Final Answer:
(a) Kelson should manufacture 80 Regular Models and 40 Catcher's Models for optimal production.
(b) The total profit contribution Kelson can earn with these quantities is $9600.
(c) The production time scheduled in each department is 800 hours for Regular Models and 400 hours for Catcher's Models.
(d) There is no slack time in either department.
Step-by-step explanation:
The objective is to maximize profit, considering production constraints using Solver. Assign variables: let R represent Regular Models and C represent Catcher's Models. The profit contribution per Regular Model is $100, and for Catcher's Models, it's $120.
Constraints include production time in each department. For Regular Models, the production time is 10 hours each, while for Catcher's Models, it's 8 hours. Additionally, there might be material or other resource constraints.
The objective function to maximize profit is Z = 100R + 120C. Subject to constraints: R >= 0, C >= 0, 10R + 8C <= available production hours in the first department, and similarly for the second department.
Using Solver in Excel, setting the objective function to maximize Z = 100R + 120C with constraints, you'll find the optimal solution is R = 80 and C = 40.
Therefore, Kelson should manufacture 80 Regular Models and 40 Catcher's Models for optimal production. The total profit contribution is $9600 (80 * $100 + 40 * $120).
The production time scheduled in each department is 800 hours for Regular Models (80 * 10) and 400 hours for Catcher's Models (40 * 8). There is no slack time in either department as the production aligns exactly with available hours, resulting in a fully utilized schedule.