How would the budget process for the service company differ from a manufacturing company

Preparing an accurate budget is an essential part of maintaining your manufacturing company’s profitability. In addition to giving you a reference for your company’s financial performance, your budget helps you set prices, increase efficiency and plan for future growth.

Both large and small manufacturers benefit from improved budgeting methods. Learn more about manufacturing budgets and strategies below.

Manufacturing/Production Budget Format

A manufacturing budget is a document that details the costs associated with producing an estimated number of product units. Though what you include in your budget will depend on your business model and individual needs, it will typically consist of two main parts: a production budget and an overhead budget. 

What Goes Into a Manufacturing Company’s Production Budget?

Your company’s production budget accounts for all the direct costs associated with producing a specific product. This includes the cost of raw materials and direct labor that goes into making the product. 

Examples of raw materials that a manufacturing company may use in developing a product include: 

• Plastic 
• Steel
• Grain 
• Lumber
• Oil 

Direct labor covers all employees who played a role in developing, planning or making a product. Some examples of direct labor include: 

• Assembly line employees 
• Delivery truck drivers 
• Machine operators 

To calculate direct materials costs, multiply the total cost of materials for one unit by the number of units to be produced. To calculate direct labor costs, estimate the number of labor hours needed to produce one unit and again multiply this by total units.

What Goes Into a Manufacturing Company’s Overhead Budget?

Your company’s overhead budget accounts for all the indirect costs associated with operating your factory for the duration of production. Indirect labor costs include anything that falls outside of paying for materials and direct labor. 

Manufacturing Budget Examples of Overhead Costs include:

• Power and utilities
• Machine maintenance and purchasing
• Marketing and rent (If applicable)
• Salaries, wages and benefits for indirect manufacturing employees and staff 

In addition to overhead and production costs, your budget should incorporate information that helps you understand how your company is doing financially. Cash flow statements, profit margins and estimated tax liability are all important to consider.

Tips for Creating a Master Budget for Your Manufacturing Company 

Though creating a amster budget requires you to consider many aspects of your business, the process doesn’t have to be overly time-consuming. These tips can help you prepare an accurate budget efficiently:

1. Work off of last year’s budget. If you have a budget and detailed financial records from the previous year, use these resources while creating your new budget. This gives you a template to work from and shows you where your old budget fell short, which allows you to make more accurate predictions for the upcoming period.
2. Account for all indirect costs. When calculating overhead, it’s easy to budget for the best possible scenario. However, by accounting for potential and contingency costs as well as certain ones, you’ll have room in your budget to deal with potentially unforeseen problems.
3. Adjust the budget as you go. For the most accurate picture of your company’s budget, make adjustments throughout the year as your financial situation evolves. For example, if you end up having more sales than expected, you may need to adjust the amount of tax you’re withholding.

Get Financial Advising and Budgeting Help From MANTEC

Manufacturing companies have unique challenges when it comes to financial management. At MANTEC, we provide many financial services for South Central Pennsylvania manufacturers including budget projections. Whether you need short-term annual or long-term budget projections, MANTEC can help. As a non-profit consulting firm, we’re equipped to effectively guide your business and train your employees at a low price. Call at 717-843-5054 or Contact us today to learn more about how we could help your business grow.