Design for manufacture & assembly (DFMA)-the Boothroyd & Dewhurst approach

Geoffrey Boothroyd and Peter Dewhurst are pioneers in the field of design for manufacture and assembly. The Boothroyd & Dewhurst DFMA system assists designers and simultaneous engineering teams in slashing product development time, lowering manufacturing and assembly costs and improving product quality-it is based on the realisation that approximately 70% of the product cost is fixed at the design stage. This paper details the workings of the system, where it fits into the product development process, the management implications for its implementation and examples of benefits that organisations using the technique are finding. The Boothroyd & Dewhurst DFMA system is available in two forms. The first is a handbook. The second is a comprehensive suite of software called Toolkit. Toolkit runs on IBM PS/2, AT, XT, and compatible computers.< >