Cane Company manufactures two products called Alpha and Beta that sell for $240 and $162, respectively. Each product uses only one type of raw material that costs $5 per pound. The company has the capacity to annually produce 131,000 units of each product. Its unit costs for each product at this level of activity are given below:
Alpha Beta
Direct materials $ 35 $ 15
Direct labor 48 23
Variable manufacturing overhead 27 25
Traceable fixed manufacturing overhead 35 38
Variable selling expenses 32 28
Common fixed expenses 35 30
Total cost per unit $ 212 $ 159
The company considers its traceable fixed manufacturing overhead to be avoidable, whereas its common fixed expenses are deemed unavoidable and have been allocated to products based on sales dollars.
1. Assume that Cane normally produces and sells 80,000 Betas and 100,000 Alphas per year. If Cane discontinues the Beta product line, its sales representatives could increase sales of Alpha by 13,000 units. If Cane discontinues the Beta product line, how much would profits increase or decrease? (Input the amount as positive value.)
2. Assume that Cane expects to produce and sell 88,000 Alphas during the current year. A supplier has offered to manufacture and deliver 88,000 Alphas to Cane for a price of $112 per unit. If Cane buys 88,000 units from the supplier instead of making those units, how much will profits increase or decrease? (Input the amount as positive value.)
5. Assume that Cane's customers would buy a maximum of 83,000 units of Alpha and 63,000 units of Beta. Also assume that the company's raw material available for production is limited to 200,000 pounds. How many units of each product should Cane produce to maximize its profits?
6. Assume that Cane's customers would buy a maximum of 93,000 units of Alpha and 73,000 units of Beta. Also assume that the company's raw material available for production is limited to 227,000 pounds. What is the maximum contribution margin Cane Company can earn given the limited quantity of raw materials?
7. Assume that Cane's customers would buy a maximum of 82,000 units of Alpha and 62,000 units of Beta. Also assume that the company's raw material available for production is limited to 162,000 pounds. Up to how much should it be willing to pay per pound for additional raw materials?