Maximizing Cost Efficiency for Brady Corporation's Lumber Production
Optimizing Lumber Production Process
Grade 1 Lumber: Purchasing Grade 1 lumber from an outside supplier at $4 per cubic foot and then drying it at Brady's kiln can maximize cost efficiency. This option provides 0.8 cubic feet of useful lumber when dried, with a drying time of 2 seconds per cubic foot.
Grade 2 Lumber: Procuring Grade 2 lumber from an external source for $10 per cubic foot and drying it at the company's kiln is another cost-effective approach. Grade 2 lumber yields 0.95 cubic feet of useful lumber when dried, with a drying time of 0.8 seconds per cubic foot.
Tree Logging and Sawmill: Brady should also utilize its resources by chopping down trees on its land, cutting them into lumber at its sawmill, and drying the lumber at the kiln. It costs $8 to fell a tree, which yields 5.0 cubic feet of lumber after processing. The company incurs $6 per cubic foot for drying lumber and $6.50 per cubic foot for logs sent through the sawmill.
Production Limits: The sawmill can process up to 35,000 cubic feet of lumber each week. Brady can purchase up to 40,000 cubic feet of Grade 1 lumber and 60,000 cubic feet of Grade 2 lumber weekly.
Meeting Demand: To meet the weekly demand of 90,000 cubic feet of processed lumber, Brady should purchase the specified amounts of Grade 1 and Grade 2 lumber, ensuring 40 hours of drying time are allocated for production.