Discrete Manufacturers Reduce Product Costs Through aPriori Technologies

Released on = July 12, 2006, 9:10 am

Press Release Author = John Busa

Industry = Software

Press Release Summary = Discrete Manufacturers Reduce Product Costs Through aPriori
Technologies



Press Release Body = MCAD and PLM markets are maturing and a PLM market that
continues to miss the hopeful expectations of the industry pundits. There have not
been significant advances in MCAD since the late 1980's. The game changing
technology of 'feature based solid modeling' has become a commodity as all of the
players have caught up over the past decade. For a variety of reasons the PLM market
has underperformed. Although the theory of product lifecycle management is sound,
realizing the vision has eluded many companies, taken far longer, cost much more
than expected, and failed to deliver as promised.

According to Frank Azzolino, President of aPriori Technologies, "Real time,
predictive cost assessments are required to allow discrete manufacturers to reduce
product costs, drive profits and support. One of the reasons for this is the
inherent disconnect between the goals and objectives of the product-centric
engineering constituents and a company's financially based business objectives.
There is no better example of this disconnect than the stark difference between the
language of engineering and the language of business. MCAD and PLM have historically
focused on the engineering and design aspects of product delivery. The language of
engineering as spoken by MCAD and PLM is based on physical attributes of the product
and technological capabilities of the software solutions used."

The language of the business is time and money. It is no secret that the profit
motive is what drives critical company decisions. It is also no secret that much of
a product's ability to achieve the expected financial goals is driven by design and
manufacturing decisions that occur very early in and continually throughout the
product delivery process. The holy grail of 'collaboration' is meaningless if the
parties are not speaking a common language. The 'lingua franca' that translates the
language of engineering into the language of business is 'cost', specifically,
product cost.


Extending beyond the design engineering value, accurate product cost estimates
offload the estimating burden from manufacturing engineers and planners already
challenged with demanding production schedules, decreasing capital investment, and a
dwindling experience base. In addition, predictive cost assessments offer
procurement and sourcing professionals a much needed "should cost" from which to
make better, more efficient sourcing decisions while negotiating from a fact-based
position. Finally, program and project management benefit from real time visibility
to product cost information continually throughout the product development and
delivery process thus avoiding the sudden shock of bad news late in the process.

The result, product cost knowledge, is the common language spoken across the
enterprise and is clearly focused on the business goals (as opposed to parochial
product or feature oriented goals) that reduce costs, increase margins and
contribution, drive profits and support growth.

Based in Concord, MA, aPriori (www.apriori.com) is the technology leader providing
innovative cost management solutions to the discrete manufacturing industry.
aPriori's Cost Management Software Platform enables manufacturers to better
understand product cost decisions early and throughout the product lifecycle.
aPriori's Cost Management Platform empowers manufacturers to lower cost-of-goods
sold (COGS), provides real-time visibility to "cost-critical" decision information,
and builds critical cost knowledge to go on the business "offensive." aPriori's
patent-protected cost management platform allows companies to assess, control, and
reduce cost of goods sold by whole percentages. The aPriori Platform truly enables
"Cost Knowledge Before it Matters."

"aPriori has customers in a variety of industries including High Technology,
Industrial Equipment, Automotive, and Heavy Machinery. Recent aPriori customers
include John Deere, Panasonic, Thomas & Betts, JLG, Wrobel Engineering, and Dana
Corporation."





Web Site = http://www.aPriori.com

Contact Details = aPriori
www.aPriori.com
John Busa
jbusa@apriori.com
978-371-2006

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