aPriori To Work With U.S. Electric Aviation Start-Up

The start-up aims to reduce product costs quickly and ensure profitability.

Persistence pays off as it did in this customer win.

aPriori had been in discussions with the start-up for nearly two years. In late 2024, the start-up finished prototyping and began testing flights for its fully electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) planes.

In order to be profitable, the start-up needed an effective method for ambitiously reducing an aircraft’s unit cost by more than 50%. The organization sought to find a tool so design engineers could innovate quickly while keeping pace with FAA demands during rigorous testing and certifications. The goal was to quickly ramp up from prototype to production volumes.

aPriori’s AI-driven design insights identify hidden manufacturability (DfM) and cost issues in product development, reducing late-stage redesigns and costly engineering change orders (ECOs). Other features include:

• Instantaneous, directional design for manufacturability (DFM) feedback to help analyze manufacturing thresholds, overly complex and cost-prohibitive features, and quality control issues
• Ability to see how your material considerations impact manufacturability and cost, and compare alternative materials to ensure production and profitability, and reduce waste
• Make vs buy comparison allows manufacturers to weigh the benefits of making a part of a product in-house vs outsourcing it, factoring in labor and manufacturing overhead, cycle times, capabilities, and more

They are just some of the features that streamline product development, reduce costs, optimize design, accelerate time to market, and improve the bottom line.

The organization’s head of supply chain championed the engagement with the support of the COO, head of manufacturing, and head of engineering as well as others on the team.