Question

We constantly seem to be pricing ourselves out of some markets and not charging enough in others. Our pricing policy is pretty simple: we mark up our full manufacturing cost by 50%. That means a computer that costs us $2,000 to manufacture will sell for $3,000. Until now I thought this was a workable approach, but now I’m not so sure.

Steve Works, CEO, Cortland Manufacturing, Inc. (CMI)

Steve’s Controller, Sally Nomer, had just told him that she believed the computers might be priced inappropriately. Steve continued:

When I was at Leland [School of Management] I focused most of my attention on operations and marketing, convinced that those were the keys to my successful career. Cost accounting was boring and not relevant. But now my accountant is telling me that I need to think about a new way to assign manufacturing overhead to products, and I don’t even know where to start! I never dreamed that some day my career would come to this. I wish I’d paid more attention to those classes so I could understand what is going on here. I’m lost.

BACKGROUND

CMI manufactures several different models of computers, distributed to retail outlets throughout the 50 states. The company is proud of the user-friendly computers it produces, in particular their graphics capability. CMI claims the superb graphics are what distinguish its products from competitors.

CMI purchases raw materials in components and subassemblies made to its specifications from a very small group of highly reliable suppliers. It uses a single facility to house both manufacturing facility and administrative and sales offices.   The factory workers operate three kinds of machines. Inspecting machines check the raw materials and test components and subassemblies to assure they are working to specifications. Soldering machines solder various components as necessary. Finally assembly machines put all the components and subassemblies together into finished computers. The processes can vary by computer model.

Depreciation, maintenance and repairs on the three types of machines account for about 40% of CMI’s overhead cost. The remainder of the overhead is made up of labor involved in receiving and handling the raw materials, adjusting and setting up machines for each new batch of computers, and inspecting and packing finished computers for shipping. Additional costs include insurance and depreciation on handling equipment, supplies, and utilities. The actual manufacturing effort (soldering, inspecting and assembly) is primarily automated, so CMI uses very little direct labor. The company also operates on a lean production model, so almost no inventories exist at the end of any period.

Most of the computers are sold in large orders to national electronic chains. However, the Cortland 2000 is not such a machine. It represents a recent effort by CMI to enter the scientific computing market. The quantity manufactured and sold of this machine is expected to be much lower than other models even when it gains its hoped-for market share. Fewer customers exist for this more sophisticated, powerful, high-priced machine. Nonetheless, Mr. Works has believed from the conception of this product that, when all manufacturing costs were considered, the Cortland 2000 would contribute a reasonable amount to CMI’s selling and administrative costs and profit. The name recognition it brought in its elite community should enhance sales of the more generally used computers.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

CMI budgeted direct labor costs for 2010 at $60,000,000. Based on expected sales, the company estimated that raw material purchased and used would be $300,000,000. Manufacturing overhead was budgeted at $196,000,000. It is currently allocated to production on the basis of machine hours (MH). As mentioned above, computers are priced at full production cost plus a mark-up of 50%.

EXHIBIT 1 shows the expected direct manufacturing costs for two of the company’s computers. The Cortland 1000 is a very popular computer with a large production and sales volume. By contrast, the Cortland 2000, described above, is a state-of-the-art scientific computer with several special features. In particular, the Cortland 2000

Uses a new processing chip imported from Sweden.

Has special patented random access memory (RAM) that gives it extremely high input/output speed.

Is manufactured in very small batches to assure uniform quality from one computer to the next, to satisfy the users of the machines who have very high expectations for the performance of the machines they purchase.

Mr. Works’ concerns arose when Ms. Nomer told him that she thought the company’s traditional overhead allocation system was providing misleading cost information about the different types of products. She developed an analysis of the 2010 manufacturing overhead costs, shown in EXHIBIT 2. She classified the overhead costs described above into activities. She also gathered data, shown in EXHIBIT 3, for the 2010 production of the Cortland 1000 and the Cortland 2000. Mr. Works commented on the data:

I don’t know quite what to make of all this. Clearly I need some further explanation and analysis. I guess what I really need is some sense of what is the true manufacturing cost of each computer. I thought I knew that, but I didn’t really. Even though we cannot at this point change prices for 2010, we at least need to know if we’re covering full production cost on the Cortland 2000 and have something left to contribute to the company’s selling, general and administrative expenses. I thought this was so, but now … well, I’m not so sure. We’d better figure this out before we begin our budget cycle for 2011. Maybe I need to go back to school!

