Sparklin Automotive Costing
Sparklin Automotive Company (SAC) is a leader in the spark plug business and has now developed a revolutionary new product that will enhance that leadership position. The new product allows the company to offer special-order spark plugs for the auto racing industry. The company needs to determine the best method of accounting for this product. The current accounting system is a basic costing system that delivers only basic information to the company's managers. Other systems have also been recommended for adoption to enhance the company's costing knowledge and improve managerial decisions. This memo will discuss some of the options for the new custom spark plug product in particular, taking the approach of comparing the new product with the normal spark plugs the company offers, and explaining why a different accounting system for the new custom plugs would be beneficial.
Current Practices
SAC currently utilizes the process costing method for its spark plugs. Process costing is a system commonly used when a company produces a large quantity of identical or similar products, as is the current situation at Sparklin Automotive (White, 2010). Process costing accumulates direct costs, and allocates indirect costs. Costs are assigned on a large batch basis, often over time period (Ibid). So for the current product, SAC examines its costs on a macro basis, using daily, weekly or monthly production as the basis, then working backwards to calculate an average cost per unit. There is little consideration of the cost of different products under this system.
Job Order Costing
For companies that break their work down into jobs, a system called job order costing is often utilized. These companies typically perform work that varies with each order. Examples of firms that would use job order costing are auto mechanics, print shops, accounting firms and plumbers. The new custom spark plugs at SAC are an example of the type of product that would normally be subject to a job order costing system. Each set of custom spark plugs will have different specs, and as a result the cost structure for each will be different.
The mechanics of job order costing...
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