Global Technology And Engineering Company Based In The U.S. Engages aPriori To Identify Costs In The Design Stage

The company, which creates actuators, has approximately 80,000 employees in over 170 worldwide locations.

The company was facing several challenges:

• The Final Controls division’s general manager requested the product cost at the design stage. However, the company had no way of attaining it.
• New Product Development (NPD) time-to-market was far too long. As a result, the division missed targets and churned business.
• Designers traditionally rely on direct procurement and suppliers to validate their designs. To remain competitive and profitable, there has to be a cost-conscious shift from siloed teams to cost collaboration throughout product development.

The company recognized it needed a solution that could achieve all of the above while not slowing down the engineering team with its new product innovation projects. Design to Cost (DTC) methodologies and solutions like aPriori provide detailed, simulation-driven cost analysis during the crucial product design phase, fostering improved decision-making, lower costs, design optimization, and faster time to market.

aPriori precisely analyzes each element of a design’s cost structure down to the machine level to improve decision-making. Features include:

• • 440+ physics-based manufacturing processes and cost models, including additive manufacturing, assembly, casting and forging, electronics, and more
  • Extensive Regional Data Libraries (RDLs) that provide detailed breakdowns of total manufacturing costs, such as localized labor, electricity, and overhead costs
  • Three levels of automation:
    • Part/assembly 3D CAD geometry analysis: Get instant cost estimates and feedback on manufacturability from 3D computer-aided design (CAD) models.
    • Bulk costing analysis: Efficiently and automatically evaluate multiple parts/assemblies to identify cost-saving opportunities.
    • PLM integration-based analysis: Streamline workflows by integrating automated design analysis and actionable insights into the product lifecycle management (PLM) system.

A DTC solution like aPriori enables product development teams to design high-quality innovations within pre-determined cost targets from the outset. As a result, they can avoid costly and late-stage engineering change orders (ECOs), enabling them to bring their new products to market more quickly.

Dana Light Vehicle Drive Systems was spending $3 million on each redesign…until they engaged aPriori. Watch the video to learn more.