DC-DC Converter
Teardown, Should Cost & VAVE
Leading electric two-wheeler OEM - full teardown, component-level should costing, and 13 VAVE ideas to compress procurement cost
Annual Demand
6,000 units
Should Cost
$9.90
PCBA Share
74% of cost
VAVE Ideas
13 generated
Body Negotiation
−39% saving
Scope of Work
What Emithran was engaged to do
- Complete physical teardown of the DC-DC converter unit
- Examine and catalogue all individual components
- Conduct should-cost analysis at India manufacturing conditions
- Perform VAVE analysis and generate cost reduction ideas
Device Specification
DC-DC Converter
Should Cost Analysis - Total: $9.90
Pareto: 80% of cost is PCBA
Component Cost Breakdown
Cost Driver by Category
PCBA
Electronic components dominate; volume drives pricing
Wiring Harness
Material cost dominant; local sourcing reduces price
Body (HPDC)
Process cost dominant; machine selection key
Supplier Negotiation Results
Should Cost as Negotiation Lever
PCBA + Final Assy
Initial
$17.26
Negotiated
$12.38
Batch qty raised 500 → 6,000 to unlock BOM savings
Body (HPDC)
Initial
$1.37
Negotiated
$0.83
Input weight & machine tonnage corrected via should cost
Wire Harness
Initial
$1.17
Negotiated
$0.92
Dual-sourced from Bangalore suppliers
VAVE Analysis - 13 Ideas Generated
Cost Reduction Opportunities Identified
Surface finish change: HASL → OSP on bare PCB
Remove 3 slots in PCB profile - make rectangular (saves routing cost)
Change soldering to press fit / eliminate THT components
Change WH soldering to connector assembly
Identify local supplier for ICs (LM5116 switching controller: $1.06 target)
Dual-source A-grade components for price leverage
Body material change: Aluminium casting → Plastic
Body process change: HPDC → Aluminium extrusion
Body process change: HPDC → Sheet metal
Casting supplier change to Coimbatore cluster
PCBA assembly: switch to local Bangalore supplier
Wire harness: switch to local Bangalore supplier
Replace potting compound with mechanical screw fixation
Final Sourcing Recommendations
Key Takeaways
What Emithran delivered
Body Cost Reduction
Should cost identified inflated input weight assumption in supplier quote; 150T machine and 90g input weight validated.
PCBA Cost Reduction
Batch quantity optimised from 500 to 6,000 units; alternative components explored to compress BOM cost.
Harness Cost Reduction
Dual-sourced from Bangalore WH suppliers; competitive bidding drove price to $0.92 from $1.17.
VAVE Ideas Generated
Design, process, material, and supplier change ideas identified - all marked YTC for client review.
For Enquiry
Need teardown, should costing, or VAVE for your EV component?
Emithran disassembles, costs, and engineers value out of your components - giving you the data to negotiate, redesign, and source smarter.
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