In: Finance
MBA Corp is considering whether to expand widget production. This would require the purchase of a new widget-producing machine at a cost of $5,400,000. The machine would produce 450,000 widgets per year during its useful life of three years, and would be depreciated for tax purposes at a rate of $1,800,000 per year. The machine would not have any salvage value. Expanding widget production would also require the use of a building that could otherwise be leased for $500,000 per year. Working capital required for the new machine would be 12% of the next year’s sales. Widget prices are $20 and are expected to remain stable. The materials and labor required to produce a widget cost $12, and these costs are also expected to remain stable. The corporate income tax rate is 30%. The discount rate is 6% per year. (a) Forecast the incremental cash flows resulting from the purchase of a widget machine on a year-by-year basis and draw them on a timeline. (b) Decide whether MBA Corp should go ahead with the purchase of the new machine.
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The cash flows are detailed as below:
| Year | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 
| No. of widgets | 4,50,000 | 4,50,000 | 4,50,000 | |
| Sale value per widget | $ 20.00 | $ 20.00 | $ 20.00 | |
| Variable cost per widget | $ 12.00 | $ 12.00 | $ 12.00 | |
| Sales | $ 90,00,000.00 | $ 90,00,000.00 | $ 90,00,000.00 | |
| Variable costs | $ -54,00,000.00 | $ -54,00,000.00 | $ -54,00,000.00 | |
| Opportunity cost of building | $ -5,00,000.00 | $ -5,00,000.00 | $ -5,00,000.00 | |
| Depreciation | $ -18,00,000.00 | $ -18,00,000.00 | $ -18,00,000.00 | |
| EBIT | $ 13,00,000.00 | $ 13,00,000.00 | $ 13,00,000.00 | |
| Taxes @ 30% | $ -3,90,000.00 | $ -3,90,000.00 | $ -3,90,000.00 | |
| EBIAT | $ 9,10,000.00 | $ 9,10,000.00 | $ 9,10,000.00 | |
| Add back depreciation | $ 18,00,000.00 | $ 18,00,000.00 | $ 18,00,000.00 | |
| Gross cash flows | $ 27,10,000.00 | $ 27,10,000.00 | $ 27,10,000.00 | |
| Capital investment | $ -54,00,000.00 | $ - | ||
| Net working capital | $ -10,80,000.00 | $ 10,80,000.00 | ||
| Net cash flows | $ -64,80,000.00 | $ 27,10,000.00 | $ 27,10,000.00 | $ 37,90,000.00 | 
| NPV @ 6% | $ 16,70,651.21 | |||
| IRR | 18.63% | 
The company should go ahead with the purchase of the widget machine as the project cash flows are yielding a positive NPV and an internal rate of returb significantly higher than the discount rate.