Hylios vs a network design study
A network design study is a consulting engagement that gathers your data, models your network, and delivers a report with a recommendation at a point in time, often over about two quarters. Hylios builds a working model of your network in hours from public data and the files you already have, and the model stays with you, so you can test each option across cost, service, risk, and time and test again when the network changes. A study fits a large, one-time redesign; Hylios fits the questions that come up before, during, and between studies.
At a glance
| Question | Hylios | Network design study |
|---|---|---|
| Time to a first answer on your network | Days for a first model, built from public data and the files you already have. Once it exists, a quick what-if runs in seconds. In the network diagnostic, the first meeting opens on your network, already modeled. | Months. Data is gathered and cleaned before the first model run, and a full study often takes about two quarters. |
| What data you need to start | Your company name. Hylios starts from public data such as facility footprints, filings, store locators, and public rate structures. No integration project is needed to start, and your own files make the model more exact. | Typically 12 months or more of your shipment history, plus facility and cost data, collected up front. |
| Who runs it | Your operations and finance team, in plain language, with Hylios. A Twin is set up with you in a short working session, and the network diagnostic is founder-led. | An outside consulting team, with your analysts supplying and checking the data. |
| What you get | A working model of your network that stays with you, and what-if results across cost, service, risk, and time. The network diagnostic adds a findings report with an opportunity register. | A report and a recommended network design, as of the date of the study. |
| What happens when the network changes | Share new files and rerun on the same model. A network redesign, a tariff question, and a supplier change all run on the same twin without a new build. | The findings describe the network as it was during the study. A new question usually means new analysis. |
| How it is priced | Posted prices. The daily brief is free, Intelligence Pro is $19.99 a month, a Twin is set up with you in a short working session, and the network diagnostic is a fixed fee of $50,000 to $100,000 over 4 to 8 weeks. | A consulting fee, often roughly $250,000 to $300,000 for a study. |
| Where every number comes from | Every number shows where it came from and carries a confidence level. Scenario results come as a central estimate with 80 and 95 percent ranges and the inputs that moved the answer. | The report documents the study's assumptions and data sources. |
The study figures are the typical ranges given on our network diagnostic page. Hylios prices are posted on the pricing page.
The main difference: a report or a working model
A study answers the question it was scoped to answer. The team gathers your data, builds a model, runs the options, and hands over a report. That works well when the question is fixed and the network holds still while the work is done.
Hylios keeps the model working after the first answer. The same twin takes a network design question, a tariff question, and a supplier question, each as a scenario. Every scenario runs for 12 months by default, long enough to see seasonality, and every result shows cost, service, risk, and time side by side. Hylios does not tell you what to decide. It makes the trade-offs explicit and leaves judgment with your team.
The two also start in a different order. A study asks for your data first. Hylios builds the first model from public data, then trues it up against your actuals and shows, metric by metric, where the outside-in estimate was high or low before any opportunity is quantified. The four steps behind this (world model, your overlay, a baseline calibrated against 12 to 24 months of your history, and the what-if) are set out on the methodology page. For a public example of Hylios mapping a supply network beyond Tier 1, see the JLR supply risk mapping case study.
When a network design study is the better choice
A consulting study is the right call when:
- The work goes well past modeling: site visits, real estate and labor market reviews, local incentives, and negotiations.
- You want an outside team to run the whole project, including interviews, stakeholder alignment, and change management, and hand you a recommendation.
- Your board, a lender, or a buyer expects an independent study from a third party.
- It is a one-time redesign with a fixed deadline, and you have the budget and the calendar for a full engagement.
In those cases, commission the study. Hylios can still help you scope it and test the options it produces.
Using a study and Hylios together
- Before the study: model your network in hours, see which questions matter for cost, service, risk, and time on your network, and scope the study around them. You also learn which of your files to gather first.
- During the study: test the options the team proposes on a working model, and ask follow-up questions without waiting for a new round of analysis.
- After the study: keep the model. When volumes, tariffs, or suppliers change, rerun the recommendation instead of starting over.
Frequently asked questions
How does Hylios compare with a network design study?
A network design study is a consulting engagement that delivers a report and a recommended network at a point in time, often over about two quarters and for roughly $250,000 to $300,000. Hylios builds a working model of your network in hours from public data and the files you already have, and the model stays with you. You can test each option across cost, service, risk, and time, and run it again when the network changes.
How long does Hylios take to produce a first answer?
A first model of your network comes together in hours, built from public data and the files you already have. Once the model exists, a quick what-if runs in seconds. The fixed-scope network diagnostic, which includes a true-up against your actuals and a findings report, takes 4 to 8 weeks.
What does Hylios cost compared with a network study?
Hylios posts its prices. The daily brief is free, Intelligence Pro is $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year, a Twin is set up with you in a short working session, and the network diagnostic is a fixed fee of $50,000 to $100,000. A traditional network study often costs roughly $250,000 to $300,000.
What data does Hylios need to start?
Your company name is enough to start. Hylios builds the first model from public data such as facility footprints, filings, store locators, and public rate structures, so no integration project is needed. To make the model more exact, share a list of your sites, a supplier list with countries, up to 12 months of shipment history, warehouse throughput, and freight invoices. Direct connections to SAP S/4HANA Cloud and Oracle Fusion Cloud SCM are coming soon.
Will Hylios tell us which network to choose?
No. Hylios does not tell you what to decide. It shows each option across cost, service, risk, and time, as ranges, with every number showing where it came from, and leaves the judgment with your team. Hylios does not publish or promise savings percentages.
Can we use Hylios alongside a consulting study?
Yes. Use Hylios before the study to scope it, during the study to test the options it proposes, and after the study to keep a working model current as volumes, tariffs, and suppliers change. The study delivers its recommendation; the model stays with you for the questions that come up between studies.