“All Employers Need to Know and Are UNAFRAID to Ask”

Everyone agrees, to attain effective cost management in workers’ compensation employers need to develop and implement a workers’ compensation program, covering EVERY aspect of this very complicated issue.

Common sense  also tells employers it is not necessary to figure it all out themselves.  Rather, astute employers look for plans and programs designed and tested by trustworthy and knowledgeable individuals and tailor a plan fitting their particular industry, workplace environment, and employee culture.

Sounds good.  Sounds easy!  — a little like putting a recipe together?  But, as is known, just leave one essential element out of the recipe and the resulting food dish goes south.

An effective  most management workers’ compensation program needs, at minimum these

TWELVE (12) KEYS

1. Management  Basics: knowing best practices, involving management at all levels.

2. Knowledge of Adjusters (TPA)* who and what they are and how they function.

3. Management of Injuries:  best practices, roles and responsibilities.

4. Employee Communication so they know what policy is, what to do, where to go when injury occurs and after.

5. Procedure  for Reporting Injury at the time the injury occurs.

6. Procedure for Post Injury Follow Up: keeping track of the injured worker, healing progress, RTW status.

7. Medical Care Direction: working with medical providers; looking at injuries from diagnosis to RTW recommendations; learn medical terms.

8. Return-to-Work (RTW) Procedure: transitional duty; state and federal leave laws

9. Indemnity Cost Containment Services such as independent medical evaluations and work hardening. (workersxzcompxzkit).

10. Medical  Cost Containment: using nurse case managers; peer and utilization review.

11. Plan  to Fight Fraud and Abuse: knowing when to investigate and what type of investigation to use.

12. Training  and Building Commitment involving both management and employees.

Learn more at:  Workers Compensation ToolKit

Author:  Robert Elliott, J.D.

Visit Our Websites:  ReduceYourWorkersComp
Try Our FREE  Workers’ Comp Best Practices Quick Check

Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) has become an increasingly important metric as the largest expense item on the income statement; typically 70% to 90% of revenue. Manufacturers are forced to focus on product cost and profit margins with renewed vigor. Cost targets, an important component of design-to-cost strategies, are now being defined early and with greater granularity, even down to the individual component level. Meeting these detailed cost targets at product launch (avoiding expensive, lengthy post-production cost reduction phases) is a new challenge and manufacturers are struggling to find effective systems or tools to assist in this effort. A Cost Management (CM) platform, such as that developed by aPriori, can help manufacturers address the challenges in New Product Introduction (NPI) programs.

In the April 2006 issue of Manufacturing.net, part of Reed Business Information, (http://www.manufacturing.net/article/CA6322329.html) Manufacturing Journalist Thomas R. Cutler profiles aPriori’s cost management platform. According to Cutler, “Discrete-part manufacturing companies are experiencing a demanding and difficult combination of price pressure from customers, rising costs (both internally and from vendors), international competition, and income growth pressure from investors.”

New Product Introduction refers to the complete business process within an organization for introducing new products or product models to market. Today’s NPI process is a cross-functional business process, including both internal functions and external suppliers or partners. Most manufacturers are still struggling to break the historical functional divisions or silos, notably between Marketing, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Procurement. This struggle continues to exist because important product, process, and customer information is still trapped in these functions emerging only at serial release stages or gates.

Based in Concord, MA, aPriori is the technology leader providing innovative cost management solutions to the discrete manufacturing industry. aPriori’s Cost Management Software Platform enables manufacturers to better understand product cost decisions early and throughout the product lifecycle. aPriori’s Cost Management Platform empowers manufacturers to lower cost-of-goods sold (COGS), provides real-time visibility to “cost-critical” decision information, and builds critical cost knowledge to go on the business “offensive.” aPriori’s patent-protected cost management platform allows companies to assess, control, and reduce cost of goods sold by whole percentages. The aPriori Platform enables “Cost Knowledge Before it Matters.”

aPriori is a finalist in the Operations Application category of the Technology Awards. This category includes:

• Innovative technology products or services that allow companies to enhance, simplify, or improve their internal operations and/or business processes within their organization.

• The product or service is designed to support an operational aspect of the company (manufacturing, marketing, human resources, finance, sales, compliance,) as well as delivery of business intelligence and reporting, knowledge management, and business process.

