Cost Estimation Tool Set

Return to MSWA Home Page

MSW Analytics Proprietary Cost Estimating Algorithms are unique and based on years of experience in multiple environments. Contact MSW Analytics to see a demonstration of the PCB/Substrate, IC, and Future Bill of Materials (BOM) Cost Tools.

The Substrate/PCB Cost Estimator allows the user to estimate the cost of a Substrate/PCB. Simply input the Substrate/PCB technology, the maximum X and Y Dimensions, the actual area, and the complexity of the unit test. The actual area is the area projected by the substrate/PCB. If the Substrate/PCB is a rectangle with no cutouts then the actual area would X x Y. However, if the substrate/PCB has cutouts and/or is a irregular shape then the actual are is the area actually projected by the substrate/PCB.

The IC Cost Estimator allows the user to estimate the cost of an IC. Simply input the package type, the number of IOs, the die size and process technology of each die up to 4 individual die. There is a quantity field if there are multiple of the same die. The test IO field is a estimate of the number of IOs to test that die. The total of the test IO can be greater than the package total.

The Static Future BOM Cost Estimator allows the client to calculate the future cost of a BOM different types of devices based on the costing of previous like devices stored in the MSWA database. The estimator currently supports Cellphones, Tablets, and Wearables. MSWA will be adding Automotive devices, Home/IoT devices, and Medical devices. The tool allows the user to select the range devices to be used for extracting historical data from the MSWA Database. For example, you might want to estimate the future BOM cost for cellphones retailing for $600 to $1000 or less than $300. The client can also restrict the years for which the historical data is collected thereby not skewing the results by including very old models

The are four basic variables in the calculation:

  • Range of prices.

    • The price range to extract the BOM data

  • Range of years.

    • The difference between the Current Year and the Future Year is the number of years that the yearly discount rate is applied

  • The yearly discount rate.

    • The user can apply one discount rate to all functional components or enter a separate discount rate for each component.

  • Current Manufacturing Cost

    • The current cost to manufacture the device. This can be the current cost to manufacture from the device report or a client supplied cost.

  • The functional composition of the BOM.

    • The functional composition comes from the MSWA database. As new devices are added to the data base the functional composition is automatically updated. The user can elect to use the average BOM Composition or input their own BOM Composition.

The Future BOM Cost Estimator by a Specific Product allows the client to calculate the future cost of the BOM for a specific device. The client starts by selecting a device from the MSWA database of devices. This provides a baseline for the apportioning of the functional components in the device. The client then enters the following parameters:

  • Select the specific device of interest from the drop down list. This will extract the overall device cost as well as the cost of the individual functional components from the database
  • Enter the percentage to be used for the variation around the current estimated costs
  • Enter the number of years to be used to calculate the devices future cost
  • Enter the minimum and maximum percentages to be used for the annual discount (or appreciation) rate
  • Manual Minimum and Max Cost of BoM
  • The initial cost of each functional component is derived from the components cost in the MSWA Database for that specific functional component. The client can either accept the over variation to be applied to all of the functional components or enter their own min and max change for the individual functional components

    • The resulting calculation will provide the estimated average, lowest, and highest BoM cost for the overall BoM. It will also provide the estimated average, lowest, and highest BoM cost for each functional component.