How Design Teams
`Use DEM/A to Lower
`Costs and Speed
`Products to Market
`
`Doing two things at once — product and process design —
`really does make sense.
`
`JohnIngalls
`
`l magine spending 40 percentless time and 25 per-
`
`cent less labor to develop a new product. And that
`new product not only reaches your customers scon-
`er, butit costs less money to develop and produce. Speed,
`quality, and efficiency all in one. That’s what some com-
`panies are accomplishing with a cormmon-sense manu-
`facturing technique called Design For Manufacturing/
`Assembly (DFM/A). To top it all off, DFM/A actually costs
`little in time or effort to implement.
`Sound-too good to be true? Honestly, it works.
`DFM/A’s premise in a nutshell: Have designers develop a
`product at the same time that manufacturing engineers
`figure out how to manufactureit, while keeping a watch-
`ful eye on product cost and applying someprinciples.
`DFM/A is neither new nor trendy. Leading product
`development organizations have been quietly applying
`this secret weapon to their operations for 15 years.
`Let me acquaint you with little discussed, often mis-
`understood DFM/A, so you can see howits methodology
`can help your organization. In addition, I’ll present you
`with examples of how companies are using DFM/A to their
`advantage and how your company can emulate them.
`
`DFM/A Defined
`DEM/Ais a methodologyfor product development
`or product improvement projects in which designers
`and manufacturing engineers work together instead of
`separately. The two groups design a product’s manufac-
`turing and assembly process at the same time they
`design the productitself. As a result of their teamwork
`and focus on DFM/A axioms, they create a product that
`is well-designed,cost-efficient, and easy to produce and
`maintain.
`The DFM/A philosophy contrasts with how product
`design engineering and the process design engineering
`department usually work. Traditionally, manufacturing
`is a sequential process. First, the design staff designs a
`
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`
`January/February/March 1996
`
`IS 1008
`
`
`
`SS
`
`HalmarRobicon
`and Datcon
`Instrument used
`DFMAA Io stream-
`lineproduction
`and save money.
`
`
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` Cost to change
`
`Information
`about
`product
`
`Ability
`to change
`
`known,it also becomes more costly to change the design.
`The manufacturer faces the dilemma of what should be
`changed versus what he can afford to change andstill
`make a profit. DFM/A addresses productcosts early on in
`the design, thus mitigating expensive revisions in the
`later stages of production.
`In addition to reducing development costs, DFM/A
`also speeds time to market. That’s crucial for many man-
`ufacturers, most of whom work in industries where
`“quality” products are taken for granted and a company’s
`real advantage comes in beingfirst to market.
`Take personal computers, which are now commodi-
`ties. The PC manufacturer who winsis the one that can
`comeoutfirst with a model sporting the newest, leading-
`edge processor chip.
`Time-to-market is also a big factor in determining
`whether a product makes or loses money. It is far more
`important than overall production cost, although it’s
`often overlooked as a cost factor. It has been shown that
`with a 50 percent cost overrun on your production bud-
`get, product profit may fall ten percent. But a six-month
`delay in the introduction of a product has the potential to
`slash profits in half.
`Any company that manufactures a product made of
`components and requiring assembly can usually take
`advantage of DFM/A. The manufacturing technique can
`be applied to everything from footwear to aerospace com-
`ponents.It isn’t restricted to new products. This approach
`can overhaul existing ones. Below are the stories of two
`companies that have gained competitive advantage by
`exploiting DFM/A.
`
`Halmar Robicon Saves Money and Streamlines
`Six years ago, Halmar Robicon Group, a
`Pittsburgh-based subsidiary of High Voltage Engineering
`Corporation, Wakefield, MA, needed to redtice manufac-
`turing costs by three percent annually in order to remain
`competitive. The manufacturer of solid-state power
`equipmentfor industrial, commercial, municipal, and
`scientific markets turned to DFM/A in 1989 to streamline
`production and save money.
`The company began at the top with its premierline
`of variable frequency (AC) motor drives. Since printed
`circuit boards (PCBs) can constitute up to 60 percent of
`the cost of these small motor drives, that’s what Halmar
`Robicon’s manufacturing engineer, Ken Foltz, tackled
`first.
