aPriori Blog

Articles by Abe Chaves
Abe is a former GE Business Leader with over 20 years of experience in a variety of positions including: Marketing, Product Management, Purchasing, Productivity, Product Cost Reduction, and Quality. Currently a Principal Consultant at aPriori focused on advising our customers on how to implement product cost saving strategies and methods via spend analysis, supplier collaboration, and design to cost.
Abe Chaves

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Reduce Product Costs: Don’t Negotiate Harder. Collaborate Smarter.

Key Takeaways: Every dollar counts today, and with increasing material costs, tariffs, and inflation, it is crucial to reduce product costs Data-backed evidence and transparency

6 Metrics That Will Help Improve Your Engineering Productivity

Six engineering metrics to boost manufacturing productivity: compare sustaining costs to revenue, and R&D spend to customer value.

How to Conduct a Spend Analysis: Methodology in Detail

Seven-step spend analysis helps manufacturers spot cost outliers, prioritize high-spend parts, negotiate suppliers, redesign components, and verify savings.

7 Ways to Uncover Savings With Automated Cost and Price Analysis

Beat material inflation with aPriori: instant CAD-based should-costing reveals savings, compares suppliers, and guides design and process alternatives.

Design for Manufacturing Examples: Real-Life Engineering Case Studies

Lock in costs early: use digital DFM simulation to iterate designs for manufacturability, sustainability, and savings before release.

What’s a Reverse Auction, And When Should Manufacturers Conduct Them?

Use strategic reverse auctions with should-cost tools to group parts, set fair bids, and find capable suppliers without burning relationships.

3 Steps for Effective Manufacturing Cost Analysis

Master manufacturing cost analysis: identify outliers, quantify savings, and act fast with software-driven redesign and supplier renegotiations.

Why Reshoring U.S. Manufacturing Could Be Right for You

Assess U.S. reshoring now: five questions to benchmark costs, simulate capacity, secure supplies, and cut carbon amid disruptions.

How to Get Ahead of Rising Supplier Costs: An Inflationary Tale

Use digital manufacturing simulation to uncover inflation losses, prioritize parts, and justify transparent customer price increases.

How to Set and Achieve Cost Targets to Increase Profitability

Boost margins with target costing: integrate cost estimation into design to hit competitive prices and profitable targets.

How to Use Fact-Based Negotiation to Get the Best Price on Existing Components

Use digital manufacturing simulation to pinpoint cost outliers, negotiate with data, and unlock major savings on existing parts.