A Printing Company Estimates That It Will Require 1,000 Reams

question 32

Essay

A printing company estimates that it will require 1,000 reams of a certain type of paper in a given period. The cost of carrying one unit in inventory for that period is 50 cents. The company buys the paper from a wholesaler in the same town, sending its own truck to pick up the orders at a fixed cost of $20.00 per trip. Treating this cost as the order cost, what is the optimum number of reams to buy at one time?
How many times should lots of this size be bought during this period?
What is the minimum cost of maintaining inventory on this item for the period?
Of this total cost, how much is carrying cost and how much is ordering cost?

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Definitions:

Variable Costs

Charges that adjust based on the volume of production or sales, such as labor and materials expenses.

Variable Costs

Variable costs are expenses that change in proportion to the activity of a business, such as the cost of raw materials used in production.

Activity Level

A measure of the volume of production or business actions, often influencing cost behavior and managerial decisions.

Rental Charges

Costs associated with leasing or renting property or equipment.