WAKEFIELD, R.I. January 17, 2002 Over the past five years, John Deere manufacturer Deere & Company has led the brick-and-mortar crusade into the world of supply chain technology, setting benchmarks in the industry as fast as it puts tractors in corn fields. That's why, when Deere & Company purchases a software license from a technology company, it's a major stamp of approval.
Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc., is the latest to receive this honor. The company recently announced that Deere & Company has purchased a corporate license for its Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA(R)) software. Deere & Company will be using the Boothroyd Dewhurst software to help reduce the cost of purchased parts in the company's major equipment divisions.
After an 18-month pilot program proved successful, Deere's cost management group purchased the software as part of the group's continuous efforts in strategic sourcing.
"We have two mandates for the cost management group at John Deere: reduce part costs and increase product reliability," says Rich Norton, Manager, Cost Management. "The process and materials cost estimating capabilities of DFMA software will assist in achieving both goals."
DFMA software is a combination of two complementary tools: Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Manufacture (DFM). Engineers use DFA software to reduce the assembly cost of a product by consolidating parts into elegant and multifunctional designs. DFM software then allows the design engineer to quickly judge the cost of producing the new design and to compare it with the cost of producing the original assembly. An extensive library in the software enables product developers to investigate alternative materials and processes for producing parts and helps them select the most cost-efficient design.
