Neuro Instruments uses a manufacturing costing system with one direct-cost category (direct materials) and three indirect-cost categories:

a. Setup, production order, and materials-handling costs that vary with the number of batches

b. Manufacturing-operations costs that vary with machine-hours

c. Costs of engineering changes that vary with the number of engineering changes made In response to competitive pressures at the end of 2012, Neuro Instruments used value-engineering tech-niques to reduce manufacturing costs. Actual information for 2012 and 2013 is as follows:

The management of Neuro Instruments wants to evaluate whether value engineering has succeeded in reducing the target manufacturing cost per unit of one of its products, HJ6, by 5%.
Actual results for 2012 and 2013 for HJ6 are:

Required
1. Calculate the manufacturing cost per unit of HJ6 in 2012.
2. Calculate the manufacturing cost per unit of HJ6 in 2013.
3. Did Neuro Instruments achieve the target manufacturing cost per unit for HJ6 in 2013? Explain.
4. Explain how Neuro Instruments reduced the manufacturing cost per unit of HJ6 in 2013.
5. What challenges might managers at Neuro Instruments encounter in achieving the target cost? How might they overcome thesechallenges?

2012 2013 Setup, production-order, and materials-handling costs per batch 8,900 $8,000 $ 64 S 48 $16,000 $8,000 Total manufacturing-operations cost per machine-hour Cost per engineering change Actual Results Actual Results for 2013 4,600 $1,300 70 30,000 for 2012 2700450 Units of HJ6 produced Direct material cost per unit of HJ6 Total number of batches required to produce HJ6 Total machine-hours required to produce HJ6 Number of engineering changes made $1,400 60 20,000 24