MINICASE

Garga Products enjoys a steady demand for stainless steel infiltrators used in a number of chemical processes. Revenues from the infiltrator division are $$50$ million a year and production costs are $$47\mathrm{.}5$ million. However, the $10$ high$-$precision Munster stamping machines that are used in the production process are coming to the end of their useful life. One possibility is simply to replace each existing machine with a new Munster. These machines would cost $$800,000$ each and would not involve any additional operating costs. The alternative is to buy $10$ centrally controlled Skilboro stampers. Skilboros cost $$1\mathrm{.}25$ million each, but compared to the Munster, they would produce a total saving in operator and material costs of $$500,000$ a year. Moreover, the Skilboro is sturdily built and would last $10$ years, compared with an estimated $7-$year life for the Munster.

Analysts in the infiltrator division have produced the accompanying summary table, which shows the forecast total cash flows from the infiltrator business over the life of each machine. Garga's standard procedures for appraising capital investments involve calculating net present value, internal rate of return, and payback, and these measures are also shown in the table.

As usual, Emily Balsam arrived early at Garga's head office. She had never regretted joining Garga. Everything about the place, from the mirror windows to the bell fountain in the atrium, suggested a classy outfit. Ms$.$ Balsam sighed happily and reached for the envelope at the top of her in$-$tray. It was an analysis from the infiltrator division of the replacement options for the stamper machines. Pinned to the paper was the summary table of cash flows and a note from the CFO, which read, "Emily, I have read through $20$ pages of excruciating detail and I still don't know which of these machines we should buy. Note: The cutoff payback period recommended by the CFO is $3$ years for the projects.

$($a$)$ Can you help Ms$.$ Balsam by constructing an Excel spreadsheet and calculate the NPV$,$ IRR and Payback Period for both projects as shown in the following table $(25$ pts$.)$

$($b$)$ Draw the NPV profile curves for both proposals. Show the significant points on the graphs and interpret the numbers. $(25$ pts$.)$

$($c$)$ Which one of the projects should Ms$.$ Balsam recommend to the CFO based on your results in section $($a$).$ You need to justify your recommendation and also to explain why some or all of the measures $($i$.$e$.,$ NPV$,$ IRR & Payback$)$ are inappropriate. $(25$ pts$.)$

$($d$)$ Her CFO boss insists that s$/$he wants to persuade the CEO by using the IRR method because it is easier to communicate by using percentage numbers. Could you carry out the appropriate IRR method in the Excel spreadsheet and help Ms$.$ Balsam to make the correct recommendation by just using IRR results? Please include the NPV profile graph for the IRR method and do not forget to explain your result qualitatively as well. $(25$ pts$.)$

$\backslash$table$[[,$Year:,Cash Flows $($millions of dollars$)],[,0,1-7,8,9,10],[$Munster$],[$Investment$,,-8\mathrm{.}0,,,,],[$Revenues$,,,50\mathrm{.}0,0,0,0],[$Costs$,,,47\mathrm{.}5,0,0,0],[$Net cash flow,,$-8\mathrm{.}0,2\mathrm{.}5,0,0,0],[$NPV at $15\%$