Reengineering: Aerospace
A DFMA engineering team redesigned several areas of a helicopter crew station using DFA analysis, and recorded significant savings in part count, fabrication and installation time, weight and overall cost. Implementation strategies as well as results are described.
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Cost Reduction : Automotive
Despite time pressures, this VA/VE group has committed to continuous review of automotive seating products. They use a baseline DFA analysis with on-site workshops to facilitate team contributions to the reduction of assembly inefficiencies. A dramatic redesign is illustrated.
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Lean Design: Consumer Product Training is a valuable investment, but companies don’t expect immediate profits from the training sessions themselves. At Whirlpool Sweden in Norrköping, though, this was exactly the case as they trained cross-functional teams of in-plant personnel to perform design for assembly (DFA) analysis.
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Serviceability Simplified: Office Electronics Design for Assembly and Design for Service drive the design of Dell Corporation’s Optiframe® Computer Chassis. The redesign saved Dell an estimated $15 million dollars in reduced direct labor costs. The company saved millions more by increasing throughput and thus postponing facility relocations that otherwise would have been required to boost manufacturing capability.
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Robust Design: Medical Equipment In this upgrade of a blood-gas analyzer, DFMA analysis was used to pinpoint areas where significant cost and quality improvements could be found. Those included a review of material uses, more self-aligning features and fewer overall components. A benchmark DFA analysis was the kickoff point for a successful product development effort.
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