Problem:
MCL Ltd is a manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment. MCL produces milking machines and supplies as well as being the sole Australian distributor of machinery from the US- based company FarmGo Ltd. The CEO of MCL has been negotiating for some time with a German company that produces new technology equipment that assists farmers with climatic information such as recording and predicting rainfall patterns, temperature readings and historical livestock sale values. In order to become the Australian distributor of this new technology, a $300,000,000 payment would be required to secure the rights. A further $20,000 would need to be spent to secure trade names in Australia. It is expected that the unit price of the sale of the technology to farmers would be $50,000 with the cost being $38,000 per unit. The following unit sales are anticipated:
Year 1 - 6,000
Year 2 - 12,000
Year 3 - 12,000
Year 4 - 10,000
Year 5 - 6,000
The company's Marketing Manager anticipates that a $40,000 marketing campaign would need to be undertaken in the first year in order to create the expected demand. This is based on a $12,000 study already completed by an external marketing agency. MCL's Finance Manager has determined that the license will lead to an increase in Net Working Capital of $60,000. An ATO ruling has been gained to allow the write off of the rights and trade name payments over the 5 years for tax purposes. The cost of external assistance in gaining this ruling was $7,000. At present the company pays tax at a rate of 30 cents per dollar.
The cost of capital for the company is 12%.
(a) Calculate, showing all workings:
- Net Present Value
- Discounted and Undiscounted Payback Period
- Profitability Index
- Internal Rate of Return to 2 decimal places
(b) Write a one page memo to the CEO of MCL advising him as to whether the company should proceed with gaining the right, giving reasons for your decision.
(c) The original contract with FarmGo Ltd includes a clause requiring MCL to make a one-off payment of $70,000 to the US company if they gain any other exclusive distribution rights. Also an ongoing payment of $10,000 is required for the life of the license.
Calculate the impact of this or your analysis and write a short (1-2 paragraphs) memo to the Finance Manager on the implications of this.
Additional Information:
This question is from Finance as well as it is about a company acquiring dealership of an agricultural equipment producing company. The selling price of the units, the cost of the units and the number of units expected to be sold for 5 years are given. NPV, payback period, profitability index, IRR, have been calculated. Apart from this a memo to the CEO of the company has to be given about the project.