Optimization & Cost (VAVE)

Product Teardown &
Cost Breakdown

Component-level teardown analytics that expose your — and competitors’ — cost, driver by driver.

Teardown turns a finished product into a cost map. We break products down to the component level and cost each part, revealing where cost concentrates, how it compares to competitors, and exactly where to attack it.

The problem

When cost hides in the assembly

A finished product’s cost is invisible until you take it apart.

01

Cost concentration unknown

No view of which components drive the bulk of cost.

02

No competitor benchmark

No idea how your cost structure compares to rivals.

03

Design cost locked in

Cost decisions made in design are never revisited.

What we do

A product’s cost, exposed

Driver-by-driver visibility.

Component Teardown

Products broken to component level and costed.

Cost Driver Analysis

Where cost concentrates and why.

Competitor Benchmarking

Your cost structure versus competitor teardowns.

What you get

What you receive

A complete cost map.

Teardown cost model

Every component costed and rolled up.

Cost driver report

The parts and drivers that dominate cost.

Benchmark comparison

How you stack up against competitors.

Book a 60-minute working session

Bring a real decision or dataset — we’ll show you how KEPLER would approach it, with no obligation.

Book a 60-minute session
Where we start

A focused, low-risk first step

We start with a short diagnostic — the decision to improve, the data behind it, and a first slice that proves value fast. See how we engage →

Sample outputs

Typical cost & VAVE artifacts you’ll receive

BOM cost modelShould-cost workbookSupplier cost benchmarkTeardown cost bridgeMaterial substitution shortlistVAVE opportunity tracker
Engagement model

Engage at the level that fits

From a quick diagnostic to a fully managed service — start small and scale as value is proven. How we engage →

How we work

How teardown works

From product to cost map.

Disassemble

The product is broken to component level.

Cost

Each component is costed.

Analyse

Cost drivers and concentration are identified.

Benchmark

Compared to competitor teardowns.

Target

Attack points are prioritised.

Outcome

See exactly where cost lives

Cost mapped to the component and the driver behind it.

  • Component-level cost map
  • Cost drivers identified
  • Competitor benchmarking
  • Clear attack points
TeardownComponent-level
DriversIdentified
BenchmarkCompetitor
TargetsPrioritised
FAQ

Common questions

Do you physically tear down products?
We combine physical teardown insight with cost modelling — the output is a costed breakdown, however the data is gathered.
Can you benchmark competitors?
Yes — competitor teardown benchmarking is a core use, showing where your cost structure differs.
Use cases

Representative use cases

Common problems in this area, how KEPLER solves them, and the likely outcome.

Automotive · Competitive teardown

A competitor sells the same function for noticeably less

10–15%cost delta explained
The problem

Sales knows a competitor product is cheaper; engineering can't say where the gap comes from. 'They're just cheaper' is not something you can design against.

How KEPLER solves it
  • Tear down both products and cost them to the same standard
  • Build a cost bridge attributing the gap to design, material and process choices
  • Point engineering at the few differences that carry most of the delta
Probable outcome

A part-level cost bridge that turns 'they're cheaper' into a specific, addressable list of design and sourcing changes.

Home appliances · Cost breakdown

A subassembly feels over-built for what it does

~20%subassembly cost out
The problem

A subassembly looks expensive for its function, but suspicion doesn't survive a design review. The team needs the cost broken down component by component before anyone will act.

How KEPLER solves it
  • Tear the subassembly down and build a should-cost for each component
  • Separate the cost that delivers function from the cost that delivers nothing
  • Propose substitution and simplification candidates with the saving attached
Probable outcome

A costed list of simplification and substitution options, ranked by saving against the effort to change.

Medical devices · Costed BOM

Spend is spread so thin across the BOM it's invisible

100%of BOM spend costed
The problem

When a large spend is spread across tens of thousands of BOM line items, it's effectively invisible. Without a costed bill of materials, there's no way to see where the money goes or where to start.

How KEPLER solves it
  • Build a costed bill of materials across the full line-item set
  • Roll cost up by commodity, platform and supplier so patterns emerge
  • Surface the concentrations worth a sourcing or design intervention first
Probable outcome

End-to-end spend visibility across the full BOM - on programmes this can reach ~36,000 line items and over $1bn of spend - turned into a prioritised worklist (illustrative).

Map your product’s cost

Pick a product and we’ll break its cost down to the component.

Talk to our VAVE team