`
`
`
` UCM MOLT)
`
`100 F
`90
`20 |
`
`70 §
`
`60
`
`50 |
`
`40 |
`
`30 |
`
`
`
`RelativeMagnitude
`
`20
`
`10
`
`0 bo,
`
`Concept
`
`Design
`
`Time
`
`Production
`
`Ongoing
`
`Figure 1. As time passes during the design cycle more information becomes available about the
`product; the dilemma facing every manufacturer is that the cost to change a design spirals after a
`period of time, thereby limiting the ability to change.
`
`
`
`WK
`percent ofa
`products
`manufacturing
`costs are built
`into it when
`it is designed.
`
`14
`
`Target Volume 12, Nunaber 1
`
`product, then the design is passed on to the engineers
`who, in turn, develop the manufacturing process. The
`problem with this strategy is that the two departments’
`goals don’t necessarily intersect. The designers paylittle
`attention to either the cost or difficulty of producing the
`product. After all, that’s engineering’s headache. And the
`manufacturing engineers must work within the con-
`straints of the product’s design since it’s already been
`conceived. If the design dictates that the product consists
`of 15 parts, the engineers must work out a system for
`assembling those parts into a whole.
`With DFM/A, however, designers consider costs as
`well as form,fit, and function. They address manufactur-
`ing, assembly, and sourcing issues in the initial stages of
`design, including supplier capability. DFM/A improves
`what could be called a product’s “ilities,” namely pro-
`duceability, inspectability, testability, designability, recy-
`clability, and serviceability.
`It is also cost-effective. More than 75 percent of a
`product’s manufacturing costs are built into it whenit is
`designed. Manufacturing costs can be cut dramatically
`since a product’s design doesn’t need to be tweaked to
`facilitate mass production. The cost to change a design is
`almost inversely proportional to one’s ability to change
`over time. This is sometimesreferred to as the “Design
`Dilemma”(See Figure 1).
`
`The Design Dilemma
`As the design cycle progresses, more information
`becomesavailable about the product. But while more is
`
`2
`
`

`

`to Halmar Robicon’s manufacturing operations?
`
`He and his staff produced standardized design
`guidelines for the PCBs. In their guidelines, they took
`Teaming Up With Suppliers
`advantage of the strengths of Halmar Robicon’s manu-
`Foltz, the engineer, briefed the company’s strategic
`facturing machinery, in particular, its automatic and
`suppliers on DEM/A during one of Halmar Robicon’s
`semi-automatic PCB assembly equipment. The specifica-
`‘Vendors’ Days.” His presentation explained DFM/A in
`tions covered every aspect of the manufacturing and
`greatdetail, includingits practical methodology and key
`design process: from componentselection, to component
`terminology.It also highlighted the potential benefits for
`layout andorientation, hole size, hole spacing, and hole
`the company and its manufacturing partners. To further
`clearances. The guideline writers also addressed issues
`drive those points home, Foltz also relayed Halmar
`such as board solderability, cleaning, andtesting.
`Robicon’s success to date with DFM/A. At the end of the
`Once the PCB design was revisited it was time to
`presentation, he asked vendors to help Halmar Robicon
`move on to redesigning the 15-to-30-horsepower range
`with its development process and cost reduction program
`AC motordrives themselves,
`by incorporating DFM/A.
`Under the leadership of Richard Osman,vice presi-
`“Hardware and component manufacturers, semi-
`dent of integrated product development, parts were either
`conductor manufacturers — we asked them all to help,”
`combined,eliminated, or made multi-functional. In gen-
`Foltz recalls. “They’re the experts at what they do and
`eral, the drives’ design becamesimpler, employing fewer
`they’re always willing to share their expertise.”
`parts, and made more modular.
`The manufacturer’s suppliers now routinely pre-
`For instance, Halmar Robicon’s engineers reduced
`view designs concepts, critique them, and help “solve”
`the number of sheet metal parts used in the drives by
`any engineering dilemmas as they may crop up much
`about 50 percent. “Use of elaborate sheet metal was elim-
`earlier in the product developmentprocess. For example,
`inated,” notes Osman. Each drive’s power bridge was
`one of Halmar Robicon’s PCB suppliers has helped over-
`designed as a separate complete module. Such modulari-
`haul the design of the boards it manufactures for the
`ty — as well as fewer parts — reduced final assembly
`company. The supplier helped Halmar Robicon devise an
`time and labor. (Later in this strategy we will show the
`innovative board design that eliminates the need for
`outstandingresults of this effort.)
`most of the motordrives’ wiring.
