Utica Manufacturing (UM) was recently acquired by MegaMachines, Inc. (MM), and organized as a separate division within the company. Most manufacturing plants at MM use an ABC system, but UM has always used a traditional product costing system. Bob Miller, the plant controller at UM, has decided to experiment with ABC and has asked you to help develop a simple ABC system that would help him decide if it was useful. The controllers staff has identified costs for the first month in the four overhead cost pools along with appropriate cost drivers for each pool.

Cost Pools Costs Activity Drivers Incoming inspection $ 134,400 Direct material cost Production 1,610,000 Machine-hours Machine setup 830,000 Setups Shipping 500,000 Units shipped

The company manufactures two basic products with model numbers 308 and 510. The following are data for production for the first month as part of MM.

Products 308 510 Total direct material costs $ 57,000 $ 39,000 Total direct labor costs $ 180,000 $ 210,000 Total machine-hours 60,000 80,000 Total number of setups 66 100 Total pounds of material 19,000 10,000 Total direct labor-hours 7,000 10,000 Number of units produced and shipped 30,000 20,000

Required:

a. The current cost accounting system charges overhead to products based on machine-hours. What unit product costs will be reported for the two products if the current cost system continues to be used? b. A consulting firm has recommended using an activity-based costing system, with the activities based on the cost pools identified by the cost accountant. What are the cost driver rates for the four cost pools identified by the cost accountant? c. What unit product costs will be reported for the two products if the ABC system suggested by the cost accountants classification of cost pools is used? d. If management should decide to implement an activity-based costing system, what benefits should it expect?