Wavelength Media: Build the Line or Keep Buying?
Operations
medium40 min0 submissionsStripe
Scenario
Wavelength Media is a growth-stage streaming business in US. It currently buys a key component from a third-party supplier and is considering manufacturing it in-house.
Current position:
- Annual volume: 116k units
- Supplier price: $288 per unit, delivered
The in-house proposal:
- Capital cost: $46 M, useful life 10 years
- Variable cost in-house: $219 per unit
- Additional fixed operating cost: $14 M per year
Complications:
- Demand for the end product could move ±45% over the next three years
- The supplier has offered a price reduction if a three-year commitment is signed
- In-house production would take about 14 months to reach full yield
The COO is convinced building is obviously cheaper because the unit cost is lower.
Supporting data
current
- annual volume k
- 116
- supplier price per unit
- 288
in house
- capex
- 46
- ramp months
- 14
- asset life years
- 10
- annual fixed opex
- 14
- variable cost per unit
- 219
uncertainty
- demand swing pct
- 45
derived hints
- breakeven volume k
- 270
- annualised fixed cost
- 18.6
- contribution per unit
- 69
Your task
Advise the COO. Your answer should provide:
- Analysis — the economics of both options, computed, including the volume at which they break even.
- Risks — what makes the in-house case fail, and what you would monitor.
- Recommendation — a specific decision, and the volume threshold that would reverse it.
State any assumptions you make.
Ready to move forward? Up next: Basil & Co: Build the Line or Keep Buying?Next question
How you'll be graded
100 points, 60% to pass.
- recommendation20
- risk assessment25
- problem structuring25
- quantitative analysis30
Hint
Reveal suggested structure
Fixed vs variable split; breakeven volume; demand risk against irreversible capex; option value of the supplier deal