Answered step by step
Verified Expert Solution
Question
1 Approved Answer
Idexo Corporation is a privately held designer and manufacturer of licensed college apparel in Cincinnati, Ohio. In late 2019, after several years of lackluster performance,
Idexo Corporation is a privately held designer and manufacturer of licensed college apparel in Cincinnati, Ohio. In late 2019, after several years of lackluster performance, the firms owner and founder, Rebecca Ferris, returned from retirement to replace the current CEO, reinvigorate the firm, and plan for its eventual sale or possible IPO. She has hired you to assist with developing the firms financial plan for the next five years.
Revenue growth has slowed dramatically in recent years and the firms net profit margin has actually been declining. Ferris is convinced the firm can do better. After only several weeks at the helm, she has already identified a number of potential improvements to drive the firms future growth.
Operational Improvements
On the operational side, Ferris is quite optimistic regarding the companys prospects. The market is expected to grow by 6% per year, and Idexo produces a superior product. Idexos market share has not grown in recent years because prior management devoted insufficient resources to product development, sales, and marketing. At the same time, Idexo has overspent on administrative costs. Indeed, from Table 1, Idexos current administrative expenses are 18% of sales, which exceeds its expenditures on sales and marketing (15% of sales). Competitors spend less on administrative overhead than on sales and marketing.
Ferris plans to cut administrative costs immediately to 15% of sales and redirect resources to new product development, sales, and marketing. By doing so, she believes Idexo can increase its market share from 10% to 14% over the next four years. Using the existing production lines, the increased sales demand can be met in the short run by increasing overtime and running some weekend shifts. The resulting increase in labor costs, however, is likely to lead to a decline in the firms gross margin to 53%. Table 2 shows sales and operating-cost projections for the next five years based on this plan, including the reallocation of resources from administration to sales and marketing over the five-year period, and an increase in Idexos average selling price at a 2% inflation rate each year.
Expansion Plans
Table 3 shows the forecast for Idexos capital expenditures over the next five years. Based on the estimates for capital expenditures and depreciation, this spreadsheet tracks the book value of Idexos plant, property, and equipment starting from its level at the end of 2019. Note that investment is expected to remain relatively low over the next two yearsslightly below depreciation. Idexo will expand production during this period by using its existing plant more efficiently.
However, once Idexos volume grows by more than 50% over its current level, the firm will need to undertake a major expansion to increase its manufacturing capacity.
Working Capital Management
To compensate for its weak sales and marketing efforts, Idexo has sought to maintain the loyalty of its retailers, in part through a very lax credit policy. This policy affects Idexos working capital requirements: For every extra day that customers take to pay, another days sales revenue is added to accounts receivable (rather than received in cash).
The standard for the industry is 45 days. Ferris believes that Idexo can tighten its credit policy to achieve this goal without sacrificing sales.
Ferris does not foresee any other significant improvements in Idexos working capital management, and expects inventories and accounts payable to increase proportionately with sales growth. The firm will also need to maintain a minimum cash balance equal to 30 days sales revenue to meet its liquidity needs. It earns no interest on this minimal balance, and Ferris plans to pay out all excess cash each year to the firms shareholders as dividends.
Capital Structure Changes: Levering Up
Idexo currently has $20 million in debt outstanding with an interest rate of 7%, and it will pay interest only on this debt during the next five years. The firm will also obtain additional financing at the end of years 2019 and 2020 associated with the expansion of its manufacturing plant, as shown in Table 4. While Idexos credit quality will likely improve by that time, interest rates may also increase somewhat. You expect that rates on these future loans will be about 7% as well.
Step by Step Solution
There are 3 Steps involved in it
Step: 1
Get Instant Access to Expert-Tailored Solutions
See step-by-step solutions with expert insights and AI powered tools for academic success
Step: 2
Step: 3
Ace Your Homework with AI
Get the answers you need in no time with our AI-driven, step-by-step assistance
Get Started