Design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA)

At the core of our approach for over 25 years, our DfMA expertise has put us at the forefront of a global initiative in Modern Methods of Construction to bring the benefits of the manufacturing sector – safety, productivity, quality, speed and performance – into the construction industry.

We have developed a wide range of Design for Manufacture and Assembly solutions across sectors, for global clients and UK government. Our expertise is unparalleled in this field, which is becoming more and more widely adopted in both the public and private sectors in the UK and across the globe.

What is DfMA at Bryden Wood?

We believe that DfMA represents the future of construction. This approach to MMC brings the principles and benefits of manufacturing to the construction industry. Design for Manufacture and Assembly seeks to add value at every stage of the design and build process, by identifying opportunities for standardisation of components and/or processes. It is not something that can be retro-fitted to a traditional design process. It must be a core part of project thinking. In this way, it facilitates lean construction and a greater degree of sustainability. Starting with Design and ending with Assembly, DfMA is a complete process - from inception to delivery.

DfMA at Bryden Wood means innovation both across disciplines and sector boundaries. It energises our entire operation. Many of the capabilities we have developed over the last 25 years – integrated design, systemisation, creative technologies, algorithmic design, prototyping – have emerged as our approach has become more sophisticated.

What are the benefits of DfMA?

DfMA unlocks a wide range of benefits associated with the manufacture and assembly of products. Overall capital cost and time saving reductions of 30% are not uncommon. These arise from:

• Reduced capital cost, delivered by efficiencies in the production and quantity of component parts required
• Reduced capital cost, delivered by efficiencies in the number and nature of assembly processes required
• Greater quality and consistency, as components and processes are refined, and mistakes and variation are reduced
• Reduced construction time and better health and safety, as processes are learned, repeated and refined
• Less waste, as the quantity of components and materials can be calculated precisely
• Greater sustainability in construction and lean design, as standard parts can be produced to exacting environmental standards and re-used at the end of life of an asset, as part of a circular economy
• Greater quality and variety of design, as standardisation of core elements frees up architects’ time to add value in aesthetics and the user experience
• Reduced risk, as standard components and processes are less subject to variation and uncertainty in supply and performance
• Better whole life performance and meeting the principles of Design to Value, as a result of better design, higher quality and the ability to incorporate ease of operation and maintenance into the components.

Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) is central to our work on Construction Platform design. Read more here.

 

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