DFMA: SHOULD COSTING
DFMA: PRODUCT SIMPLIFICATION
What is DFMA Global Costing Data?
DFMA Global Costing Data is an add-on for DFMA software that provides fully regionalized manufacturing cost inputs across 22 countries and 12+ processes. Each country profile includes up-to-date machine hourly rates, labor costs, material prices, energy expenses, tooling rates, and ancillary supply costs — applied directly inside DFMA to enable consistent, apples-to-apples cost comparisons for parts and assemblies.
Unlike generic cost libraries that apply flat percentage markups to a single base, Global Costing Data provides process-specific, expert-calibrated inputs for each region — so the cost differences you see reflect real manufacturing economics, not assumptions.
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The problem with generic cost comparisons
Sourcing decisions worth millions are routinely made on fragile data: spreadsheets cobbled from old RFQs, flat multipliers applied to domestic estimates, or unverified third-party databases. The result is a cost picture that looks precise but isn't — and teams that can't explain why a part costs more in one region than another.
Generic libraries apply flat multipliers that miss real differences in labor, energy, and machine rates. A 15% "China factor" hides more than it reveals.
Gathering comparable regional data from multiple sources and RFQs takes weeks — by which time the design window has narrowed or closed entirely.
Without standard methodology, different teams produce different regional estimates. Cross-functional alignment on sourcing strategy becomes nearly impossible.
How Global Costing Data works
Global Costing Data integrates directly into DFMA's existing should-costing workflow. There's no separate tool to learn, no data to import — regional cost profiles are available inside the same interface you already use.
- Select a manufacturing process
- Specify geometry, features, tolerances
- Choose materials and production volume
- DFMA builds cost from process physics
- Select any of 22 country profiles
- Machine rates, labor, materials, energy adjust automatically
- Tooling, supplies, and tariffs update in real time
- Same part, same model — different region
- See exactly which cost drivers change by region
- Build business cases for supply-chain investments
- Validate or challenge existing sourcing
- Share transparent breakdowns with stakeholders
What the data covers
Each country profile includes a complete set of manufacturing cost inputs — not just labor rates. Every data point is calibrated by Boothroyd Dewhurst's costing experts using AI-assisted trend analysis and validated against DFMA's time-tested cost models.
- Machine hourly rates by process and size
- Direct and indirect labor costs
- Material prices (metals, plastics, alloys)
- Energy costs (electricity, gas)
- Tooling rates and tool life assumptions
- Ancillary supplies and consumables
- Tariff and duty considerations
How the data is built: Boothroyd Dewhurst leverages AI and data analytics to surface objective, up-to-the-minute trends in manufacturing costs from real data sources. The costing team then refines those trends and calibrates them against DFMA's models — producing a database built with accuracy and consistency in mind, so regional comparisons are both meaningful and decision-ready.
22 countries. Every major manufacturing hub.
Consistent, expert-calibrated cost profiles covering the world's most important manufacturing regions — from established industrial powers to fast-growing production centers.
- United States
- Mexico
- Canada
- Brazil
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- Poland
- Czech Republic
- Turkey
- China
- Japan
- South Korea
- India
- Vietnam
- Thailand
- Taiwan
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- South Africa
Continuously expanding. New country profiles are added as DFMA's global dataset grows.
Who benefits
Global Costing Data is built for the teams making cost-critical sourcing and design decisions — anyone who needs to understand how manufacturing costs shift across regions and why.
Build defensible, region-specific should-costs from process physics. Show stakeholders exactly why a part costs more in one country than another — not just that it does.
Pinpoint lowest-cost regions before sending a single RFQ. Validate existing supplier pricing, identify reshoring opportunities, and build fact-based negotiation strategies.
See how design choices — material, tolerances, features — affect cost differently across regions. Make trade-off decisions at concept stage, not after tooling is committed.
Quantify the true cost impact of nearshoring, reshoring, or diversifying your supply base. Build stronger business cases for supply-chain investments with consistent, data-backed analysis.
DFMA Global Costing Data vs. generic cost libraries
Other tools may claim "global cost libraries," but many rely on generic figures, unverified third-party data, or percentage markups applied to a base cost. Here's how DFMA's approach differs:
| Capability | DFMA Global Costing Data | Generic cost libraries |
|---|---|---|
| Cost models built from process physics | ✓ Physics-based | ✗ Percentage markups |
| Regionalized machine rates, labor, materials, energy | ✓ Per-country inputs | ✗ Single base + multiplier |
| Tariff-inclusive landed cost | ✓ Included | ✗ Separate or missing |
| Expert-calibrated with AI-assisted validation | ✓ BDI costing experts + AI | ✗ Unverified third-party |
| Transparent, shareable cost build-ups | ✓ Full breakdown | ✗ Black-box estimate |
| Integrated into should-costing workflow | ✓ Native in DFMA | ✗ Standalone lookup |
| 40+ years of manufacturing cost methodology | ✓ Since 1983 | ✗ Varies |
Trusted by hundreds of Fortune 1000 manufacturers
Companies including Dell, John Deere, Boeing, Harley-Davidson, Kohler, and Westinghouse use DFMA to cut manufacturing costs and drive design innovation. Average published case-study results include:
— Nick Dewhurst, President, Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc.
Frequently asked questions
What is DFMA Global Costing Data?
DFMA Global Costing Data is an add-on for DFMA software that provides 200,000+ regionalized cost data points across 22 countries. It includes machine hourly rates, labor costs, material prices, energy expenses, tooling rates, and ancillary supplies for 12+ manufacturing processes — enabling consistent, apples-to-apples cost comparisons for parts and assemblies across multiple regions.
Which countries are covered?
DFMA Global Costing Data covers 22 countries across every major manufacturing region: United States, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Turkey, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and South Africa. New country profiles are added as the dataset expands.
Which manufacturing processes are included?
Global data is available for die casting, injection molding, machining, sheet metal, hot forging, sand casting, investment casting, metal extrusion, plastic extrusion, blow molding, thermoforming, PCBA, foam molding, automatic assembly, and more. Each process includes regionalized machine rates, labor, materials, energy, tooling, and supplies.
How is the data sourced and validated?
Boothroyd Dewhurst uses AI and data analytics to surface current global manufacturing cost trends from real data sources. Costing experts then evaluate and calibrate results against DFMA's time-tested cost models — producing a consistent, accurate global framework where regional comparisons are both meaningful and decision-ready.
How does this differ from generic cost libraries?
Many tools apply generic percentage markups to a single base cost. DFMA Global Costing Data provides fully regionalized inputs — machine rates, labor, materials, energy, tooling — for each country, integrated directly into DFMA's physics-based cost models. The result is transparent, process-specific cost build-ups rather than black-box estimates.
Is Global Costing Data available for existing DFMA licenses?
Yes. DFMA Global Costing Data is available as a paid upgrade for current DFMA subscribers. It is included with all new DFMA subscriptions. Contact Boothroyd Dewhurst at info@dfma.com for pricing and fit.
Do I need CAD files to use Global Costing Data?
No. DFMA supports CAD import (STEP, STL, IGES) but does not require it. You can specify geometry, features, and tolerances manually — making it useful for competitive benchmarking, early-concept costing, and supplier negotiations even when CAD isn't available.
See how your parts cost across the globe
Bring a cost-critical part. We'll walk through a live regional comparison — so you can see exactly how Global Costing Data exposes the cost drivers that differ between countries, before you commit.
