Er. K. S.

Ramalingam,
BE(Mech), PGDBA, BSc(Physics)
DFM & Innovation Consultant
http://www.dfmsolutionsbyre-design.com

Call to join a DFM movement through blending of Clicks & Bricks

Prologue to Tao of DFM

My best thanks to Engineering Product Development Professionals who make the

world of today. We have now reached the 4th Industrial Revolution -the Industry
4.0. But we should not forget the bricks who built this 'LITTLE WORLD' to
a 'GRAND VILLAGE'.

I am taking liberty of taking out a few minutes of your valuable time -whether
you are a Head of Design or Head of a Faculty or CEO or a Dean or a Head of a
Centre of Excellence or a Vice Chancellor or an individual or a Humble Librarian
with passion of adding repository of knowledge to his Temple of Knowledge -to
go through the following lines as a humble way of joining a worthy movement
around the world for the betterment of the whole mankind and to further develop
the 'Grand Village' through a golden blend of Clicks and Bricks .
Clicks Clicked on Design & Manufacture & the entry of DFM

Engineering Product Development changed to high gears when CAD landed and
CNC supported it. Clicks hold on innovation & development subsided due to
high competition when speed of execution dominated the scene. DFM landed in
US Defense to bring manufacturability corrections in Design and to bringout
manufacturable designs. Survival of manufacturing is threatened by increasing
global competition. Manufacturing organizations are under constant pressure to
improve the quality of products, reduce manufacturing costs and to respond
quickly to the changing needs of the market. It is easier to say than getting it done.
Struggle to survive in the market and looking for ways to improve productivity is
vital. Again, to increase the speed, softwares for DFM also simultaneously landed.

Dr. Sanjay Ramasamy in his Arizona State Universitys Report on DFM

Methodologies has expressed Insufficient Scientific base under the software and
enormous data are compiled within the computer or software. Human intervention
and feedback are rare.

DFMA methods have little efforts at the conceptual stage where most of the
product cost is fixed.

Insufficiency due to the inability to provide RE-DESIGN suggestions to modify

shapes in the case of unsuitable designs.

Er Ramalingam & DFM

When the author was performing his External Consultancy for Manufacturing
Practices to young CAD Engineers in an Engineering Product Development Unit in
Chennai, he came across the potential philosophy of DFM Design For
Manufacturability during 2006. For this author a seasoned Manufacturing Engineer
with passion in Design, there is no going back from DFM.
It was in January 2008 during his first visit to USA, he reached to Dr David M
Anderson ,the great author of Design For Manufacturability & Concurrent
Engineering with two requests as follows .First is to get himself trained in DFM
practices @ USA and the second is to request Dr Anderson to visit India to start a
DFM Movement jointly here .The first could not be extended by him due to vast
gap between Indian & American practices .The second request was accepted with
some years of delay .This also could not be accomplished due to Dr Andersons
revised decisions of confining within US mostly and leaving the movement to this
Author with himself not physically visiting India -but mentoring from his home-
land.
About a year of emailing and tele- conferences between the two, Dr Anderson has
done a grand mentoring to this Author on DFM by adding several of his later
editions freely, extending his 2006 editions to Indian entities freely through this
mentee and giving his valuable remarks calling him as Indias DFM Expert
during 2011 itself. For this Author, Dr Anderson continues to be a mentor.

Definition of DFM

According to our Mentor, Dr David M Anderson of

www.design4manufacturability.com
'Design For Manufacturability' is the process of proactively designing products to:
(1) optimize all the manufacturing functions: fabrication, assembly, test,
procurement, shipping, delivery, service, and repair,
(2) assure by design, the best cost, quality, reliability, regulatory compliance,
safety, time-to-market, and customer satisfaction, &
(3) ensure that lack of manufacturability doesn't compromise functionality,
styling, new product introductions, product delivery, improvement
programs, strategic initiatives and unexpected surges in product demand..
Dawn of Tao of DFM

