Jones Manufacturing Co. produces personal fitness machines.
After five years, the once successful line is no longer selling
well, so the company is considering production of an improved line
of machines incorporating new computer technology. This can be done
by buying needed production equipment. There is a six-month
manufacturing, delivery, setup, and training delay before the
equipment will be ready for production. The company wants to start
producing the new line of fitness machines in January next year.
Two options are available - lease or buy.
Buy Option - The entire purchase price of the production
equipment is $700K and is due at the time of the order. The cost of
capital for this purchase is 8%. Assume: (1) the equipment has no
residual value at the end of the fifth year and (2) there are no
taxes.
Lease Option - The total lease cost is $600K. A $50K deposit
is due at the time of the order. The remaining portion of the first
year's lease payment ($70K) is due in January next year. The other
four annual lease payments ($120K each) are due in January of
production years 2, 3, 4, and 5. The cost of capital for leasing is
18%. Assume no taxes.
Revenue from sales of the new line of fitness machines is
expected to be:
* Year 1 - $600,000
* Year 2 - $500,000
* Year 3 - $300,000
* Year 4 - $200,000
* Year 5 - $100,000
1. Calculate the net present value of both the new purchase
option and the lease option. Show all work. Determine the best
option for Jones and justify your answer.
2. You used the Excel NPV function with the correct discount
rates to calculate NPV and you got the following values: Buy -
$682,814; Lease - $689,947. What did you do wrong?
3. Calculate IRR for each option.
4. Assuming projected inflows and outflows are accurate, under
what conditions can Jones expect to see a return equal to IRR? Is
this realistic?