aPriori & Saab Naval

DFX - Design for Excellence – Before Submarines Hit the Water

Saab Naval needed a way to reduce the manufacturing risk and cost of their submarine program. And they need to prove the efficacy of design changes before parts went into the long production process of building a submarine. Enter aPriori and the methodology of DFX or Design for Excellence.

What is DFX?

Design for X (DFX) or Design for Excellence means looking beyond whether a design works technically and evaluating the many factors represented by “X” such as manufacturing, cost, assembly, or sustainability, among others, to determine how successfully a design can move from engineering into production and into operation. 

Optimizing Design for X with aPriori

How does Saab Use DFX?

Saab Naval used a Design for X (DFX) approach to analyze a six-piece welded assembly that was prone to welding deformation. With the help of aPriori, they came up with a consolidated, single piecemachined alternative for the assembly that reduced the cost from 30,000 Kr to 12,400 kr, or $3100 to $1300, which subsequently removed the deformation risk. By evaluating multiple X at the same time – cost, manufacturability, and assembly – as early as the concept design stage Saab is now able to ensure their submarines launch on time with superior performance and cost.

DFX Programme Lead at Saab Naval on Design for Excellence with aPriori

"We saw that aPriori should be used as an analytical backbone for data-driven decision-making. We also saw a need to implement DFX, or Design for Excellence, as a design philosophy across the organization. Lastly, we needed to integrate this whole philosophy into our processes—how we work and how we design."

- Joel Einarsson, Deputy Section Manager
Submarine Hull & Weapon Integration at Saab Naval

Get the Design for X Infographic

This PDF shows how each discipline within Design for X shapes product decisions before costly downstream problems are locked in. Download it as a quick reference for presenting how DFX can improve your team's design decisions.
Download the Infographic

Talk to an aPriori Expert

Contact us today to see how aPriori can help your engineering and manufacturing teams apply Design for Excellence earlier in the product development process. In a custom demo using your own parts, an aPriori expert can show you how to evaluate cost, manufacturability, assembly, sustainability, and other critical factors before designs move into production.

Talk to an aPriori Expert