Victoria Chemicals - Case Study Example

Earnings per Share are a portion of profit for the company which is allocated to each outstanding share of common stock. The company had been under pressure from its investors for it to improve its financial performance because of the accumulation of the firm’s common shares by a well known corporate raider. The Earnings per Share had fallen from 180 pence per share by the end of 2007 from 250 pence per share by the end of 2006. To increase its earnings per share, the company required to modernize the Merseyside production process which was old. Lucy Morris, the plant manager at Liverpool believes that the funds for the modernization of the Merseyside Works project could be obtained from the corporate headquarters until several questions were raised. It is therefore quite important for the plant manager and Frank Greystock the controller to address and analyze each question keenly. Based on these issues, Morris will determine the way forward towards modernizing the Merseyside Works project. This way forward includes the analysis of the project in different aspects to determine whether its implementation will be for the good of the overall company. The plant manager will have to choose which category the product lies on based on whether it is a new product or market, market or product extension, engineering efficiency and safety or the environment. The Merseyside Works project is on the engineering efficiency category and will analyzed based on the concerns below. 1. Transport division concerns Victoria Chemicals produces its polypropylene at the Merseyside and Rotterdam works. The Transport Division in the company oversees the transport of all raw, intermediate and finished materials throughout the company. The Merseyside modernization capital project is part and parcel of Victoria Chemicals, and this means that all transport needs should be addressed by the company’s Transport Division. Just as Greystock said, funding from the corporate headquarters in regard to transport is baseless as the project should make use of the company’s excess capacity. All allocations done on the company, and its subsidiaries go to the Transport Division and hence the division should carry the allocation of the rolling stock required for the project. Transport issues will be dealt by the Transport Division of the company hence no need for funding on this sector. 2. ICG Sales and marketing department concerns Modernizing the Merseyside means improved productivity and increased outputs and with lower costs which enable the company to take business from competitors due to the low prices of polypropylene. The added output will help the company in obtaining full efficiencies. Modernization of the Merseyside plant will help Victoria Chemicals in maintaining its cost competitiveness, and this means that the capital project is a worthy course for the sales and marketing department since it would not lead to cannibalization of the other plants. Below is the analysis provided by Greystock on the financial performance of Merseyside works 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Output 267,500 267,500 267,500 267,500 267,500 New Gross Profit 21.72 24.83 24.83 24.83 24.93 Old output 250,000 250,000 250,000 250,000 250,000 Free cash flow 1.27 3.92 3.86 3.77 3.08 Incremental gross profit 2.32 5.42 5.42 5.42 5.42 The above table clearly shows how the project will perform. Based on the table above, it is evident that the project at Merseyside works will be of great help to Victoria Chemicals plc. Though it may have its share of disadvantages, the advantages of the project under this concern outweigh the negative ones. 3. Concerns of the assistant plant manager Before proceeding with the capital projec ...Show more