Design for manufacture and assembly: background, capabilities and applications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the design for manufacture (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) concepts and illustrate their benefits and applications. Design/methodology/approach Following an introduction, this paper provides an historical background to DFM and DFA. It then describes these techniques, highlights their capabilities and benefits and provides some examples of their applications. Finally, brief conclusions are drawn. Findings Software implementations of DFM and DFA are shown to yield significant financial savings by allowing products to be designed with enhanced manufacturing and assembly characteristics. Originality/value The paper provides an introduction to the DFM and DFA concepts which play a critical role in today's highly competitive markets.