`While these changes were notdifficult to imple-
`As a result of this joint effort, Halmar Robicon’s
`ment, the resulting cost savings were impressive. “DFM/A
`... assemblers
`new line of motor drives will be strikingly simple, inex-
`definitely produces results and paysforitself,” says Foltz.
`commented on a
`pensive, and a snap to manufacture. Total parts for the
`“You can measure where you start and where youfinish.
`motor drives will drop 64 percent, from 137 parts to 50.
`variety offronts,
`Theresults will almost always be dramatic.”
`Screw connections are reduced by 43 percent, from 168 to
`jrom what
`The group design effort was remarkable because of
`95. Control wires were decreased by 74 percent from 54 to
`components and
`the way in which it boosted productivity and lowered costs.
`14, while power wires will be totally eliminated.
`Butit also encouraged Halmar Robicon to consultwith its
`materials to use,
`In turn, final assembly labor has fallen from 13.4
`assembly-line staff and get input from workers on how
`to the actual
`hours to 3.5 hours, a drop of 74 percent. Final test time
`products should be designed and manufactured. Says
`assemblyprocess.
`has also dropped from 3.9 hours to 2.0 hours, a 49 per-
`Osman,“Their feedback helped a great deal.” The assem-
`cent reduction.
`blers commented onavariety of fronts, from what compo-
`“Because of these improvements to material and
`nents and materials to use, to the actual assembly process.
`processes, we were able to reduce the cost of production
`With such success underits belt, Halmar Robicon
`from $2500 a unit to $1500 a unit,” Foltz says. “The cost
`decided to expand its use of DFM/A. It provided extensive
`to actually produce this motor drive will drop 41 percent,
`training on DFM/A and its methodology to its entire
`generating savings that will considerably improve the
`developmentstaff.
`companies profit margin and value to the customer,”
`Halmar Robicon’s positive experiences with assem-
`adds Osman.
`blers, in turn, inspired the manufacturer to involve sup-
`Foltz believes that companies shouldfeelfree to ask
`pliers and vendors. Why not work moreclosely with
`for help from its suppliers and vendors since they also
`suppliers by tapping their expertise and then applyingit
`have a vested stake in your success. “One of your biggest
`
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`January/February/March 1996
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`untapped resources is suppliers,” says Foltz. “Most ven-
`dors are very willing to work with you on DEM/A.”
`
`Datcon Embraces DFM/A
`Datcon Instrument Companyof Lancaster, PA,
`another subsidiary of High Voltage Engineering
`Corporation, designs and manufactures engine monitor-
`ing instrumentation. The instrumentation subsidiary has
`deftly deployed DFM/A by makingit the centerpiece ofits
`new integrated product development (IPD) process.
`“Datcon has significantly changed the way in
`whichit defines, approaches, and executes product devel-
`opment and DFM/Ais at the core of this philosophy,” says
`Hank Grilk, vice president of engineering.
`Historically, reduction of design cycle time has
`focused on how the engineer can minimize the design,
`testing, and documentation processes. However, with
`increasing use of computer aided engineering, design
`and manufacturing, design cycle time has been slimmed
`down to the point where it no longer represents a signifi-
`cantfactor in the total time-to-market.
`“Recent trends toward the application of concur-
`rent development, where the manufacturing process for
`producing a product is developed by the IPD team at the
`same time as, and in close cooperation with, the develop-
`ment of the productitself, have resulted in minimizing
`the always lengthy hard tooling and materials procure-
`mentcritical paths,” explains Grilk.
`Howeverthere is.a third and potentially even bigger
`source of delay in transforminga projectthat’s received a
`“green light,” to a finished product that’s in the hands of
`the customer. That lag comes from the sales and market-
`ing process, and the timeit takes to educate the customer
`on the product, its features, and benefits. The marketing
`and sales functions include such time spenders as draw-
`ing up a proposal, the customer's review of that proposal,
`the give and take of negotiating between seller and cus-
`tomer, and so forth.
`At Datcon, DFM/Ais being applied not only to tradi-
`tional manufacturing functions such as product design
`and production, but also to such disciplines as sales and
`marketing.
`In early 1994 Datcon adopted DFM/A product
`development. One product that has already benefited is a
`two-inch tachometerfor heavy duty industrial and
`commercial applications. Pre-DFM/A, it cost Datcon in
`excess of $10 (typically $11 to $13) to manufacture the
`tachometer. Using DFM/Asprinciples to minimize parts,
`
`capitalize on multifunctional parts, and employ a mod-
`ular design, the company has substantially lowered the
`tachometer’s productioncost. It’s also made the
`tachometer more “flexible,” making it easier to cus-
`tomize the product.
