Payback Period Payson Manufacturing is considering an investment in a new automated manufacturing system. The new system requires an investment of $1,200,000 and either has: Even cash flows of $300,000 per year or The following expected annual cash flows: $150,000, $150,000, $400,000, $400,000, and $100,000. Required: Calculate the payback period for each case. a. years b. years

a. 4 years

b. 5 years

Explanation:

The payback period is the time taken for the cash inflows from an investment to equal to the initial cash outflow or amount invested. To get this, the cash inflow are deducted from the outflows until the net is zero.

Considering both expected cash flows (all amounts in $);

Period    Initial out flow   Inflow         Balance         Inflow         Balance

Year 0    (1,200,000)              0          (1,200,000)       0            (1,200,000)      

Year 1                             300,000       (900,000)    150,000     (1,050,000)

Year 2                            300,000       (600,000)    150,000     (1,050,000)

Year 3                            300,000       (300,000)    400,000     (1,050,000)  

Year 4                            300,000               0           400,000     (1,050,000)  

Year 5                                                                        100,000     (1,050,000)

From the table above, with an inflow of $300,000 yearly, the inflows would equal the total outflow in 4 years while the annual cash flows: $150,000, $150,000, $400,000, $400,000, and $100,000 would make the inflows equal to the outflows in 5 years.

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