Concept explainers
Accounting for materials costs
In papermaking operations for companies such as International Paper Company, wet pulp is fed into paper machines, which press and dry pulp into a continuous sheet of paper. The paper is formed at very high speeds (60 mph). Once the paper is formed, the paper is rolled onto a reel at the hack end of the paper machine. One of the characteristics of papermaking is the creation of “broke" paper. Broke is paper that fails to satisfy quality standards and is therefore rejected for final shipment to customers. Broke is recycled hack to the beginning of the process by combining the recycled paper with virgin (new) pulp material. The combination of virgin pulp and recycled broke is sent to the paper machine for papermaking. Broke is fed into this recycle process continuously from all over the facility.
In this industry, it is typical to charge the papermaking operation with the cost of direct materials, which is a mixture of virgin materials and broke. Broke has a much lower cost than does virgin pulp. Therefore, the more broke in the mixture, the lower the average cost of direct materials to the department. Papermaking managers frequently comment on the importance of broke for keeping their direct materials costs down
a. How do you react to this accounting procedure?
b. What “hidden costs” are not considered when accounting for broke as described?
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Chapter 20 Solutions
Accounting (Text Only)
- Mt. Palomar Manufacturing Co. uses a process cost system. Its manufacturing operation is carried on in two departments: Machining and Finishing. The Machining Department uses the weighted average cost method, and the Finishing Department uses the FIFO cost method. Materials are added in both departments at the beginning of operations, but the added materials do not increase the number of units being processed. Units are lost in the Machining Department throughout the production process, and inspection occurs at the end of the process. The lost units have no scrap value and are considered to be a normal loss. Production statistics for July show the following data: Required: Prepare a cost of production summary for each department. (Round unit costs to three decimal places.) Which department will have an easier time determining how its unit costs compare from month to month? Why?arrow_forwardHepworth Communications produces cell phones. One of the four major electronic components is produced internally. The other three components are purchased from external suppliers. The electronic components and other parts are assembled (by the Assembly Department) and then tested (by the Testing Department). Any units that fail the test are sent to the Rework Department where the unit is taken apart and the failed component is replaced. Data from the Testing Department reveal that the internally produced component (made by the Component Department) is the most frequent cause of product failure. One out of every 50 phones fails because of a faulty internally produced component. Barry Norton is the manager of the Component Department. In a recent performance evaluation, the plant manager told Barry that he needed to be more sensitive to the needs of the departments customers. This charge puzzled Barry somewhatafter all, the component is not sold to anyone but is used in producing the plants cell phones. Required: 1. Who are Barrys customers? 2. Explain the plant managers charge to Barry to be more sensitive to his customers. Explain also how this increased sensitivity could improve the companys time-based competitive ability. 3. What role would cost management play in helping Barry be more sensitive to his customers?arrow_forwardReducir, Inc., produces two different types of hydraulic cylinders. Reducir produces a major subassembly for the cylinders in the Cutting and Welding Department. Other parts and the subassembly are then assembled in the Assembly Department. The activities, expected costs, and drivers associated with these two manufacturing processes are given below. Note: In the assembly process, the materials-handling activity is a function of product characteristics rather than batch activity. Other overhead activities, their costs, and drivers are listed below. Other production information concerning the two hydraulic cylinders is also provided: Required: 1. Using a plantwide rate based on machine hours, calculate the total overhead cost assigned to each product and the unit overhead cost. 2. Using activity rates, calculate the total overhead cost assigned to each product and the unit overhead cost. Comment on the accuracy of the plantwide rate. 3. Calculate the global consumption ratios. 4. Calculate the consumption ratios for welding and materials handling (Assembly) and show that two drivers, welding hours and number of parts, can be used to achieve the same ABC product costs calculated in Requirement 2. Explain the value of this simplification. 5. Calculate the consumption ratios for inspection and engineering, and show that the drivers for these two activities also duplicate the ABC product costs calculated in Requirement 2.arrow_forward
- STAR Co. provides paper to smaller companies with volumes that are not large enough to warrant dealing directly with the paper mill. STAR receives 100-feet-wide paper rolls from the mill and cuts the rolls into smaller rolls of widths 12, 15, and 30 feet. The demands for these widths vary from week to week. The following cutting patterns have been established: Trim loss is the leftover paper from a pattern (e.g., for pattern 4, 2(12) + 1(15) + 2(30) = 99 feet used results in 100 99 = 1 foot of trim loss). Demands this week are 5,670 12-foot rolls, 1,680 15-foot rolls, and 3,350 30-foot rolls. Develop an all-integer model that will determine how many 100-foot rolls to cut into each of the live patterns in order to meet demand and minimize trim loss (leftover paper from a pattern).arrow_forwardLogicCO is a fast-growing manufacturer of computer chips. Direct materials are added at the start of the production process. Conversion costs are added evenly during the process. Some units of this product are spoiled as a result of defects not detectable before inspection of finished goods. Spoiled units are disposed of at zero net disposal value. uses the FIFO method of process costing. Summary data and weighted-average data for are as follows: Requirements : 1. For each cost category, compute equivalent units. Show physical units in the first column. 2. Summarize total costs to account for; calculate cost per equivalent unit for each cost category; and assign costs to units completed and transferred out (including normal spoilage), to abnormal spoilage, and to units in ending work in process. 3. Should 's managers choose the weighted-average method or the FIFO method? Explain.arrow_forwardLaCroix Company produces handbags from leather of moderate quality. It distributes the product through outlet stores and department store chains. At LaCroix’s facility in northeast Ohio, direct materials (primarily leather hides) are added at the beginning of the process, while conversion costs are added evenly during the process. Given the importance of minimizing product returns, spoiled units are detected upon inspection at the end of the process and are discarded at a net disposal value of zero. LaCroix uses the weighted-average method of process costing. Summary data for April 2017 are as follows: Q.For each cost category, calculate equivalent units. Show physical units in the first column of your schedule.arrow_forward
