Excel Industries Makes Efforts toward Product Cost Reduction

Excel Industries, a manufacturer of premium commercial and residential lawn care equipment marketed under the Hustler Turf Equipment brand, has selected the aPriori Product Cost Management Platform to support its product cost reduction initiatives. With aPriori, Excel will increase its ability to drive costs out of its products both pre- and post-production using real-time product cost assessments that are generated automatically throughout design, sourcing and manufacturing processes.
 
“aPriori will help Excel continue to develop and deliver highly innovative lawn care products that meet our internal cost targets even in the face of rising material costs,” said Brian Nebel, director of engineering at Excel Industries. “In a one-week pilot test, aPriori identified more than $800,000 in potential savings across a number of our products. We look forward to seeing the results when aPriori is used with our entire portfolio.”

“Excel Industries joins a growing list of forward-thinking manufacturing companies that have driven significant costs out of their products using aPriori’s next-generation costing capabilities,” said Stephanie A. Feraday, president and CEO of aPriori. “With access to real-time product cost information, employees make better decisions that enable companies to get the best price from suppliers, launch new products at target costs and maximize the results of re-design projects.”

The aPriori Product Cost Management Platform is the first software solution to provide discrete manufacturers and product companies with real-time, predictive and precise product cost assessments throughout the development and production process. aPriori’s revolutionary cost management capabilities empower organizations to identify quantifiable savings in material, tooling, labor and overhead when evaluating alternative designs, manufacturing processes and sources.

About Excel Industries

Founded in 1960 and based in Hesston, Kan., Excel Industries is a manufacturer of premium commercial and residential lawn care equipment, marketed under the Hustler Turf Equipment brand. Excel introduced the world’s first zero-turn mower in 1964, and today has a global distribution network of more than 1,000 U.S. dealers and 20 international distributors.

About aPriori

aPriori software and services generate hard-dollar product cost savings for discrete manufacturing organizations. Using aPriori’s real-time product cost assessments, employees in sourcing, manufacturing and design engineering make more-informed decisions that drive costs out of products pre- and post-production. With aPriori, manufacturers launch products at cost targets, maximize savings in re-work projects and never overpay for sourced parts.