Reduce product cost
We can help engineering and manufacturing companies reduce product cost.
Cost Sync
Your idea generation partner
Our Services
02
Generate innovative ideas
We will generate innovative cost-reduction ideas, allowing your teams to focus on what they do best.
03
Optimise product strategy
We will help optimise your product strategy to retain value for your business.
04
Help implement ideas
We don’t just hand you a bunch of ideas; we can also help you implement them!
Key Industries
Key Industries
We thrive in these industries...
Automotive manufacturing
Helping automotive companies cut costs and boost efficiency through smarter design, materials, and production strategies, ensuring competitiveness in a fast-moving market.
Machinery and equipment
Streamlining machinery and equipment design to reduce complexitiy, waste, and manufacturing costs, while maintaining quality and reliability.
Aerospace manufacturing
Delivering cost savings in aerospace by introducing innovative solutions that balance safety, compliance, and efficiency across the supply chain.
Other industries
Applying proven cost reduction methods across sectors to drive innovation, operational efficiency, and long-term business growth.
Systematic Inventive Thinking
We start with the product you already have, then systematically change it using proven patterns to reduce cost.
Five innovation patterns we use to save you money
1
Subtraction The art of removing the essential
Involves removing a core component or feature from a product or service, especially one that is considered essential. This act of removal forces a re-imagining of the product's purpose and functionality. The key is to then identify new benefits and uses for the altered product. A classic example is the iPod Shuffle, which removed the screen and navigation buttons, creating a simple, lightweight device for listeners who wanted a randomized music experience.
Key question "Can we remove this feature?"
2
Multiplication Copying and modifying
An existing component is copied, but the copy is altered in some way. This creates a new feature or enhanced functionality. A prime example is the multi-blade razor. The initial innovation was adding a second blade (a copy), which was then slightly modified in its angle to provide a closer shave.
Key question "Can we standardise this part?"
3
Division Breaking it down and rearranging
The Division pattern involves separating a product or its components and rearranging them in time or space. This can be a physical division or a functional one. An example is the remote control, which separated the control functions from the main television unit.
Key Question "Can we split this feature to make it modular?"
4
Task Unification New job to an old component
Task Unification involves assigning an additional task to an existing component or resource within the product's environment. This leverages existing elements to do more, often in a surprising way. For instance, the rear window defroster lines in a car also serving as the radio antenna is a classic example of Task Unification. Similarly, a smartphone's flash being used as a flashlight is another common application of this pattern.
Key question "Can a nearby component do the same task?"
5
Attribute dependancy Creating new connections
The Attribute Dependency pattern focuses on creating a relationship between two previously unrelated attributes of a product or its environment. As one attribute changes, the other changes in response. A simple example is transition lenses in eyeglasses, where the tint of the lenses (one attribute) changes depending on the amount of UV light (an environmental attribute).
Key question "Can we create a dependency between the part and the environment"?
The five innovation patterns have been studied and published by Jacob GoldenBerg, Roni Horowitz, Amnon Levav and David Mazursky in the article 'Finding your innovation sweet spot' by Harvard Business Review.
