| 1. |
- Bengtsson, Marcus, 1977-
(författare)
-
On Condition Based Maintenance and its Implementation in Industrial Settings
- 2007
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In order to stay competitive, it is necessary for companies to continuously increase the effectiveness and efficiency of their production processes. High availability has, thus, increased in importance. Therefore, maintenance has gained in importance as a support function for ensuring, e.g., quality products and on-time deliveries. Maintenance, though, is a costly support function. It has been reported that as much as 70% of the total production cost can be spent on maintenance. Further, as much as one-third of the cost of maintenance is incurred unnecessarily due to bad planning, overtime cost, limited or misused preventive maintenance, and so on. In so, condition based maintenance is introduced as one solution for a more effective maintenance.In condition based maintenance, critical item characteristics are monitored in order to gain early indications of an incipient failure. Research, though, has shown that condition based maintenance has not been implemented on a wide basis. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate how a condition based maintenance approach can be implemented in an industrial setting, and to develop a method that can assist companies in their implementation efforts. Further, the research has been divided in three research questions. They focus on: constituents of a condition based maintenance approach, decision-making prior implementation of condition based maintenance, and finally, the implementation of condition based maintenance in a company.By using a systems approach and a case study process, how condition based maintenance can be implemented as a routine has been investigated. The result is an implementation method in which four suggested phases are presented. The method starts with a feasibility test. It then continues with an analysis phase, an implementation phase, and an assessment phase. The conclusions can be summarized as follows: implementing condition based maintenance consists of many general enabling factors, including management support, education and training, good communication, and motivation etc.
|
|
| 2. |
- Salonen, Antti
(författare)
-
Formulation of Maintenance Strategies
- 2009
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In industry, there is a constant demand for increased productivity in order to stay competitive. Still, Swedish industry has an average utilization of about 60% in its production systems. One important factor for increasing the equipment utilization is effective maintenance of production assets. Within process industry a strategic view on maintenance activities is common and most companies regard maintenance as a profit centre. Meanwhile, the discrete units manufacturing industry still in many cases view maintenance as a cost driver. However, with the spread of Toyota-inspired production concepts, the manufacturing industry is beginning to view maintenance as a strategic asset. Still, though, many companies have no formulated maintenance strategy. The main purpose of the research, presented in this thesis, has been to develop a work-process for formulation of effective maintenance strategies for enterprises in the manufacturing industry. Through one descriptive and two prescriptive case studies a work-process for formulation of maintenance strategies has been developed. The descriptive study revealed some of the differences between companies with and without maintenance strategies. It also showed how some companies view the strategic contributions of maintenance. The first prescriptive study showed how stakeholder involvement may contribute to the identification of relevant performance measures for the maintenance activities. Stakeholder involvement also contributes to the organizational acceptance of the maintenance strategy. Last, the second prescriptive case study led to the development of a work-process for formulation of maintenance strategies. The work-process was tested and verified in three companies, handling different challenges for their maintenance activities. All three companies intend to use the formulated maintenance strategy as a road map for the development of their production maintenance.
|
|
| 3. |
- Andersson, Anna, 1974-
(författare)
-
A framework supporting the collaboration between the logistics- and the product development process
- 2007
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the competitive environment of today’s global markets, the demands of customers are increasing. They expect to get the best product at the lowest price with immediate availability. Logistics, including transportation, inventory maintenance, order processing, purchasing, warehousing, materials handling, packaging, customer service standards, and product scheduling must continuously be developed to meet the challenges of the market. The globalization, with longer distances to customers and suppliers, and the progressing trend of outsourcing are examples of why the importance of logistics has increased over the last few years.A considerable part of the final product cost is frozen during the early product development phases. In the early phases of the product development process, the cost of making design changes is low compared to making changes later in the product development process. The product development decisions made in the early phases of the product development process have considerable impact on future manufacturing and logistics activities as well.The objective of this research project is to develop a framework supporting the collaboration between the logistics- and the product development process. To do this, it has been essential to analyze which parameters influence the efficiency of the logistics process and the interface between the logistics- and the product development process. Also, to investigate how the logistics department can be integrated earlier in the product development process has been of interest. This has been done through both a theoretical review and also through a number of case studies.The result and conclusion of this project is a framework that gives support for what to focus on, how to collaborate, in which phases collaboration is meaningful, and which persons need to be involved in the different product development phases. Working as the framework suggests will, hopefully, give closer collaboration between the logistics- and the product development process than without this supportive framework. The expectation of the collaboration is an earlier integration of the logistics department in the product development process and through this influence and increase the efficiency of the logistics process.
