Automated manufacturing costing system and method

摘要

An automated manufacturing cost estimating method and system with indirect cost allocation which identifies a material in an initial state for manufacturing a product in a final state; defines an operation for converting the material from its initial state into the final state of the product; calculates the direct labor cost for each operation based on direct labor hours and calculates the indirect cost specifically allocated for each operation based on consumption of overhead cost elements by the operation; and sums the cost calculated for each operation to determine the total cost of manufacture of a part. Also disclosed is a cost analyzing method and system which utilizes the cost estimating method and system by identifying a plurality of different materials in an initial state for manufacturing a product in a final state and defining a number of manufacturing operations for converting each of the different materials from its initial state into the final state of the product; generating a plurality of paths through the interconnected operations between the different materials in the initial state and the product in the final state; determining a predetermined cost parameter associated with each operation; and accumulating the determined cost parameters along each path.