NPI, DFM/DFA & Engineering Change worked example

DFA Assembly Time at 12% setup, handling & delay allowance: a worked example

Push setup, handling & delay allowance up to 12% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when dfa assembly time in npi, dfm/dfa and engineering change needs a defensible run time before a quote goes out.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Units to Assemble: 120 units (unchanged)
  • Assembly Completion Rate: 12 units / min (unchanged)
  • Setup, Handling & Delay Allowance: 12 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 10)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Base dfa assembly time = dfa assembly time workload รท dfa assembly time completion rate) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 11.2 hr for required dfa assembly time, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 10 hr for base dfa assembly time.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 12 % for dfa assembly time allowance applied.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 12 pieces / min for dfa assembly time completion rate.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where setup, handling & delay allowance sits at 10% and the headline result is 11 hr, this scenario comes in 1.82% above the baseline at 11.2 hr.
  • It converts a batch quantity and a per-minute assembly rate into required hours, then scales that base time up by a setup-and-handling allowance. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Required dfa assembly time: 11.2 hr (headline result)
  • Base dfa assembly time: 10 hr
  • Dfa assembly time allowance applied: 12 %
  • Dfa assembly time completion rate: 12 pieces / min

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live DFA Assembly Time calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.