|
|
| 4. |
- Leberruyer, Nicolas
(författare)
-
Facilitating the Adoption of AI-driven Zero Defect Manufacturing in Production Systems
- 2024
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The increasing focus on sustainability is pushing companies to update their production systems. These systems need to facilitate the production of products with the latest sustainable technologies and innovations, while also producing these new products with lower environmental impact. To maintain high customer satisfaction, these systems must consistently deliver high-quality products. However, current quality management approaches, focused on minimal variations, might hinder this shift.Zero Defect Manufacturing (ZDM), an emerging quality approach, leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monitor products and processes in real-time, allowing for early defect detection and prevention. Many production systems generate vast amounts of data which is often not used to its full potential. Research shows that AI has the potential to unlock the hidden insights within this data, leading to transformative improvements in quality and overall efficiency. However, successfully adopting AI-driven ZDM requires expertise in AI and production while also overcoming technological and organizational challenges.The purpose of this licentiate thesis is to investigate the adoption of AI-driven ZDM in production systems, examining its impacts, challenges, and facilitators during the development process. The research involved collaboration with a company producing transmission components for the heavy-duty automotive industry. A two-year case study was conducted, enabling the in-depth exploration of data throughout the development of four real-world AI-driven ZDM applications in a production system. This approach provided valuable insights into the practicalities of adopting AI to ensure ZDM.The findings show that successful implementation requires specific prerequisites: lean manufacturing practices lay the groundwork for AI integration, a high-impact quality issue motivates investment and data collection, collaboration among diverse experts is crucial, and robust IT capabilities ensure smooth data storage and analysis. Furthermore, anomaly-detection AI models and the generation of "plausible defects" are key enablers for overcoming data limitations in complex defect detection. The study emphasizes the importance of early engagement to identify data needs, define extraction methods, and address potential implementation limitations. In addition, it recommends an iterative approach to continuously improving the solution and incorporating feedback throughout the process. This comprehensive approach can pave the way for a future of sustainable manufacturing, leading to significant cost savings and increased customer satisfaction.
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
- Olsson, Rolf, 1969-
(författare)
-
MANAGING PROJECT UNCERTAINTY BY USING AN ENHANCED RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESS
- 2006
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- An increasing number of companies are focusing their efforts on project management. Project management is frequently used as an enabler for meeting an uncertain and turbulent environment. Consequently, the overall effectiveness of the project management process is essential for long-term profitability. The aim and final effects of project management are to predict the outcome, i.e. cost, time and quality. However, uncertainty is inherent in the objectives of the project itself, as we use assumptions and expectations in defining and realizing the outcome of the project. A project’s ability to identify and react to uncertainty will influence the outcome of the project. Presently, risk management processes exist in several forms and are often used to manage uncertainty. However, it is frequently argued in academia as well as for the practitioner that risk management does not live up to expected results. The overall objective of this research is to improve the process for managing risks and opportunities within a project organization. The research starts from the single project view, followed by the strategic link to business strategy by including the project portfolio management perspective. Finally, the research focuses on opportunities and the ability of a project to realize them. Thus, the research questions addressed concern how risk is conceived in a theoretical global context and how this would assist in developing a methodology for risk management in an international project organization. They also involve how risk management within a project portfolio could be conducted and its effectiveness measured. Finally, the research questions also address how the management of opportunities could be improved. This research includes the development of four methodologies, based on industrial need. A holistic approach with a systems perspective has been used in order to handle the complexity of the research task. Both empirical and theoretical material has been used for developing the proposed methodologies. The developed methodologies for project risk management and the measures of its effectiveness have been tested and improved over a five-year period within the complete case company. Subsequently, two of them were implemented. The developed methodologies show that the risk management process in a single project does not foster learning and is not directly applicable within a portfolio of projects. Furthermore, the risk management process is not able to address all types of uncertainty. The project manager is a major factor in an effective management of uncertainty. When identifying and managing opportunity, having the ability to create a holistic view, to oversee both customer expectations, and to communicate project related information are important factors. Furthermore, the implementation also showed that it is actually possible, through the consistent use of a risk management process, to develop a cultural behavior within an organization that is much more preventive and proactive than before.
