ABC Corporation makes small parts from steel alloy sheets. Management has the flexibility to substitute direct materials for direct manufacturing labor. If workers cut the steel carefully, more parts can be manufactured from a metal sheet, but this requires additional direct manufacturing labor hours. Alternatively, ABC can use fewer labor hours if it is willing to tolerate more waste of direct materials. ABC decided to improve materials productivity this year and the following provides information for the current and prior year:

	Prior Year	Current Year
Output units	400,000	490,000
Direct manufacturing labor hours	10,000	13,500
Wages per hour	$26	$24
Direct materials used	160 tons	180 tons
Direct materials cost per ton	$3,375	$3,250

Required: Carry all computations to four digits after the decimal point.

3. Evaluate management's decision to improve materials productivity.