Problem 13-22 (Algo) Special Order Decisions [LO13-4]

Polaski Company manufactures and sells a single product called a Ret. Operating at capacity, the company can produce and sell 32,000 Rets per year. Costs associated with this level of production and sales are given below:

	Unit				Total
Direct materials	$	20			$	640,000
Direct labor		8				256,000
Variable manufacturing overhead		3				96,000
Fixed manufacturing overhead		9				288,000
Variable selling expense		2				64,000
Fixed selling expense		6				192,000
Total cost	$	48			$	1,536,000

The Rets normally sell for $53 each. Fixed manufacturing overhead is $288,000 per year within the range of 22,000 through 32,000 Rets per year.

Required:

1. Assume that due to a recession, Polaski Company expects to sell only 22,000 Rets through regular channels next year. A large retail chain has offered to purchase 10,000 Rets if Polaski is willing to accept a 16% discount off the regular price. There would be no sales commissions on this order; thus, variable selling expenses would be slashed by 75%. However, Polaski Company would have to purchase a special machine to engrave the retail chains name on the 10,000 units. This machine would cost $20,000. Polaski Company has no assurance that the retail chain will purchase additional units in the future. What is the financial advantage (disadvantage) of accepting the special order? (Round your intermediate calculations to 2 decimal places.)

2. Refer to the original data. Assume again that Polaski Company expects to sell only 22,000 Rets through regular channels next year. The U.S. Army would like to make a one-time-only purchase of 10,000 Rets. The Army would reimburse Polaski for all of the variable and fixed production costs assigned to the units by the companys absorption costing system, plus it would pay an additional fee of $1.60 per unit. Because the army would pick up the Rets with its own trucks, there would be no variable selling expenses associated with this order. What is the financial advantage (disadvantage) of accepting the U.S. Army's special order?

3. Assume the same situation as described in (2) above, except that the company expects to sell 32,000 Rets through regular channels next year. Thus, accepting the U.S. Armys order would require giving up regular sales of 10,000 Rets. Given this new information, what is the financial advantage (disadvantage) of accepting the U.S. Army's special order?

Come-Clean Corporation produces a variety of cleaning compounds and solutions for both industrial and household use. While most of its products are processed independently, a few are related, such as the companys Grit 337 and its Sparkle silver polish.

Grit 337 is a coarse cleaning powder with many industrial uses. It costs $1.20 a pound to make, and it has a selling price of $10.80 a pound. A small portion of the annual production of Grit 337 is retained in the factory for further processing. It is combined with several other ingredients to form a paste that is marketed as Sparkle silver polish. The silver polish sells for $6.00 per jar.

This further processing requires one-fourth pound of Grit 337 per jar of silver polish. The additional direct variable costs involved in the processing of a jar of silver polish are:

Other ingredients	$	0.60
Direct labor		1.36
Total direct cost	$	1.96

Overhead costs associated with processing the silver polish are:

Variable manufacturing overhead cost		25	% of direct labor cost
Fixed manufacturing overhead cost (per month)
Production supervisor	$	3,400
Depreciation of mixing equipment	$	1,600

The production supervisor has no duties other than to oversee production of the silver polish. The mixing equipment is special-purpose equipment acquired specifically to produce the silver polish. It can produce up to 10,500 jars of polish per month. Its resale value is negligible and it does not wear out through use.

Advertising costs for the silver polish total $3,600 per month. Variable selling costs associated with the silver polish are 5% of sales.

Due to a recent decline in the demand for silver polish, the company is wondering whether its continued production is advisable. The sales manager feels that it would be more profitable to sell all of the Grit 337 as a cleaning powder.

Required:

1. How much incremental revenue does the company earn per jar of polish by further processing Grit 337 rather than selling it as a cleaning powder? (Round your answer to 2 decimal places.)

2. How much incremental contribution margin does the company earn per jar of polish by further processing Grit 337 rather than selling it as a cleaning powder? (Round your intermediate calculations and final answer to 2 decimal places.)

3. How many jars of silver polish must be sold each month to exactly offset the avoidable fixed costs incurred to produce and sell the polish? (Round your intermediate calculations to 2 decimal places.)

4. If the company sells 8,600 jars of polish, what is the financial advantage (disadvantage) of choosing to further process Grit 337 rather than selling is as a cleaning powder? (Enter any "disadvantages" as a negative value. Round your intermediate calculations to 2 decimal places.)

5. If the company sells 11,600 jars of polish, what is the financial advantage (disadvantage) of choosing to further process Grit 337 rather than selling is as a cleaning powder? (Enter any "disadvantages" as a negative value. Round your intermediate calculations to 2 decimal places.)