| 1. |
- Salim, Roaa, 1990-
(författare)
-
Exploring the content and process of automation decisions in manufacturing system development projects : A study in the Swedish wood products industry
- 2021
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The wood industry has great potential to support the development of a more sustainable future based on a circular economy. For Sweden to be able to maintain its competitive position as a leading wood industry nation, products with increased added value are needed. To realize this development, new and efficient automated solutions supporting the manufacturing systems in place in the industry are essential. However, although automation of manufacturing can result in competitive advantages, this is far from always being the case. A number of researchers have convincingly argued that investments in automation of manufacturing are more likely to succeed if they are the expression of well-grounded decisions made during the design of a manufacturing system. It is further argued that such decisions need to be linked to a company’s manufacturing strategy. And yet despite this, automation decisions are often made ad hoc and based on gut feelings.The essential purpose of this thesis therefore is to support informed automation decisions in the context of manufacturing system development projects carried out in the wood products industry. To fulfill the purpose, multiple research studies have been conducted including literature reviews and case study method.This thesis contributes with increased knowledge on the content and process of automation decisions in manufacturing system development projects conducted in the wood products industry. Close study of automation decisions made during manufacturing system design from a manufacturing strategy perspective has produced a set of guiding suggestions. These include the identification of aspects that need consideration when automation decisions are being made during the design of manufacturing systems. Furthermore, through studying the process leading to automation decisions during manufacturing system design, potential pitfalls for the wood products industry are exemplified and tactics used to support decision-making related to automation are suggested. Last, this thesis extends the current understanding about manufacturing systems in the wood products industry by presenting the drivers and challenges for automation of manufacturing.
|
|
| 2. |
- Hussmo, Daniel
(författare)
-
Exploring boundary objects between product development and production
- 2023
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The realization of products relies on the integrated outcomes of several functions, such as product development and production. However, problems can occur because not everyone shares the same knowledge, resulting in a need for knowledge integration. This becomes even more complex when there can be dependence on knowledge between functions, meaning that one’s knowledge has an impact on another’s. Because of this, different boundaries can arise that can prove problematic when integrating knowledge between product development and production. One way to integrate knowledge between these functions is through so-called boundary objects. Different engineering tools, such as prototypes and computer-aided designs, are often meant to function as boundary objects, but they may fail to do so because boundary objects are situational, meaning that they may function in one situation but not in another. The purpose of the thesis was therefore to explore how engineering tools can be used as boundary objects to integrate knowledge between product development and production in a product realization context. Based on an interactive research approach, case studies, workshops, and a systematic literature review were conducted to help fulfill the purpose. The result was a set of aspects that affect whether an engineering tool functions as a boundary object. These aspects were divided into two categories based on whether they pertained to the tool, referred to as properties, or to the situation in which it was used. The thesis further analyzed the role of interplay between these identified aspects, showing the interlinkage between aspects. Interplay was seen to play a complementing role, where aspects could play not only a supporting role to each other but also a negative role when the identified aspects were not managed correctly.
|
|
| 3. |
- Vestin, Alexander
(författare)
-
Supporting smart manufacturing in industrialized house building through product data management
- 2023
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Industrialized house building (IHB) needs to improve efficiency and reduce costs to be able to meet the demand of future building requirements. The discrete manufacturing industry has already begun its transformation with concepts such as Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing. The focus of these concepts is on systems integration and utilizing different design principles and technologies to improve productivity and competitiveness. So far, smart manufacturing has not been discussed to any significant extent in the context of the IHB industry, even though it might be a way for this industry to improve efficiency and reduce costs.The purpose of this thesis is to support smart manufacturing realization in the IHB industry through improved systems integration capability. The objective is to develop a support system that helps to mitigate current product data management challenges in the IHB industry. The research presented here followed the design research methodology (DRM), and three research studies were conducted within the IHB industry, specifically within the context of the wooden single-family house industry.The findings emphasized that integrated information and communication technology (ICT) tools are a precondition for realizing smart manufacturing in IHB. A pilot product lifecycle management (PLM) system was developed as a support system to mitigate the challenges encountered in product data management. The support system was developed based on five requirements (integrate product data between ICT tools, extract product data to purchasing items, adaptable to the product realization process, organize product data in different views, and trace revisions on building information modeling (BIM) projects and BIM families) and six functions (extract and interpret product data from the BIM project, property mapping, revision management, different types of document structures, from document structure to item structure, and complete bill of materials). The pilot PLM system was perceived to have value and could, for the case company, mitigate their challenges with product data management and facilitate improved systems integration. Furthermore, 18 enablers for PLM implementation in IHB were identified and categorized into implementing organization, PLM implementation process, PLM system selection and development, and development of product data for PLM.
|
|
| 4. |
- Vestin, Alexander
(författare)
-
Smart manufacturing for the wooden single-family house industry
- 2020
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- To meet the demand of future building requirements, and to improve productivity and competitiveness, there is a need to modernize and revise the current practices in the wooden single-family house industry. In several other sectors, intensive work is being done to adapt to the anticipated fourth industrial revolution. The manufacturing industry has already begun its transformation with concepts such as smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0. So far, smart manufacturing has not been discussed to any significant extent for the wooden single-family house industry, even though it might be a way for this industry to improve productivity and competitiveness.The research presented in this thesis aims at increased knowledge about what smart manufacturing means for the wooden single-family house industry. This requires investigating what smart wooden house manufacturingis, what challenges that might be associated with it, and how smart wooden house manufacturing can be realized. At the core of this thesis is the conceptualization of smart wooden house manufacturing—when realized, it is expected to contribute to improve the competitiveness of the wooden single family house industry.The findings presented here are based on three Research Studies. Two studies were case studies within the wooden single-family house industry. The third study was a traditional literature review.The findings revealed two definitions and 26 components of smart wooden house manufacturing. At large, smart wooden house manufacturing emphasizes digital transformation with a focus on digital information flow, how to add information, information compilation, and information distribution between systems/programs and departments. Some of the challenges associated with smart wooden house manufacturing are, e.g. culture, competence and manual transfer of information between systems.The findings indicate similarities of smart wooden house manufacturing within certain components of industrialized house building and Industry 4.0, these components could enable the realization of smart wooden house manufacturing.
|
|
