Make or Buy
King City Specialty Bikes (KCSB) produces high-end bicycles. The costs to manufacture and market the bicycles at the company's volume of 2,000 units per month are shown in the following table:
(TABLE CANT COPY)
The company has the capacity to produce 2,000 units per month and always operates at full capacity. The bicycles sell for $$\$ 600$$ per unit.
Required
a. KCSB receives a proposal from an outside contractor who will assemble 800 of the 2,000 bicycles per month and ship them directly to KCSB's customers as orders are received from KCSB's sales force. KCSB would provide the materials for each bicycle, but the outside contractor would assemble, box, and ship the bicycles. The variable manufacturing costs would be reduced by 40 percent for the 800 bicycles assembled by the outside contractor. KCSB's fixed nonmanufacturing costs would be unaffected, but its variable nonmanufacturing costs would be cut by 60 percent for these 800 units produced by the outside contractor. KCSB's plant would operate at 60 percent of its normal level, and total fixed manufacturing costs would be cut by 20 percent. What inhouse unit cost should be compared with the quotation received from the outside contractor? Should the proposal be accepted for a price (that is, payment to the contractor) of $$\$ 140$$ per unit?
b. Assume the same facts as in requirement $(a)$ but assume that the idle facilities would be used to produce 80 specialty racing bicycles per month. These racing bicycles could be sold for $$\$ 8,000$$ each, while the costs of production would be $$\$ 5,600$$ per unit variable manufacturing cost. Variable marketing costs would be $$\$ 200$$ per unit. Fixed nonmanufacturing and manufacturing costs would be unchanged whether the original 2,000 regular bicycles were manufactured or the mix of 1,200 regular bicycles plus 80 racing bicycles was produced. Considering this opportunity to use the freed-up space, what is the maximum purchase price per unit that KCSB should be willing to pay the outside contractor to assemble regular bicycles? Should the contractor's proposal of $$\$ 140$$ per unit be accepted?