*The Gap between Design & Manufacturability is different from Gaps between the
following:
Between Theory & Practice Between Man & Woman
Between Lord Shiva & Parvathi Between Yang & Yin
Between Voltage & Current Between Software & Hardware
Between the Positive & Negative Polarities in Electricity
Between North & South Polarities in Magnetism or Between the Right & Left
Halves of human brain.
Between the Conscious Mind & the Sub-Conscious Mind
You can find in-built attractions between the above kind of opposing entities due to
nature /science.
Mission of Tao of DFM is to embed similar attractions between Design &
Manufacturability which are having a Berlin Wall in between them.

As a man with basic Degree in Physics, this Author was gifted with the famous
book of Dr Fritjof Capra titled The Tao of Physics with thoughts on Yang and
Yin & Taoism by his own brother in 90s.

The Authors cross functional thinking made him to equate Design with Yang
and Manufacturability with Yin simply to give an extra emphasis that the
talents for Design & Manufacture need complementary in-built traits like creative
talents of Yins or women and logical talents of Yangs or men.

Definition of Taoism

* According to Taoism, 'YIN & YANG are two opposing energies in the world that
wax & wane and they represent the relative nature of all earthy things. Black'
represents the energy of YIN, characterized by the qualities of 'Dark, female, night,
cold, soft, pull & so on'. White represents the energy of YANG, characterized by
the qualities of 'White, male, day, hot, hard, push & so on'. Within the YIN lies the
seed of YANG as represented by the white dot. Within the YANG lies the seed of
YIN as represented by the black dot. At the interface between YIN & YANG lies
the Creative Potential-as per Dr Fritjof Capra in his The Tao of Physics .

According to the great Tao Te Ching, Taoism is symbolic of bond between

functional creativity & functional benefits

Thirty Spokes join in one hub-In its emptiness, there is the function of a vehicle

Mix clay to create a container-In its emptiness, there is the function of a container.
Cut open doors and windows, there is the function of a room, Therefore, that which
exists is used to create benefits-That which is empty is used to create
functionality.

Definition of Tao of DFM

The out-of-box thinking of this Author in synergizing Design (or the Yang) with
Manufacturability (or the Yin) expanded to offer to the world a simplified DFM
Methodology through a DFM Handbook titled as Taoist Directions for Design &
Development -the theory side of Tao of DFM-TDFM .

As per Tao of DFM of this author, Sixty-four modules (spokes) join in one Tao
of DFM (hub), In its emptiness is the function of a Design or Yang, Cut open
the product /equipment, there is the function of Manufacturabilty or Yin.,
Therefore, Manufacturability exists which is used to create benefits. That, which
seems to be empty, the Design is used to create functionality.

Definition of QFD

As described by Dr. Yoji Akao, who originally developed QFD in Japan in 1966,
QFD is a method to transform qualitative user demands into quantitative
parameters, to deploy the functions forming quality, and to deploy methods for
achieving the design quality into subsystems and component parts, and ultimately
to specific elements of the manufacturing process.,
The author combined his work in quality assurance and quality control points with
function deployment used in value engineering.

Definition of MFD

Manufacturability Function Deployment -MFD is for implementation of this Tao

of DFM using the proved platform of QFD -Quality Function Deployment.
*MFD is a method to transform qualitative demands as per the demands of the
Concurrent Engineering Team under Tao of DFM into quantitative parameters to
deploy the functions synergizing manufacturability with design by deploying
methods like Gap Analysis, SWOT Analysis & FMEA for meeting all the
objectives/criteria under Tao of DFM into all systems and ultimately to all
elements of the process of Manufacturability -the author of Tao of DFM.
*It is the combined works of the author of Tao of DFM in Design and Manufacture
with functional deployment used in Design For Manufacturability as a QMS entity
to achieve better QCD.

