Service 03 of 07
Design for Manufacture
and Assembly (DfMA)
Prefabrication-ready fabrication drawings and BIM-integrated designs for pipe spools, plant skids and M&E modules, improving installation timelines and reducing on-site challenges.
Prefabrication-ready drawings and BIM-integrated designs for pipe spools, plant skids and M&E modules, cutting installation time on site.
15-25% average time savings
BIM-integrated fabrication
All staff DBS-checked
What we do
Prefabrication-ready designs, engineered for offsite manufacture
DEW produces detailed fabrication drawings for pipe spools, plant skids, M&E modules and prefabricated plant rooms, enhancing efficiency by shifting work off the critical path and into controlled offsite conditions.
Our DfMA outputs integrate directly with your coordinated BIM model, ensuring seamless compatibility between design intent and manufacturing outputs, from Stage 4 detailed design through to Stage 5 construction issue.
Whether it’s a single prefabricated plant room or a full offsite manufacturing programme, our approach supports improved installation timelines and fewer on-site challenges.
At a glance
- Detailed fabrication drawings
- Offsite manufacturing support
- Seamless BIM model integration
- 15-25% average time savings
Standards
ISO 19650 information management
buildingSMART IFC classification
Core capabilities
Three areas of focus within every DfMA engagement
Fabrication Drawings
Detailed designs ready for the shop floor
Creating detailed designs for pipe spools, plant skids, M&E modules and prefabricated plant rooms.
Shop-ready fabrication detail
Optimised Processes
Supporting offsite manufacturing
Supporting offsite manufacturing to improve installation timelines and reduce on-site challenges.
Reduced on-site installation time
BIM Model Integration
Seamless design-to-fabrication compatibility
Ensuring seamless compatibility between designs and manufacturing outputs.
Fully coordinated with the BIM model
“
DEW offer an excellent, totally professional service, with outputs to match. Costs are competitive, and reliability is second to none.
Director of Digitalisation
– ADI Group
Project Case Study
Overview
Key Deliverables
- HVAC coordination & containment
- High-security nuclear environment
- Clash-free, safe & buildable
Services Utilised
Common questions
FAQ
Have a question not answered here? Our team is happy to talk through your specific requirements.
Ask us a question →
What is DfMA and why does it matter?
Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) is the process of designing building elements so they can be fabricated offsite in controlled factory conditions, then delivered to site ready for installation. It matters because it shifts work away from the critical on-site programme, reducing installation time and minimising the disruption, risk and cost associated with on-site fabrication.
Which elements are suited to offsite manufacture?
Typically, repeatable or complex M&E elements such as pipe spools, plant skids, M&E modules, prefabricated plant rooms, and bracketry and supports are well suited to offsite manufacture. These are components where precision, repeatability and controlled assembly conditions offer the greatest time and quality benefits compared with fabricating them on-site.
When should we bring DfMA into a project?
The earlier the better – ideally during Stage 4 detailed design, when there's still freedom to design elements around manufacture and logistics rather than retrofitting prefabrication into a finished design. That said, we regularly identify DfMA opportunities on live projects, so it's never too late to have the conversation.
How does DfMA integrate with our existing BIM model?
Our DfMA outputs are developed directly from your coordinated BIM model, ensuring fabrication drawings match the design intent exactly. This keeps manufacturing outputs fully compatible with the model, so any changes are captured and reflected across both the model and the fabrication drawings, avoiding mismatches between what's designed and what's built.
Do you manufacture the modules yourselves?
Manufacturing itself sits with your chosen fabricator – our role is the design and digital engineering behind it. We produce the shop-ready fabrication drawings and coordinated models the fabricator works from, and where it helps, we can manage the interface with your manufacturing supply chain – making sure what's designed is what gets built, and what gets built fits on site.
How do you make sure prefabricated elements fit on site?
Every fabrication drawing is developed from, and checked against, the coordinated BIM model – so modules are designed around real site constraints, not assumptions. Where existing conditions are uncertain, our laser scanning team can capture millimetre-accurate as-built data before fabrication begins, taking the guesswork out of installation.
Related services
Services that complement DfMA
Reality capture
Laser scanning & scan to BIM
Accurate existing conditions from laser scanning and drone surveys, feeding straight into BIM coordination.
BIM / AIM Coordination
COBie, Digital Twins & FM handover
The coordinated model that every fabrication drawing is checked against.
4D Planning & Scheduling
Programme certainty in BIM
Construction timelines embedded directly into the coordinated BIM model – visualising programme and resolving sequencing conflicts before they reach site.
WORK WITH DEW
Ready to talk about your next project?
DEW integrates directly into your project team, delivering prefabrication-ready designs coordinated with your BIM model.