International Forum on Design for Manufacture and Assembly Announced

By DE Editors

Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc. will host the twenty-fourth annual International Forum on Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA), June 9-10, 2009. The Forum, titled “Reviving Manufacturing through Better Design,” will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Providence-Warwick, RI.

DFMA Forum speakers and panel discussion members will address bottom-line recession strategies and introduce newly available product efficiency technologies in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM).

“The current crisis in the U.S. economy puts most manufacturers at a unique crossroads,” says John Gilligan, president of Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc. “They must keep launching innovative products to maintain revenue cycles, but they’re selling those products into declining,  cost-conscious markets. Lower returns stall future R&D funding, factory equipment upgrades, and the efficiency improvements necessary to build a turnaround from the inside out.

“However, one solid revival strategy is to concentrate existing resources on design practices that can dramatically influence the profits of the whole manufacturing organization from direct part costs, to factory throughput, shipping, service and end-of-life disposal. This year’s DFMA Forum will demonstrate the benefits of employing some of these practices.”

The forum provides insights to managers, strategists, and financial decision-makers, including product designers, manufacturing engineers, supply chain managers, and purchasing personnel. Papers offered this year cover topics such as eco-design; web-based, interactive 3D assembly documentation; DFMA and OEM and supply-chain partnerships; cost engineering;  and new 3D CAD technologies for streamlining design to manufacturing.

For more information, visit Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.