Factory decision tool
Big Ambitions Make or Buy Calculator
Should You Manufacture This Product or Buy It?
Compare buying a product with producing it yourself — including batch size, material cost, surplus inventory, and cash required now.
Values you leave blank stay blank; they are never displayed as $0.
What Do You Need?
How make-or-buy works
Why does making create extra stock?
The target is rounded up to complete production batches, so planned output can exceed the quantity needed.
Is surplus profit?
No. It is inventory produced with material cash already spent; final profit depends on selling or using it.
Does this include wages and logistics?
Only when they are explicitly entered in a wider model. This calculator labels its current scope as materials only.
Why does higher Factory Worker Skill lower material cost?
A higher effective output can require fewer whole batches for the same target, which lowers ingredient usage.
Why is MAKE cheaper on materials but not necessarily overall?
Factory labor, rent, logistics and storage are only included when you enter them. Unknown costs stay unknown.
What if my factory cannot produce enough?
Enter your observed output per day. The page then splits demand into a hybrid plan instead of assuming full production.
What should I do with surplus inventory?
Keep it as inventory for later demand, move it to another store through your warehouse, or sell it through a supported route when you have one.