Editorial: Designing for the Future

Environmental considerations and new legislation mean that companies must start to consider the cost of disposal and recycling in the total life cycle cost of a product. To this end products need to be designed for service, efficient disassembly and recycling. Describes a design aid called “Design for Service” (DFS) which is intended to help designers to look at serviceability issues at the earliest stages of product design. Uses a case study of the Ford Motor Co. to illustrate how DFS can be implemented within industry.