NPI, DFM/DFA & Engineering Change worked example

Pilot Run Cost at 92% chargeable pilot share: a worked example

Push chargeable pilot share up to 92% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. an NPI engineer needs to size pilot-build exposure before committing a pre-production run for a new product.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Pilot units built: 60 units (unchanged)
  • Cost per pilot unit: 95 $ / unit (unchanged)
  • Chargeable pilot share: 92 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 80)
  • Pilot line setup cost: 4,500 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total pilot run cost = pilot units × cost per pilot unit × chargeable share + pilot line setup cost) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 9,744 $ for total pilot run cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 162 $ / piece for pilot run cost per unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5,244 $ for variable pilot run cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 4,500 $ for fixed pilot run cost adder.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where chargeable pilot share sits at 80% and the headline result is 9,060 $, this scenario comes in 7.55% above the baseline at 9,744 $.
  • It blends variable pilot cost (units x per-unit cost x chargeable share) with fixed line setup to give total pilot run cost and cost per unit. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Total pilot run cost: 9,744 $ (headline result)
  • Pilot run cost per unit: 162 $ / piece
  • Variable pilot run cost: 5,244 $
  • Fixed pilot run cost adder: 4,500 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Pilot Run Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.