Silven Industries, which manufactures and sells a highly successful line of summer lotions and insect repellents, has decided to diversify in order to stabilize sales throughout the year. A natural area for the company to consider is the production of winter lotions and creams to prevent dry and chapped skin.
After considerable research, a winter products line has been developed. However, Silven's president has decided to introduce only one of the new products for this coming winter. If the product is a success, further expansion in future years will be initiated.
The product selected (called Chap-Off is a lip balm that will be sold in a lipstick-type tube. The product will be sold to wholesalers in boxes of 24 tubes for $8 per box. Because of excess capacity, no additional fixed manufacturing overhead costs will be incurred to produce the product. However, a $135,000 charge for fixed manufacturing overhead will be absorbed by the product under the company's absorption costing system.
Using the estimated sales and production of 135,000 boxes of Chap-off, the Accounting Department has developed the following cost per box:
Direct materials $3.90
Direct labor 1.90
Manufacturing overhead 1.30
Total cost $7.10
The costs above include costs for producing both the lip balm and the tube that contains it. As an alternative to making the tubes, Silven has approached a supplier to discuss the possibility of purchasing the tubes for Chap-Off. The purchase price of the empty tubes from the supplier would be $1.40 per box of 24 tubes. If Silven Industries accepts the purchase proposal, direct labor and variable manufacturing overhead costs per box of Chap-Off would be reduced by 10% and direct materials costs would be reduced by 25%.
Required:
a. Calculate the total variable cost of producing one box of Chap-Off.
b. What would be the maximum purchase price acceptable to Silven Industries?