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.
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]
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]
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]
A turnkey, a turnkey project, or a turnkey operation is a type of project that is constructed so that it can be sold to any buyer as a completed product. This is contrasted with build to order, where the constructor builds an item to the buyer's exact specifications, or when an incomplete product is sold with the assumption that the buyer would complete it.
Bentley Systems, Incorporated is an American-based software development company that develops, manufactures, licenses, sells and supports computer software and services for the design, construction, and operation of infrastructure. The company's software serves the building, plant, civil, and geospatial markets in the areas of architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and operations. Their software products are used to design, engineer, build, and operate large constructed assets such as roadways, railways, bridges, buildings, industrial plants, power plants, and utility networks. The company re-invests 20% of their revenues in research and development.
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science of forming objects, systems, or organizations. It comes from the Latin word constructio and Old French construction. To 'construct' is a verb: the act of building, and the noun is construction: how something is built or the nature of its structure.
A project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers have the responsibility of the planning, procurement and execution of a project, in any undertaking that has a defined scope, defined start and a defined finish; regardless of industry. Project managers are first point of contact for any issues or discrepancies arising from within the heads of various departments in an organization before the problem escalates to higher authorities, as project representative.
Bluewater Shopping Centre is an out-of-town shopping centre in Stone, Kent, England, just outside the M25 motorway ring, 17.8 miles (28.6 km) east south east of London's centre. Opened on 16 March 1999 in a former chalk quarry after ten years of building works, the site occupies 240 acres (97 ha) and has a sales floor area of 154,000 m2 (1,600,000 ft2) over three levels, making it the fifth-largest shopping centre in the UK. Elsewhere in Europe only Istanbul's Cevahir Mall and Vienna's (Vösendorf) Shopping City Süd are bigger. The floor plan is a triangular shape with 210 stores, including 3 anchors, 50 cafés and restaurants, and a 17-screen cinema. The centre employs 7,000 people and serves over 27 million visitors a year. A main rival is the Lakeside Shopping Centre and its two retail parks in West Thurrock, Essex, just across the River Thames, 8 miles (13 km) away by road or 3.2 miles (5.1 km) as the crow flies.
Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a process level improvement training and appraisal program. Administered by the CMMI Institute, a subsidiary of ISACA, it was developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). It is required by many U.S. Government contracts, especially in software development. CMU claims CMMI can be used to guide process improvement across a project, division, or an entire organization.
Larsen & Toubro Limited, abbreviated as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate, with interests in industrial technology, heavy industry, engineering, construction, manufacturing, power, information technology, military and financial services. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
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Building information modeling (BIM) is a process involving the generation and management of digital representations of the physical and functional characteristics of buildings and other physical assets. BIM is supported by various tools, technologies and contracts. Building information models (BIMs) are computer files which can be extracted, exchanged or networked to support decision-making regarding a built asset. BIM software is used by individuals, businesses and government agencies who plan, design, construct, operate and maintain buildings and diverse physical infrastructures, such as water, refuse, electricity, gas, communication utilities, roads, railways, bridges, ports and tunnels.
Design for assembly (DFA) is a process by which products are designed with ease of assembly in mind. If a product contains fewer parts it will take less time to assemble, thereby reducing assembly costs. In addition, if the parts are provided with features which make it easier to grasp, move, orient and insert them, this will also reduce assembly time and assembly costs. The reduction of the number of parts in an assembly has the added benefit of generally reducing the total cost of parts in the assembly. This is usually where the major cost benefits of the application of design for assembly occur.
HDR, Inc. is an American design and engineering company based in Omaha, Nebraska.
A specification often refers to a set of documented requirements to be satisfied by a material, design, product, or service. A specification is often a type of technical standard.
Sustainable engineering is the process of designing or operating systems such that they use energy and resources sustainably, in other words, at a rate that does not compromise the natural environment, or the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
A drafter is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawings or CAD designs for machinery, buildings, electronics, infrastructure, sections, etc. Drafters use computer software and manual sketches to convert the designs, plans, and layouts of engineers and architects into a set of technical drawings. Drafters operate as the supporting developers and sketch engineering designs and drawings from preliminary design concepts.
Ma Yansong ; is the principal architect and founder of MAD Architects, a global design practice with offices located in Los Angeles, Rome, and Beijing. Renowned for his bold designs, Ma has led MAD in the creation many significant structures around the world, including the Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts, Harbin Opera House, Quzhou Stadium, FENIX Museum, The Yue Cheng Courtyard Kindergarten, Jiaxing Train Station, Shenzhen Bay Culture Park and the Tunnel of Light. His design approach emphasizes a harmonious integration of urban landscapes, natural elements, and human experiences.
The British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) is a professional organisation for commercial and residential interior designers in Britain.
Sadie Anna Morgan is an English designer. In 1995 she founded dRMM, the RIBA Stirling Prize winning architecture practice, with Alex de Rijke and Philip Marsh.
Transforming Infrastructure Performance is a British government report on the UK construction industry issued by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority in December 2017. Its aim was to improve productivity in the sector and make savings of £15 billion per year. It proposed to do this by increasing innovations like off-site construction and new digital technology, improving government procurement procedures, and improving integration and collaboration. It was seen as a welcome initiative by the industry, and early implementation of its aims has been incorporated into the water industry's 2019 price review.
cadwork informatik CI AG is a multinational software company headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. It develops and markets software products primarily for the construction industry. These products include timber industry products in computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) as well as products in building information model (BIM) and virtual design and construction (VDC). These products are suitable for designers, structural engineers, construction engineers, civil engineering draftspeople, building contractors, and in the case of BIMTeam VDC, the construction crews.
Modern methods of construction (MMC) is a term used mainly in the UK construction industry to refer to "smart construction" processes designed to improve upon traditional design and construction approaches by focusing on component and process standardisation, design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA), prefabrication, preassembly, off-site manufacture and onsite innovations such as additive manufacture. While such modern approaches may be applied to infrastructure works and to commercial or industrial buildings, MMC has become particularly associated with construction of residential housing.