MUNICH & CHICAGO – Pricefx, a provider of AI-powered pricing software, has introduced its Volatility Exposure Index (VEI) reports across six key industries. These reports are designed to offer executives a diagnostic framework for assessing exposure risk and identifying strategies to protect margins against geopolitical conflicts, tariffs, inflation, energy price spikes, and other market disruptions.
The initial series of VEI reports covers industries including Auto Parts – Aftermarket, Building Products Distribution, Chemicals, High-Tech Manufacturing, Industrial Manufacturing, and Wholesale Distribution. The VEI provides an industry-specific scoring methodology for business-to-business (B2B) companies, aiming to help them navigate supply and demand shifts and pursue growth and profitability through pricing resilience.
Pricefx’s VEI scores each industry on a 100-point scale, evaluating five weighted factors: global sourcing exposure, sourcing concentration, price sensitivity, operational agility, and margin control power. Industries are then mapped to a five-level readiness scale, ranging from “Exposed & Paralyzed” to “Agile & Offensive,” based on their capacity to withstand and adapt to market shocks. Initial findings from Pricefx indicate varying exposure levels across industries; for instance, High-Tech Manufacturing scored 70/100, placing it in a “Strained & Reactive” posture due to complex, Asia-centric supply chains. In contrast, Building Products Distribution received a 60/100, categorized as “Braced & Adaptive,” attributed to more domestic sourcing and operational agility.
Garth Hoff, Senior Director & Industry Advisor at Pricefx, stated, “Traditional financial metrics don’t capture the true nature of operational fragility or margin risk. The VEI index and report gives businesses a sharp, actionable view into how shocks impact their industry and what they can do about it.”
Beyond benchmarking, the VEI framework is intended to inform decision-making in areas such as customer communication and market positioning. Dr. Jan Wieneke, Industry Advisor for Advanced Manufacturing at Pricefx, commented, “The VEI gives companies a new lever for differentiation and insight. Companies can use the Pricefx VEI profile to prioritize sourcing diversification and pricing automation, justify strategic price changes and contractual safeguards, and equip customer-facing teams with insights for consultative selling.”
Businesses can utilize the VEI to align investments with risk, guiding sourcing teams toward diversified or domestic suppliers for high-exposure categories, and enabling pricing teams to identify high-risk margin erosion areas for developing pass-through strategies. Finance teams can stress-test forecasts against volatility, and executive leaders can shape corporate strategy based on exposure zones rather than static cost models.
Michelle Duffy, Industry Advisor for Distribution at Pricefx, added, “In disruptive times, the winners aren’t those who avoid volatility; they’re the ones who master it. The VEI helps companies move from uncertainty to opportunity by quantifying risk and identifying the fastest path to fixing their top and bottom lines.”
Pricefx offers an AI-powered pricing software platform designed for B2B enterprises, particularly in manufacturing, distribution, and process engineering. The company states its solution aims for fast implementation, with activation typically within six months, and reports an average ROI of 7,000% in the first 12 months from activation. The company focuses on productized industry use cases to address pricing challenges.
