Case Study: Woodward, Inc. cuts quoting time to 1 week and reduces labor needs with aPriori

Addressing Labor Shortages with Digital Transformation

Woodward, a 50+-year-old designer and manufacturer of energy conversion and control solutions for aerospace and industrial markets, faced an acute and long-term labor shortage as machinists retired and hiring fell behind demand. To stay competitive and accelerate product development without adding proportional headcount, Woodward launched a digital transformation focused on cobotics, alternative sourcing, and simulated manufacturing through a “digital factory.”

Using aPriori’s digital factory, Woodward models supplier cost structures, negotiates on high-level drivers like labor and overhead, and selects suppliers earlier in the design process. The result: quoting timelines shrank from 10 weeks to 1 week, supplier quoting labor was greatly reduced (freeing machinists for production), and more collaborative, data-driven supplier partnerships improved cost competitiveness and capacity planning.

Woodward, Inc.

Chris Platz

Woodward, Inc.