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DFMA (also sometimes rendered as DfMA) is an acronym for design for manufacture and assembly. DFMA is the combination of two methodologies; design for manufacture, which means the design for ease of manufacture of the parts that will form a product, and design for assembly, which means the design of the product for ease of assembly deriving creative ideas at the same time. The approach has been applied by engineering businesses and in the construction industry.

Usage

Engineering product design and manufacturing

DFMA is used as the basis for concurrent engineering studies to provide guidance to the design team in simplifying the product structure, to reduce manufacturing and assembly costs, and to quantify improvements. The practice of applying DFMA is to identify, quantify and eliminate waste or inefficiency in a product design. DFMA is therefore a component of lean manufacturing. DFMA is also used as a benchmarking tool to study competitors' products, and as a 'should cost' tool to assist in supplier negotiations.^[1]

DfMA in construction

While modernist architect Le Corbusier advocated industrialisation of construction in 1923, proposing "A house is a machine to live in", DfMA as a concept in construction began to emerge in the 1990s, as construction industry critics applied cross-sectoral learning, looking at production theory, integration of design, manufacture and assembly, and lean concepts and tools.^[2] In the early 21st century, DfMA began to be advocated by government and industry organisations^[2] including, in the UK, the Royal Institute of British Architects (2016,^[3] updated in 2021)^[4] and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA, 2018),^[5] in Singapore, the Building and Construction Authority (2016), and, in Hong Kong, the SAR Development Bureau (2018).^[2]

UK government construction industry policy continued to advocate DfMA approaches; it was included in the 2019 Construction Sector Deal,^[6] the Construction Playbook (2020, 2022),^[7] and the IPA's 2021 TIP Roadmap to 2030,^[8] and in 2018 the IPA and HM Treasury consulted about an expansion of the approach.^[9] The 2022 Playbook and TIP Roadmap subsequently encouraged procurement of construction projects based on product 'platforms' ("Platform Design for Manufacture and Assembly, PDfMA") comprising kits of parts, production processes, knowledge, people and relationships required to deliver all or part of construction projects.^[7]^[8]

The PDfMA approach has been applied to prison projects constructed by Kier Group for the Ministry of Justice,^[10]^[11] and to delivery of a commercial office building for Landsec, The Forge in central London,^[12] constructed by manufacturing and assembly managers Mace and Sir Robert McAlpine,^[12] and designed by architects Bryden Wood,^[13] long-time proponents of DfMA.^[14]

Software

DFMA is the name of the integrated set of software products from Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc. used by companies to implement its DFMA methodology.^[15] DFMA is a registered trademark of Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc.^[16]