Thrheel Forwarding, Inc. is a family operation owned by the three Jenkins brothers. Adrian Brooks, son-in-law of the oldest Jenkins brother, recently assumed the position of assistant to the financial vice-president. Although Brooks's primary responsibility is to evaluate capital investment projects, he was also asked to review the firm's capital structure and the effect of that capital structure on the cost-of-capital.
Brooks is presently undertaking a detailed analysis of the four major capital investment proposals available to Tarheel for the coming year. A description of each project, together with its cost and expected cash flow data (after-tax profit plus depreciation), is presented in Table 1. The four projects are all equally risky, and their risk is about the same as that of the firm's other assets.
Project A: Expanded Facilities at the Charlotte Terminal
Tarheel Forwarding operates primarily as a bonded freight forwarder, and the firm must provide rapid delivery on short notice for cargo temporarily stored in its bonded warehouse. The four existing loading docks are often insufficient for the rapid loading necessary to make prompt deliveries.
Tarheel has not been able to meet schedules on several occasions. Although the business lost so far has not been substantial, a continuation of the problem would have a serious effect on sales.
Porject A calls for the construction of an annex to the existing warehouse; the addition would provide four ne loading docks and additional storage space, which would speed up freight handling operations.
Project B: Alternative Plan for Expansion of Charlotte Terminal
After tentatively deciding to go with Project A, an alternative, Project B, was proposed. Brooks noted that project A will provide some additional storage space, but that this space is not urgently needed. Therefore, he determined that it would be possible (Project B) to solve the problem at hand by simply adding four more loading docks to the existing building. These new docks could be operational in the very near future, but they would cost approximately as much as Project A because the construction would necessitate extensive modifications.
Project C: Purchase of Four New Tractor - Trailer Rigs
An increase in business has been forcing Tarheel Forwarding to hire lease drivers (individuals who own and operate their own rigs) on a short-term basis. Although it is desirable to have lease drivers available on short notice to help meet peak requirements, the high cost of employing these individuals renders frequent utilization of their services unfeasible. Project C would alleviate this situation by having the firm purchase new rigs and provide more systematic and exacting maintenance of all equipment in service.
Project D: Special Equipment for Handling Coal
A profitable capital investment made in 1970 would be upgraded under project D. The installation of a movable conveyor system to increase railroad car loading efficiency would bring additional profitability by reducing labor costs. Frontloaders are presently being used for car loading and represent a somewhat inefficient utilization of man and machine hours.
On the basis of the pro forma income statement for the coming year, Brooks estimates that approximately $2250000 will be available for capital investment from internally generated sources (depreciation plus retained earnings).
A 20 percent cost of capital has been used in the part for internal fund, and Books sees no reason for departing from this figure. Under the existing capital structure, any additional funds used for capital budgeting purposes will have to come from the three Jenkins brothers, and to make these funds available, they will be required to liquidate personal security holdings.