• The product or service is designed to support the development or deployment of technology. This includes, but is not limited to network operations, data center management and monitoring.

The 2006 What’s Next Forum & Technology Awards will recognize and celebrate innovative technologies developed in New England on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 at The Four Seasons Hotel in Boston. The keynote speaker will be Nicholas Negroponte, co-founder of the MIT Media Lab, esteemed author and founder and Chairman of the non-profit association One Laptop per Child.

This year the award presentation introduces the “What’s Next Forum.” Moderator, Jason Pontin, Editor-in-Chief of Technology Review, will take share a few steps further into the future, to discuss not only how “Web 3.0″ will develop, but also what can be expected in its next iteration.

According to Frank Azzolino, President of aPriori, “We are delighted to be recognized as a leader in the Operations Application category by this important and prestigious organization.”

Based in Concord, MA, aPriori (www.apriori.com) is the technology leader providing innovative cost management solutions to the discrete manufacturing industry. aPriori’s Cost Management Software Platform enables manufacturers to better understand product cost decisions early and throughout the product lifecycle. aPriori’s Cost Management Platform empowers manufacturers to lower cost-of-goods sold (COGS), provides real-time visibility to “cost-critical” decision information, and builds critical cost knowledge to go on the business “offensive.” aPriori’s patent-protected cost management platform allows companies to assess, control, and reduce cost of goods sold by whole percentages. The aPriori Platform truly enables “Cost Knowledge Before it Matters.”

aPriori’s Cost Management Software Platform enables manufacturers to better understand product cost decisions early and throughout the product lifecycle. aPriori’s Cost Management Platform empowers manufacturers to lower cost-of-goods sold (COGS), provides real-time visibility to “cost-critical” decision information, and builds critical cost knowledge to go on the business “offensive.” aPriori’s patent-protected cost management platform allows companies to assess, control, and reduce cost of goods sold by whole percentages. The aPriori Platform truly enables “Cost Knowledge Before it Matters.”

The firm anticipates huge staff growth for the remainder of 2006. Manufacturing Process Cost Modelers are central to the growth. Cost Modelers will be responsible for the development and support of cost models for a constantly growing list of manufacturing processes. Processes cover many areas of machining processes, welding, assembly, plastic part fabrication, finishing, and casting. Comfortable with 3D CAD systems, this individual must have a solid understanding of how design factors, such as part geometry and tolerances, impact the cost of many manufacturing processes. Coordinating closely with a wide variety of other experts, this individual will master the use of the company’s proprietary cost modeling language to develop cost models that will estimate part and tooling costs starting with basic part 3D geometry.

•
BS or better in Manufacturing or Mechanical Engineering.
5-10 years industrial experience involved with the design and/or manufacturing of mechanical parts.
•
Expertise with a variety of manufacturing processes.
•
Some experience pulling together process or product costs, at least using spreadsheets.

• Experience with programming languages a plus, but not a requirement.

• Ability to assemble large varieties of information about a manufacturing process together into a coherent mechanistic model, some of which may be new to the individual.

• Ability to work under time pressure.

The aPriori cost management platform uses innovative, patent protected technologies, and is capable of using design information driven off of MCAD geometry. Additionally the ability to model production facilities (including machine capabilities, raw materials, and facility cost structure) and the specific cost accounting methodologies, accurate predictive, allow “forward looking” real time cost estimates.

R. Sebastian Schrader is a co-founder and Senior Process Specialist with aPriori Technologies, based in Concord, MA. aPriori (www.apriori.com) is the technology leader providing innovative cost management solutions to the discrete manufacturing industry.
As a doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois, Schrader was responsible for some of the seminal work that is the foundation of the aPriori cost management solution. Schrader holds a BS in Production Engineering from EAFIT University in Colombia and a MS in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Illinois. While at UIUC, Sebastian worked at the John Deere Silvis Product Development Center as a Feature-Based Cost Specialist, analyzing cost data created with third-party costing packages and in-house costing techniques. Prior to UIUC, Schrader was a Research & Technical Staff member of the Interdisciplinary Research Center (IRC-CAD/CAM/CG) in Colombia, where he developed asynchronous tools for topology recovery, surface smoothing, and mesh optimization. Before working at IRC, Schrader was a joint owner of CAD-TEC Ltd where he worked as a consultant to firms in graphic design.