- LaCroix Company produces handbags from leather of moderate quality. It distributes the product through outlet stores and department store chains. At LaCroix’s facility in northeast Ohio, direct materials (primarily leather hides) are added at the beginning of the process, while conversion costs are added evenly during the process. Given the importance of minimizing product returns, spoiled units are detected upon inspection at the end of the process and are discarded at a net disposal value of zero. LaCroix uses the weighted-average method of process costing. Summary data for April 2017 are as follows: Q.Summarize the total costs to account for; calculate the cost per equivalent unit for each cost category; and assign costs to units completed and transferred out (including normal spoilage), to abnormal spoilage, and to units in ending work in process.arrow_forwardAlgonac Moldings produces a product made from a metal alloy. Two suppliers, Liebold Metal and Cecil Distributors, supply the alloy. Neither supplier can meet Algonac's typical demand, because of capacity constraints. The material from Liebold is less expensive to buy but more difficult to use, resulting in greater waste. The metal alloy is highly toxic and any waste requires costly handling to avoid environmental accidents. Last year the cost of handling the waste totaled $1,200,000. Additional data from last year’s operations are shown as follows: Liebold Metals Cecil Distributors Amount of material purchased (tons) 64.8 115.2 Amount of waste (tons) 9.0 11.0 Cost of purchases $ 1,488,000 $ 3,312,000 Required: Allocate the cost of the waste handling to the two suppliers based on: Amount of material purchased. Amount of waste. Cost of material purchased. Amount of material purchased. Note: Do not round intermediate calculations. A.)…arrow_forwardThe Chopin Company has decided to introduce a new product. The new product can be manufactured by either a computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM) or a labor-intensive production (LIP) system. The manufacturing method will not affect the quality of the product. The estimated manufacturing costs for each of the two methods are as follows. CAM System: Direct Material = $5.0 Direct Labor (DLH) = 0.5 DLH X $12 = $6 Variable Overhead = 0.5DLHx$6 = $3 Fixed Iverhead* = $ 2,440,000 LIP System: Direct Material = $5.6 Direct Labor (DLH) = 0.8 DLH X $9 = $7.2 Variable Overhead = 0.8 DLH X $6 = $4.8 Fixed Overhead* = $1,320,000 *These costs are directly traceable to the new product line. They would not be incurred if the new product were not produced. The company’s marketing research department has recommended an introductory unit sales price of $30. Selling expenses are estimated to be $500,000 annually plus $2 for each unit sold. (Ignore income taxes.) Required 4. Describe the circumstances under…arrow_forward
- The Chopin Company has decided to introduce a new product. The new product can be manufactured by either a computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM) or a labor-intensive production (LIP) system. The manufacturing method will not affect the quality of the product. The estimated manufacturing costs for each of the two methods are as follows. CAM System: Direct Material = $5.0 Direct Labor (DLH) = 0.5 DLH X $12 = $6 Variable Overhead = 0.5DLHx$6 = $3 Fixed Iverhead* = $ 2,440,000 LIP System: Direct Material = $5.6 Direct Labor (DLH) = 0.8 DLH X $9 = $7.2 Variable Overhead = 0.8 DLH X $6 = $4.8 Fixed Overhead* = $1,320,000 *These costs are directly traceable to the new product line. They would not be incurred if the new product were not produced. The company’s marketing research department has recommended an introductory unit sales price of $30. Selling expenses are estimated to be $500,000 annually plus $2 for each unit sold. (Ignore income taxes.) Required: Calculate the estimated…arrow_forwardVermont Company uses continuous processing to produce stuffed bears and FIFO process costing to account for its production costs. It uses FIFO because costs are quite unstable due to the volatile price of fine materials it uses in production. The bears are processed through one department. Overhead is applied on the basis of direct labor costs, and the application rate has not changed over the period covered by the problem. The Work-in-Process Inventory account showed the following balances at the start of the current period: Direct materials $ 142,000 Direct labor 315,000 Overhead applied 441,000 These costs were related to 63,000 units that were in process at the start of the period. During the period, 71,000 units were transferred to finished goods inventory. Of the units finished during this period, 70 percent were sold. After units have been transferred to finished goods inventory, no distinction is made between the costs to complete…arrow_forwardNizam Company produces speaker cabinets. Recently, Nizam switched from a traditional departmental assembly line system to a manufacturing cell in order to produce the cabinets. Suppose that the cabinet manufacturing cell is the cost object. Assume that all or a portion of the following costs must be assigned to the cell: a. Depreciation on electric saws, sanders, and drills used to produce the cabinets b. Power to heat and cool the plant in which the cell is located c. Salary of cell supervisor d. Wood used to produce the cabinet housings e. Maintenance for the cells equipment (provided by the maintenance department) f. Labor used to cut the wood and to assemble the cabinets g. Replacement sanding belts h. Cost of janitorial services for the plant i. Ordering costs for materials used in production j. The salary of the industrial engineer (she spends about 20 percent of her time on work for the cell) k. Cost of maintaining plant and grounds l. Cost of plants personnel office m. Depreciation on the plant n. Plant receptionists salary and benefits Required: Identify which cost assignment method would likely be used to assign the costs of each of the preceding activities to the cabinet manufacturing cell: direct tracing, driver tracing, or allocation. When driver tracing is selected, identify a potential activity driver that could be used for the tracing.arrow_forward
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