aPriori, a provider of product cost management (PCM) software solutions, has been selected by Barco, a global technology company that designs and develops networked visualization products for the entertainment, enterprise and healthcare markets.  The company will implement aPriori's software as part of a companywide value and cost engineering initiative focused on managing new product introductions at target cost and ensuring that parts and materials are being sourced at competitive market prices.

Barco will make the software available to a core team of R&D engineers and procurement officers from each of its product groups including projectors, display solutions, hardware and peripherals. The implementation will involve facilities in Belgium, Germany, Norway and China.

"aPriori's software will provide our R&D and sourcing teams with new levels of visibility to our product costs and enable us to make more informed decisions earlier in our product lifecycle," said Marc Callemeyn, Procurement Director at Barco. "This equips us to increase our level of innovation and product quality while also managing our bottom line."

aPriori's product cost management platform will provide Barco's R&D teams with real-time cost estimates on parts and products in design. The software leverages CAD and intelligent cost models to quickly determine feasible manufacturing methods and product costs while generating detailed manufacturing analysis and cost estimates that quantify the impact of changes to product design, materials, manufacturing processes, volumes and location in real time. aPriori will also provide Barco procurement and sourcing teams with regional cost benchmarks based on the company's specific product requirements, enabling it to collaborate more effectively with its suppliers.

"With aPriori, Barco takes the guess work out of what a new product design will cost when it gets into production, or what a sourced part should cost from a supplier in a particular region," said Stephanie Feraday, president and CEO of aPriori.  "This will enable Barco to optimize for cost, quality and design and translate that into ROI in the form of reduced cost of goods, faster time to market and higher customer satisfaction."