Original Date: 05/08/1995
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA)-St. Louis’ Ready-to-Fabricate Process is an organized and integrated development process for structural equipment that begins with the description of conceptual layouts. This process is carried through to the design data, fabrication/assembly work instructions, fabrication/assembly tooling data, quality assurance instructions, and parts/materials procurement instructions. Serial processes such as collecting requirements, implementing the design, releasing the drawings, planning the manufacturing process, determining requirements and inventory, completing tool definition, and developing tool drawings can now be administered concurrently through integrated development teams.

This approach (Figure 3-4) avoids the costly and lengthy result of developing products twice. Explicit exit criteria are developed to indicate completion of the Ready-to-Fabricate Process. Additionally, the process fosters continuous improvement by including exit criteria at each milestone and requesting suggestions for changes/additions to both exit design criteria and process design guides.

The process also includes metrics to measure product part count reduction, fastener quantity and type reduction, fabrication and assembly tool reduction, and reductions in defects per unit and assembly cycle time. Initial efforts on one major program have lead to fewer parts (122 to 76), fewer fasteners (1068 to 541), reductions of fastener types (55 to 30), fewer tools (108 to 47), lower fabrications costs (41%), and dramatically reduced assembly times (75%). The process is fully documented and can be applied to other products.

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