Venlaz Corp Makes Small Motorcycles

question 138

Essay

Venlaz Corp makes small motorcycles. The monthly demand ranges from 80 to 100 motorcycles. The average demand is 92 motorcycles. The plant operates 300 hours a month. Each cycle takes approximately 1.5 hours.
If the company adds a new line of scooters, initial demand will be 20 per month. Each scooter will take 1 hour to make. To offset approaching production capacity, expanding the assembly line is possible. This will decrease manufacturing time for all products by 20%. However, this will increase the costs of cycles from $400 to $500 and scooters from $200 to $240. The change will also cause increases in prices from $700 to $750 for cycles and from $450 to $500 for scooters.
Required:
a.What is the average waiting time for cycles if they are the only item manufactured?
b.What are the average waiting times if both cycles and scooters are produced and the assembly line is not enlarged?
c.What are the average waiting times if both cycles and scooters are produced and the assembly line is enlarged?
d.What is the expected monthly margin without scooters if the company sells all 92 cycles it manufactures?
e.What are the expected monthly contribution margins if scooters are made with the current assembly line and with the new assembly line? Assume average sales and that sales equal production.
f.What action do you recommend?

---

Definitions:

Control Group

A group in an experiment or study that does not receive treatment by the researchers and is then used as a benchmark to measure how the other tested subjects do.

Masking

A method used in research where the participants and/or researchers are unaware of which individuals are in the control group and which are in the experimental group, to prevent bias.

Confounding

A situation in which the effect of two variables on a third is not clearly distinguishable.

Validity

The accuracy with which a study reflects the true situation.