Hit your cost down targets on time – for the first time.
CoLab gives you a platform to bring your whole team into a VA/VE event, so anyone can access drawings, files and 3D models. Meaning you get more ideas from more team members faster than ever before.
GET A DEMO
How it works
Bring idea generation from in-person to online
CoLab is a browser-based platform where anyone on your team can access a VA/VE review package with 3D CAD models and 2D files. Before, you had to get everyone in one room to run a cost down event. With CoLab, you have an easy way to host virtual or hybrid events. So, you can spend less money on travel and more time generating quality ideas
.webp)
1 app > 5 disconnected workflows
Most teams do design-to-cost in some combination of: meetings, PowerPoint decks, spreadsheets, email, project management software and/or sticky notes. And because none of these “systems” talk to each other, you end up with a lot of disconnected ideas and very little context.
Teams who use CoLab pin design-to-cost feedback directly on 3D models, so any team member can understand the “Why” behind the idea and respond in real-time. Now, you can connect ideas to the model, respond to feedback and track the entire design-to-cost project in a single platform.
Execute the cost reduction ideas that matter
It’s not that your team doesn’t have great ideas for reducing costs or improving a product’s value. It’s that prioritizing and executing those ideas is a bottleneck.
Engineering teams who use CoLab generate ideas in the context of the model, then prioritize the highest value ideas across the entire VA/VE event. Within the event, a participant can:
- Leave VA/VE ideas on the 3D model
- Tag ideas by function and prioritize that idea by impact
- Sort all feedback by potential impact and functional tags
This means less follow-up, less post-event prioritization and faster execution on the cost reduction ideas that matter.
Integrations
You don’t need yet another disconnected software solution. That's why CoLab does two things:
- It integrates with your CAD and PLM software to create a connected tech ecosystem.
- It replaces the 5-10 apps you use to complete a single process workflow with 1-2 apps (CoLab + PLM, for example)
CoLab supports more than 70 file types, including native and neutral CAD and integrates with many PLM/PDM systems.
Aside from engineering system integrations, CoLab also integrates with Jira and supports security protocols, like SSO, user permissions and more.
Case studies
Engineering teams use CoLab to run VA/VE events nearly every day. Here are a few who want to share their experiences with you:
Johnson Controls used CoLab to switch from in-person to virtual VA/VE events. Now, even with ambitious targets and rising external pressures, the JCI team has used CoLab to consistently hit their cost down numbers. “Adding additional people has really expanded our collection of ideas,” remarks Brian Stauffer, Global Product Design Manager. “We can have people included in the events now who typically wouldn’t have been able to be there before. So we’re getting more ideas, coming from a broader group of people and a more cross-functional team.”
Mainspring transformed how they conduct design reviews and execute ideas. As a result, their sustaining engineering team redesigned a key component, achieving a 50% cost reduction in half the time, while releasing 300 drawings to suppliers with no defects.
“Adding additional people has really expanded our collection of ideas. We can have people included in the events now who typically wouldn’t have been able to be there before. So we’re getting more ideas, coming from a broader group of people and a more cross-functional team."
FAQs about using CoLab for VA/VE
How engineering teams use CoLab
Whether you’re discussing a prototype or a production drawing, CoLab makes sure everyone is on the same page. Review designs together, in 3D, and pin feedback directly to a model or drawing.
It shouldn’t be hard to tap into your supplier’s expertise. Whether you need DFM feedback or you’re running a multi-supplier RFQ, CoLab makes it easy to share CAD and drawings, exchange design feedback, and approve revisions.
With CoLab, you can make design expertise your competitive advantage. Run interactive technical evaluations with prospective customers to stand out in RFQs and grow your business.
CoLab helps engineering teams achieve 6, 7, and 8-figure cost reduction targets by giving you a repeatable way to run highly engaging value analysis events with groups of any size.
Better products start with better design conversations.
If you’re ready to see how CoLab can transform the way you work with suppliers, here’s how the process works.
- Every conversation starts with a discovery call. During this call, a technical expert will understand your team’s challenges with design review today
- Then, we’ll tailor a demo to address those challenges. This demo includes you, of course, but also some key members from your team who can speak to your challenges in greater detail and vet CoLab as the solution.
- Finally, we do a workshop with more members of your team. This is the fun part! During this workshop, your team will each have temporary CoLab licenses and participate in a sample design review. You and your team will be guided through key features and use cases right inside the CoLab platform.