Multi-Billion Dollar European Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) and Mechatronics Company Engages aPriori

aPriori will work with the company to centralize, streamline, and accelerate its RFQ process.

The company offers a range of services, from PCBA production and module assembly to additive manufacturing. It operates globally, with 24 locations and over 13,000 employees, serving various industries including automotive, aerospace, medical, and consumer electronics.

Several from the organization attended aPriori’s exclusive November 2024 conference in Frankfurt. At the event, they saw a presentation from one of their competitors (also an aPriori customer), which outlined how they achieved substantial ROI over several years of using aPriori in their RFQ process.

Facing significant challenges in its RFQ process time, the company’s current process time to quote mechanical parts takes weeks. Other issues include:

• The company’s sourcing decisions are reliant on inaccurate data and are largely subjective
• A recent company-wide digitalization initiative was launched with the goal of one methodology, one tool, one database to be used across the organization

The company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) envisions aPriori integrating its Cost Insight solution across the organization and driving more strategic collaboration between engineering, sourcing, and the supply base.

With a vision to have automated pricing for all products, not just electronics, the company also sought evaluation capabilities for growing parts without relying on technical experts. Through the assessment of aPriori, three differentiators stood out:

• The breadth and depth of aPriori’s manufacturing models
• aPriori’s accuracy was better than what they saw on the market
• Potential integration into their tool landscape in the future

In the first year, the CFO expects these teams to achieve quick ROI and prove initial success by reducing costs and mitigating procurement risks by using:

• Should costing within their RFQ process to have a benchmark for their real supply chain
• aPriori within R&D to oversee the impact of the design on cost
• aPriori in cost engineering to generate the 2-3% cost savings needed to win strategic projects
• As a calculation tool for their internal mechanic shop

Phase Two (in year two and beyond) will focus on integrating aPriori into the company’s existing quoting system, automating the entire RFQ and quoting process.

aPriori’s quoting and RFQ solutions enable customers to:

• Accelerate RFQ response times, reducing the quoting process from days or weeks to hours via automated cost estimation and manufacturability analysis
• Improve quoting accuracy and win opportunities, with AI-powered insights that help identify cost drivers and optimize quotes, leading to more competitive bids and higher win rates
• Enhance operational efficiency by simulating manufacturing processes and leveraging digital twins, so manufacturers can better analyze manufacturing feasibility, optimize production routes, and make informed sourcing decisions faster

The company plans to start the project in Europe with the intent of quickly expanding aPriori’s solution to the US market, which is a prime target for aggressive business growth.