 $12.00 $8.00
\n“I hate to spoil things,” the vice-president of purchasing announces. “But the cost of our
\nmaterials for computer stock is now up to $7. Just got a call about that this morning. Also, place
\nmat materials will be up to $4 a unit.”
\n“On the bright side,” the vice-president of sales reports, “we have firm orders for 35,000 cartons
\nof computer paper, not 30,000 as we originally figured.”
\nQuestions:
\n1. From all original estimates given, prepare estimated contribution margins by product line
\nfor the next fiscal quarter. Also, show the contribution margins per unit.
\n2. Prepare contribution margins as in part (1) with all revisions included.
\n3. For the original estimates, compute each of the following:
\na. Break-even point for the given sales mix.
\nb. Margin of safety for the estimated sales volume.
\n4. For the revised estimates, compute each of the following:
\na. Break-even point for the given sales mix.
\nb. Margin of safety for the estimated sales volume.
\n5. Comment on Herbert’s concern about the variable cost of the place mats.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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