Activity-based costing and process modeling for cost-conscious product design: A case study in a manufacturing company

摘要

The most effective way to control costs to design them out of the products. However, cost data is rarely available for product designers in a usable form. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibilities of activity-based costing and the modeling of design, purchasing and manufacturing processes in providing useful cost information for product designers. The hypothesis was that activity-based costing and process modeling might provide an effective tool for the evaluation of different design options. The study was conducted in a large Finnish manufacturing company.