Design for Manufacture and Assembly

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.

DFMA is used as the basis for 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 tool to assist in supplier negotiations.