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ChargeOut! : discounted cash flow compared with traditional machine-rate analysis
Author(s) -
Ted Bilek
Publication year - 2008
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2737/fpl-gtr-178
Subject(s) - replicate , computer science , cash flow , econometrics , machine learning , artificial intelligence , statistics , mathematics , economics , accounting
The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) of any product or service. The USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Abstract ChargeOut!, a discounted cash-flow methodology in spreadsheet format for analyzing machine costs, is compared with traditional machine-rate methodologies. Four machine-rate models are compared and a common data set representative of logging skidders' costs is used to illustrate the differences between ChargeOut! and the machine-rate methods. The study found that the machine-rate methodologies were not standardized and the methodologies had differences in accounting for ownership, other fixed costs, and variable operating costs. The result was that two of the machine-rate models calculated hourly rates that were higher than needed to provide the specified return on capital, and two of the machine-rate models calculated hourly rates that were insufficient to provide the specified return. In contrast, ChargeOut!'s break-even rate returned exactly the specified return. Differences between the results calculated by the machine-rate methods occur because of different implicit assumptions used within the models' formulas, largely because the machine-rate models are unable to properly incorporate the time value of money. Whereas ChargeOut! can be sufficiently constrained to approximately replicate a machine-rate calculation, doing so sacrifices much of ChargeOut!'s power and flexibility. Machine-rate models cannot be configured to replicate ChargeOut!'s calculations. Machine-rate models cannot be configured to calculate cash flows, allow for uneven costs or machine hours, incorporate loans that have a different life than the expected machine life, or perform an after-tax analysis. ChargeOut! can do all of these.

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