The Smith company, a manufacturer of industrial parts, is evaluating two mutually exclusive projects A&B. The projects

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Question:

The Smith company, a manufacturer of industrial parts, is evaluating two mutually exclusive projects A&B. The projects are somewhat riskier than the usual projects the firm undertakes; management uses the subjective approach and decided to apply an adjustment factor of +2% to the cost of capital for both projects.

The company’s a marginal tax rate is 21%, and cost of capital is 11%, evaluate the following proposals.

Project A: is a six-year project that requires an initial fixed asset investment of $3 million. The fixed asset falls into the seven-year MACRS class. Based on $20 per unit sale price, the project is estimated to generate $2,050,000 in sales during its first year, with production costs of $950,000. Sales and costs are expected to grow at 3% annually. The project requires a single initial investment in net working capital of $285,000 which is expected to be recovered in six years when the project is terminated. The fixed asset will have a market value of $225,000 at the end of its six years life.

Project B: is also a six-year project that requires an initial fixed asset investment of $1.9 million that falls into the seven-year MACRS class. The fixed asset will also require an additional $100,000 in shipping and installation. The marketing firm predicts that first year sales related to the project will be 62,500 units, at a price of $16 per unit, and grow at an annual rate of 4%. Operating costs related to the project are predicted to be 22% of sales. The project will also require an initial net working capital investment of $150,000 which is expected to be recovered at the end of six years. The asset is expected to have a market value of $22,000 at the end of the six years when the project is terminated.

The MACRS tax rates are given below: