Question

Exercise 2-11 Varying Plantwide Predetermined Overhead Rates [LO2-1, LO2-2, LO2-3] Kingsport Containers Company makes a single product that is subject to wide seasonal variations in demand. The company uses a job-order costing system and computes plantwide predetermined overhead rates on a quarterly basis using the number of units to be produced as the allocation base. Its estimated costs, by quarter, for the coming year are given below: Quarter Second Third $280,000 $140,000 $ 70,000 $210,000 First Fourth Direct materials Direct labor 80,000 40,000 20,000 60,000 Manufacturing overhead Total manufacturing costs (a) Number of units to be produced (b) Estimated unit product cost (a) (b) $4.92$ 6.43 $ 9.47 $ 230,000 206,000 194,000 $590,000 $386,000 $284,000 $ 120,000 60,000 30,000 90,000 Management finds the variation in quarterly unit product costs to be confusing and difficult to work with. It has been suggested that the problem lies with manufacturing overhead because it is the largest element of total manufacturing cost. Accordingly, you have been asked to find a more appropriate way of assigning manufacturing overhead cost to units of product. Required: 1. Assuming the estimated variable manufacturing overhead cost per unit is $0.40, what must be the estimated total fixed manufacturing overhead cost per quarter? 2. Assuming the assumptions about cost behavior from the first three quarters hold constant, what is the estimated unit product cost for the fourth quarter? 3. What is causing the estimated unit product cost to fluctuate from one quarter to the next? 4. Assuming the company computes one predetermined overhead rate for the year rather than computing quarterly overhead rates, calculate the unit product cost for all units produced during the year

Answer 1

Solution 1:

Manufacturing overhead at volume of 120000 units = $230,000

Variable manufacturing overhead per unit = $0.40

Estimated Fixed manufacturing overhead per quarter = $230,000 - (120000*0.40) = $182,000

Solution 2:

Computation of unit product cost - fourth quarter
Particulars	Amount
Direct materials	$210,000.00
Direct labor	$60,000.00
Manufacturing overhead (90000*$0.40 + $182,000)	$218,000.00
Total manufacturing costs	$488,000.00
Nos of units to produced	90000
Unit Product cost	$5.42

Solution 3:

The fixed portion of manufacturing overhead cost is causing the unit product costs to fluctuate. The unit product cost increases as the level of production decreases because the fixed overhead spread over fewer units.

Solution 4:

Computation of unit product cost
Particulars	Amount
Direct materials	$700,000.00
Direct labor	$200,000.00
Manufacturing overhead	$848,000.00
Total manufacturing costs	$1,748,000.00
Nos of units to produced	300000
Unit Product cost	$5.83