`“The base product has a manufacturing cost of
`under $7 and the product has provisions to be upgraded.
`to be applicable to virtually any input voltage, input sig-
`nal wave form and amplitude, and technical specification
`required in this industry as a result of the DFM/A con-
`ducted” says Grilk.
`The redesign took notimeat all, less than a month,
`and Datconis currently switching over to the new design,
`Another example of Datcon’s innovative approach
`to DMF/Ais its Smart Instruments™ product, which
`sports electronic circuitry that works side by side with
`standard analog instrumentation. Theelectronic circuit-
`ry monitors critical engine operating parameters and
`activates a visual alarm if theyfall outside of safe operat-
`ing limits.
`Grilk notes that Datcon achieved this improved
`monitoring function by using DFM/A. The designers did
`so without having to resort to adding separate senders to
`the engine. The senders would have added to the prod-
`uct’s wiring. The Smart Instruments™design is also
`more eloquent and lower in price. The Datcon executive
`estimates the cost savings at between $10 to $15 per
`instrument comparedto predecessors.
`Like the DFM/A-design of the tachometer, develop-
`ing the Smart Instruments™didn’t take long. It took
`less than seven months for Datcon to develop, produce,
`and deliver the new product to customers.
`DFM/Aprovides a great focal point for the develop-
`ment process. At the same timeit promotes teamwork
`among members of the design group, it encourages
`teamwork for the company at large. “It gets all func-
`tional groups working with each other in an effort to
`design the optimum product and process,” Grilk says. As
`a result Datcon has become better at mass customiza-
`tion of its products, which in turn has increased cus-
`tomersatisfaction.
`
`The Methodology Behind the Success Stories
`The basis of DFM/Ais reducing the numberofparts
`and their assembly time. Complicated designs with many
`parts are abandoned for simpler designs with modular
`construction and fewer parts. Design focuses on quality
`andreliability as well as adding functions to the product
`
`
`
`It ispossible to
`apply DFM/A to
`the sales and
`marketing cycle
`to speed it up
`just as it reduces
`the timeit takes
`to develop and
`manufacture
`a product.
`
`Sales and
`marketingplans
`should be
`conceived
`concurrently with
`the design and
`manufacture of
`theproduct.
`
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`

`that the customer will value but will add little to the cost
`(see Figure 2).
`Other Beneflis
`DFM/Ayields many benefits for manufacturers and
`their customers. Products are made at lower cost with
`higher quality and improved performance. They are
`moreeasily produced,tested, inspected, and arrive in the
`market much faster
`Because they have fewer parts, they are morereli-
`able andeasier to service and maintain. Often, the prod-
`uct can be recycled.
`Companies using DFM/Atypically have lower capi-
`tal equipmentcosts because they are using their
`machinery moreefficiently. They are more automated,
`have significantly shorter ramp-up times to production,
`and find that later-stage engineering changes are
`reduced along with the need for drawings and
`blueprints.
`For example, General Motors used DFM/A when
`redesigning its Grand AM in 1993. As a result, the car's
`steering column worked better than its predecessor and
`consisted of 30 percent fewer parts. In real terms, this
`part reduction translated in to a three-fold increase in
`assembly worker productivity and a seven-fold increase
`in steering column quality. Another example from the
`automotive arena: Ford Motorused it on its Taurus
`model in 1986 and reduced its assembly costs by 30 per-
`cent — saving more than $1 billion.
`There are other benefits: The need for “redesign
`during manufacturing” is eliminated; fewer parts are
`needed from suppliers, and manufacturers keep lower
`inventories since they’re dealing with fewerparts.
`Eliminating parts reduces costs throughout the
`company, notjust directly in manufacturing.It can posi-
`tively affect the bottom line of such departments as
`materials, purchasing, expediting, and receiving. For
`example,there are fewer parts to inspect; inspection costs
`fall, as do the costs of material handling and inventory.
`Engineering changes are easier to make; documentation
`costs fall.
`Because production problems are now far fewer, the
`companyitself enjoys an overall increase in efficiency.
