A metal-mechanical company is considering the purchase of an automatic machine for a certain phase of the finishing process. The machine has an initial cost of $23,000, a salvage value of $4,000, and a useful life of 10 years. If the machine is purchased, an operator would be required at a cost of $12 per hour. Production with this equipment would be 8 tons per hour. Annual maintenance and operating costs are expected to be $3,500. Another alternative is for the company to purchase a less sophisticated machine for $8,000 that has no salvage value and has a useful life of five years. However, this alternative would require three operators at a cost of $8 per hour and the machine would have an annual operating and maintenance cost of $1,500. The investment should have a return of 10% per year. To justify the purchase of the automatic machine, how many tons should be produced per year? If 2,000 tons per year of finished product are required, which machine should be purchased?