Dell updated its computer chassis by using design
for excellence methodology and design for assembly software.
When Dell Computer Corp. (Round Rock, TX) envisioned a new chassis design for its desktop and workstation computers, the company had ambitious goals. It wanted one family of chassis to serve its Optiplex, Precision and Dimension product lines. It also wanted to decrease assembly time by 25 percent, and increase ease of service.
However, Dell had already optimized its previous chassis. Introduced in 1997, the Optiframe design reduced assembly time by 32 percent. It was so easy to assemble that Dell could postpone constructing several new factories worldwide. The Optiplex computer, which was built on the frame, sold well. As for serviceability, the chassis design helped Dell earn an "A" from PC Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Service and Reliability Survey for the fourth straight year.
Dell felt that because it was starting from a design that good, it wouldn’t get striking gains from minor revisions. The company knew that to reach its goal for the new product, it had to completely transform the chassis design. In fact, when the design team sought a name for the new mechanical frame family, they settled on "transformer." The new chassis had to come in three different sizes, and it had to accommodate the three Dell desktop PC product lines.
The product development team achieved success by implementing DFX. DFX means design for excellence, but it also means design for X. As in algebra, the "X" is a variable with many values. DFX product development teams design for manufacturing, logistics, integration, modularity, assembly, safety and ergonomics, environment, quality and service. Teams include representatives of mechanical engineering, procurement, manufacturing quality, service, process engineering, new product engineering, supplier quality engineering, logistics and shipping, and supply chain. Design for assembly (DFA) software from Boothroyd Dewhurst Inc. (Wakefield, RI) is an integral component of that process.