`Typically, with DFM/A andintegrated product devel-
`opment, a company can see 40 percent reduction in
`parts, Total labor to make the productis reduced by more
`than 25 percent in many cases. And, of course, time-to-
`markettypicallyfalls by a significant percentage.
`
`
`An Example of a DFM/A Evolution
`
`
`
`Figure 2. This example illustrates the progression of a tool box insert from design inception
`through the evolution of a DFM/A study that resulted in reducing thedesign part count from 20
`to two parts, improving reliability, and lowering productcost.
`
`The Art of Implementation
`Thefirst step toward DFM/Ais establishing a multi-
`functional design team andstructure. Unless engineering
`and manufacturing work together, the process simply
`won’t work. DFM/A is a very powerful concept, butit's not
`a tool that a person can wieldinisolation.
`One approachis to establish a core team for each
`project. Its members consist of the project engineer and
`designer, representatives from marketing, technical sup-
`port, and purchasing, as well as factory line assemblers
`and foremen. The entire team meets regularly and works
`together on the project. DFM/A training andfacilitation
`are musts to maximize results.
`Of course, some manufacturers complain that they
`don’t have enough peopleto staff these teams. These
`teams should be working onseveral projects at once, so
`staffing should not be a problem. Ideally, the team
`meets, its members are assigned tasks, and then they
`regroup only when the work is done. However, this
`approach takes discipline. That said, the benefits easily
`outweigh theeffort.
`Effective teams will continually surprise you with
`innovations. For example, design teams that are
`empowered to use DFM/A can produce impressive results
`as evidenced by a manufacturer of tourist-class aircraft
`seats. His DFM/A team uncovered millions of dollars of
`potential savings during their developmentefforts. The
`team, not withstanding demanding performance
`requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration
`(FAA), conducted a DFM/A analysis and reduced by 27
`percent the number of steps needed to assemble a seat.
`Assembly time declined by more than 80 minutes and a
`minor modification to the product suggested by the
`team will allow the manufacturer to meet future, more
`stringent FAA requirements.
`
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`

`a ewe enern gs
`
`Minimize the numberof parts
`Minimize the numberof part variations
`Use modular design
`Avoid fasteners
`Use multi-functional parts
`Design for top down assembly
`Maximize part mating or compliance
`
`Minimize part handling and presentation
`Avoid flexible parts
`Design parts to self-fixture
`Maximize part symmetry or asymmetry
`Maximizevisibility of assembled area
`Avoid hazardous material or processes
`
`Figure 3. DFM/A Axioms are key principles that design teams should employ when conducting
`a DFM/A analysis oftheir product.
`
`In organizing project teams, manufacturers should
`ensure that the teams can truly work across a company’s
`structural lines and get things done without going
`through time-consuming, bureaucratic channels. Teams
`can become powerful tools, which in turn guarantees
`that a company can quickly design and manufacture a
`new product.
`After formation, the team should meet regularly to
`review design and assembly alternatives. It is never too
`early to start DEM/A analysis during the development
`process. Even before physical models are available, com-
`puter models and isometric drawings go a long way
`toward providing the team with whatit needs to take an
`early crack at the design — and before it is too late to
`make changes.
`A team needsto physically run through the fabrica-
`tion assembly of the design on an ongoing basis in an
`effort to optimize the product for manufacture and
`assembly. “DEM/A Axioms”provide a basic road map (see
`Figure 3).
`DFM/A Axioms are a set of key principles that the
`design team should employ when conducting a DFM/A
`analysis of their product.
`As the team reviews the design, each decision that’s
`part of the product’s concept should be weighed forits
`potential cost and benefit. A major benefit of DFM/Ais the
`objective review of several design scenarios by a multi-
`functional team that looks at function and price. Often
`there’s a break-even point at which parts consolidation
`can become too expensive due to design complexity. The
`object is to maximize the values of each part, material,
`and process built into the design.
`
`Is Your CompanyA Candidate?
`DFM/A can be used with all products that have
`many parts, especially fasteners, and similar products
`that require a good deal of labor to assemble. Other good
`candidates are products that need to be produced with
`
`18
`
`Target Volume 12, Number 1
`
`higher quality, are difficult to assemble, or cost more to
`produce compared to competing products.
