Ford Motor Company Selects aPriori for Product Cost Management

CONCORD, MA--October 20, 2011: aPriori, a provider of product cost management software solutions, today announced that Ford Motor Company, one of the largest automotive manufacturers in the world, has selected the aPriori software platform to help drive down product and tooling costs. The software will provide Ford's engineering and sourcing teams with detailed cost analysis as they consider options in product design, manufacturing and process. Ford selected aPriori after a six month evaluation.

“aPriori enables users to generate detailed cost estimates from a 3D solid CAD model in seconds with minimal input from the end user”

"aPriori enables users to generate detailed cost estimates from a 3D solid CAD model in seconds with minimal input from the end user," said Stephanie Feraday, president and CEO of aPriori. "This capability is becoming more and more critical for manufacturers like Ford that are looking to provide their customers with the highest possible value in their products. Providing design and tooling engineers with visibility to potentially expensive design or manufacturing challenges early on, reduces the need to re-engineer products late in the design cycle when it is much more costly."

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com .

About aPriori

aPriori software and services generate hard-dollar product cost savings for discrete manufacturing and product innovation companies. Using aPriori's real-time product cost assessments, employees in engineering, sourcing and manufacturing 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.