|
|
| 7. |
- Salonen, Antti
(författare)
-
Strategic Maintenance Development in Manufacturing Industry
- 2011
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Industrial maintenance is a substantial financial post. The total value of maintenance budgets in Europe has been estimated to be approximately 1500 billion € per year. At the same time, there are indications that about a third of these costs are wasted due to poor planning, overtime costs, inferior use of preventive maintenance and so forth. However, the diversity between different types of industry is substantial.While the process industry, which is rather vulnerable to disturbances, has a tradition of viewing its maintenance as a strategic resource, the picture is quite different in discrete item manufacturing industry. Historically, manufacturing industry has had a surplus of finished goods and Work-In-Progress buffers between machinery. Therefore, the manufacturing industry has been able to fulfil its production demand despite unreliable production equipment. In the last few decades, the concept of lean production has started to spread within the manufacturing industry as a means to improve competitiveness. Manufacturing companies apply lean tools such as flow oriented production layout, Just-In-Time production and Demand-Flow-Technology. As a consequence, the vulnerability to system disturbances increases and hence, the demand for dependable production equipment increases. Despite this increasing demand on reliable production equipment, few manufacturing companies work with strategic maintenance development. One reason for this may be that the existing methods and concepts for maintenance development are quite resource demanding.The main objective with this research is to develop a simple and cost effective approach aimed to formulate, implement, and evaluate maintenance strategies for the manufacturing industry. In five case studies the following has been studied: (1) The industry’s view on strategic maintenance development, (2) Formulation of maintenance strategies, (3) Implementation of maintenance strategies, (4) Cost of Poor Maintenance, and (5) Results from strategic maintenance development.As a result from this research, a process for the formulation of maintenance strategies has been developed. Further, a number of driving forces and obstacles, that influence the implementation of maintenance strategies, have been identified. The concept of Cost of Poor Maintenance has been introduced as a means for evaluating the financial contribution of maintenance. Finally, three years of studies in three companies has shown substantial benefits from strategic maintenance development.
|
|
| 8. |
- Sannö, Anna, 1978-
(författare)
-
Model for change in production systems triggered by environmental requirements : considerations, drivers, key factors
- 2015
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Industry is a key player in the transition to a sustainable society where manufacturing companies need to respond to the challenges of environmental concerns in several ways. Still, even if several efforts have been made in practise and academia, more research within operations management is addressed in relation to implementing sustainable solutions. The management of change in production systems, such as energy efficiency, will be one of the important future areas for the industry.In accordance, the objective of the licentiate thesis is, by theoretical and empirical work, focused on developing a model to support the implementation of environmental requirements. Literature reviews as well as two empirical case studies have been conducted in order to explore the environmentally driven change. The first case study conducted is an retrospective multiple case study, including four cases studying the implications of implementation of technology and identifying key factors effecting the outcome of the change. The second case study is an international multiple study, including nine case companies. The study explores what needs to be considered, the drivers for initiating change as well as the key factors effecting the outcome of the change process. The studies conducted and the results are presented in five appended papers.The research identifies three important links for managing environmentally driven change: how the requirements are introduced, how and if the link between strategic and operational level has been considered and how the need for change is transferred to action and implementation. By providing a system approach for managing change, it also points out the importance of understanding the organisational abilities and maturity of the companies that influence the projects. The result points out sets of drivers as well as key factors, related to the organisational abilities, that are effecting the outcome.As future research the model, that is developed to support operations management in their work to implement environmentally driven change, needs to be validated in practise. In particular research on the personal commitment and the collaboration is addressed to be studied in relation to a systematic approach as well as how to balance the priorities during the implementation.
