Produktkalkylering i mindre hantverksföretag : En fallstudie på Gemla Fabrikers AB

Sammanfattning: Course: Degree project in Logistics, the Business Administration and Economics Programme, 4FE19E, VT16 Authors: Marcus Lundgren and Tobias Nilsson Supervisor: Peter Berling Examiner: Helena Forslund Title: Product Costing in Small Craft Companies – A Case Study at Gemla Fabrikers AB Background: Today a competitive price is no guarantee to keep a company profitable. Cost control has become more central and especially cost control considering work put in to the product and tradeoffs connected to the product in question has become central to secure the company’s competitiveness. A useful tool to secure the competitiveness is product costing when making profit analysis, setting price levels as well as other decision making. The challenge is to find a product costing method which fits right and distribute the direct and indirect costs in a fair manner. Purpose: The purpose of this study is by constructing a flowchart over the production process adapt a model for product costing that supports pricing and decision making of the product assortment at Gemla Fabrikers AB, and theoretically raise the discussion of the adapted models suitability in a context of small time manufacturers that is characterized by an artisan production. Method: The study is conducted as a case study at Gemla Fabrikers AB and uses a research strategy containing both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Collected data is mainly obtained via unstructured interviews, direct observations and time studies. A process mapping was made as a start to serve as a foundation for other parts of the study. A product costing method was later adapted to fit the parameters and way of working in a company with high levels of craftsmanship. Conclusions: After mapping the process of the company it was clear that the production was characterized by a time-consuming manufacturing process with a large number of activities. This resulted in an adapted product costing method, which origins from the activity based costing model, in order to distribute the costs in a more correct way based v on the actual time consumption. The adapted model is designed with a distinct activity based distribution on product level where every activity cost is established at a given volume of production, resulting in guidance and basis for cost control and when setting prices. Based on the company in the case study the conclusion was made that this way of working with product costing can be used in other companies with similar production and high level of craftsmanship, merging support activities together and focus on the value adding activities. The cost allocation is made using cause and effect based on the actual time put into the activities where a smaller number of time related cost drivers are used. The model is therefore to consider suitable for increased cost control as well as serving as a foundation for product pricing and decision making.