The cost management platform uses innovative, patent protected technologies, and is capable of using design information driven off of MCAD geometry. Additionally the ability to model production facilities (including machine capabilities, raw materials, and facility cost structure) and the specific cost accounting methodologies, accurate predictive, allow “forward looking” real time cost estimates.

This cost information leverages existing information and data systems in a single cost platform, captures company specific costing practices, and makes this information available across the enterprise and accessible by any user in the organization.

aPriori’s Cost Management Software Platform enables manufacturers to better understand product cost decisions early and throughout the product lifecycle. aPriori’s Cost Management Platform empowers manufacturers to lower cost-of-goods sold (COGS), provides real-time visibility to “cost-critical” decision information, and builds critical cost knowledge to go on the business “offensive.” aPriori’s patent-protected cost management platform allows companies to assess, control, and reduce cost of goods sold by whole percentages. The aPriori Platform enables “Cost Knowledge Before it Matters.”

John Busa is Vice President of Marketing with aPriori Technologies, based in Concord, MA. aPriori (www.apriori.com) is the technology leader providing innovative cost management solutions to the discrete manufacturing industry. The cost management platform uses innovative, patent protected technologies, and is capable of using design information driven off of MCAD geometry. Additionally the ability to model production facilities (including machine capabilities, raw materials, and facility cost structure) and the specific cost accounting methodologies, accurate predictive, allow “forward looking” real time cost estimates.

Busa brings 16 years of experience in the commercial software industry to his role leading aPriori’s marketing efforts. Prior to joining aPriori, Busa was responsible for all engineering and product management at CXO Systems. Prior to that he was Senior Vice President, Research and Development for PTC, a leading provider of PLM solutions. During his tenure at PTC, John played a key role in the growth of the company from a $3 million per year revenue start-up, to a $1 billion per year market leader. Busa’s previous roles within PTC included Vice President, Production Applications Marketing and Development, Vice President, Quality Assurance, and Vice President, Marketing Operations. Busa holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) and a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University.

aPriori’s Cost Management Software Platform enables manufacturers to better understand product cost decisions early and throughout the product lifecycle. aPriori’s Cost Management Platform empowers manufacturers to lower cost-of-goods sold (COGS), provides real-time visibility to “cost-critical” decision information, and builds critical cost knowledge to go on the business “offensive.” aPriori’s patent-protected cost management platform allows companies to assess, control, and reduce cost of goods sold by whole percentages. The aPriori Platform truly enables “Cost Knowledge Before it Matters.”

R. Sebastian Schrader is a co-founder and Senior Process Specialist with aPriori Technologies, based in Concord, MA. aPriori (www.apriori.com) is the technology leader providing innovative cost management solutions to the discrete manufacturing industry. The cost management platform uses innovative, patent protected technologies, and is capable of using design information driven off of MCAD geometry. Additionally the ability to model production facilities (including machine capabilities, raw materials, and facility cost structure) and the specific cost accounting methodologies, accurate predictive, allow “forward looking” real time cost estimates.

As a doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois, Schrader was responsible for some of the seminal work that is the foundation of the aPriori cost management solution. Schrader holds a BS in Production Engineering from EAFIT University in Colombia and a MS in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Illinois. While at UIUC, Sebastian worked at the John Deere Silvis Product Development Center as a Feature-Based Cost Specialist, analyzing cost data created with third-party costing packages and in-house costing techniques. Prior to UIUC, Schrader was a Research & Technical Staff member of the Interdisciplinary Research Center (IRC-CAD/CAM/CG) in Colombia, where he developed asynchronous tools for topology recovery, surface smoothing, and mesh optimization. Before working at IRC, Schrader was a joint owner of CAD-TEC Ltd where he worked as a consultant to firms in graphic design.

This cost information leverages existing information and data systems in a single cost platform, captures company specific costing practices, and makes this information available across the enterprise and accessible by any user in the organization.

aPriori’s Cost Management Software Platform enables manufacturers to better understand product cost decisions early and throughout the product lifecycle. aPriori’s Cost Management Platform empowers manufacturers to lower cost-of-goods sold (COGS), provides real-time visibility to “cost-critical” decision information, and builds critical cost knowledge to go on the business “offensive.” aPriori’s patent-protected cost management platform allows companies to assess, control, and reduce cost of goods sold by whole percentages. The aPriori Platform enables “Cost Knowledge Before it Matters.”