|
|
| 9. |
- Sannö, Anna, 1978-
(författare)
-
Time to change : zipping sustainability into operations
- 2017
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Industry is a key player in the transition to a sustainable society, where manufacturing companies need to respond to the challenges of environmental concerns in several ways. The need for managing environmental technological change in production systems is and will continue to be a challenge for manufacturing companies, as they often tend to focus on short-term priorities to stay economically competitive, rather than developing the organisation to manage longer-term environmental competitiveness.In accordance with this, the objective of the thesis is to develop an understanding of how to manage environmental technological change in a production system. By identifying four categories of contextual preparedness, these being short-term focused, trade-off prepared, balance-seeking or long-term prepared, the thesis provides perspectives on how to manage change related to time and contextual aspects. The operation managers need to manage the projects by allocating individuals who can work systematically and build a strong knowledge base by collaborating with internal and external stakeholders. It shows that knowledge is not only about technology but also about realising the need for change and developing strong longer-term objectives.A model is developed to support operations managers with purposeful actions, such as reflecting upon their long-term capabilities and making conscious decisions when to manage their environmental technology change processes regarding their own production system. The model presents how to “zip” sustainability into operations, so as to provide guidance for operations managers on how to systematically manage long-term change in a context that needs to work with multiple time aspects - and priorities. By using the term zip it is emphasised that the long-term developments have to be consciously integrated into the organisation aligned to the short-term needs.Literature reviews, as well as four empirical case studies, have been conducted in order to explore environmental technological change. In the first two studies, the factors which affect environmental technological change in a production system have been identified. In the two subsequent studies the change processes as such were studied, leading to an increased understanding of how the production system and temporal dimensions influence the change processes. The studies conducted and the results are presented in six appended papers.
|
|
| 10. |
- Stålberg, Lina
(författare)
-
Adapting to dynamic conditions through continuous innovation in manufacturing
- 2018
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The speed of change increases due to the pace of technological change and globalisation, and many industries that usually have acted in more stable settings will in the future act in more dynamic marketplaces. In order to be able to manage dynamic conditions, the organisation needs to continue delivering effectively in existing business areas while developing new systems, products and processes to take advantage of new opportunities in the future. This means that the organisation must be able to use abilities for exploitation and exploration simultaneously or, in other words, strive for continuous innovation including ambidexterity.In the traditional manufacturing industry, many companies use some sort of improvement programme for achieving operational excellence. Hence, a trend among multinational manufacturing companies is also to deploy and integrate corporate improvement programmes (XPS). These are based on lean production and inspired by the Toyota Production System. Generally, improvement programmes such as XPS largely support the development of exploitation capabilities but not exploration capabilities, which instead may have to stand back. Previous research states that these are problematic and complex issues that need to be further understood and developed. Therefore, more knowledge and support needs to be developed regarding how manufacturing companies can adapt their production systems to remain resource-efficient while simultaneously adapting to more radical changes.The overall purpose of this research project is to contribute to an increased understanding of how XPS integrations can be developed towards continuous innovation to be able to manage more dynamic conditions. Accordingly, the research objective is to develop recommendations supporting continuous innovation in manufacturing. An overall longitudinal study has been carried out containing five case studies at a manufacturing company integrating an XPS during dynamic conditions, i.e., with large variations in volumes and mixes of products together with the introduction of new products and production concepts. The studies conducted and the results are presented in five appended papers.The research shows there is a risk that the XPS concept is abandoned due to a lack of understanding of how the XPS contributes to solve the turbulent situation that appears under dynamic conditions. At the same time, it is important to develop and support exploration skills in parallel, as these abilities are not particularly well developed in this context. Furthermore, the research shows that a strategy formulation process striving for high involvement can be used as a means of creating ambidextrous capabilities.
|
|
