You are considering a new product launch. The project will cost $680,000, have a four-year life, and have no salvage value; depreciation is straight-line to zero. Sales are projected at 160 units per year, price per unit will be $19,000, variable cost per unit will be $14,000, and fixed costs will be $150,000 per year. The required return on the project is 15%, and the relevant tax rate is 35%.
a. Based on your experience, the unit sales, variable cost, and fixed cost projections given here are probably accurate to within ± 10%. What are the upper and lower bounds for these projections for unit sales, variable cost, and fixed cost?
b. What is the base-case NPV?
c. What are the NPVs in the best-case and worst-case scenarios?
d. Evaluate the sensitivity of your base-case NPV to changes in fixed costs.
e. What is this project’s cash break-even level of output (ignoring taxes)?
f. What is the accounting break-even level of output for this project, and what is the degree of operating leverage (DOL) at the accounting break-even point? How do you interpret this DOL number?
g. What is the financial break-even level of output for this project, and what is the degree of operating leverage (DOL) at the financial break-even point? How do you interpret this DOL number?