A cost-benefit analysis is a key decision-making
tool that helps determine whether a planned action or expenditure is literally
worth the price.
The analysis can be used to help decide almost any
course of action, but its most common use is to decide whether to proceed with
a major expenditure. Since it's based on adding positive factors and
subtracting negative ones to get a net result, it is also known as
"running the numbers."
A cost-benefit analysis finds, quantifies, and adds
all the positive factors involved in a proposed course of action. These are the
benefits.
- Then all the negatives, or costs, are identified, quantified, and subtracted.
- The difference between the two indicates whether the planned action is advisable. The real trick to doing a cost-benefit analysis well is making sure you include all the costs and benefits and properly quantify them.
- Should we hire an additional sales person or assign overtime, or will we be better off putting our free cash flow into securities or investing in additional capital equipment? Both of these questions can be answered by doing a proper cost-benefit analysis.
First Stab at a Cost-Benefit Analysis
Say you are a production manager and you are
proposing the purchase of a $1 million stamping machine to increase output.
Before you can present the proposal to the vice president, you need some facts
to support your suggestion. You need to do a cost-benefit analysis.
First, you list the benefits. The machine will
produce 100 more units per hour. The machine will replace three workers
currently stamping by hand. The units will be of higher quality because they
will be more uniform.
You calculate the selling price of the 100
additional units per hour multiplied by the number of production hours per
month. Add another two percent for the units that aren't rejected because of
the higher quality of the machine output. Then add the monthly salaries of the
three workers. That's a pretty good total benefit.
Then there are the costs. The machine costs $1
million and it will consume electricity. That's about it. You calculate the
monthly cost of the machine by dividing the purchase price by 12 months per
year and divide that by the 10 years the machine should last.
The manufacturer's specs tell you what the power
consumption of the machine is and you can get power cost numbers from
accounting. You figure the cost of electricity to run the machine and add the
purchase cost to get a total cost figure.
You subtract your total cost figure from your total
benefit value and your analysis shows a healthy profit.
You're ready to present your analysis to the vice
president, right? Wrong. You've got the right idea, but you left out a lot of
detail.
A Better Example
Take another look at the benefits first. Don't use
the selling price of the units to calculate the value. The sales price of any
item includes many additional factors that will throw off your analysis if you
include them, not the least of which is a profit margin.
Instead, get the activity-based value of the units
from accounting and use that number.
You added the value of the increased quality by
factoring in the average reject rate, but you may want to reduce that a little
because even a machine won't always be perfect.
Finally, when calculating the value of replacing
three employees, be sure to add overhead costs and benefits costs in addition
to their salaries. Accounting is your source for the exact number of the
company's "fully burdened" labor rates.
You may have overlooked other details. For
instance, you may be able to buy feedstock for the machine in large rolls
instead of the individual sheets needed when the work is done by hand. This
should lower the cost of material, another benefit.
Now reconsider the costs. In addition to its
purchase price and any taxes you will have to pay on it, you must add the cost
of interest on the purchase. Even if the company buys the machine outright, you
will have to include a sum in the lost interest it would have earned if the
money had not been spent.
Check with finance to find out the amortization
period. The machine may last ten years but the company may not keep it on the
books that long. It may amortize the purchase over as little as four years if
it is considered capital equipment. If the cost of the machine is not enough to
qualify as capital, the full cost will be expensed in one year. Adjust the
monthly purchase cost of the machine to reflect these issues.
There may still be some details you overlooked.
More Costs
The devil is in the details. In this case, here are
some of the overlooked costs:
- Floor
space: Will the machine fit in the same space currently occupied by the
three workers?
- Installation:
What will it cost to remove the manual stampers and install the new
machine? Will you have to cut a hole in a wall to get it in or will it fit
through the door? Will you need rollers or machinists with special skills
to install it?
- Operator?
Somebody has to operate the machine. Does this person need special
training? What will the operator's salary, including overhead, cost?
- Environment:
Will the new machine be so noisy that you have to build soundproofing
around it? Will it increase the company's insurance premiums?
An Accurate Conclusion
Once you have collected all the positive and
negative factors and have quantified them you can put them together into an
accurate cost-benefit analysis.
Some people like to add up all the positive
factors, then add up all the negative factors, and find the difference between
the two. Others prefer to make a running list that combines both factors. That
makes it easier for you or anyone reviewing your work to see that you
have included all the factors on both sides of the issues.
For the example above, the
cost-benefit analysis might look something like this:
Cost-Benefit Analysis: Purchase of
New Stamping Machine
(Costs shown are per month and amortized over four years)
(Costs shown are per month and amortized over four years)
1. Purchase of Machine
.................... -$20,000
includes interest and taxes
includes interest and taxes
2. Installation of
Machine ..................... -3,125
including screens & removal of existing stampers
including screens & removal of existing stampers
3. Increased Revenue
.......................... 27,520
net value of additional 100 units per hour, 1 shift/day, 5 days/week
net value of additional 100 units per hour, 1 shift/day, 5 days/week
4. Quality Increase
Revenue ..................... 358
calculated at 75% of current reject rate
calculated at 75% of current reject rate
5. Reduced material
costs ...................... 1,128
purchase of bulk supply reduces cost by $0.82 per hundred
purchase of bulk supply reduces cost by $0.82 per hundred
6. Reduced Labor Costs
....................... 18,585
3 operators salary plus labor o/h
3 operators salary plus labor o/h
7. New Operator
................................. -8,321
salary plus overhead. Includes training
salary plus overhead. Includes training
8. Utilities
............................................ -250
power consumption increase for a new machine
power consumption increase for a new machine
9. Insurance
......................................... -180
premiums increase
premiums increase
10.
Square footage ...................................... 0
no additional floor space is required
no additional floor space is required
Net Savings per Month ...........................
$15,715
Your cost-benefit analysis clearly shows
the purchase of the stamping machine is justified. The machine will save your
company more than $15,000 per month, almost $190,000 a year.
This is just one example of how you can use
a cost-benefit analysis to determine the advisability of a course of
action and then support it with facts.
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