Should Costing Lab

Build, Operate & Transfer

In an era of cost-conscious innovation, Should Costing is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s essential. But building the internal capability to drive cost-informed design and sourcing decisions can take years. That’s where we come in.

ASI Engineering's Build–Operate–Transfer (BOT) model helps manufacturing companies establish a fully functional Should Costing lab—faster, better, and with guaranteed outcomes.

xcPEP Cost Lab B-O-T schematic transparent

Build

We start with setting up the core infrastructure, processes, and tools required for an effective costing function.

  • Identify target categories (mechanical, electrical, plastic, etc.)
  • Define lab KPIs and operational models
  • Configure our cloud-based xcPEP® Should Costing software to suit your product families
  • Staff the lab with ASI-trained engineers
  • Create SOPs and workflows.

Operate

During this phase, ASI runs the cost lab as a managed service to ensure outcomes and build institutional maturity.

  • Deliver end-to-end Should Costing reports across identified parts
  • Embed in sourcing, design, and cost reduction workflows
  • Run value engineering and cost teardown workshops
  • Establish linkages with vendor negotiation teams
  • Train internal engineers alongside delivery

Transfer

  • Once the lab has proven its capability and your team is ready, we ensure a seamless transfer.
  • Transition lab operations to your in-house team
  • Institutionalize documentation, playbooks, and audit methods.
  • Provide long-term digital access to historical reports via xcPEP.
  • Stay available as a scaling or escalation partner.
Deployment & Configuration
Included in our Build - Operate - Transfer services are all activities required to configure and deploy xcPEP.
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