EXHIBIT 1: Direct manufacturing costs:
	Cortland 1000	Cortland 2000
DM	$1,000	$2,500
DL	$200	$400
EXHIBIT 2: 2010 budgeted MOH - ABC
Activity	Cost driver	Driver units (Co.)	Cost
Receive/handle materials	orders received	200	$90,000,000
Adjust/set up machines	# of SU	2,000	12,000,000
Inspect, pack, ship	batches	500	60,000,000
Inspect raw material	Inspection hr.	200,000	10,000,000
Solder parts	Soldering hr.	200,000	12,000,000
Assemble computers	Assembly hr.	100,000	12,000,000
Total MOH			$196,000,000
EXHIBIT 3: Production data, Cortland 1000 and Cortland 2000
item	Measure	Cortland 1000	Cortland 2000
Budgeted production	# of computers	20,000	5,000
Received order size*	Size of order	10,000	500
Batch size	# of computers	5,000	100
Machine setups	# of SU per batch	5	6
RM inspection time	Hr/computer	1	2
Soldering time	Hr/computer	3	1
Assembly time	Hr/computer	1	1
* Number of computers one order of RMI will build
1. Predetermined OH rate - current
Machine hr = 200,000 + 200,000 + 100,000 =		500,000
Est cost / est MH = 196,000,000 / 500,000 =		$392	per MH
2. Cost per unit
	Cortland 1000	Cortland 2000
DM	$1,000	$2,500
DL	$200	$400
MOH*	$1,960	$1,568	* MH = (1+3+1); (2+1+1)		5
total cost per unit	$3,160	$4,468
3. Selling price
	Cortland 1000	Cortland 2000
total cost per unit	$3,160	$4,468
mark up 50%	$1,580	$2,234
selling price	$4,740	$6,702
4. Raw materials received per model
	Cortland 1000	Cortland 2000
Budgeted production	20,000	5,000
Received oder size	10,000	500
# of R/M order	2	10
5. Batches packed/shipped
	Cortland 1000	Cortland 2000
Budgeted production	20,000	5,000
Batch size	5,000	100
# of Batches	4	50
6. Maschine setups per model
	Cortland 1000	Cortland 2000
Maschine setups	5	6
# of Batches	4	50
Total Maschine setups	20	300
7. Activity rates
	A	B		A/B
Activity	Cost driver	Driver units (Co.)	Cost
Receive/handle materials	orders received	200	$90,000,000	450,000	per order
Adjust/set up machines	# of SU	2,000	12,000,000	6,000	per setup
Inspect, pack, ship	batches	500	60,000,000	120,000	per batch
Inspect raw material	Inspection hr.	200,000	10,000,000	50	per ins hr
Solder parts	Soldering hr.	200,000	12,000,000	60	per sdr hr
Assemble computers	Assembly hr.	100,000	12,000,000	120	per assm hr
Total MOH	0	0	$196,000,000
8. Allocate OH	Cortland 1000	Cortland 2000
Activity
Receive/handle materials	900,000	4,500,000
Adjust/set up machines	120,000	1,800,000
Inspect, pack, ship	480,000	6,000,000
Inspect raw material	1,000,000	500,000
Solder parts	3,600,000	300,000
Assemble computers	2,400,000	600,000
Total Overhead	$        8,500,000	$       13,700,000
9. Overhead Rate
# of Computers	20,000	5,000
Overhead Rate	$                   425	$                2,740
10. Total mfg. cost	Cortland 1000	Cortland 2000
Overhead Rate	$                   425	$                2,740
DM	$1,000	$2,500
DL	$200	$400
Total mfg Cost	$                 1,625	$                5,640
11. Selling price
Total mfg Cost	$                 1,625	$                5,640
mark up 50%	$               812.50	$           2,820.00
Selling price	$                2,438	$                8,460
QUESTIONS: 1.For and against ABC: possible answers:
For:
Against:
2. What makes a new model more costly:
a
b
c
d
e

Answer 1