Question

Troy Engines, Ltd., manufactures a variety of engines for use in heavy equipment. The company has always produced all of the necessary parts for its engines, including all of the carburetors. An outside supplier has offered to sell one type of carburetor to Troy Engines, Ltd., for a cost of $33 per unit. To evaluate this offer, Troy Engines, Ltd., has gathered the following information relating to its own cost of producing the carburetor internally:

	Per Unit				18,000 Units Per Year
Direct materials	$	15		$	270,000
Direct labor		9			162,000
Variable manufacturing overhead		4			72,000
Fixed manufacturing overhead, traceable		6	*		108,000
Fixed manufacturing overhead, allocated		9			162,000
Total cost	$	43		$	774,000

*One-third supervisory salaries; two-thirds depreciation of special equipment (no resale value).

Required:

1. Assuming the company has no alternative use for the facilities that are now being used to produce the carburetors, what would be the financial advantage (disadvantage) of buying 18,000 carburetors from the outside supplier?

2. Should the outside supplier’s offer be accepted?

3. Suppose that if the carburetors were purchased, Troy Engines, Ltd., could use the freed capacity to launch a new product. The segment margin of the new product would be $180,000 per year. Given this new assumption, what would be financial advantage (disadvantage) of buying 18,000 carburetors from the outside supplier?

4. Given the new assumption in requirement 3, should the outside supplier’s offer be accepted?

Answer 1

1. Cost of Making Products In-house = Direct Material + Direct labor + Variable Manufacturing + Fixed MOH (Allocated)

Cost of Making Products In-house = $15 + $9 + $4 + $2 (Depreciation on Special equipment is a sunk cost)

Cost of Making Products In-house = $30

Cost of Buying Products from Outside Suppliers = $33

Financial Disadvantage of buying from outside supplier = 18000 * -$3 = -$54000

2. Outside Suppliers Offer should not be accepted as it results in Financial Disadvantage

3. Cost of Making Products in-house = Cost of Making Product * 18000 + Opportunity cost of new product's segment margin

Cost of Making Products in-house = $30 * 18000 + 180000

Cost of Making Products in-house = $720000

Cost of Buying Products from Outside Suppliers = $33 * 18000 = $594000

Financial advantage of buying 18,000 carburetors from the outside supplier = $720000 - $594000 = $126000

4. Outside Suppliers Offer should be accepted as it results in Financial advantage