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- Hedman, Mattias, et al.
(author)
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Operator Contributions to Innovation : Supporting Innovative Production Development in a Digital Learning Environment
- 2022
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In: Advances in Transdisciplinary Engineering. - Amsterdam : IOS Press BV. - 9781614994398 ; , s. 580-591, s. 580-591
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- As all technologies come to pass, change by innovation is needed both ways, exploiting current knowledge to do better and exploring new knowledge to do differently. Due to years of continuous improvement (CI), exploitation of current knowledge in production development is rather well investigated, exploration is less. It could be argued that not utilizing the potential explorative operator contributions to production innovation is a lost opportunity to increase a company's innovation capability. Simultaneously, operators are facing great changes when manufacturing is adopting to digitalization and sustainability challenges enhancing the need for production innovation. This study focused on a team of operators through a workshop series of five sessions about explorative activities in a format using structured and semi-structured interviews. The study provided a basis for constructing a model for positioning operators' both digital and explorative maturity level. Through the empirical data and the model, the conclusion is illustrated as alternative pathways to reach a desired level of operator maturity. It was concluded that approaching digital and explorative maturity for operators should be done as a two-step process. Increasing both maturities simultaneously, as with the studied team, showed difficult due to the digital and explorative maturity being co-dependent. The suggested two-step process contributes to a better understanding of prerequisites and opportunities for operators to participate and contribute to production innovation in digitalized work environments, ultimately increasing the company's innovation capability. © 2022 The authors
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2. |
- Lindahl, Emma, et al.
(author)
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How could a SME supplier's value chain be evaluated by circular production principles?
- 2022
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In: Procedia CIRP. - : Elsevier BV. - 2212-8271. ; , s. 648-653
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Increased demands for circularity in manufacturing industry put pressure on transformation in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. Small-and-medium-sized-enterprises (SME)'s have an important role, supplying value chains with material and components for larger companies and original-equipment-manufacturers (OEMs). SME suppliers' net environmental footprint contributes to the OEM's overall footprint, however, SME suppliers are characterized by limited resources and competence to perform circularity activities. SME net environmental footprint consists of both production related targets combined with product related targets. Circular product performance evaluation have raised a demand for easy-to-use, self-assisting tools as a complement or substitute for standardised life-cycle-assessment (LCA) methods, often considered as costly with advanced calculations, and highlights the need for the development of accessible tools and guides that support the SMEs' circularity work. An established industrial tool based on previous research called the Green Performance Map (GPM), has successfully been used to assist circularity performance in production operations. This paper sets out to test the GPM tool in a new setting, addressing circularity in an extended value chain context, including three main areas; production and sourcing, product use and product end-of-life. The research presented is based on an in-depth case study with an interactive research approach and aims to explore how to reach a full value chain perspective on circularity in production. The result indicates that a joint and inclusive collaboration centred on the adapted GPM-tool, identifies and structures circular production principles as well as product use and end-of-life performance as a basis for evaluation. Findings from research study show that a comprehensive input-output tool could be used with limited competence and time, achieve increased employee awareness of circularity in the product value chain. This single case study brings a small empirical contribution to existing literature on SME circular production transformation, however it clearly shows on the urgency to evaluate circularity along the value chain in order to support a full industrial circular production transformation.
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3. |
- Mattsson, Sandra, et al.
(author)
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Synthesis of Universal Workplace Design in Assembly-A Case Study
- 2022
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In: Advances in Transdisciplinary Engineering. - : IOS Press BV. - 9781614994398 ; 21, s. 184-196
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To form an inclusive and sustainable society, workplace design that can be used by different individuals, regardless of sex, language, background, and body function variations is needed. Such workplaces can also give economic benefits to companies if they provide a more accessible, safer, more productive and error proofed working environment. This aim of this paper is to evaluate a universal design concept developed at a company aiming at providing an 'easy job'-workplace design for manual industrial operations. The study investigated key factors from 8 interviews and compared it to theoretical constructs such as WHO's ICIDH-2. A synthesis was formed that included the following factors: personal factors, environmental factors and outcomes of universal work. The study has resulted in new insights regarding universal workplace design and the vision is that the synthesis can be used by other production companies that want to increase the universal design in assembly work. © 2022 The authors
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