| 1. |
- Hanson, Robin, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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Assembly station design: A quantitative comparison of the effects of kitting and continuous supply
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management. - : Emerald. - 1741-038X. ; 23:3, s. 315-327
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine how kitting, compared to continuous supply, affects the time spent by the assembler fetching parts in manual assembly. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an experimental setup at the Saab Automobile assembly plant in Trollhättan, Sweden. Experienced assemblers were studied as they performed the same assembly operations in ten different configurations. Each configuration consisted of a different arrangement in terms of how parts were presented. The use of kits to present parts was compared to parts presentation through continuous supply, where each part number was presented in a separate container. Findings – The time for fetching parts is significantly shorter when parts are presented through kitting instead of through continuous supply. Furthermore, the shorter fetching time is not just related to a shorter distance between assembly object and parts presentation, which can often be achieved through kitting. The reduction of time spent searching for parts is also considerable. Practical implications – The results of the paper provide valuable input in the design of assembly and materials supply systems, as they enable a better understanding of the relative performance of the materials feeding principles of kitting and continuous supply. Originality/value – Previous studies of kitting and its impact on assembly are mostly conceptual or qualitative, whereas quantitative studies are scarce. The current paper provides a substantial contribution by quantifying the effects that kitting, compared to continuous supply, has on the time spent fetching parts.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Medbo, Lars, 1957, et al.
(författare)
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Implementation of Lean in SME, experiences from a Swedish national program
- 2012
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Ingår i: Proceedings of 1st International Scientific Conference on Lean Technologies: Lean Tech 12, September 13-14, Novi Sad, Serbia. ; 1:1, s. 1-9
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper presents experiences from implementation of Lean in small and medium sized enterprises (SME). In Sweden, a national program, “The Production Leap”, to support and strengthen the production capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises by implementing Lean production has been proceeding since 2007. The program consists of three main parts: regional seminars for inspiration, courses for education in Lean, and coaching of individual companies. Until June 2012 more than 1000 employees have participated in courses and more than 130 companies in coaching. Research institutes, regional industrial development associations, universities, unions, employers’ organisations and companies have co-operated in the development and operation of the program. The program has been evaluated as very successful. The aim of this paper is to describe the program and how the methodology to develop companies has evolved. Experiences from the authors’ participation in the program from the start as well as evaluations of the program and of participating companies are used in the analysis. Emphasis is on factors leading to successful development and transformation of companies. Based on questions such as: what activities, who to involve, what is progress, what in the context is important, what is generic, how to reach sustainable transformation? Examples from companies participating in the program will be presented and discussed.
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| 4. |
- Blomquist, Bo, 1958, et al.
(författare)
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Assembly Systems and Work in the Swedish Automotive Industry
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nordic Lights. Work, Management, and Welfare in Scandinavia. - 1 85972 106 0 ; , s. 225-254
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- See web-link given på Chalmers Public Library (CPL). This is an edited chapter in a book (editor was Åke Sandberg from the Swedish Institute for work Life Research Stockholm (Arbetslivsinstitutet in Swedish). This publication enlightens the authors' research and development work regarding alternatives to line assembly. Comprising e.g. explaining of the different (real-life) assembly systems utilized in Sweden all through the passing years. In a more overarching way, it criticizes the way the insights and experiences gained by such (more or less socio-technically advanced assembly system designs practised (a vast of misunderstandings and rumours are obviously at hand today. To some extent is thereby this actually a refined summarization of some of our earlier scientific contributions (see some of the other publications registered in Chalmers Public Library CPL).
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| 5. |
- Fager, Patrik, 1988, et al.
(författare)
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Quality problems in materials kit preparation
- 2014
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 6th Swedish Production Symposium.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increasing customisation, together with a focus on assemblers’ value added time, inflates the number of component variants required in assembly, and drives implementation of kitting processes. Practice indicates that current kitting process designs exhibit quality problems, but research is scarce concerning which problems arise and why. Therefore, this paper provides a decomposition of quality in kitting processes by establishing a framework consisting of types, causes and determinants of quality problems in kitting processes. Through a multiple case study, several underlying mechanisms of quality problems and why they arise were revealed, thereby extending the current frame of knowledge.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Finnsgård, Christian, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of materials exposure on assembly workstation performance
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Production Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0020-7543 .- 1366-588X. ; 49:24, s. 7253-7274
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper examines how the choice of materials exposure impacts workstation performance, in terms of non-value-adding work, space requirements and ergonomics. In a typical Swedish automotive setting, components are exposed in wooden pallets with frames beside the assembly line and supplied by forklift truck. In a case study, three workstations on an assembly line were studied and redesigned following the principles of lean production, using smaller plastic containers for the materials exposure. After the redesign, the space required for materials was reduced by 67%, non-value-adding work decreased by 20%, and walking distance was reduced by 52%. Furthermore, the ergonomics for the assembly operator improved greatly, with a 92% reduction of potentially harmful picking activities, thereby almost eliminating potentially harmful body movements. The theoretical contribution of this paper is firstly the development of an analysis model describing the impact of material exposure on workstation performance and secondly development of the existing categorization of work operations to include different materials handling activities. The most important managerial implication is an increased understanding of the relationship between space, ergonomics, non-value-adding work and materials exposure. These findings have direct implications on workstation design in industry.
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| 9. |
- Fredriksson, Anna M K, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Assuring materials availability during the production transfer process – Critical characteristics of the materials planning environment
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management. - 1741-038X. ; 25:3, s. 310-333
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The MP (materials planning) environment sets the prerequisites for the MP process. Before and during PTS (production transfer and start-up) supply chain uncertainty of the MP environment increases, as the company goes from a known to an unknown situation. The purpose of this paper is to describe the impact of the MP environment on the MP process before and during PTS.Design/methodology/approach: A conceptual framework describing the MP environment before and during PTS is developed and applied to one case of outsourcing from Sweden to China. The framework is based on a literature review and further evaluated by both researchers and managers.Findings: A conceptual framework describing the dynamic MP environment before and during PTS has been developed compared to previously static MP environments descriptions. In addition, this framework proved to be useful in analysing the importance of various characteristics of the MP environment before and during PTS.Practical implications: The study highlights the importance of a proactive approach to materials availability when transferring production. The conceptual framework developed here can be used as a checklist to identify the characteristics of the MP environment that are most important to ensuring materials availability.Originality/value: The paper highlights the PTS when outsourcing, a substantial time frame with a large impact on success. This is an important contribution, given the focus of previous outsourcing research on strategic issues. Further, the paper demonstrates the differences between static and dynamic MP environments.
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| 10. |
- Fredriksson, Anna M K, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Materials planning activities during production transfer and start-up
- 2012
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 19th International EurOMA Conference, Amsterdam, July 2012.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Outsourcing is realised through production transfer. The implementation of a transfer, until the new supply chain reaches steady state, is here denoted ‘production transfer and start-up’ (PTS). The objective is to explore what materials planning (MP) activities are required before and during PTS, in order to ensure materials availability. By linking technology and knowledge transfer and production start-up to production transfers the paper explores how PTS affects materials availability. A multiple case study approach was used. The study shows that there are MP activities specific for PTS, of some are MP activities to handle unexpected events during start-up.
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