Todays situation

Most of the Engineering Industries in India and abroad have not adopted DFM.
They have missed the DFM Bus. May be due to costly Software on DFM and
monotonous rule based rigor of conventional DFM. The creation of Concurrent
Engineering Team under DFM questioned the basic authority of Design Team
itself.
This Tao of DFM is a reliable /simple alternative to both kinds of DFM. The two
DFM Handbooks are embedded with self-implementation tools for adoption by the
Engineering Units. The appeal to the knowledgeable development engineering
society is to encourage and support this DFM Movement which is a paradigm shift
to DFM itself through a golden blend of Bricks with the Clicks. And the
redefined Concurrent Engineering Team under Tao of DFM is the sensible shift of
DFM to really become a QMS entity where all Domain experts join to meet better
QCD of the organization.
 Summing up on the mission of Tao of DFM

To move DFM from a mere notion to reality by a paradigm shift of DFM from a
Design Engineering Function to a Regulatory Management Function under the
Head of QMS as a Group Captain with the solid anchoring by the Champions of
Design & Manufacturing with added reinforcement by the Process Engineering
Team with the Design Engineering Division and a scientific bifurcation of Design
For Manufacturability into Eight Criteria such as Design For Best Cost , Design
For Best Quality, Design For Best Reliability, Design For Best Compliance to
Regulations /Sustainability, Design For Best Safety, Design For Best Time-to-
Market ,Design For Best Function/Style & Design for Best Satisfaction to
Customer under the basic Eight Systems such as Procurement,
Manufacture ,Assembly, Testing ,Packing/Shipping, Supply /Delivery ,
Service/Maintenance & Repair -all by a redefined Concurrent Engineering Team
with a blend of Yang ( men) with in-born LOGIC and Yin ( women) with in-
born CREATIVITY by applying simple systematic analysis such as Gap
Analysis ,SWOT Analysis ( Process /Competency ) & FMEA ( Design
/Process )through an integrated QFD named as MFD Manufacturability Function
Deployment, the new Mantra for DFM.

TDFM recommends simultaneous establishment of operation process charts &

quality plans and analysis of all cost centres for proper compatibility of Tao of
DFM as a poka-yoke against deficiency in reaching the goals of both DFM &
QCD using the Soft M S Excel.

Mens Brains Vs Womens Brains as per a latest research in Pennsylvania

University of USA
https://www.truthinsideofyou.org/why-men-and-women-think-differently-this-guy-
nails-it/
Researches have confirmed that there is an entirely different structure of the inner
structural elements of the brains between men and women apart from the
reproductive organs & convergence due to marriage which is still celebrated as the
most important transition in the human life on earth .Tao of DFM recommends
effective synergization of the creative talents in-born in yin (women -
manufacturability) with the in-born logical strength of yang (men - design) to get
better quality products at lower costs with faster delivery. The redefined CET is to
be constituted to get the best out of this Taoist Approach.

Ten Commandments under MFD for Implementations of Tao of DFM

Commandment- 1

Thou shall Complete the Designs as per the company's standard

procedures/practice by the existing Design Team and start a kind of retro-fitting
with Tao of DFM.

Commandment-2

Thou shall Create a Redefined Concurrent Engineering Team within the

Organization (you can rope in external consultants also) and make your
Management Representative -MR (as per ISO) as the Group Captain for Tao
of DFM with additional Captains -one from Design & one from Manufacturing.

Thou shall adopt the Taoist Directions as advised to have a balanced team of Yang
(men) and Yin (women) under Domain Experts to have a natural blend of logic of
Yang and creativity of Yin.

Commandment-3

Thou shall Merge Process Engineering Division with Design Engineering Division
after knowing the real benefits of the same through a Pilot Project under Tao
of DFM by merging the same. Thou shall prepare Operation Process Sheets to
process the designed products & assemblies.
Commandment-4

Thou shall adopt the MFD (Manufacturability Function Deployment) charts in MS

Excel Formats -similar to QFD for all the Eight Systems and for Eight Criteria by
getting inputs from our e-books -the DFM Handbooks.

