Question

Pineapple Motor Company manufactures two types of speciality electric motors, a commercial motor and a residential motor, through two production Assembly and Testing. Presently, the company uses a single plantwide factory overhead rate for allocating factory overhead to the two products. However, management is considering using the muitiple production department factory overhead rate method. The following factory overhead was budgeted for Pineapple:
Assembly Department 360,000.00
Testing Department 900,000.00
Total 1,260,000.00
Direct machine hours were estimated as follows:
Assembly Department 3,000 hours
Testing Department 6,000
Total 9,000 hours
In addition, the direct machine hours (dmh) used to produce a unit of each product in each department were determined from engineering records, as follows:
Commercial Residential
Assembly Department 14 dmh 1.1 dm
Testin Department 2.8 2.2
Total machine hours per unit 4.2 dmh 3.3 dmh
Required:
a. Determine the per-unit factory overhead allocated to the commercial and residential motors under the single plantwide factory overhead rate method, using direct machine hours as the allocation base.
b. Determine the per-unit factory overhead allocated to the commercial and residential motors under the multiple production department factory overhead rate method, using direct machine hours as the allocation base for each department.
c. Recommend to management a product costing approach, based on your analyses in (a) and (b).

Answer 1

Answer:

a. Single Plant wide  Factory Overhead  Rate = $ 140 per machine hour

Overhead Rate of  Assembly Department $ 120 per machine hour

Overhead Rate of  Testing Department=    $ 150 per unit per machine hour.

Total Overhead per Unit    Commercial  $ 588      Residential $  462      

Explanation:

Pineapple Motor Company

Assembly Department  Factory Overhead 360,000

Testing Department  Factory Overhead 900,000

Total  Factory Overhead 1,260,000

Direct machine hours were estimated as follows:

Assembly Department 3,000 hours

Testing Department 6,000

Total 9,000 hours

                                      Commercial              Residential

Assembly Department       1.4 dmh                    1.1 dmh

Testing Department             2.8                           2.2

Total machine hours per unit 4.2 dmh           3.3 dmh

Single Plant wide  Factory Overhead  Rate = Total  Factory Overhead 1,260,000/Total 9,000 hours

a. Single Plant wide  Factory Overhead  Rate = $ 140 per machine hour

Overhead Allocated to Assembly Department = No of Hours * Rate

                      = 3000  * $ 140 = $ 420,000

Overhead Allocated to Testing Department = No of Hours * Rate

                      = 6000  * $ 140 = $ 840,000

b. Overhead Rate of  Assembly Department = Factory Overhead / Machine Hours= 360,000/3,000 hours = $ 120 per machine hour

                     

Overhead Rate of  Testing Department=   Factory Overhead / Machine Hours=  900,000/ 6000 hours=  $ 150 per unit per machine hour.

Overhead Allocated

                                         Commercial              Residential

Assembly Department       1.4 *120                   1.1 dmh *120

                                               168                          132

Testing Department             2.8*150                    2.2*150

                                               420                             330                    

Total Overhead per Unit     $ 588                       $  462              

c. ABC approach is better as it gives an estimate of the overhead per unit both for the Commercial and Residential department using the assembly and testing overheads rates separately. The single plant wide rate gives a mere estimate of the overall costs.