Manager T. C. Downs of Plum Engines, a producer of lawn mowers and leaf blowers, must develop an aggregate plan given the forecast for engine demand shown in the table. The department has a regular output capacity of 130 engines per month. Regular output has a cost of $ 60 per engine. The beginning inventory is zero engines. Overtime has a cost of $ 90 per engine.
a. Develop a chase plan that matches the forecast and compute the total cost of your plan. Regular production can be less than regular capacity.
b. Compare the costs to a level plan that uses inventory to absorb fluctuations. Inventory carrying cost is $ 2 per engine per month. Backlog cost is $ 90 per engine per month. There should not be a backlog in the lastmonth.