Capital Budgeting Case
Scanning: Evaluating a new technology
National Courier Company picks up and delivers packages across the
country and, through its relationships with couriers in other
countries, provides international package delivery services. Each
afternoon couriers pick up packages. In late afternoon, the
packages are returned to the courier's terminal, where they are
placed in bins and shipped by air to National Courier Company's
hub. In the hub, these bins are emptied. The packages are sorted
and put into different bins according to their destination
terminal. Early the next morning, the bins arrive at the various
destination terminals, where they are sorted by route, put onto
trucks, and delivered.
An operations study determined that about $2 million of employee
time could be saved each year by using a scanning system. Each
package's bill of lading would have a bar code that the courier
would scan with a handheld scanner when the package is picked up.
The shipment would be scanned again as it reaches the terminal,
when it leaves the terminal, when it reaches the hub, when it is
placed into a bin at the hub, when it arrives at the destination
terminal, when it is sorted onto a courier's truck for delivery,
and when it is delivered to the customer. Each scanning would
eliminate the manual and less accurate completion of a form,
thereby providing courier time savings.
The total cost of the scanning system is estimated to be $10
million. It is thought to have a life of six years, after which the
equipment will be replaced with new technology. The salvage value
of the equipment in six years is estimated to be $500,000.
At the end of each shift, the information from all the scanners
will be
loaded into National Courier Company's main computer, providing the
exact location of each shipment. This tracking information provides
for increased security, a lower mis-sort rate, and improved service
in tracing shipments that have been mis-sorted. The reduced time
spent tracing missing shipments ac-counts for the balance of the
estimated employee time savings. The marketing manager believes
that the increased security and service will result in an increased
contribution margin of about $1 million per year if competitors do
not adopt this technology and National Courier Company does. If
competitors buy this technology and National Courier Company does
not, it will lose $1 million in contribution margin. If everyone
buys this technology, each competitor will maintain its current
sales level.
If National Courier Company's marginal tax rate is 35% and it has
an after-tax cost of capital of 6%, should it make this
investment?
Assume that National Courier Company will use straight-line
depreciation to compute de-preciation for tax purposes.
Facts of case
The cost of system = $ 10 millions
Useful life = 6 years
Salvage value = $ 500000
Depreciation per year = $ 10 - 0.5 millions / 6 Year = $ 1583333
We will find out the Net present value of this proposal to take the required decision
NPV = Present Value of all the benefits - Present Value of costs
(exclude depreciation because non cash expense is not relevant for decision making although DTS is relevant because it’s saving in cash expense ie tax)
Total benefits
1) Depreciation tax shield = 1583333*35% = $ 554167 per year
Present value of DTS = 554167* PVAF(6%,6) = $ 2725019
2) Cost saving + Additional contribution margin = $ 2+1 millions = $ 3000000 per year
Present value of these benefits = $ 3000000* PVAF(6%,6) = $ 14751973
3) Present value of salvage value = $ 500000* PVIF(6%,6)= $ 352480
So Total present value of benefits
$ 2725019+ 14751973 + 352480 = $ 17829472
Less: Cost of scanning system = $ 10000000
Net present value of investment = $ 7829472
Because The NPV is positive the business should make this investment.
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