`A California-based manufacturer of helicopter fan
`motors that needed to lower costs to win a significant
`contract, trained its design team in the principles of
`DFM/A. The team recommended design changes that
`slashed production costs by $1500 per unit, a savings of
`approximately 36 percent. In particular, the team recog-
`nized that the space and weight savings, realized via part
`count reductions, had opened the door to converting the
`design electronics from a tooled custom chip to discrete
`circuitry which had a larger volume but a lowertotal
`cost. This resulted in saving a significant investment in
`toolingfor the chip.
`New products are not the only beneficiary from
`DEM/A. By applying this conceptto existing products and
`upgrading their design, a manufacturer can makelife
`much moredifficult for his competitors.
`DFM/Acan even help in cases of outsourcing, when
`companies that don’t want to make or design all compo-
`nents of products in-house ask suppliers to do it for thern.
`Suppliers often have the expertise, the agility, and the cre-
`ativity to come up with new solutions to design problems.
`They now provide an important extension to a company’s
`know-how. As in the examples of Datcon and Halmar
`Robicon, manufacturers should call on the expertise of
`their suppliers to help with product development.
`For example, a well-known aircraft industry manu-
`facturer asked one ofits suppliers, a foundry, to help
`design a casting, With the supplier’s advice and a simple
`rearrangementof product features, the company was able
`to lowerthe casting’s cost to $540 per unit from $1700.
`Utilized effectively, DFM/A can help your customers
`help you and improve their product in the process. Get
`them involved in the design process. By doing.so, your
`company gives yourclients a chance to design the prod-
`ucts they want and need, which is a powerful motivator
`Consequently, most will be happy to work with you —
`and you can develop not only a better relationship with
`them butalso increase your sales since you'll be selling
`customers exactly what they want.
`
`Implementing the Process
`After selecting the best project to introduce the
`DFM/A, a company should spend time on trainingstaff
`on DFM/A, its concepts, and how to implementit. In
`
`6
`
`

`

`addition, because DFM/Aby definition is a team activity,
`the group should have specific training on how to work
`together productively.
`Transforming the culture is the greatest challenge
`for any company attempting to incorporate DFM/A. If
`company departments are used to acting as independent
`fiefdoms rather than cooperatively, then implementing
`DEM/A will be that much more difficult to get off the
`ground. Set the right expectations with members of your
`team. Instill in them the idea that everyone has a stake
`in the design and the team ownsthe results of the prod-
`uct development.
`Start small and pick one project to focus onfirst.
`One good way to embark on DFM/A is with an existing
`product that can benefit from cost reductions and quali-
`ty improvements. Regardless of whether you start with a
`new design or an existing one, begin the process by ana-
`lyzing a subsystem or component of
`the product’s
`design. Taking that tack, the team can focus on DFM/A
`methodologyand not get lost in the overall complexity
`of the project. Best of all, the take-it-one-component-at-
`a-time approach increases the odds for initial success
`and therefore can provide momentum for your ongoing
`DFM/Aefforts.
`In addition, always encourage good team dynamics
`and member contributions by publicly recognizing the
`team’s accomplishments. In the end, your reward will be
`eminently “manufacturable” designs of products that
`will delight your customers. Moreover, you will enjoy the
`positive effects on your company’s bottom line.
`
`
`
`Software tools can
`only enhance, not
`guarantee success.
`
`What Will the Future Bring?
`With the advent and proliferation of design soft-
`ware, it is no surprise that several DFM/A software tools
`are already available. However don’t let such helpmates
`lull you into thinking you can skimp on training.It's
`people, notthe tools, that count the most.
`The programs available have evolved from stand-
`alone, simple cost/benefit models to high-end analysis
`modules embedded in state-of-the art solid model
`design systems.
`Implement DFM/A and your company will walk
`away with higher-quality products that are more cost-
`effective to design and manufacture. These products will
`also better satisfy your customers. Happier customers
`mean increased sales, which in turn leads to increased
`profits. From the factory floor to the boardroom, DFM/A
`looks and acts like a winner,
`
`John Ingalls is thepartner responsiblefor the manufacturing con-
`sulting department of Grant Thornton, LLP Accountants and
`Management Consultants based in Boston. He specializes in man-
`ufacturing companyprofit improvements and is the firm’s
`nationalpractice leader ofDFM/A training andfacilitation.
`
`© 1996 AMES
`For information on reprints, contact:
`Association for Manufacturing Excellence
`380 West Palatine Road
`Wheeling,Illinois 60090-5863
`847/520-3282
`
`
`
`
`19
`
`January/February/March 1996
`
`7
`
`