For easy adoption of Tao of DFM, thou shall first adopt 'Ten Commandments
of Tao of DFM 'in a Pilot Project as Level 1 and then go for Level 2 & then 3-if
needed - as highlighted below after building the Team Strength.

Commandment-5

Thou shall see that the CET jointly do a Gap Analysis for every process for
Quality, Cost & Delivery as per Managements or Clients Targets w.r.t the
required Systems out of Eight Systems of Manufacturability meeting each of the
Eight Criteria under Tao of DFM and prepare the final summaries for Gap
Analysis for corrective action by collective decisions by the CET (under
QFD platform) by following Rules /Guidelines provided for all 8 x 8 =64 modules.

Commandment-6

Similarly, thou shall take up SWOT Analysis -for both Process and Competency -
for the listed operations under each cost centre using MFD and prepare summaries
for favour of corrective actions by CET by adopting the proved QFD Platform.

Commandment-7

Similarly, thou shall do FMEA -for both Design and Process -for the listed
operations under each cost Centre by using MFD and prepare summaries for
favour of corrective actions by CET by adopting the proved QFD Platform.
Commandment-8

Thou shall post values under each as per evaluation charts provided in the first
DFM Handbook on Theory of Tao of DFM and present them to top management
for review/approval and implement them.

Commandment-9

Thou shall post values under each as per evaluation charts provided in the second
DFM Handbook on Implementation of Tao of DFM and present them to top
management for review/approval and implement them.

Commandment-10

Thou shall see that the Apex Team of Captains of the redefined Concurrent
Engineering Team headed by the Head of QMS and rightly supported by the Heads
of Design & Manufacturing will jointly finalize the design with compliance to Tao
of DFM for proto-typing and further study and adoption after satisfactory testing
and approval by the top management or the end-client.

The first DFM Handbook -on the theory of Tao of DFM - titled as Taoist
Directions for Design & Development was sponsored by National Design &
Research Forum -NDRF www.ndrf.res.in of The Institution of Engineers (India)
and released by the former Prime Minister of India, Hon.Deve Gowda during the
Indian Technology Congress 2014 in Bangalore.

The second DFM Handbook on the implementations of Tao of DFM titled as

Manufacturability Function Deployment in e-format, self-sponsored by the
author was released by Dr B V A Rao -former HOD of IIT-M & former Chairman
of National Design & Research Forum- NDRF@ MMA during March 2017 in
Chennai.
The first DFM Handbook has been shared with Dr Anderson as well as Dr Fritjof
Capra who appreciated the concepts behind Tao of DFM

Both the books are written with the target of making them user friendly and they
need no external consultants from DFM or other domains to intervene. The people
who came forward to buy our combined e-books in CD Format have confirmed
this also.

Please visit www.dfmhandbook.com to place orders for the Two DFM

Handbooks with email contacts erramalingam.ks@gmail.com or
erksr2712@dfmhandbook.com

For Digital Environments to join this DFM Movement is to place an order with
Engineers InnoVentures for the supply of Twin e-books in CD Format by paying
Rs 2000 (Two Thousand) only / US $ 30 /-(Thirty) per CD, the economical option.
The CD will be couriered freely for buyers from India.

For Conventional Environments, to join this DFM Movement is to place an order

for hard copies of the first DFM Handbook with Engineers InnoVentures titled as
Taoist Directions for Design & Development - copies available @ Rs 600 /-
(Six Hundred} only / US $ 10 (Ten) only per each couriered free of cost within
India, the economical option.

No copy of the Second Book titled as Manufacturability Function Deployment

with supporting methodologies for implementations available in hard copies.
 Copyright by Er Ramalingam K S, Chennai India

With Best Wishes from

Er Ramalingam K S, the Author & DFM Consultant - Chennai India
erramalingam.ks@gmail.com erksr2712@dfmhandbook.com
http://www.dfmhandbook.com http://www.dfmsolutionsbyre-design.com