One of Current Designs competitive advantages is found in the ingenuity of its owner and CEO, Mike Cichanowski. His involvement in the design of kayak molds and production techniques has led to Current Designs being recognized as an industry leader in the design and production of kayaks. This ingenuity was evident in an improved design of one of the most important components of a kayak, the seat. The Revolution Seating System is a one-of-a-kind, rotating axis seat that gives unmatched, full-contact, under-leg support. It is quickly adjustable with a lever-lock system that allows for a customizable seat position that maximizes comfort for the rider.

Having just designed the Revolution Seating System, Current Designs must now decide whether to produce the seats internally or buy them from an outside supplier. The cost for Current Designs to produce the seats are as follow:

Direct materials

Variable overhead

$20/unit

$12/unit

Direct labor

Fixed overhead

$15/unit

$20,000

Current Designs will need to produce 3,000 seats this year; 25% of the fixed overhead will be avoided if the seats are purchased from an outside vendor. After soliciting prices from outside suppliers, the company determined that it will cost $50 to purchase a seat from an outside vendor.

Instructions

(a) Prepare an incremental analysis showing whether Current Designs should make or buy the Revolution Seating System.

(b) Would your answer in (a) change if the productive capacity released by not making the seats could be used to produce income of $20,000?