Parker Group - press release

Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc., to Host 2010 International Forum on DFMA, June 14-16, in Providence, R.I., USA
DFMA can help manufacturers navigate today's economic turning point and successfully steer towards a new future

WAKEFIELD, R.I., USA, March 30, 2010 – Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc., today announced it will host the twenty-fifth annual International Forum on Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA®), on June 14-16, 2010. The Forum, "Turning Point: Preparing for a New Manufacturing Future," will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Providence-Warwick, R.I., USA.

"We chose this year's theme because, with the economy shifting upward, manufacturers can now have the confidence to act on new strategies," says John Gilligan, president of Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc. "Whether these strategies are in automation, lean or returning production to home countries, DFMA can make the product and processes much more efficient and profitable."

This year's DFMA Forum speakers will present their successes using early design analysis software and methods to unlock savings, foster innovation and improve product performance. DFMA has helped companies cut total product costs 50 percent, on average, across the 25 years since the Forum began. From labor (42%), to part count (54%), to assembly time (60%), to product development life cycle time (45%), DFMA has served as a foundation for savings and for design and manufacturing excellence.

Manufacturing companies on the list of presenters include aerospace heavyweights Boeing, Pratt and Whitney, and Bell Helicopter, as well as consumer electronics leader Motorola, among others.

About the DFMA Forum
The Forum is the foremost conference worldwide on DFMA methodologies and software. DFMA structures team knowledge and guides collaboration efforts from the concept stage onward, allowing for feature-rich products at less cost. It does this by providing comparative "should cost" estimates for manufacturing processes and materials, and by targeting opportunities for product simplification.

Each year the Forum offers valuable insights and practical strategies to managers, strategists, financial decision-makers, design engineers, manufacturing engineers, purchasing personnel, and supply-chain managers. Topics will include continuous improvement on the factory floor, using lean design to make lean manufacturing succeed, DFM as a business process, and an historic look at DFMA as a catalyst for product affordability and customer value.

Nick Dewhurst, executive vice president of Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc. will address the Forum with a talk on the close relationship of lean and DFMA titled "DFMA the Product, then Lean the Process." The presentation will explore the synergies that can be obtained by combining a DFMA product design mindset with a lean production approach. While lean manufacturing has significantly altered the way designs are brought through the production stage, implementation of lean principles usually starts after the product design is already set in stone. "DFMA is designed to help engineering teams look at the assembly efficiency and manufacturability of their products upfront in the development cycle," says Dewhurst. "Reducing, or leaning out, a product's complexity and part count in design carries benefits through to production and beyond, having tremendous impact on the product life cycle cost."

In addition to the presentations listed below, there will be a pre-conference workshop on "Systematic DFMA Deployment" led by Dr. Mike Shipulski of Hypertherm, Inc. For information on the 2010 International DFMA Forum on Design for Manufacture and Assembly, and the pre-conference workshop, go to http://www.dfma.com/forum/index.html.

2010 International Forum on DFMA–Papers:

DFMA vs. LEAN: Never Having to Say You're Sorry
David Vranson ITT
Aerospace Controls

Successful DFMA
Best Practice Utilization by the Boeing Mesa Rotorcraft Site
Alfredo Herrera
Boeing

DFMA Setbacks and Success at Bell Helicopter
Anthony Bergerson
Bell Helicopter

Integrated Product Development and DFMA Implementation
at Pratt and Whitney
Robert A. Piombino
Pratt and Whitney/UTC

Instant Gratification through DFMA
Justin Griffin
IDEXX Laboratories

A DFMA Method that Works
Matthew Miles
The Raymond Corporation

DFM (Design For Modularity)
Matthew Marcy
The Raymond Corporation

Southco DFMA Hinge Redesign
Rick Langkamp
Southco Inc.

Case Study of the Big Shot Digital Camera
Gordon Lewis and Brian Gallagher
Datum 3D

Design of Continuous Improvement Programs for Manufacturing Success Dr. Martin M. Stein
CCI

Applying Six Sigma DMAIC Processes to Deploy DFA
Gary Buttari & Greg Vance
Rockwell Automation

DFMA the Product, then Lean the Process
Nicholas Dewhurst
Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc.

Measuring the Impact of DFMA Using Lean Accounting
Nick Katko
BMA, Inc.

More Capability with Fewer Parts and Less Cost
Bill Devenish and Matt Parkin
QSI Corporation

DFMA for Discontinuous Improvement and Innovation
Mike Shipulski
Hypertherm, Inc.

Capturing Organizational Intelligence for the Innovation
and Design Processes
Loren Verville
Lacuna Consulting Group

Global EMS Global EMS DFA Initiative –
Teaming for Manufacturing Excellence
Rich Darrell
Motorola

Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc., was the first company to commercialize Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) methodologies and software tools, which make it possible to evaluate, estimate, and reduce the manufacturing cost of a product in the design phase through product simplification and cost estimation. Hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies, including Dell, John Deere, Harley-Davidson, and Whirlpool, use DFMA to cut the costs of their manufactured products and achieve design innovation in their markets. The company was founded in 1983 and received the National Medal of Technology Award in 1991.

For more information about DFMA software, workshops, consulting services, and international conferences, contact
Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc.,
138 Main Street, Wakefield, RI 02879, USA.
Tel. (401) 783-5840.
Fax (401) 783-6872.
Web site: www.dfma.com.
E-mail: info@dfma.com.