About Boothroyd Dewhurst

Who we are

Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc. (BDI) develops DFMA^® software, the industry standard for product simplification and should-cost analysis. Founded in 1983 by Geoffrey Boothroyd and Peter Dewhurst, BDI grew directly out of their pioneering academic research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Rhode Island.

For over four decades, Fortune 1000 manufacturers across automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical devices, and industrial equipment have used DFMA to reduce part counts, cut assembly time, and build transparent cost models. The methodology's impact was recognized in 1991 with the National Medal of Technology, the nation's highest honor for technological achievement.

Today, BDI operates from East Greenwich, Rhode Island. The company's latest release, DFMA 2025B, includes more than 200,000 cost data points across 22 countries, extending the methodology into regionalized should-cost and global sourcing analysis.

Leadership

Nicholas Dewhurst

President

Nick Dewhurst has spent more than 30 years working directly with DFMA. He leads customer demos and sales conversations alongside Director of Sales Dave Sweet, giving prospective users a firsthand look at what the software can do on real products.

Nick is also deeply involved in the product roadmap and development, shaping how the DFMA platform evolves. He holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Rhode Island, and his background spans hands-on product redesign, cost analysis, and decades of working with the software at the deepest technical level.

Nick is the son of co-founder Peter Dewhurst, who provided the analytical and computational expertise that turned DFMA from academic research into working software. Nick grew up around the methodology and has been immersed in its development for most of his career, giving him a depth of knowledge about the software and its underlying logic that is difficult to replicate.

Keith Gilligan

Executive Vice President

Keith Gilligan is deeply involved in the evolution of the DFMA platform, working alongside the programming team and Director of R&D to shape the product roadmap. He holds a BS in Economics and an MBA from the University of Rhode Island. He writes extensively about should-costing, product simplification, and manufacturing cost strategy, and has built a growing audience of engineers and cost professionals through his LinkedIn content on these topics.

Keith is the grandson of co-founder Geoffrey Boothroyd, whose academic research in the 1960s laid the foundation for the entire DFMA methodology. That family connection to DFMA's origins isn't just biographical. It shapes how BDI operates: with a long-term perspective, deep respect for the engineering discipline, and a commitment to keeping the methodology accessible and rigorous.

The DFMA legacy

In 1991, BDI's founders Geoffrey Boothroyd and Peter Dewhurst received the National Medal of Technology from President George H. W. Bush, the nation's highest honor for technological achievement, for their development and commercialization of DFMA.

From its academic origins in the 1960s through the first software on an Apple II Plus to today's global cost modeling platform, DFMA has transformed how products are designed and manufactured.

Read the full history of DFMA →

What we do

BDI develops and supports two core software modules and a global data add-on:

DFMA Product Simplification applies Design for Assembly analysis to reduce part counts and simplify product architecture. Engineering teams use it to identify which parts can be eliminated or consolidated, cutting assembly time and quality risk.

DFMA Should Costing builds transparent, process-based cost models for manufactured components. Rather than relying on supplier quotes alone, teams generate independent "should cost" estimates grounded in material costs, cycle times, and manufacturing process logic.

Global Costing Data extends should-cost analysis with regionalized manufacturing data covering more than 200,000 cost points across 22 countries, enabling sourcing comparisons and scenario modeling with consistent cost logic.

Beyond software, BDI offers implementation workshops, training, and guided analysis services led by Director of Implementation Services Chris Tsai, helping teams apply DFMA on their own products and present measurable results to stakeholders.