Should-Cost Analysis Software
for Defence & Aerospace OEMs
Build bottom-up cost models for any manufactured part or assembly. Identify supplier overcharges, close the gap between quote and should-cost, and negotiate with data — not gut feel.
±8% accuracy · 10+ manufacturing processes · India, UK, Germany, USA, China
What is Should-Cost Analysis?
Stop accepting supplier quotes. Start knowing what parts actually cost.
A should-cost model is a bottom-up estimate of what a part or assembly should cost to manufacture — based on material, labour, machine cycle time, overhead, and margin — rather than what your supplier quotes.
Emithran's Should-Cost Engine pulls live commodity prices, regional labour rates, and machine benchmarks to generate a should-cost figure automatically — from a part description, CAD file, or engineering drawing.
±8%
Typical model accuracy
5 days
Average time to go live
10+
Manufacturing processes
20–30%
Improvement in RFQ win rate
How It Works
From part description to negotiation brief in minutes
01
Upload or describe your part
Upload a CAD file, drawing, or enter a part description. Emithran identifies the part family, material, and manufacturing process automatically.
02
Should-cost model runs automatically
The engine builds a bottom-up cost model using live material prices, regional labour rates, machine cycle time estimates, and overhead benchmarks for your selected manufacturing location.
03
Negotiate with data, not gut feel
The platform generates a negotiation brief showing your should-cost versus the supplier quote, the gap, and a suggested target price — ready to share directly with your supplier.
Platform Capabilities
Everything you need to cost, benchmark, and negotiate
⚙
Process-Level Costing
Every manufacturing operation — heating, forming, machining, finishing — broken down to cost per part. No black-box estimates.
🌍
Multi-Geography Benchmarking
Compare ex-works costs across India, UK, Germany, China, and USA in one report. DDP logistics included.
📐
CAD & Drawing Analysis
Upload STEP, DXF, or PDF drawings. Emithran extracts geometry, material, and process from the file automatically.
🤝
Negotiation Briefs
Auto-generate supplier negotiation packs with should-cost vs. quote comparison and recommended target price.
📊
VAVE Integration
Link should-cost data to VAVE workflows. Identify over-engineered features and model cost impact of design changes.
🔒
Defence-Grade Security
ISO 27001-certified data centres in India. ITAR-compatible data isolation for sensitive programmes.
Case Study
38% landed cost saving on HGV chassis rails — India vs Belgium
Emithran modelled should-cost for a hydrogen HGV chassis ladder frame — 74 BOM line items, 945 kg input weight — and identified that Indian roll forming delivers a 38% total landed cost saving versus Belgium manufacturing, including full DDP logistics to Scotland.
Read the full case study →Assembly cost
€5,248.81
India DDP
€538 / rail
Belgium Ex Works
€872 / rail
Saving
38%
How We Compare
Emithran vs spreadsheets vs aPriori
| Criterion | Emithran | Spreadsheets | aPriori |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup time | Live in 5 days | Weeks of manual work | 3–6 month rollout |
| India pricing data | Native | Manual research | Add-on / limited |
| Collaboration | Multi-user, real-time | Email attachments | Enterprise license |
| Audit trail | Full history | None | Yes |
| Process coverage | 10+ processes | Manual formulas | 30+ processes |
| Pricing model | Outcome-based | Free (no support) | Enterprise contract |
FAQ
Common questions about should-cost software
What is should-cost analysis software?+
Should-cost analysis software builds a bottom-up estimate of what a part or assembly should cost to manufacture — based on materials, labour, machine cycle times, overheads, and supplier margin — rather than accepting a supplier's quoted price at face value. Emithran's platform does this automatically for machined, stamped, cast, and sheet metal components.
How accurate are Emithran's should-cost models?+
Typical accuracy is within ±8% of actual manufacturing cost for standard machined, stamped, and cast components. Accuracy improves when you upload a CAD file or detailed drawing. Complex assemblies with multi-step processes are flagged explicitly when confidence is lower.
Which manufacturing processes does Emithran support?+
Emithran currently supports CNC machining, stamping, die casting, investment casting, injection moulding, sheet metal fabrication, roll forming, welded assemblies, forging, and PCB/PCBA assembly. Additive manufacturing support is in active development.
Can I compare should-cost across multiple countries?+
Yes. You can run a multi-geography cost comparison across India, Germany, UK, USA, China, Mexico, and Turkey in a single report. The output includes landed cost (DDP) with logistics and duty factored in — not just ex-works pricing.
How is Emithran different from aPriori or spreadsheet-based should-costing?+
aPriori is a powerful tool built for large Western OEMs with significant IT infrastructure. Emithran is built for India's manufacturing context — local labour rates, Indian material pricing, and regional supplier data are native to the platform, not add-ons. Unlike spreadsheets, Emithran is collaborative, auditable, and connected to live commodity price feeds.
Ready to know what your parts should cost?
Book a 30-minute walkthrough with our engineering team. We'll show you how Emithran builds a should-cost model for one of your parts — live.
Used by OEMs in defence, aerospace, and space manufacturing across India.